A Coin Worth the Wait

Takeshi stands at the end of a very long queue. It goes down the steps and along the shop window. Then it turns the corner. He cannot see the front.

Takeshi berdiri di ujung antrean yang sangat panjang. Antrean itu menuruni tangga dan menyusuri jendela toko. Lalu berbelok di tikungan. Ia tidak bisa melihat barisan paling depan.

It is six in the morning. The sky is grey and the street is quiet. Takeshi holds a small jar of coins in both hands.

Sekarang pukul enam pagi. Langit kelabu dan jalanan sepi. Takeshi memegang sebuah toples kecil berisi koin dengan kedua tangan.

Eight months ago, he started to save money for one thing. It is a silver coin with a tiny bird on it. The stamp and coin shop sells only fifty of them. Today is the first day.

Delapan bulan lalu, ia mulai menabung untuk satu benda saja. Benda itu sekeping koin perak bergambar seekor burung mungil. Toko perangko dan koin itu hanya menjual lima puluh koin semacam itu. Hari ini hari pertamanya.

Takeshi is twenty-eight, and he is shy. He never asks for anything. At work, he waits until people notice him. Today he wants to be different.

Takeshi berumur dua puluh delapan tahun, dan ia pemalu. Ia tidak pernah meminta apa pun. Di tempat kerja, ia menunggu sampai orang-orang menyadari keberadaannya. Hari ini ia ingin berbeda.

The woman in front of him turns around. "Are you here for the bird coin too?" she asks.

Perempuan di depannya menoleh. "Kamu juga ke sini untuk koin burung itu?" tanyanya.

"Yes," says Takeshi. His voice is small.

"Ya," kata Takeshi. Suaranya kecil.

"Then you need luck," she says. "I count nearly two hundred people ahead of us."

"Kalau begitu kamu butuh keberuntungan," katanya. "Kuhitung hampir dua ratus orang di depan kita."

Takeshi counts the people too. She is right. He feels tired already. Still, he stays.

Takeshi ikut menghitung orang-orang itu. Perempuan itu benar. Ia sudah merasa lelah. Meski begitu, ia bertahan.

Hours pass. His legs hurt. A boy sells hot snacks from a cart. Takeshi does not move. He is afraid to lose his place.

Jam demi jam berlalu. Kakinya sakit. Seorang anak laki-laki menjual makanan ringan hangat dari sebuah gerobak. Takeshi tidak bergerak. Ia takut kehilangan tempatnya.

At nine, the shop opens. The queue moves very slowly. At eleven, a man in a green apron comes out. He is tall, with a loud voice. His name tag says Basil.

Pukul sembilan, toko itu buka. Antreannya bergerak sangat lambat. Pukul sebelas, seorang pria berapron hijau keluar. Ia tinggi, dengan suara lantang. Papan namanya bertuliskan Basil.

"Friends," Basil calls, "the bird coins are sold out!"

"Teman-teman," seru Basil, "koin burungnya sudah habis!"

A sound goes through the queue, like air leaving a bag. People say bad words. Some of them laugh. Many of them walk away.

Sebuah suara menjalar di sepanjang antrean, seperti udara yang keluar dari kantong. Orang-orang mengumpat. Sebagian dari mereka tertawa. Banyak yang pergi.

Takeshi cannot move. He stares at the man in the apron. He wants to say, "Please, I waited five hours." But the words stay inside him.

Takeshi tidak bisa bergerak. Ia menatap pria berapron itu. Ia ingin berkata, "Tolong, saya sudah menunggu lima jam." Tetapi kata-kata itu tertahan di dalam dirinya.

Basil goes back into the shop. The door closes. Takeshi looks at his jar. The coins look small and silly now.

Basil kembali masuk ke toko. Pintunya tertutup. Takeshi memandangi toplesnya. Koin-koin itu tampak kecil dan konyol sekarang.

He walks home slowly. He puts the jar on the shelf. He does not eat lunch. He lies on the sofa and looks at the ceiling.

Ia berjalan pulang dengan lesu. Ia menaruh toples itu di rak. Ia tidak makan siang. Ia berbaring di sofa dan menatap langit-langit.

In the evening, he thinks about the day. He asks himself a hard question. Why does he only wait? Waiting does not work today.

