Item Fourteen Is a Goat

Ivana stands at the baggage belt and waits. The belt is empty. It goes round and round with nothing on it. All the other passengers are gone.

Ivana berdiri di dekat ban berjalan bagasi dan menunggu. Ban itu kosong. Ia berputar dan berputar tanpa membawa apa pun. Semua penumpang lain sudah pergi.

She is fifteen, and this is her first trip alone. Her mother said one thing at the gate. "Be careful." Ivana plans to be very careful. She plans to walk out with her suitcase and her head high.

Usianya lima belas tahun, dan ini perjalanan pertamanya sendirian. Ibunya hanya mengatakan satu hal di gerbang. "Hati-hati." Ivana berencana sangat berhati-hati. Ia berencana berjalan keluar membawa kopernya dengan kepala tegak.

She cannot do that without the suitcase.

Ia tidak bisa melakukan itu tanpa kopernya.

Her headphones are loud, and her music is good. She does not hear the announcement. She does not see the new sign above the belt. She only sees an empty belt. A small, cold worry fills her stomach.

Headphone-nya keras, dan musiknya bagus. Ia tidak mendengar pengumuman. Ia tidak melihat papan baru di atas ban berjalan. Ia hanya melihat ban yang kosong. Rasa cemas kecil yang dingin memenuhi perutnya.

A boy in a big yellow vest walks up to her. He holds a clipboard against his chest. His name tag says JORGE. Under it, in small letters, it says NEW HELPER. He looks about her age.

Seorang anak laki-laki berompi kuning besar berjalan menghampirinya. Ia memegang papan jepit di dadanya. Papan namanya bertuliskan JORGE. Di bawahnya, dengan huruf kecil, tertulis PETUGAS BARU. Usianya tampak sebaya dengan Ivana.

Ivana takes off one headphone.

Ivana melepas satu sisi headphone-nya.

"Excuse me," Jorge says in a very polite voice. He sounds like a person who practiced in a mirror. "Are you the owner of Brenda?"

"Permisi," kata Jorge dengan suara yang sangat sopan. Ia terdengar seperti orang yang berlatih di depan cermin. "Apakah Anda pemilik Brenda?"

"Who is Brenda?"

"Siapa Brenda?"

Jorge looks at his clipboard. "Brenda is a goat. She travels in a crate. She is on this flight."

Jorge melihat papan jepitnya. "Brenda adalah seekor kambing. Ia bepergian di dalam peti. Ia ada di penerbangan ini."

"I do not have a goat," Ivana says.

"Aku tidak punya kambing," kata Ivana.

"The list says you do." Jorge turns the clipboard around and points. "Look. Item fourteen. One goat, name Brenda. Owner, Ivana."

"Daftarnya bilang Anda punya." Jorge membalik papan jepitnya dan menunjuk. "Lihat. Butir empat belas. Satu ekor kambing, nama Brenda. Pemilik, Ivana."

Ivana reads the line. It really says Ivana. A laugh starts in her chest. She holds it back.

Ivana membaca barisnya. Memang tertulis Ivana. Tawa mulai muncul di dadanya. Ia menahannya.

"That is my name," she says. "But I do not have a goat. I am fifteen. My mother knows everything I own."

"Itu namaku," katanya. "Tapi aku tidak punya kambing. Aku lima belas tahun. Ibuku tahu semua yang kumiliki."

"Many people say that," Jorge says. "And then the goat arrives."

"Banyak orang bilang begitu," kata Jorge. "Lalu kambingnya datang."

"Does that happen a lot?"

"Apa itu sering terjadi?"

"This is my first week," Jorge says. "So, I do not know. But I heard it from someone."

"Ini minggu pertama saya," kata Jorge. "Jadi saya tidak tahu. Tapi saya mendengarnya dari seseorang."

Ivana looks at him. Then she looks at the clipboard. Item thirteen is a box of bees. Item fifteen is a very large cheese. Item sixteen is a crab. Next to it is a note: DO NOT TAP THE GLASS.

