One Glove on the Hill

The bus shelter at the top of Windmill Hill has the best signal in the whole village. That is why Eero goes there every afternoon after school. He sits on the wooden bench and pulls out his phone. He pretends he is only checking the football scores.

Halte bus di puncak Bukit Kincir punya sinyal terbaik di seluruh desa. Itulah sebabnya Eero pergi ke sana setiap sore sepulang sekolah. Ia duduk di bangku kayu dan mengeluarkan ponselnya. Ia berpura-pura hanya memeriksa skor sepak bola.

That is also why Rohan goes there. He moved to the village a month ago. His sister lives on the other side of the world. Every afternoon at four, she calls him. He walks up the hill with his phone held high like a torch.

Itu juga sebabnya Rohan pergi ke sana. Ia pindah ke desa ini sebulan lalu. Kakak perempuannya tinggal di belahan dunia yang lain. Setiap sore pukul empat, kakaknya menelepon. Ia berjalan mendaki bukit dengan ponsel terangkat tinggi seperti obor.

At first, the two boys just nod at each other. After a week, they start to talk. After two weeks, Eero begins to arrive early.

Awalnya, kedua anak laki-laki itu hanya saling mengangguk. Seminggu kemudian, mereka mulai mengobrol. Dua minggu kemudian, Eero mulai datang lebih awal.

On Friday, Rohan is already on the bench when Eero comes up the path. He is looking at his hands, and he looks upset.

Pada hari Jumat, Rohan sudah ada di bangku ketika Eero naik lewat jalan setapak. Ia sedang menatap tangannya, dan ia tampak sedih.

"What's wrong?" Eero asks.

"Ada apa?" tanya Eero.

"I lost a glove." Rohan holds up his right hand. It wears a thick blue glove with a silver stripe across the back. His left hand is bare. "My sister sent them to me. She chose them herself."

"Aku kehilangan sarung tangan." Rohan mengangkat tangan kanannya. Tangan itu mengenakan sarung tangan biru tebal dengan garis perak melintang di punggungnya. Tangan kirinya telanjang. "Kakakku yang mengirimnya. Dia sendiri yang memilihnya."

"Maybe you left it at home."

"Mungkin tertinggal di rumah."

"I checked. It was in my pocket when I came up here yesterday. I rode my bike up the hill path, so it must have fallen out somewhere."

"Sudah kuperiksa. Kemarin waktu aku naik ke sini, benda itu ada di sakuku. Aku naik sepeda lewat jalan setapak bukit, jadi pasti jatuh di suatu tempat."

Eero looks at the path. It is long, and it has a lot of bends. A glove could be anywhere. It could be in the long grass, behind a rock or in the mud by the old gate.

Eero memandang jalan setapak itu. Jalannya panjang, dan banyak tikungannya. Sarung tangan itu bisa ada di mana saja. Bisa di rumput tinggi, di balik batu, atau di lumpur dekat gerbang tua.

"I will look for it on the way home," he says.

"Aku akan mencarinya waktu pulang nanti," katanya.

"You don't have to do that."

"Kamu tidak perlu melakukan itu."

"I know," Eero says. "I want to."

"Aku tahu," kata Eero. "Aku ingin."

Rohan smiles, and then his phone rings. He answers it and walks to the edge of the shelter. He laughs in a language Eero does not know. Eero listens to the happy sound of it and feels his stomach do a small, strange turn.

Rohan tersenyum, lalu ponselnya berdering. Ia menjawabnya dan berjalan ke tepi halte. Ia tertawa dalam bahasa yang tidak dimengerti Eero. Eero mendengarkan suara riang itu dan merasa perutnya berputar sedikit, aneh.

That evening, Eero walks the whole path slowly, looking at every bush. He finds a bottle top, a hair clip and half a pencil. He does not find a glove. When he gets home, his phone shows two messages.

Sore itu, Eero berjalan menyusuri seluruh jalan setapak dengan pelan, memeriksa setiap semak. Ia menemukan tutup botol, jepit rambut, dan separuh pensil. Ia tidak menemukan sarung tangan. Ketika sampai di rumah, ponselnya menunjukkan dua pesan.

The first is from his team captain. "Match tomorrow at nine," it says. "Don't be late. We have no other goalkeeper."

Yang pertama dari kapten timnya. "Pertandingan besok pukul sembilan," katanya. "Jangan terlambat. Kita tidak punya kiper lain."

The second is from Rohan. "I'm going to search the hill tomorrow at nine. Don't worry about me. I just wanted to tell you."

Yang kedua dari Rohan. "Besok pukul sembilan aku mau mencari di bukit. Jangan khawatirkan aku. Aku cuma ingin memberitahumu."

