Notes in the Margins

Vivian loved used bookshops. She liked the smell of old paper. She liked to read the names on the first page.

Vivian suka toko buku bekas. Ia suka bau kertas tua. Ia suka membaca nama-nama yang tertulis di halaman pertama.

One rainy Saturday, she went into a small shop. It was near the station. The shelves were tall and crooked. A grey cat slept on a pile of maps.

Pada suatu Sabtu yang hujan, ia masuk ke sebuah toko kecil. Letaknya dekat stasiun. Rak-raknya tinggi dan miring. Seekor kucing abu-abu tidur di atas tumpukan peta.

Vivian found a thin book of poems. The cover was soft and green. It cost two dollars. She bought it and went home.

Vivian menemukan sebuah buku puisi yang tipis. Sampulnya lembut dan berwarna hijau. Harganya dua dolar. Ia membelinya lalu pulang.

That night, she sat in bed and opened the book. On page nine, she saw a pencil mark. Next to a sea poem, someone wrote a note. It said, "I read this on a train. It made me cry."

Malam itu, ia duduk di tempat tidur dan membuka buku itu. Di halaman sembilan, ia melihat coretan pensil. Di samping sebuah puisi tentang laut, seseorang menulis catatan. Bunyinya, "Aku membaca ini di kereta. Puisi ini membuatku menangis."

Vivian smiled. She read the poem twice. Then she took her own pencil. Under the note, she wrote, "I read it in bed. It made me sleepy, but I like it."

Vivian tersenyum. Ia membaca puisi itu dua kali. Lalu ia mengambil pensilnya sendiri. Di bawah catatan itu, ia menulis, "Aku membacanya di tempat tidur. Puisi ini membuatku mengantuk, tapi aku suka."

She felt silly. Nobody could read it, she thought. She closed the book and put out the light.

Ia merasa konyol. Tidak akan ada yang membacanya, pikirnya. Ia menutup buku itu dan mematikan lampu.

Two weeks later, she went back to the shop. She wanted a map. The shopkeeper was an old woman with big glasses.

Dua minggu kemudian, ia kembali ke toko itu. Ia ingin mencari peta. Pemilik tokonya seorang wanita tua berkacamata besar.

"Do you sell this kind of book often?" Vivian asked. She showed the green book.

"Apakah Ibu sering menjual buku seperti ini?" tanya Vivian. Ia menunjukkan buku hijau itu.

"I buy it back," said the woman. "A young man brought it in again last week. He bought it, then sold it again."

"Saya membelinya kembali," kata wanita itu. "Seorang pemuda membawanya lagi minggu lalu. Dia membelinya, lalu menjualnya lagi."

"Sold it again?"

"Menjualnya lagi?"

"Yes. He says he never keeps books. He leaves them for the next person."

"Ya. Katanya dia tidak pernah menyimpan buku. Dia meninggalkannya untuk orang berikutnya."

Vivian did not say why she asked. She bought the green book again for one dollar. At home, she opened it to page nine.

Vivian tidak mengatakan mengapa ia bertanya. Ia membeli buku hijau itu lagi seharga satu dolar. Di rumah, ia membukanya di halaman sembilan.

There was a new note under hers. It said, "Sleepy is a good review. Who are you?"

Ada catatan baru di bawah catatannya. Bunyinya, "Mengantuk itu ulasan yang bagus. Kamu siapa?"

Her heart jumped. She read the words three times. Then she wrote, "I am Vivian. I like the sea and old cats. Who are you?"

Jantungnya melonjak. Ia membaca kata-kata itu tiga kali. Lalu ia menulis, "Aku Vivian. Aku suka laut dan kucing tua. Kamu siapa?"

The next day, she took the book to the shop. The old woman put it near the door.

Keesokan harinya, ia membawa buku itu ke toko. Wanita tua itu menaruhnya di dekat pintu.

For a month, they wrote in the margins. Sometimes the book stayed in the shop for days. Sometimes Vivian found it in one hour. The writer wrote a new note on every visit. He said his name was Cedric. He said he worked in a school. He said he did not like crowds or loud music. He said he loved tea.

Selama sebulan, mereka saling menulis di pinggiran halaman. Kadang-kadang buku itu tinggal di toko berhari-hari. Kadang-kadang Vivian menemukannya dalam satu jam. Si penulis menulis catatan baru setiap kali berkunjung. Ia mengaku bernama Cedric. Ia bilang ia bekerja di sebuah sekolah. Ia bilang ia tidak suka keramaian atau musik keras. Ia bilang ia suka teh.

Vivian told him about her sister. She told him about her job at the library. She told him about her fear of birds. The little book got full. They wrote in tiny letters. The poem about the sea was almost black with pencil.

Vivian bercerita kepadanya tentang kakak perempuannya. Ia bercerita tentang pekerjaannya di perpustakaan. Ia bercerita tentang rasa takutnya pada burung. Buku kecil itu pun penuh. Mereka menulis dengan huruf-huruf mungil. Puisi tentang laut itu hampir hitam oleh coretan pensil.

One Friday, Vivian found a note on the last page. It said, "I am out of space. I want to say this to your face. Come to the shop on Saturday at three. I will hold the book."

Pada suatu hari Jumat, Vivian menemukan catatan di halaman terakhir. Bunyinya, "Ruangnya sudah habis. Aku ingin mengatakan ini langsung di depan wajahmu. Datanglah ke toko hari Sabtu pukul tiga. Aku akan memegang bukunya."

Vivian looked at the page for a long time. Then she wrote one line below it. It said, "I will bring the tea."

Vivian memandangi halaman itu lama sekali. Lalu ia menulis satu baris di bawahnya. Bunyinya, "Aku akan membawa tehnya."

On Saturday, she came to the shop at three. The rain fell again. The grey cat was on the maps. By the window stood a tall man. He held a green book.

Pada hari Sabtu, ia datang ke toko pukul tiga. Hujan turun lagi. Kucing abu-abu itu ada di atas tumpukan peta. Di dekat jendela berdiri seorang pria jangkung. Ia memegang sebuah buku hijau.

He turned around. He looked shy. He held the book up like a small gift.

Pria itu berbalik. Ia tampak malu. Ia mengangkat buku itu seperti hadiah kecil.

"I think," he said, "that you are Vivian."

"Kurasa," katanya, "kamu Vivian."

"And you never keep books," she said.

"Dan kamu tidak pernah menyimpan buku," katanya.

"I kept this one," Cedric said. "I kept it all week."

"Yang ini aku simpan," kata Cedric. "Kusimpan seminggu penuh."