Ivana menatapnya. Lalu ia menatap papan jepit itu. Butir tiga belas adalah sekotak lebah. Butir lima belas adalah keju yang sangat besar. Butir enam belas adalah seekor kepiting. Di sebelahnya ada catatan: JANGAN KETUK KACANYA.

"Why do you have a list of animals?" she asks.

"Kenapa kamu punya daftar hewan?" tanyanya.

"It is the list for my afternoon job. I look after the special cargo." Jorge stands a little taller when he says this. "It is an important job. Yesterday I carried a cello. It had its own seat."

"Ini daftar untuk pekerjaan saya di siang hari. Saya mengurus kargo khusus." Jorge berdiri sedikit lebih tegak saat mengatakannya. "Ini pekerjaan penting. Kemarin saya membawa sebuah cello. Ia punya kursinya sendiri."

"And I am on this list because…"

"Dan aku ada di daftar ini karena…"

"Because Ivana owns Brenda," Jorge says. He sounds very sure. "Please come with me. She waits in the cargo room. She is not happy."

"Karena Ivana pemilik Brenda," kata Jorge. Ia terdengar sangat yakin. "Silakan ikut saya. Ia menunggu di ruang kargo. Ia sedang tidak senang."

"Jorge," Ivana says, very gently. "I think the list is wrong."

"Jorge," kata Ivana dengan sangat lembut. "Kurasa daftarnya salah."

"The list is never wrong. The list is a list." Jorge frowns at the paper. "But I will ask my boss."

"Daftar tidak pernah salah. Daftar ya daftar." Jorge mengerutkan kening menatap kertas itu. "Tapi saya akan bertanya kepada atasan saya."

He lifts a radio from his belt. The radio makes a loud noise. Jorge holds it far from his ear and clears his throat.

Ia mengangkat radio dari sabuknya. Radio itu mengeluarkan bunyi keras. Jorge menjauhkannya dari telinga dan berdeham.

"Base, this is Jorge. I have a passenger named Ivana. She says she has no goat."

"Pusat, ini Jorge. Saya bersama seorang penumpang bernama Ivana. Katanya ia tidak punya kambing."

The radio crackles for a long time. A slow voice comes out of it.

Radio itu berkerisik lama. Sebuah suara lambat keluar darinya.

"Jorge. What is the flight number on your list?"

"Jorge. Apa nomor penerbangan di daftarmu?"

Jorge looks at the top of the page. His mouth opens a little. He reads in a small voice. "Flight two-four-one."

Jorge melihat bagian atas halaman. Mulutnya terbuka sedikit. Ia membaca dengan suara kecil. "Penerbangan dua-empat-satu."

"And the passenger's flight?"

"Dan penerbangan penumpang itu?"

Jorge turns to Ivana. "What is your flight?"

Jorge menoleh pada Ivana. "Penerbangan Anda nomor berapa?"

"Two-one-four," Ivana says.

"Dua-satu-empat," kata Ivana.

For a moment, nobody says anything. The belt turns. The radio hums.

Sesaat, tak ada yang bicara. Ban berjalan berputar. Radio berdengung.

"Jorge," says the voice. "Your list is for the plane at Gate Nine. This girl is on the plane from the north. They are not the same plane."

"Jorge," kata suara itu. "Daftarmu untuk pesawat di Gerbang Sembilan. Gadis ini ada di pesawat dari utara. Itu bukan pesawat yang sama."

"They are almost the same number," says Jorge.

"Nomornya hampir sama," kata Jorge.

"Almost is not the same."

"Hampir tidak sama dengan sama."

The radio hums again. "The goat owner is also called Ivana. She is a woman with a crate. This Ivana is a girl with headphones."

Radio berdengung lagi. "Pemilik kambing itu juga bernama Ivana. Ia seorang wanita dengan sebuah peti. Ivana yang ini seorang gadis dengan headphone."

