Selamat Ulang Tahun, Walter

Walter mengambil papan tanda itu dari tangan Ana. Dia tidak melihat ke papan itu. Dia menaruh papan itu lagi di belakang flour, di tempat gelap. Lalu dia mengambil alat panjang itu dari kotak.

Walter takes the sign from Ana’s hands. He doesn’t look at it. He puts it back behind the flour, in the dark. Then he takes the long tool from the box.

“Pintu,” kata dia. Dan mereka selesai membuat pintu itu. Pada pukul sembilan, pintu menutup lagi. Walter memberi salam malam lalu naik ke atas. Dia tidak berbicara tentang papan tanda itu.

“The door,” he says. And they finish the door. At nine o’clock, it closes again. Walter says good night and goes upstairs. He doesn’t say anything about the sign.

Pada hari Jumat, Jess masuk ke dapur setelah sekolah. Dia berbicara sangat tenang. “Ana. Besok hari ulang tahun Kakek. Usia Kakek tujuh puluh dua tahun. Kamu bisa bantu aku? Aku mau membuat kue.”

On Friday, Jess comes into the kitchen after school. She speaks very quietly. “Ana. Tomorrow is Grandad’s birthday. He is seventy-two. Can you help me? I want to make a cake.”

“Kue ulang tahun? Ya! Tapi Walter ada di bakery. Dia bisa melihat kita.”

“A birthday cake? Yes! But Walter is in the bakery. He can see us.”

“Tidak pada hari Sabtu siang. Pada hari Sabtu siang, dia selalu pergi ke bukit. Ke Nenek Mary.”

“Not on Saturday afternoon. On Saturday afternoon, he always goes up the hill. To Grandma Mary.”

Pada hari Sabtu siang, Walter pergi ke luar. Ana dan Jess mulai membuat kue. Mereka punya flour, telur, gula, mentega dan cokelat. Kue itu bukan kue yang bagus. Kue pertama hitam di bagian bawah. Kue kedua sangat rata.

On Saturday afternoon, Walter goes out. Ana and Jess start the cake. They have flour, eggs, sugar, butter and chocolate. It isn’t a good cake. The first cake is black at the bottom. The second cake is very flat.

“Kita bekerja di bakery,” kata Jess, “dan kita tidak bisa membuat kue.” Mereka banyak tertawa. Ada cokelat di dinding.

“We work in a bakery,” Jess says, “and we can’t make a cake.” They laugh a lot. There is chocolate on the wall.

Kue ketiga bagus. Di atas kue, Jess menulis dengan cokelat putih: SELAMAT ULANG TAHUN KAKEK. Huruf-huruf itu tidak begitu lurus.

The third cake is OK. On top, Jess writes in white chocolate: HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDAD. The letters are not very straight.

Kue itu ada di oven. Ana bertanya, “Jess, ada papan tanda tua di ruang simpan. Tulisannya BELL & SON. Siapa son itu?”

The cake is in the oven. Ana asks, “Jess, there is an old sign in the store room. It says BELL & SON. Who is the son?”

Jess berhenti. Wajah dia jadi dingin. “Tidak ada anak laki-laki. Kakek punya satu cucu perempuan. Yaitu aku. Cuma itu.”

Jess stops. Her face goes cold. “There is no son. Grandad has a granddaughter. Me. That’s all.”

“Tapi papan tanda itu…”

“But the sign…”

“Ana. Tolong. Jangan hari ini.” Dan Ana tidak bertanya lagi.

“Ana. Please. Not today.” And Ana doesn’t ask again.

Pada pukul lima, Walter pulang. Priya ada di sana, dan Daniel juga. Jess mematikan lampu. “Selamat ulang tahun!” kata mereka semua. Ana membawa kue itu.

At five o’clock, Walter comes back. Priya is there, and Daniel too. Jess turns off the light. “Happy birthday!” they all say. Ana brings the cake.

Walter melihat ke kue itu. Dia melihat ke huruf-huruf itu. “Siapa membuat kue ini? Kue ini jelek sekali,” kata dia. Tapi dia makan dua potong besar. Dan mata dia senang.

Walter looks at the cake. He looks at the letters. “Who makes this cake? It’s terrible,” he says. But he eats two big pieces. And his eyes are happy.