A Promise at Boiling Point

The fish auction at the harbour started at five in the morning. At four, Boris was already there. He wore boots, a thick coat and a sleepy face.

Lelang ikan di pelabuhan dimulai pukul lima pagi. Pukul empat, Boris sudah ada di sana. Ia memakai sepatu bot, mantel tebal, dan wajah yang mengantuk.

Boris was fifteen. He had a Saturday job at the auction. He carried boxes and swept the floor. That day he also carried a promise.

Boris berumur lima belas tahun. Ia punya pekerjaan hari Sabtu di tempat lelang. Ia mengangkut peti dan menyapu lantai. Hari itu ia juga membawa sebuah janji.

Kirsten waited for him by the ice machine. She was the auctioneer's daughter. She held a big silver thermos in both hands.

Kirsten menunggunya di dekat mesin es. Ia putri sang juru lelang. Ia memegang sebuah termos perak besar dengan kedua tangan.

"Boris, I need a favour," she said.

"Boris, aku minta tolong," katanya.

"Another one?" Boris said. "Last week it was a box of crabs."

"Lagi?" kata Boris. "Minggu lalu sekotak kepiting."

"This one is more important," said Kirsten. "My father has no voice today. He has a cold. He must call the sale at five."

"Yang ini lebih penting," kata Kirsten. "Ayahku tidak bisa bersuara hari ini. Ia kena pilek. Ia harus memimpin lelang pukul lima."

"He can't call a sale with no voice," said Boris.

"Ia tidak bisa memimpin lelang tanpa suara," kata Boris.

"He can with this." She lifted the thermos. "It is lemon and honey. My mother made it. It fixes any throat."

"Bisa, dengan ini." Ia mengangkat termos itu. "Ini lemon dan madu. Ibuku yang membuatnya. Ini menyembuhkan tenggorokan apa saja."

Boris looked at the thermos. It was very heavy.

Boris memandang termos itu. Termos itu berat sekali.

"So what do I do?" he asked.

"Jadi, apa yang harus kulakukan?" tanyanya.

"Make my father drink it before the first bell," said Kirsten. "He says he will not drink it. He says it is a drink for children."

"Buat ayahku meminumnya sebelum bel pertama," kata Kirsten. "Ia bilang tidak mau meminumnya. Katanya itu minuman untuk anak kecil."

"He never listens," said Boris.

"Ia tidak pernah mau mendengar," kata Boris.

"He is the worst," said Kirsten. "Promise me, Boris. Say it."

"Ia yang paling parah," kata Kirsten. "Janji padaku, Boris. Ucapkan."

Boris sighed. "I promise. He drinks it before the first bell."

Boris menghela napas. "Aku janji. Ia meminumnya sebelum bel pertama."

"Thank you!" Kirsten ran off to help her mother. Boris stood alone with the thermos. It was half past four.

"Terima kasih!" Kirsten berlari pergi membantu ibunya. Boris berdiri sendirian dengan termos itu. Waktu menunjukkan setengah lima.

He found the auctioneer on the high platform. The man wore a wool hat and a scarf. His nose was pink. He held a paper with the day's list of fish.

Ia menemukan sang juru lelang di panggung tinggi. Pria itu memakai topi wol dan syal. Hidungnya merah muda. Ia memegang selembar kertas berisi daftar ikan hari itu.

"Good morning," Boris said. His voice sounded loud in the empty hall.

"Selamat pagi," kata Boris. Suaranya terdengar keras di aula yang kosong.

The auctioneer pointed at his throat. Then he shook his head. No sound came out of him at all.

Sang juru lelang menunjuk tenggorokannya. Lalu ia menggeleng. Sama sekali tidak ada suara yang keluar darinya.

"Kirsten sent this," said Boris. He held up the thermos.

"Kirsten mengirim ini," kata Boris. Ia mengangkat termos itu.

The man shook his head again. He made a face. Then he turned away and looked at his list.

Pria itu menggeleng lagi. Ia meringis. Lalu ia berbalik dan memandang daftarnya.

Boris did not stop. He opened the thermos and poured some into the cup. Steam jumped out like a small white cloud. It was thick and it smelled of lemon.

Boris tidak berhenti. Ia membuka termos itu dan menuangkan sedikit ke dalam cangkir. Uap melompat keluar seperti awan putih kecil. Cairannya kental dan berbau lemon.

The auctioneer looked back. He took the cup. He put his lips to the edge. Then he pulled his head away fast. His eyes went wide.

