Three Hundred Rolls

On Friday night the town was very quiet. It was cold, and a thin rain was falling on the river. At a quarter to twelve Ana went down to the kitchen in her socks, carrying her trainers in her hand. She turned on only the small light over the table. Then she listened. Upstairs, behind Walter’s door, she could hear him snoring slowly and deeply.

Pada Jumat malam kota itu sangat sunyi. Udara dingin, dan hujan gerimis turun di atas sungai. Pada pukul dua belas kurang lima belas menit Ana turun ke dapur hanya dengan kaus kaki, sambil memegang sepatu olahraga di tangannya. Dia hanya menyalakan lampu kecil di atas meja. Lalu dia mendengarkan. Di lantai atas, di balik pintu Walter, dia bisa mendengar dengkuran pria itu yang lambat dan dalam.

She had prepared everything she could. The flour was ready in its big bags, and the trays were clean and stacked by the oven. She had written the plan on a piece of paper and stuck it to the fridge, next to the hospital letter. Rolls, then loaves, then the normal bread for the shop. Ana had read it so many times that she could see it with her eyes closed.

Dia telah menyiapkan semua yang dia bisa. Tepung sudah siap di kantong-kantong besarnya, dan loyang-loyang sudah bersih serta tersusun di dekat oven. Dia telah menulis rencananya di secarik kertas dan menempelkannya ke kulkas, di sebelah surat rumah sakit. Roti gulung, lalu roti tawar bundar, lalu roti biasa untuk toko. Ana telah membacanya berkali-kali hingga dia bisa melihatnya dengan mata tertutup.

At exactly midnight there was a very soft knock on the back door. Crumb lifted his head. Ana opened the door, and Michael was standing on the step in his long coat, with rain on his hat and a small bag in his hand. For a second neither of them said anything.

Tepat tengah malam terdengar ketukan yang sangat pelan di pintu belakang. Crumb mengangkat kepalanya. Ana membuka pintu, dan Michael sedang berdiri di anak tangga dengan mantel panjangnya, dengan air hujan di topinya dan sebuah tas kecil di tangannya. Selama sedetik tak seorang pun dari mereka bicara.

Then he stepped inside, and Ana closed the door behind him. He took off his hat. He stood in the middle of the kitchen and did not move. He looked at the old oven, the big wooden table, the shelves, the radio, the window over the sink. His eyes went round the room slowly, as if he was reading a letter from a long time ago.

Lalu pria itu melangkah masuk, dan Ana menutup pintu di belakangnya. Dia melepas topinya. Dia berdiri di tengah dapur dan tidak bergerak. Dia melihat oven tua itu, meja kayu besar, rak-rak, radio, jendela di atas bak cuci piring. Matanya mengitari ruangan itu perlahan-lahan, seolah-olah dia sedang membaca surat dari masa lalu.

“The table is the same,” he said quietly. “Everything else is new. After the fire, everything at the back was new. But the table was in the shop that night, so it didn’t burn.” He put his hand flat on the old wood. “I learned to make bread at this table. I was seven. I stood on a chair.”

“Mejanya masih sama,” katanya perlahan. “Semua yang lain baru. Setelah kebakaran, semua yang di belakang baru. Tapi meja ini ada di toko malam itu, jadi tidak terbakar.” Dia meletakkan telapak tangannya di atas kayu tua itu. “Aku belajar membuat roti di meja ini. Waktu itu umurku tujuh tahun. Aku berdiri di atas kursi.”

Crumb got up from his place by the oven, walked over and smelled Michael’s shoes and the bottom of his coat. Then he did something he did not usually do with strangers. He pushed his grey nose into Michael’s hand and stayed there.

Crumb bangkit dari tempatnya di dekat oven, berjalan mendekat dan mengendus-endus sepatu Michael serta bagian bawah mantelnya. Lalu dia melakukan sesuatu yang biasanya tidak dia lakukan pada orang asing. Dia mendorong hidung kelabunya ke tangan Michael dan diam di sana.

“He smells the bread on me,” Michael said. “Two months of your bread.” He scratched the old dog behind the ears. Then he took off his coat and looked at the hooks by the door. Walter’s spare apron was hanging there, long and white and a little yellow with age. Michael looked at it for a long moment. Then he took it down and put it on.

“Dia mencium bau roti padaku,” kata Michael. “Dua bulan makan rotimu.” Dia menggaruk anjing tua itu di belakang telinganya. Lalu dia melepas mantelnya dan melihat gantungan di dekat pintu. Celemek cadangan milik Walter tergantung di sana, panjang dan putih serta agak menguning karena usia. Michael memandangnya cukup lama. Lalu dia menurunkannya dan memakainya.

It was too big for him. Walter was a heavier man. But when Michael tied it behind his back, he suddenly stood differently. His shoulders went back. He looked at the bowls and the bags of flour, and something in his tired face woke up. “Right,” he said. “Show me your plan.”

Celemek itu terlalu besar untuknya. Walter orang yang lebih gemuk. Namun saat Michael mengikatnya di belakang punggungnya, sikap berdirinya tiba-tiba berbeda. Bahunya menegak. Dia melihat mangkuk-mangkuk dan kantong-kantong tepung, dan sesuatu di wajah lelahnya terbangun. “Baiklah,” katanya. “Tunjukkan rencanamu.”