Rahasia Jess

Tidak ada yang menjawab. Priya menatap Ana. Ana melihat kertas persegi di atas meja. Cepat-cepat, dia memasukkannya kembali ke dalam sakunya.

Nobody answered. Priya looked at Ana. Ana looked at the paper square on the table. Fast, she put it back in her pocket.

“Jess, Sayang,” kata Priya. “Kami hanya sedang berbicara tentang masa lalu. Tentang toko roti itu.”

“Jess, my dear,” Priya said. “We were only talking about the old days. About the bakery.”

“Tentang dia,” kata Jess. “Aku mendengar kalian. Kamu menyebut namanya.” Dia menatap Ana. “Apakah Kakek memintamu mencari kabar tentang dia? Begitu?”

“About him,” Jess said. “I heard you. You said his name.” She looked at Ana. “Did Grandad ask you to find out about him? Is that it?”

“Bukan! Walter tidak tahu apa-apa,” kata Ana. “Aku bertanya kepada Priya. Aku mau mengerti. Tentang kebakaran itu.”

“No! Walter doesn’t know anything,” Ana said. “I asked Priya. I wanted to understand. About the fire.”

“Kalau begitu, tanya saja kepadaku,” kata Jess. Suaranya terdengar keras. “Aku bisa memberitahumu. Ceritanya sangat pendek. Ayahku membakar toko roti itu, dan besoknya dia kabur. Dia meninggalkan ayahnya. Dia meninggalkan aku. Waktu itu umurku dua tahun. Selesai.”

“Then ask me,” Jess said. Her voice was hard. “I can tell you. It’s a very short story. My father burned down the bakery, and the next day he ran away. He left his father. He left me. I was two. The end.”

“Jess…” Priya mulai bicara.

“Jess…” Priya started.

“Aku masuk untuk membeli pulpen, Priya. Hanya sebuah pulpen. Untuk ujianku besok.” Jess mengambil pulpen biru dari kotak di atas kasir dan meletakkan uang satu pound di sampingnya. Lalu dia berjalan keluar. Lonceng di atas pintu berbunyi di belakangnya.

“I came in for a pen, Priya. Just a pen. For my exam tomorrow.” Jess took a blue pen from the box on the counter and put a pound next to it. Then she walked out. The bell over the door rang behind her.

“Kejar dia,” kata Priya pelan. “Dan Ana, jangan bicara apa-apa tentang pria itu. Tidak sama sekali. Jangan kepada Jess.”

“Go after her,” Priya said quietly. “And Ana, say nothing about the man. Nothing. Not to Jess.”

Ana berlari keluar. Jess tidak pulang ke rumah. Dia berjalan cepat menyusuri Bridge Street, ke arah sungai. Ana menyusulnya di atas jembatan batu tua.

Ana ran out. Jess wasn’t going home. She was walking fast down Bridge Street, to the river. Ana caught her on the old stone bridge.

“Jess, tunggu. Maafkan aku. Sungguh. Itu bukan urusanku.”

“Jess, wait. I’m sorry. Really. It was not my business.”

Jess berhenti. Dia melihat ke bawah ke arah air untuk waktu yang lama. Ketika dia berbicara lagi, suaranya berbeda. Lelah, bukan marah.

Jess stopped. She looked down at the water for a long time. When she spoke again, her voice was different. Tired, not angry.

“Semua orang di kota ini tahu cerita itu,” katanya. “Di sekolah, waktu aku masih kecil, seorang anak laki-laki berkata kepadaku: ayahmu membakar toko roti itu. Aku tidak tahu harus bicara apa. Aku pulang dan bertanya kepada Kakek. Dia tidak menjawab. Dia masuk ke dalam toko roti dan membuat roti sepanjang malam.”

“Everybody in this town knows the story,” she said. “At school, when I was little, a boy said to me: your dad burned down the bakery. I didn’t know what to say. I went home and asked Grandad. He didn’t answer. He went into the bakery and made bread all night.”

“Aku minta maaf, Jess.”

“I’m sorry, Jess.”

“Tidak apa-apa. Aku tidak butuh ayah. Aku punya Kakek.” Dia melepaskan tas sekolahnya dari punggungnya. “Kamu bisa simpan rahasia, Ana? Rahasia yang sungguhan?”

“It’s fine. I don’t need a father. I have Grandad.” She took her school bag off her back. “Can you keep a secret, Ana? A real one?”