The Train to Leeds

Walter bent down slowly and picked up the wet bag with his good hand. He looked inside at the cold bread. Then he walked past Ana, into the kitchen, and threw it in the bin.

Walter membungkuk perlahan dan mengambil tas basah itu dengan tangannya yang sehat. Dia melihat ke dalam ke arah roti yang dingin. Lalu dia berjalan melewati Ana, masuk ke dapur, dan membuangnya ke tempat sampah.

He didn’t say anything more. Ana didn’t ask. They both knew there were questions in the room, and they both left them there.

Dia tidak berkata apa-apa lagi. Ana tidak bertanya. Mereka berdua tahu ada pertanyaan-pertanyaan di ruangan itu, dan mereka berdua membiarkannya di sana.

At breakfast, Jess came down with a letter in her hand. Her face was pink. “Grandad. Ana. I have to tell you something.” She looked at Ana. Ana gave her a small smile.

Saat sarapan, Jess turun dengan sepucuk surat di tangannya. Wajahnya merah muda. “Kakek. Ana. Aku harus memberitahu kalian sesuatu.” Dia melihat ke arah Ana. Ana memberikan senyum kecil kepadanya.

“There’s an open day at the university in Leeds on Saturday. You can see the buildings and talk to the teachers. For architecture. I want to go.” She took a breath. “And I have a letter from London too. They want to see me in the spring.”

“Ada hari terbuka di universitas di Leeds pada hari Sabtu. Kamu bisa melihat gedung-gedung dan berbicara dengan para dosen. Untuk arsitektur. Aku ingin pergi.” Dia menarik napas. “Dan aku juga punya surat dari London. Mereka ingin bertemu denganku pada musim semi.”

Walter put down his cup. He looked at Jess for a long time. Ana was afraid he was going to be angry. But he only said, “Architecture. Like your drawings.”

Walter meletakkan cangkirnya. Dia menatap Jess lama sekali. Ana takut dia akan marah. Namun dia hanya berkata, “Arsitektur. Seperti gambar-gambarmu.”

“You know about my drawings?”

“Kakek tahu tentang gambar-gambarku?”

“I’m old, Jess. I’m not blind.” He drank his tea. “I can’t go with you on Saturday. Somebody has to make the bread, and my hand…”

“Aku sudah tua, Jess. Aku tidak buta.” Dia meminum tehnya. “Aku tidak bisa pergi bersamamu pada hari Sabtu. Seseorang harus membuat roti, dan tanganku…”

“I can go with her,” Ana said. “After the baking. If you can do the shop alone.”

“Aku bisa pergi bersamanya,” kata Ana. “Setelah membuat roti. Kalau Kakek bisa menjaga toko sendiri.”

Walter nodded. And for one second, Jess put her arms round her grandad. Then she ran upstairs, very fast, so nobody could see her face.

Walter mengangguk. Dan untuk satu detik, Jess memeluk kakeknya. Lalu dia lari ke lantai atas, cepat sekali, jadi tidak ada orang yang bisa melihat wajahnya.

On Saturday, at a quarter past eight, Ana and Jess were at Hollin Bridge station. It was a small station at the top of the town, with two platforms and one ticket machine.

Pada hari Sabtu, pukul delapan lewat seperempat, Ana dan Jess berada di stasiun Hollin Bridge. Itu stasiun kecil di bagian atas kota, dengan dua peron dan satu mesin tiket.

“Two returns to Leeds, please,” Ana said to the machine. Then she laughed. “I always talk to machines. In English, they understand me better than people.”

“Dua tiket pulang-pergi ke Leeds,” kata Ana kepada mesin itu. Lalu dia tertawa. “Aku selalu berbicara dengan mesin. Dalam bahasa Inggris, mereka mengerti aku lebih baik daripada manusia.”

Jess looked at the timetable. “Platform two. Eight thirty-two. The journey is fifty minutes. We’re going to be early for once.”

Jess melihat jadwal kereta. “Peron dua. Delapan lewat tiga puluh dua. Perjalanannya lima puluh menit. Untuk sekali ini kita akan datang lebih awal.”

The train went through green hills, little stone towns and fields with sheep. Ana was tired after her night of work, but she couldn’t sleep. She watched Jess. Jess was watching the window, with her headphones round her neck.

Kereta berjalan melewati bukit-bukit hijau, kota-kota batu kecil dan ladang-ladang dengan domba. Ana lelah setelah kerja malamnya, namun dia tidak bisa tidur. Dia memperhatikan Jess. Jess sedang melihat ke jendela, dengan penutup telinga di lehernya.

“Can I ask you something?” Jess said suddenly. “Do you miss your dad?”

“Boleh aku bertanya sesuatu?” kata Jess tiba-tiba. “Kamu rindu ayahmu?”