Pada malam hari, ia memikirkan kejadian hari itu. Ia bertanya pada dirinya sendiri sebuah pertanyaan yang sulit. Mengapa ia hanya menunggu? Menunggu tidak berhasil hari ini.

The woman's voice comes back to him. Nearly two hundred people. Nobody tells the people what to do. Nobody gives them a number. It is a mess.

Suara perempuan itu terngiang kembali. Hampir dua ratus orang. Tidak ada yang memberi tahu orang-orang itu apa yang harus dilakukan. Tidak ada yang memberi mereka nomor. Semuanya kacau.

Takeshi sits up. He gets a pen and a sheet of paper. He has a new idea. It is a strange idea, and it scares him. He puts his old jar in his bag, just in case.

Takeshi duduk tegak. Ia mengambil pulpen dan selembar kertas. Ia punya gagasan baru. Gagasan yang aneh, dan itu membuatnya takut. Ia memasukkan toples lamanya ke dalam tas, untuk berjaga-jaga.

The next morning, Takeshi arrives at the shop at seven. There is no queue. The street is empty. Basil is alone, putting chairs by the window.

Keesokan paginya, Takeshi tiba di toko pukul tujuh. Tidak ada antrean. Jalanan kosong. Basil sendirian, sedang menaruh kursi-kursi di dekat jendela.

Takeshi takes a deep breath. He goes in.

Takeshi menarik napas dalam-dalam. Ia masuk.

"Good morning," he says. "I am Takeshi. I was in your line yesterday."

"Selamat pagi," katanya. "Saya Takeshi. Kemarin saya ada di antrean Anda."

Basil looks up. "Ah. Another sad face," he says. "I am sorry. I only sell fifty coins. It is not my fault."

Basil mendongak. "Ah. Satu lagi wajah yang kecewa," katanya. "Maaf, ya. Saya hanya menjual lima puluh koin. Itu bukan salah saya."

"I know," says Takeshi. "I do not come for a coin today."

"Saya tahu," kata Takeshi. "Hari ini saya tidak datang untuk membeli koin."

He holds out the paper. On it, he draws a plan. It shows the door, the steps, and a table. He writes numbers from one to two hundred.

Ia menyodorkan kertas itu. Di atasnya, ia menggambar sebuah rencana. Gambar itu menunjukkan pintu, tangga, dan sebuah meja. Ia menulis angka dari satu sampai dua ratus.

"This is a ticket system," he says. "People take a number. They can go and eat. They come back when you call them."

"Ini sistem karcis," katanya. "Orang-orang mengambil nomor. Mereka bisa pergi makan. Mereka kembali saat Anda memanggil mereka."

Basil reads the paper. He says nothing for a long time. He rubs his chin.

Basil membaca kertas itu. Ia diam lama sekali. Ia mengusap dagunya.

"Every morning at ten, I have a long line," Basil says. "Yesterday was the worst. A man cried in my shop. Another man pushed a woman. I do not like my queues. But I have no time to fix them."

"Setiap pagi pukul sepuluh, antrean saya panjang," kata Basil. "Kemarin yang terburuk. Seorang pria menangis di toko saya. Pria lain mendorong seorang perempuan. Saya tidak suka antrean saya. Tapi saya tidak punya waktu untuk memperbaikinya."

"I can help," says Takeshi. His heart beats fast. "Today. For free."

"Saya bisa membantu," kata Takeshi. Jantungnya berdegup kencang. "Hari ini. Gratis."

Basil laughs, but he is not unkind. "You are brave, young man. Fine. Show me."

Basil tertawa, tetapi tidak dengan nada kasar. "Kamu berani, anak muda. Baiklah. Tunjukkan pada saya."

They work together for an hour. Takeshi cuts paper into small squares. He writes numbers on each one. Basil finds a box and a pen. They put a table by the door.

Mereka bekerja bersama selama satu jam. Takeshi memotong kertas menjadi persegi-persegi kecil. Ia menulis nomor di tiap potongan. Basil menemukan sebuah kotak dan sebuah pulpen. Mereka menaruh sebuah meja di dekat pintu.

At ten, the new customers come. A small queue forms. Takeshi stands next to the table.