Eero sits on his bed and looks at the two messages for a long time.

Eero duduk di tempat tidurnya dan menatap kedua pesan itu lama sekali.

Both plans are good. The match is important, because the team has not won for three weeks and everyone is nervous. He has trained all month for it. His friends need him, and he likes being needed.

Kedua rencana itu bagus. Pertandingan itu penting, karena tim mereka sudah tiga minggu tidak menang dan semua orang gugup. Ia sudah berlatih sebulan penuh untuk itu. Teman-temannya membutuhkannya, dan ia suka dibutuhkan.

But the other plan is good too. A lost glove is a small problem, and Rohan can search alone. Still, Eero remembers the way Rohan looked at his bare hand. It was not really about the glove.

Tetapi rencana yang lain juga bagus. Sarung tangan hilang itu masalah kecil, dan Rohan bisa mencari sendiri. Meski begitu, Eero ingat cara Rohan memandang tangannya yang telanjang. Itu sebenarnya bukan soal sarung tangan.

He tries to make a list in his head. If he plays the match, he will help his team, and he will see his friends. If he goes up the hill, he will help one person. He will also spend a whole morning with him.

Ia mencoba membuat daftar di kepalanya. Kalau ia main pertandingan, ia akan membantu timnya, dan ia akan bertemu teman-temannya. Kalau ia pergi ke bukit, ia akan membantu satu orang. Ia juga akan menghabiskan satu pagi penuh bersamanya.

"That is not even a hard choice," he says to the ceiling. "That is two easy choices."

"Ini bahkan bukan pilihan yang sulit," katanya kepada langit-langit. "Ini dua pilihan yang mudah."

He waits for the right answer to arrive. It does not come. So he asks himself a different question. Which of these mornings does he want to remember next year?

Ia menunggu jawaban yang tepat datang. Jawaban itu tidak datang. Jadi ia bertanya kepada dirinya sendiri dengan cara lain. Pagi yang mana yang ingin ia kenang tahun depan?

He picks up his phone and calls his captain.

Ia mengambil ponselnya dan menelepon kaptennya.

"I can't play tomorrow," he says, before he loses his courage. "I am sorry. I know it is the worst possible time."

"Aku tidak bisa main besok," katanya, sebelum keberaniannya hilang. "Maaf. Aku tahu ini waktu yang paling buruk."

There is a long silence on the line.

Ada keheningan panjang di telepon.

"Is somebody sick?" the captain asks.

"Ada yang sakit?" tanya sang kapten.

"No. A friend lost something important, and I promised to help him look."

"Tidak. Seorang teman kehilangan sesuatu yang penting, dan aku berjanji membantunya mencari."

"A friend," the captain repeats. Eero can hear him thinking. "Is it the new boy from the hill?"

"Seorang teman," ulang sang kapten. Eero bisa mendengarnya berpikir. "Anak baru dari bukit itu, ya?"

"How do you know that?"

"Dari mana kamu tahu?"

"Everyone knows. You smile like a lamp whenever his name comes up." The captain laughs, but he sounds kind. "Fine. The younger boy can play in goal. He is terrible, but he is brave. You owe us a big save next time."

"Semua orang tahu. Kamu tersenyum seperti lampu setiap kali namanya disebut." Sang kapten tertawa, tetapi nadanya baik. "Ya sudah. Anak yang lebih muda bisa jadi kiper. Dia payah, tapi berani. Lain kali kamu berutang satu penyelamatan hebat pada kami."

"I promise," Eero says. He hangs up, and his hands shake a little. He feels lighter than he expected.

"Aku janji," kata Eero. Ia menutup telepon, dan tangannya sedikit gemetar. Ia merasa lebih ringan daripada yang ia duga.

The next morning, Eero is at the shelter at ten to nine. Rohan arrives two minutes later, pushing his bike. He stops when he sees Eero.

Keesokan paginya, Eero sudah ada di halte pukul sembilan kurang sepuluh. Rohan tiba dua menit kemudian, sambil mendorong sepedanya. Ia berhenti saat melihat Eero.

"You're supposed to be at the match," he says.

"Kamu seharusnya ada di pertandingan," katanya.

"The match will manage without me."

"Pertandingan itu bisa berjalan tanpa aku."

"But you're the goalkeeper. You told me it was the big one."

"Tapi kamu kipernya. Kamu bilang itu pertandingan penting."

"It is," Eero says. "I decided this is bigger."

"Memang," kata Eero. "Aku memutuskan ini lebih penting."

Rohan looks at him for a moment, and then he looks at his shoes. "That is a very strange thing to say about a glove."

Rohan menatapnya sejenak, lalu menatap sepatunya. "Aneh sekali bilang begitu soal sarung tangan."