Ivana puts her hand over her mouth. Her shoulders shake. She tries to stay polite. A small noise comes out of her nose. Jorge looks at her for a second. Then he laughs too. Soon they both have to hold the wall.

Ivana menutup mulutnya dengan tangan. Bahunya berguncang. Ia berusaha tetap sopan. Sebuah bunyi kecil keluar dari hidungnya. Jorge menatapnya sesaat. Lalu ia ikut tertawa. Tak lama mereka berdua harus berpegangan pada dinding.

"I told a customer she owned a goat," Jorge says.

"Saya bilang kepada seorang pelanggan bahwa ia punya kambing," kata Jorge.

"You told me my goat was unhappy."

"Kamu bilang kambingku sedang tidak senang."

"I was worried about your goat."

"Saya khawatir pada kambing Anda."

"I never worried about a goat before," Ivana says. She wipes her eyes. "What about the crab? Is the crab mine too?"

"Aku belum pernah mengkhawatirkan kambing sebelumnya," kata Ivana. Ia menyeka matanya. "Bagaimana dengan kepitingnya? Apa kepiting itu juga milikku?"

"The crab belongs to a man with a hat," says Jorge. "I will not ask."

"Kepiting itu milik seorang pria bertopi," kata Jorge. "Saya tidak akan bertanya."

The radio crackles again. "Jorge, please find the girl's suitcase. They changed her belt twenty minutes ago. She is on belt six."

Radio berkerisik lagi. "Jorge, tolong cari koper gadis itu. Ban berjalannya diganti dua puluh menit lalu. Ia ada di ban nomor enam."

"They changed the belt?" Ivana says. "There was an announcement?"

"Ban berjalannya diganti?" kata Ivana. "Ada pengumuman?"

"There was a sign," Jorge says, and points up. A new sign hangs above the belt. It says, in big letters: FLIGHT 214 — BELT 6. The sign is bright orange.

"Ada papan," kata Jorge, lalu menunjuk ke atas. Sebuah papan baru tergantung di atas ban berjalan. Tulisannya dengan huruf besar: PENERBANGAN 214 — BAN 6. Papan itu berwarna oranye terang.

Ivana closes her eyes. "I wore headphones."

Ivana memejamkan mata. "Aku memakai headphone."

"Many people do," Jorge says kindly.

"Banyak orang begitu," kata Jorge dengan ramah.

They walk across the hall together. Belt six turns slowly under a gold light. There is only one thing on it. It is a purple suitcase with a sticker of a sleepy cat. It rides alone, round and round, like a small queen.

Mereka berjalan bersama melintasi aula. Ban nomor enam berputar pelan di bawah cahaya keemasan. Hanya ada satu benda di atasnya. Sebuah koper ungu dengan stiker kucing yang mengantuk. Koper itu melaju sendirian, berputar dan berputar, seperti ratu kecil.

Ivana picks it up. It is heavy and it is hers.

Ivana mengangkatnya. Koper itu berat dan itu miliknya.

"Thank you," she says. "I am sorry about the goat."

"Terima kasih," katanya. "Maaf soal kambingnya."

"I am sorry about the list." Jorge holds the clipboard like a shield. "Do you want me to walk you to the exit?"

"Saya minta maaf soal daftarnya." Jorge memegang papan jepit itu seperti perisai. "Mau saya antar ke pintu keluar?"

"I can find it. There is a very large sign."

"Aku bisa menemukannya. Ada papan yang sangat besar."

"There is always a sign," Jorge agrees. He gives a little salute with the clipboard and turns to go. His vest is so big that it swings like a cape.

"Selalu ada papan," Jorge setuju. Ia memberi hormat kecil dengan papan jepitnya lalu berbalik pergi. Rompinya begitu besar sampai berayun seperti jubah.

"Jorge," Ivana calls.

"Jorge," panggil Ivana.

He turns around.

Ia menoleh.

"If you meet Brenda," she says, "tell her I said hello."

"Kalau kamu bertemu Brenda," katanya, "bilang aku titip salam."