Toko di Seberang Jalan

Ana berbalik. Walter berdiri di pintu toko. Cepat-cepat, dia memasukkan kertas persegi ke dalam saku celana jinsnya.

Ana turns. Walter is at the door to the shop. Fast, she puts the paper square in the pocket of her jeans.

“Tidak ada apa-apa,” kata Ana. “Aku mau mencari angin. Di sini sangat panas.”

“Nothing,” she says. “I want some air. It is very hot in here.”

Walter melihat ke arahnya. Lalu dia melihat ke tangga kecil di depan pintu. Tangga itu kosong. Wajahnya diam saja.

Walter looks at her. Then he looks at the step. The step is empty. His face doesn’t move.

“Tutup pintu itu,” kata Walter. “Lalu tidur. Kamu lambat, tapi kamu tidak buruk. Tidur sekarang. Masuk kerja jam tiga lagi.”

“Close that door,” he says. “And go to bed. You’re slow, but you’re not bad. Sleep now. Work is at three again.”

Ana menutup pintu. Tidak buruk. Dari mulut Walter, itu kata yang baik. Dia naik ke atas dan tidur.

Ana closes the door. Not bad. From Walter, that is good. She goes upstairs and sleeps.

Pada jam tiga sore, jam weker Ana berdering. Dia bangun. Tidak ada susu di kamarnya, dan tidak ada pulsa di teleponnya. Dia perlu kartu telepon.

At three in the afternoon, Ana’s alarm rings. She gets up. She has no milk in her room, and no money on her phone. She needs a phone card.

Di seberang jalan, ada toko kecil. Nama toko ada di atas pintu: SHAH’S. Di balik jendela kaca, ada koran, gula-gula, dan seekor kucing. Kucing itu tidur.

Across the road, there is a small shop. Its name is over the door: SHAH’S. In the window, there are newspapers, sweets and a cat. The cat is asleep.

Ana masuk. Seorang wanita kecil berdiri di belakang meja kasir. Dia memakai kacamata emas dan menaruh pulpen di belakang telinganya. “Halo, Sayang!” katanya. “Kamu orang baru. Aku kenal semua orang, dan aku belum kenal kamu.”

Ana goes in. A small woman stands behind the counter. She has gold glasses and a pen behind her ear. “Hello, my dear!” she says. “You’re new. I know everybody, and I don’t know you.”

“Halo. Selamat sore. Nama saya Ana. Saya bekerja di toko roti.”

“Hello. Good afternoon. I’m Ana. I work at the bakery.”

“Di tempat Walter? Pembuat roti malam yang baru! Aku Priya. Priya Shah. Ini toko milikku. Kamu dari mana, Ana? Berapa umur kamu? Punya keluarga? Kamu suka tinggal di sini?”

“At Walter’s? The new night baker! I’m Priya. Priya Shah. This is my shop. Where are you from, Ana? How old are you? Have you got a family? Do you like it here?”

Ana tertawa. “Maaf. Pelan-pelan saja. Satu pertanyaan.”

Ana laughs. “Sorry. Slowly, please. One question.”

“Maaf, Sayang. Satu pertanyaan. Kamu dari mana?”

“Sorry, my dear. One question. Where are you from?”

“Dari tempat jauh. Sangat jauh,” kata Ana. “Umur saya dua puluh empat tahun. Saya punya saudara laki-laki. Dia ada di rumah.”

“From far away. Very far,” Ana says. “I am twenty-four. I have a brother. He is at home.”

“Itu tiga jawaban. Bagus!” kata Priya. “Kamu mau beli apa?”

“That’s three questions. Good!” Priya says. “What can I get for you?”