Lane Four

Hazel swims at the town pool every morning at seven. She likes lane four. It is the slow lane. The water is calm, and the pool is almost empty.

Hazel berenang di kolam renang kota setiap pagi pukul tujuh. Ia suka lintasan empat. Itu lintasan yang lambat. Airnya tenang, dan kolamnya hampir kosong.

She swims slowly. She counts each lap in her head. Her goal is twenty laps. She never goes faster. She never hurries. One Monday, a man jumps into lane four. He swims very fast. His feet kick water into her face. Hazel stops and coughs.

Ia berenang pelan-pelan. Ia menghitung setiap putaran dalam hati. Targetnya dua puluh putaran. Ia tidak pernah lebih cepat. Ia tidak pernah terburu-buru. Pada suatu hari Senin, seorang pria melompat ke lintasan empat. Ia berenang sangat cepat. Kakinya menendang air ke wajah Hazel. Hazel berhenti dan terbatuk.

The man stops too. "I am so sorry," he says.

Pria itu juga berhenti. "Maaf sekali," katanya.

"The fast lanes are full today."

"Lintasan cepat penuh hari ini."

"This is the slow lane," Hazel says.

"Ini lintasan lambat," kata Hazel.

"I know. I am not slow, but I am not rude. I will try to be careful."

"Saya tahu. Saya bukan perenang lambat, tapi saya juga bukan orang yang kasar. Saya akan coba berhati-hati."

He tries. On the next lap, he passes her and kicks again. Hazel shakes her head. She swims to the wall and holds on. A sign on the wall says, "Swim on the right."

Ia mencoba. Pada putaran berikutnya, ia menyalip Hazel dan menendang air lagi. Hazel menggeleng. Ia berenang ke dinding dan berpegangan. Sebuah papan di dinding bertuliskan, "Berenanglah di sisi kanan."

"Sir," she says.

"Pak," katanya.

"Please swim on the right."

"Tolong berenang di sisi kanan."

"I am on the right," he says.

"Saya sudah di sisi kanan," katanya.

"No. You are in the middle."

"Tidak. Anda ada di tengah."

The man looks around. He laughs. "You are correct. I am Imran."

Pria itu menoleh ke sekeliling. Ia tertawa. "Anda benar. Saya Imran."

"Hazel," she says.

"Hazel," katanya.

"Twenty laps for me. How many for you?"

"Saya dua puluh putaran. Anda berapa?"

"Forty," Imran says.

"Empat puluh," kata Imran.

"But I only count to ten. Then I start again."

"Tapi saya hanya menghitung sampai sepuluh. Lalu mulai lagi."

On Tuesday, he comes back. He swims on the right this time. He still kicks water, but only a little. Hazel does not mind. At the wall, he says, "Good morning, lane four."

Pada hari Selasa, ia kembali. Kali ini ia berenang di sisi kanan. Ia masih menendang air, tapi hanya sedikit. Hazel tidak keberatan. Di dinding, ia berkata, "Selamat pagi, lintasan empat."

On Wednesday, they talk for five minutes between laps. He says he works at a bank. He hates his tie. He loves the pool. Nobody wears a tie in the water. She says she teaches music to small children. Her day is loud, so she wants a quiet morning.

Pada hari Rabu, mereka mengobrol lima menit di sela-sela putaran. Imran bilang ia bekerja di bank. Ia benci dasinya. Ia suka kolam renang. Tidak ada yang memakai dasi di dalam air. Hazel bilang ia mengajar musik untuk anak-anak kecil. Harinya selalu bising, jadi ia ingin paginya tenang.

On Thursday, Imran is early. He waits at the wall. "Today I swim slowly," he says. "I want to see how it feels."

Pada hari Kamis, Imran datang lebih awal. Ia menunggu di dinding. "Hari ini saya berenang pelan," katanya. "Saya ingin tahu rasanya."

He swims very slowly. It looks strange. His arms are too big for the speed. Hazel tries not to laugh. When he finishes, he is tired. "Slow swimming is hard," he says.

Ia berenang sangat pelan. Kelihatannya aneh. Lengannya terlalu besar untuk kecepatan segitu. Hazel berusaha tidak tertawa. Setelah selesai, Imran kelelahan. "Berenang pelan itu susah," katanya.

"How do you do it?"

"Bagaimana caranya Anda melakukannya?"

"I think about songs," Hazel says.

"Saya memikirkan lagu," kata Hazel.

"One song for each lap."

"Satu lagu untuk setiap putaran."

On Friday, Hazel does not come. She has a cold, so she stays in bed. Imran arrives and looks at the empty lane. He swims forty laps. But he cannot count them. He starts at ten again and again. The lifeguard laughs at him.

Pada hari Jumat, Hazel tidak datang. Ia pilek, jadi ia tinggal di tempat tidur. Imran tiba dan memandangi lintasan yang kosong. Ia berenang empat puluh putaran. Tapi ia tidak bisa menghitungnya. Berkali-kali ia mulai lagi dari sepuluh. Penjaga kolam menertawakannya.

On Saturday, Hazel comes back. She has a red nose. Imran is at the wall with a small bottle. "What is that?" she asks.

Pada hari Sabtu, Hazel kembali. Hidungnya merah. Imran sudah ada di dinding sambil membawa sebuah botol kecil. "Itu apa?" tanyanya.

"Honey and lemon," he says.

"Madu dan lemon," katanya.

"For your cold. I lost count on Friday. I swam all morning. I do not know how many laps I did."

"Untuk pilek Anda. Hari Jumat saya lupa hitungan. Saya berenang sepanjang pagi. Saya tidak tahu sudah berapa putaran."

"Maybe fifty," Hazel says. "Maybe a hundred. I was lonely, so it felt like a hundred." Hazel smiles. She drinks a little from the bottle. It is warm and sweet. Then she puts her swimming cap on.

"Mungkin lima puluh," kata Hazel. "Mungkin seratus. Saya kesepian, jadi rasanya seperti seratus." Hazel tersenyum. Ia minum sedikit dari botol itu. Hangat dan manis. Lalu ia memakai topi renangnya.

"Today I want to try a fast lap," she says. "Then I will swim a slow one," says Imran.

"Hari ini saya ingin mencoba satu putaran cepat," katanya. "Setelah itu saya akan berenang satu putaran lambat," kata Imran.

They stand at the wall. Hazel counts to three. They push off together. Halfway down, they meet in the middle, side by side. Neither of them is fast, and neither is slow. They swim on the right, all the way.

Mereka berdiri di dinding. Hazel menghitung sampai tiga. Mereka melesat bersama-sama. Di pertengahan lintasan, mereka bertemu di tengah, berdampingan. Tak satu pun dari mereka cepat, dan tak satu pun lambat. Mereka berenang di sisi kanan, sampai ujung.