One Rung Short of the Balloon

Every morning at eight, Lenny opens the gate of the car park. It is the car park of the driving-test centre. It has twelve white spaces and one tall lamp. It has a low brick wall.

Setiap pagi pukul delapan, Lenny membuka gerbang tempat parkir. Itu tempat parkir pusat ujian mengemudi. Tempat itu punya dua belas petak putih dan satu tiang lampu yang tinggi. Ada pula tembok bata yang rendah.

Nineteen years is a long time to know one car park. Lenny knows the cracks in the ground. He knows which space gets wet when it rains. His job is small. He sweeps, he paints the lines and he changes the bulbs.

Sembilan belas tahun adalah waktu yang lama untuk mengenal satu tempat parkir. Lenny tahu retakan-retakan di tanahnya. Ia tahu petak mana yang basah kalau hujan. Pekerjaannya kecil. Ia menyapu, mengecat garis-garis, dan mengganti bola lampu.

Today he brings his ladder. It is a green metal ladder with five rungs. He leans it on the lamp post. He tests it with his hand.

Hari ini ia membawa tangganya. Sebuah tangga logam hijau dengan lima anak tangga. Ia menyandarkannya pada tiang lampu. Ia mengujinya dengan tangan.

"The bulb is dead," he says to himself. "Easy."

"Bolanya mati," katanya kepada dirinya sendiri. "Mudah."

He climbs. At the fourth rung, the lamp is still far above his head. At the fifth rung, his hand almost reaches the glass. It is the top rung. He stretches. The glass is still a hand's width away.

Ia memanjat. Di anak tangga keempat, lampu itu masih jauh di atas kepalanya. Di anak tangga kelima, tangannya hampir mencapai kaca. Itu anak tangga teratas. Ia meregangkan badan. Kaca itu masih sejauh satu lebar telapak tangan.

He climbs down and looks at the ladder. He looks at the lamp. Then he looks at the ladder again. It is still too short.

Ia turun dan memandang tangganya. Ia memandang lampu. Lalu ia memandang tangganya lagi. Tangga itu tetap terlalu pendek.

"Too short," he says.

"Terlalu pendek," katanya.

"What is too short?" asks a voice behind him.

"Apa yang terlalu pendek?" tanya sebuah suara di belakangnya.

Vic, the examiner, stands by the wall. He holds a clipboard against his chest. He wears the same grey jacket every day. He fails more people than anyone at the centre. But he does it kindly. Nobody is angry with him for long.

Vic, sang penguji, berdiri di dekat tembok. Ia mendekap papan jepit di dadanya. Ia memakai jaket abu-abu yang sama setiap hari. Ia meluluskan paling sedikit orang di pusat ujian itu. Tetapi ia melakukannya dengan baik hati. Tak ada yang marah padanya lama-lama.

"The ladder," says Lenny. "I bought it in spring. The shop said it was the right size."

"Tangganya," kata Lenny. "Saya membelinya musim semi lalu. Tokonya bilang ukurannya pas."

"Shops say many things," says Vic.

"Toko bilang banyak hal," kata Vic.

"Last year my old ladder was fine. Maybe the lamp grows."

"Tahun lalu tangga lama saya baik-baik saja. Mungkin lampunya tumbuh."

"Maybe you shrink," says Vic. He almost smiles.

"Mungkin Anda menyusut," kata Vic. Ia hampir tersenyum.

They both look up at the lamp. It stands still and silver against the sky.

Mereka berdua menengadah memandang lampu. Lampu itu berdiri diam dan keperakan di depan langit.

Lenny has a plan. He goes to the shed and brings back a wooden box. He puts the box under the ladder. Vic holds the ladder with both hands.

Lenny punya rencana. Ia pergi ke gudang dan kembali membawa sebuah kotak kayu. Ia menaruh kotak itu di bawah tangga. Vic memegangi tangga dengan kedua tangan.

"This is not safe," says Vic.

"Ini tidak aman," kata Vic.

"It is a little safe."

"Agak aman."

"A little safe is the same as not safe."

"Agak aman sama saja dengan tidak aman."

"Then hold harder," says Lenny.

"Kalau begitu pegang lebih kuat," kata Lenny.

Vic holds harder. Lenny climbs onto the box. Then he climbs the ladder to the fourth rung. The ladder shakes. His shoes slide. A loud bang comes from the box. The whole thing leans to the left.

Vic memegang lebih kuat. Lenny naik ke kotak. Lalu ia memanjat tangga sampai anak tangga keempat. Tangga itu bergoyang. Sepatunya tergelincir. Bunyi keras terdengar dari kotak. Seluruhnya miring ke kiri.

"Come down," says Vic, in the voice he uses on the road. "Come down now. Slowly."

"Turun," kata Vic, dengan suara yang ia pakai di jalan raya. "Turun sekarang. Pelan-pelan."

Lenny comes down. His heart is loud in his ears. He sits on the box and breathes.

Lenny turun. Jantungnya berdentum di telinganya. Ia duduk di kotak itu dan mengatur napas.

Just then a door opens across the car park. A young woman walks out. She holds a piece of paper. Behind her come two friends. All three laugh and shout.

Tepat saat itu sebuah pintu terbuka di seberang tempat parkir. Seorang wanita muda berjalan keluar. Ia memegang selembar kertas. Di belakangnya datang dua temannya. Ketiganya tertawa dan berteriak.