Sang juru lelang menoleh kembali. Ia mengambil cangkir itu. Ia mendekatkan bibirnya ke tepinya. Lalu ia menarik kepalanya dengan cepat. Matanya terbelalak.

He waved his hand in front of his mouth. He pointed at the cup and then at Boris. He seemed to say, "It burns!"

Ia mengibaskan tangan di depan mulutnya. Ia menunjuk cangkir itu lalu menunjuk Boris. Seolah-olah ia berkata, "Panas!"

"Sorry!" said Boris. "It is very hot. Let us wait a little."

"Maaf!" kata Boris. "Panas sekali. Mari kita tunggu sebentar."

They waited. The first trucks arrived outside. Men carried in boxes of silver fish. The floor became wet and loud. Boris checked the cup every minute.

Mereka menunggu. Truk-truk pertama tiba di luar. Para pria membawa masuk peti-peti ikan perak. Lantai menjadi basah dan bising. Boris memeriksa cangkir itu setiap menit.

It did not cool. Steam still rose from it. It looked like a small kettle.

Cairannya tidak mendingin. Uap masih mengepul darinya. Kelihatannya seperti ketel kecil.

At ten to five, Boris had an idea. He ran to the ice machine. He filled a bag with ice and ran back. He dropped three cubes into the cup.

Pukul lima kurang sepuluh, Boris punya gagasan. Ia berlari ke mesin es. Ia mengisi sebuah kantong dengan es dan berlari kembali. Ia menjatuhkan tiga kubus es ke dalam cangkir.

The cubes made a hissing sound. They were gone in five seconds. The drink was still too hot to touch.

Kubus-kubus itu mendesis. Dalam lima detik semuanya lenyap. Minuman itu masih terlalu panas untuk disentuh.

"What is in this thermos?" Boris said to himself. "A tiny sun?"

"Apa isi termos ini?" kata Boris pada dirinya sendiri. "Matahari kecil?"

He tried again with more ice. He tried to blow on the cup. He poured the drink from one cup to another, back and forth. Nothing worked. The thermos kept its heat too well.

Ia mencoba lagi dengan lebih banyak es. Ia mencoba meniup cangkir itu. Ia menuangkan minuman dari satu cangkir ke cangkir lain, bolak-balik. Tidak ada yang berhasil. Termos itu menjaga panasnya terlalu baik.

The buyers started to come in. They wore heavy coats and they talked in loud voices. Some of them looked up at the platform. The auctioneer stood very still. His face said, "Where is my voice?"

Para pembeli mulai berdatangan. Mereka memakai mantel tebal dan berbicara dengan suara keras. Sebagian dari mereka menengadah ke panggung. Sang juru lelang berdiri diam sekali. Wajahnya seperti berkata, "Di mana suaraku?"

Boris looked at the big clock. It was four minutes to five. His heart jumped.

Boris memandang jam besar. Waktu menunjukkan empat menit menjelang pukul lima. Jantungnya melonjak.

Then Kirsten appeared at his side. She saw the cup and the steam. Her mouth opened.

Lalu Kirsten muncul di sampingnya. Ia melihat cangkir dan uap itu. Mulutnya ternganga.

"You did not let him drink it?" she said.

"Kamu tidak membiarkannya meminumnya?" katanya.

"It is too hot," Boris whispered. "I broke my promise. I am sorry."

"Terlalu panas," bisik Boris. "Aku mengingkari janjiku. Maaf."

"It is always this hot," Kirsten said. "My mother says it stays hot for hours."

"Memang selalu sepanas ini," kata Kirsten. "Kata ibuku, termos itu tetap panas berjam-jam."

"We do not have hours," said Boris. "We have three minutes."

"Kita tidak punya berjam-jam," kata Boris. "Kita punya tiga menit."

He looked at the steam again. It rose from the cup in a thick line. It floated up toward the auctioneer's face.

Ia memandang uap itu lagi. Uap itu naik dari cangkir dalam satu garis tebal. Uap itu melayang naik ke arah wajah sang juru lelang.

"Wait," he said. "Does steam help a sore throat?"

"Tunggu," katanya. "Apakah uap membantu tenggorokan yang sakit?"

"My mother says it does," said Kirsten. "She puts her head over a bowl when she is ill."

"Kata ibuku iya," kata Kirsten. "Ia menaruh kepalanya di atas semangkuk air panas kalau sedang sakit."

"Then he does not need to drink it," said Boris. "He needs to breathe it."

"Kalau begitu ia tidak perlu meminumnya," kata Boris. "Ia perlu menghirupnya."

