The Green Door

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My grandfather died on Monday. On Friday a lawyer gave me a key. And a map of his garden.

Kakek saya meninggal pada hari Senin. Pada hari Jumat, seorang pengacara memberi saya sebuah kunci. Dan sebuah peta kebunnya.

The funeral was small. It rained. My mother didn’t cry. Aunt Karin looked at her phone the whole time.

Pemakamannya kecil. Hujan turun. Ibu saya tidak menangis. Tante Karin terus melihat ponselnya sepanjang waktu.

After the funeral we all went to Grandpa’s house. The house is at the end of a little street in Bamberg. It’s old, but the garden is big and beautiful. Grandpa worked in the garden almost every day. He always said, “The soil doesn’t lie.”

Setelah pemakaman, kami semua pergi ke rumah Kakek. Rumah itu berada di ujung jalan kecil di Bamberg. Rumah itu tua, tetapi kebunnya besar dan indah. Kakek bekerja di kebun hampir setiap hari. Dia selalu berkata: “Tanah tidak pernah berbohong.”

I spent a lot of time with him, every summer, ever since I was little. We picked apples and watered tomatoes together. Grandpa didn’t talk much. But in the garden he was always happy.

Saya sering mengunjunginya, setiap musim panas, sejak saya kecil. Kami memetik apel dan menyiram tomat bersama. Kakek tidak banyak bicara. Namun, di kebun dia selalu bahagia.

The lawyer is called Mr Vogel. He’s a small man with big glasses. In the kitchen he gave me a brown envelope.

Pengacara itu bernama Bapak Vogel. Dia pria kecil dengan kacamata besar. Di dapur, dia memberi saya sebuah amplop cokelat.

“This is only for you, Ms Weber,” he said quietly. “Your grandfather wanted it that way.”

“Ini hanya untuk Anda, Ibu Weber,” katanya pelan. “Kakek Anda menginginkannya seperti ini.”

In the envelope I found a small old key. And a sheet of paper. Grandpa had drawn the garden in pencil: the house, the apple tree, the flower beds, the tall hedge. Next to the hedge he had made a red cross.

Di dalam amplop, saya menemukan kunci kecil yang sudah tua. Dan selembar kertas. Kakek menggambar kebun itu dengan pensil: rumah, pohon apel, bedeng tanaman, dan pagar tinggi. Di samping pagar, dia membuat tanda silang merah.

Under the drawing he had written three words: Not for Karin.

Di bawah gambar itu, dia menulis tiga kata: Bukan untuk Karin.

I quickly closed the envelope. But Aunt Karin saw it.

Saya segera menutup amplop itu. Namun, Tante Karin melihatnya.

“What have you got there, Lena?” she asked.

“Apa yang kamu pegang itu, Lena?” tanyanya.

“Nothing. Just a letter from Grandpa.”

“Bukan apa-apa. Hanya surat dari Kakek.”

She smiled. But her eyes didn’t smile.

Dia tersenyum. Namun, matanya tidak ikut tersenyum.