Mick

Mick

Mick

The man was about forty-five. He had a short grey beard and dark hair with a lot of grey in it. His eyes were grey-blue and very tired. He looked at Ana for a long moment, and he didn’t smile.

Pria itu berumur sekitar empat puluh lima tahun. Dia punya janggut abu-abu pendek dan rambut gelap dengan banyak uban. Matanya biru kelabu dan sangat lelah. Dia menatap Ana lama, dan dia tidak tersenyum.

“You’re the one from the window,” he said at last.

“Anda orang yang dari jendela,” kata pria itu akhirnya.

“Yes,” Ana said. Her voice was not as strong as she wanted. “And you’re the one from the back step.”

“Ya,” kata Ana. Suaranya tidak sekuat keinginannya. “Dan Anda orang yang dari tangga belakang.”

He climbed down from the roof slowly, onto the path. He was tall and thin. His blue jumper was old, with a hole in one arm.

Dia turun perlahan dari atap ke jalan setapak. Dia tinggi dan kurus. Baju hangat birunya sudah tua, dengan sebuah lubang di satu lengan.

“You ran after me,” he said. “In the night, in the rain, in a jumper. That was very brave. Or very silly. I’m not sure.”

“Anda mengejar saya,” katanya. “Pada malam hari, dalam hujan, hanya dengan baju hangat. Itu sangat berani. Atau sangat bodoh. Saya tidak yakin.”

“Silly,” Ana said. “I was very wet the next day.”

“Bodoh,” kata Ana. “Saya basah sekali keesokan harinya.”

For a second, something moved in his face. It was almost a smile, but not quite. “I’m Mick,” he said.

Sebentar, sesuatu bergerak di wajahnya. Itu hampir berupa senyuman, tetapi bukan. “Saya Mick,” katanya.

“Mick,” Ana said. “And where are you from, Mick?”

“Mick,” kata Ana. “Dan dari mana asal Anda, Mick?”

“Manchester. I came here two months ago, for work. I work nights at the supermarket warehouse, at the edge of town. I start at four in the morning.” He looked at the canal. “The river path is the fastest way there.”

“Manchester. Saya datang ke sini dua bulan lalu untuk bekerja. Saya bekerja malam di gudang supermarket di pinggir kota. Saya mulai pukul four pagi.” Dia melihat ke arah kanal. “Jalan setapak sungai ini jalan paling cepat ke sana.”

“And on the way, you take the bread.”

“Dan di tengah jalan, Anda mengambil roti itu.”

“Yes. I take the bread.” He didn’t look sorry. “The first week, I saw a bag on a step. Every night. In the morning, it was always still there. Good bread, going in the bin. And I was hungry. Is that a crime?”

“Ya. Saya mengambil roti itu.” Dia tidak tampak menyesal. “Minggu pertama, saya melihat sebuah kantong di tangga. Setiap malam. Pada pagi hari, roti itu masih selalu ada di sana. Roti enak yang akan masuk ke tempat sampah. Dan saya lapar. Apa itu sebuah kejahatan?”

“How do you know it was always still there in the morning?”

“Bagaimana Anda tahu roti itu masih selalu ada di sana pada pagi hari?”

He looked at her. “I walk home that way too. At six.”

Dia menatap Ana. “Saya berjalan pulang lewat sana juga. Pukul enam.”