Boris climbed the steps to the platform. He held the cup under the auctioneer's chin. "Please breathe in," he said. "Slowly. Through your mouth."

Boris menaiki tangga ke panggung. Ia menahan cangkir itu di bawah dagu sang juru lelang. "Tolong tarik napas, Pak," katanya. "Pelan-pelan. Lewat mulut."

The man looked at him. He looked at the buyers. Then he closed his eyes and breathed in.

Pria itu memandangnya. Ia memandang para pembeli. Lalu ia memejamkan mata dan menarik napas.

Boris stood there with the cup in both hands. His arms began to shake. The man breathed in again. The steam wrapped around his scarf and his nose.

Boris berdiri di sana dengan cangkir di kedua tangannya. Lengannya mulai gemetar. Pria itu menarik napas lagi. Uap melingkari syal dan hidungnya.

Kirsten held up a hand. She counted down the seconds. Two minutes. One minute.

Kirsten mengangkat sebelah tangan. Ia menghitung mundur detik-detiknya. Dua menit. Satu menit.

The auctioneer made a small noise. It was like a door that opened a little. He cleared his throat. He tried again. The noise was bigger now.

Sang juru lelang mengeluarkan bunyi kecil. Seperti pintu yang terbuka sedikit. Ia berdeham. Ia mencoba lagi. Bunyinya kini lebih besar.

"Ah," he said. It was a rough, tiny sound, but it was a real sound.

"Ah," katanya. Itu bunyi yang parau dan kecil, tetapi itu bunyi yang sungguhan.

The first bell rang. Five o'clock. The buyers went quiet and looked up.

Bel pertama berbunyi. Pukul lima. Para pembeli terdiam dan menengadah.

The auctioneer took one more deep breath of steam. Then he lifted his chin and called, "Good morning, everyone! Our first fish is a box of cod!"

Sang juru lelang menghirup satu napas dalam uap lagi. Lalu ia mengangkat dagunya dan berseru, "Selamat pagi, semuanya! Ikan pertama kita adalah sekotak ikan kod!"

His voice was low and a bit rough. Still, it filled the whole hall. A buyer shouted a number. Another shouted a higher one. The sale began.

Suaranya rendah dan agak parau. Meski begitu, suara itu memenuhi seluruh aula. Seorang pembeli menyerukan sebuah angka. Yang lain menyerukan angka yang lebih tinggi. Lelang pun dimulai.

Boris laughed, and his arms stopped shaking. He sat down on the top step with the cup beside him. Kirsten sat next to him.

Boris tertawa, dan lengannya berhenti gemetar. Ia duduk di anak tangga teratas dengan cangkir di sampingnya. Kirsten duduk di sebelahnya.

"You did it," she said. "You kept your promise."

"Kamu berhasil," katanya. "Kamu menepati janjimu."

"Not the way you wanted," said Boris. "He never drank it."

"Tidak dengan cara yang kamu inginkan," kata Boris. "Ia tidak pernah meminumnya."

"He did not need to," said Kirsten. "It was better this way. My father hates sweet drinks."

"Ia tidak perlu," kata Kirsten. "Cara ini malah lebih baik. Ayahku benci minuman manis."

They listened to the sale for an hour. The auctioneer sold every fish on the list. At six o'clock the cup was still warm. Boris held it up to his own nose and breathed in. The lemon smell was lovely.

Mereka mendengarkan lelang itu selama satu jam. Sang juru lelang menjual setiap ikan dalam daftar. Pukul enam cangkir itu masih hangat. Boris mengangkatnya ke hidungnya sendiri dan menghirupnya. Aroma lemonnya harum sekali.

When the sale ended, the auctioneer came down the steps. He stopped in front of Boris and Kirsten. He pointed at the thermos and smiled.

Ketika lelang selesai, sang juru lelang turun dari tangga. Ia berhenti di depan Boris dan Kirsten. Ia menunjuk termos itu dan tersenyum.

"Papa, will you drink some now?" Kirsten said.

"Papa, mau minum sedikit sekarang?" kata Kirsten.

The auctioneer took the cup. He drank it all at once. His eyes went wide again.

Sang juru lelang mengambil cangkir itu. Ia meminumnya sekaligus. Matanya terbelalak lagi.

"Still hot!" he said in a small, rough voice. "Kirsten, next time, please make it in a bucket. At least a bucket cools down."

"Masih panas!" katanya dengan suara kecil yang parau. "Kirsten, lain kali, tolong buat dalam ember. Setidaknya ember bisa dingin."