"It's a very good glove."

"Itu sarung tangan yang sangat bagus."

They start at the top and work their way down the path, one on each side. They search the long grass and look under every bush. Rohan checks the places where he rode fast, and Eero checks the places where the path turns. They talk the whole time, about their families and the village. They talk about the odd habits of the geese. Eero learns that Rohan hates getting up early and is afraid of cows. Rohan learns that Eero plays the drums, badly, in his garage.

Mereka mulai dari puncak dan menyusuri jalan setapak ke bawah, masing-masing di satu sisi. Mereka menyisir rumput tinggi dan memeriksa di bawah setiap semak. Rohan memeriksa tempat-tempat ia mengayuh cepat, dan Eero memeriksa tempat-tempat jalan berbelok. Mereka mengobrol sepanjang waktu, tentang keluarga mereka dan desa. Mereka membicarakan kebiasaan aneh angsa-angsa. Eero tahu bahwa Rohan benci bangun pagi dan takut pada sapi. Rohan tahu bahwa Eero bermain drum, dengan buruk, di garasinya.

Halfway down, they reach the old gate. Nothing is in the mud. Nothing is behind the rock. Rohan sits on a stone and sighs.

Di tengah jalan turun, mereka sampai di gerbang tua. Tak ada apa-apa di lumpur. Tak ada apa-apa di balik batu. Rohan duduk di sebuah batu dan mendesah.

"Maybe it is gone," he says. "Maybe a fox took it."

"Mungkin sudah hilang," katanya. "Mungkin dibawa rubah."

"Foxes do not like gloves."

"Rubah tidak suka sarung tangan."

"How do you know?"

"Dari mana kamu tahu?"

"I have lived here my whole life. I would have heard about it."

"Aku tinggal di sini seumur hidupku. Pasti aku sudah dengar kalau begitu."

Rohan laughs, and Eero decides that he will do whatever it takes to hear that sound again.

Rohan tertawa, dan Eero memutuskan bahwa ia akan melakukan apa pun supaya bisa mendengar suara itu lagi.

They keep walking. At the bottom of the hill, where the path meets the road, there is a long wooden fence. On the top of one post, someone has put a blue glove with a silver stripe. It stands upright, with its fingers open, like a hand saying hello.

Mereka terus berjalan. Di kaki bukit, tempat jalan setapak bertemu jalan raya, ada pagar kayu yang panjang. Di atas salah satu tiangnya, seseorang telah meletakkan sarung tangan biru dengan garis perak. Sarung tangan itu berdiri tegak, jari-jarinya terbuka, seperti tangan yang menyapa.

"There," Eero says, and he points.

"Itu," kata Eero sambil menunjuk.

Rohan runs. He grabs the glove, turns it over and presses it against his chest. Then he looks at Eero with wide eyes.

Rohan berlari. Ia menyambar sarung tangan itu, membaliknya, dan menekannya ke dadanya. Lalu ia menatap Eero dengan mata lebar.

"Somebody found it," he says. "Somebody found it and put it where I could see it."

"Ada yang menemukannya," katanya. "Ada yang menemukannya dan meletakkannya di tempat yang bisa kulihat."

"People are kind around here," Eero says. "It is the geese. They keep everybody honest."

"Orang-orang di sini baik," kata Eero. "Itu karena angsa-angsa. Mereka menjaga semua orang tetap jujur."

They stand there for a minute, not saying anything. The morning is quiet, and the road is empty. Rohan looks at the glove, and then at Eero, and then at the glove again. He pulls it onto his left hand and flexes his fingers. Then he takes off the right one and holds it out.

Mereka berdiri di sana semenit, tanpa berkata apa-apa. Pagi itu sunyi, dan jalan raya kosong. Rohan memandang sarung tangan itu, lalu Eero, lalu sarung tangan itu lagi. Ia memakainya di tangan kirinya dan menggerak-gerakkan jarinya. Lalu ia melepas yang kanan dan mengulurkannya.

"Here," he says. "You searched that whole path for an hour. You earned it."

"Ini," katanya. "Kamu sudah menyisir seluruh jalan itu selama satu jam. Kamu pantas mendapatkannya."

Eero takes the glove. It is warm, and it fits him almost perfectly. Rohan lifts his own hand, now in a blue glove, and waits.

Eero menerima sarung tangan itu. Rasanya hangat, dan hampir pas di tangannya. Rohan mengangkat tangannya sendiri, yang kini bersarung tangan biru, dan menunggu.

"One for you, one for me," he says quietly. "Is that what people call a pair?"

"Satu untukmu, satu untukku," katanya pelan. "Itukah yang disebut orang sepasang?"