"She passed!" calls one friend. "She passed, she passed!"

"Dia lulus!" seru salah satu teman. "Dia lulus, dia lulus!"

The young woman stops in the middle of the car park. She looks at the paper. Then she looks at the sky. Then she holds the paper over her head. She turns in a circle.

Wanita muda itu berhenti di tengah tempat parkir. Ia memandang kertas itu. Lalu ia memandang langit. Lalu ia mengangkat kertas itu di atas kepalanya. Ia berputar-putar.

Vic nods. He knows her. She is the quiet one from the nine o'clock test. He likes her calm hands.

Vic mengangguk. Ia mengenalnya. Wanita itu si pendiam dari ujian pukul sembilan. Ia menyukai tangannya yang tenang.

The friends run to a small blue car. Tied to the mirror is a bunch of balloons. Each balloon is a different colour. Yellow, green, white, pink. The friends untie them one by one. They put them in the car.

Teman-temannya berlari ke sebuah mobil biru kecil. Seikat balon terikat pada kaca spionnya. Setiap balon berwarna berbeda. Kuning, hijau, putih, merah muda. Teman-teman itu melepaskannya satu per satu. Mereka memasukkannya ke dalam mobil.

One slips. It is a big yellow balloon with a thin gold string. It rises slowly at first. Then it rises fast.

Satu terlepas. Sebuah balon kuning besar dengan tali emas yang tipis. Mula-mula ia naik perlahan. Lalu ia naik dengan cepat.

"No!" shouts one friend. "Our balloon!"

"Jangan!" teriak salah satu teman. "Balon kita!"

Everybody in the car park turns to watch. Lenny stands up. Vic stops writing. The balloon floats past the bricks, past the sign, past the lamp.

Semua orang di tempat parkir menoleh untuk menonton. Lenny berdiri. Vic berhenti menulis. Balon itu melayang melewati bata, melewati papan nama, melewati lampu.

It stops. The gold string catches on the very top of the lamp post. The yellow balloon turns slowly in the air. It floats above the bulb, above the ladder, above everyone.

Balon itu berhenti. Tali emasnya tersangkut di puncak tiang lampu. Balon kuning itu berputar perlahan di udara. Ia melayang di atas bola lampu, di atas tangga, di atas semua orang.

For a moment nobody speaks.

Sejenak tak ada yang bicara.

"I can get it," says Lenny. He picks up the box again.

"Saya bisa mengambilnya," kata Lenny. Ia mengambil kotak itu lagi.

"You cannot," says Vic. "You are one rung short."

"Anda tidak bisa," kata Vic. "Anda kurang satu anak tangga."

"I am a hand short."

"Saya kurang satu telapak tangan."

"Then you are short."

"Kalau begitu Anda kurang tinggi."

The young woman starts to laugh. She has paper in one hand. She has a car key in the other. "Leave it," she says. "It is fine. Really. It is a good place for it."

Wanita muda itu mulai tertawa. Ia memegang kertas di satu tangan. Ia memegang kunci mobil di tangan yang lain. "Biarkan saja," katanya. "Tidak apa-apa. Sungguh. Itu tempat yang bagus untuknya."

"But it is your balloon," says Lenny.

"Tapi itu balon Anda," kata Lenny.

"It is my first day as a driver," she says. "Something should stay here."

"Ini hari pertamaku sebagai pengemudi," katanya. "Sesuatu harus tetap tinggal di sini."

Her friends look at her. Then they look at the balloon. One of them takes a photo. The other puts an arm around her shoulders.

Teman-temannya memandangnya. Lalu mereka memandang balon itu. Salah satunya mengambil foto. Yang lain merangkul bahunya.

Then they get in the blue car. The engine starts. The car leaves slowly. She drives like a person who is new at it. She stops at the gate and checks both ways three times.

Lalu mereka naik ke mobil biru itu. Mesin menyala. Mobil itu pergi perlahan. Ia mengemudi seperti orang yang masih baru. Ia berhenti di gerbang dan memeriksa kedua arah tiga kali.

Vic watches her go. He tucks his clipboard under his arm. He does not usually say anything after a test. Today he says, "That was good driving."

Vic memperhatikannya pergi. Ia menyelipkan papan jepitnya di bawah lengan. Biasanya ia tidak berkata apa-apa setelah ujian. Hari ini ia berkata, "Itu mengemudi yang bagus."

Lenny pushes the ladder against the wall and sits on the box. He takes a cloth from his pocket and cleans his hands slowly.

Lenny mendorong tangga ke tembok dan duduk di kotak. Ia mengambil kain dari sakunya dan membersihkan tangannya pelan-pelan.

"I will get a longer ladder tomorrow," he says.

"Besok saya akan beli tangga yang lebih panjang," katanya.

"Do not hurry," says Vic.

"Jangan terburu-buru," kata Vic.

"Why not?"

"Kenapa?"

"The test at ten is a nervous boy. He might like a balloon."

"Ujian pukul sepuluh itu seorang anak laki-laki yang gugup. Mungkin dia suka balon."

Lenny looks up. The yellow balloon turns once on its gold string. There are small black letters on it. From the ground, neither man can read them.

Lenny menengadah. Balon kuning itu berputar sekali pada tali emasnya. Ada huruf-huruf hitam kecil di atasnya. Dari tanah, kedua pria itu tak bisa membacanya.