Pukul sepuluh, para pelanggan baru datang. Sebuah antrean kecil terbentuk. Takeshi berdiri di samping meja.

"Good morning!" he says, much louder than usual. "Please take a number. The shop opens in ten minutes."

"Selamat pagi!" katanya, jauh lebih keras dari biasanya. "Silakan ambil nomor. Toko buka sepuluh menit lagi."

A man frowns. "Why a number?"

Seorang pria mengerutkan kening. "Kenapa harus pakai nomor?"

"So you can sit down," says Takeshi. "Or have a coffee. We call your number when it is time."

"Supaya Anda bisa duduk," kata Takeshi. "Atau minum kopi. Kami akan memanggil nomor Anda kalau sudah waktunya."

The man thinks about it. Then he shrugs and takes a ticket. The others follow.

Pria itu memikirkannya. Lalu ia mengangkat bahu dan mengambil sebuah karcis. Yang lain mengikuti.

Takeshi cannot believe it. People listen to him. They smile. They go to the café across the road. The street is calm.

Takeshi tidak percaya. Orang-orang mendengarkannya. Mereka tersenyum. Mereka pergi ke kafe di seberang jalan. Jalanan menjadi tenang.

By noon, thirty customers come and go. Nobody shouts. Nobody pushes. Basil stands behind the counter with a big smile on his face. He sells stamps and coins quickly, and he even talks to people.

Menjelang tengah hari, tiga puluh pelanggan datang dan pergi. Tidak ada yang berteriak. Tidak ada yang mendorong. Basil berdiri di belakang konter dengan senyum lebar di wajahnya. Ia menjual perangko dan koin dengan cepat, bahkan ia mengobrol dengan orang-orang.

At two, the shop is empty. Basil locks the door and turns the sign. He sits down on a chair and breathes out.

Pukul dua, toko itu kosong. Basil mengunci pintu dan membalik papan tanda. Ia duduk di sebuah kursi dan menghela napas panjang.

"I never have such a good day," he says. "My legs do not hurt. My head does not hurt."

"Saya belum pernah mengalami hari sebaik ini," katanya. "Kaki saya tidak sakit. Kepala saya tidak sakit."

"I am glad," says Takeshi. He feels tired, but happy.

"Saya senang," kata Takeshi. Ia merasa lelah, tetapi bahagia.

Basil opens a drawer under the counter. He takes out a small box. He puts it in front of Takeshi.

Basil membuka laci di bawah konter. Ia mengeluarkan sebuah kotak kecil. Ia menaruhnya di depan Takeshi.

"Open it," he says.

"Buka," katanya.

Inside is a silver coin with a tiny bird on it.

Di dalamnya ada sekeping koin perak bergambar seekor burung mungil.

"This is the fifty-first," Basil says. "I keep one coin for a lucky person. I did not know who. But today I know."

"Ini yang kelima puluh satu," kata Basil. "Saya menyimpan satu koin untuk orang yang beruntung. Saya tidak tahu siapa orangnya. Tapi hari ini saya tahu."

Takeshi stares at the coin. His eyes feel wet. "I cannot take it," he says. "I worked for you, not for the coin."

Takeshi menatap koin itu. Matanya terasa basah. "Saya tidak bisa menerimanya," katanya. "Saya bekerja untuk Anda, bukan untuk koin ini."

"That is why you can take it," says Basil. "Now, do not argue with me. How much do you have?"

"Justru karena itu kamu boleh menerimanya," kata Basil. "Nah, jangan membantah. Berapa uang yang kamu bawa?"

Takeshi opens his bag and takes out the old jar slowly.

Takeshi membuka tasnya dan perlahan mengeluarkan toples lamanya.

He puts the jar on the counter. Then he pulls out the coins one by one. He stacks them in small towers. Basil counts them out loud.

Ia menaruh toples itu di atas konter. Lalu ia mengeluarkan koin-koinnya satu per satu. Ia menumpuknya menjadi menara-menara kecil. Basil menghitungnya dengan suara keras.

The last tower is right on the price. Takeshi smiles and slides the box into his pocket.

Menara terakhir pas dengan harganya. Takeshi tersenyum dan menyelipkan kotak itu ke saku.