Ride to the Sixth Stop

Wanda started at a new school in September. The school was across the city. Her mother took her there in the first week. Now her mother worked early. Wanda had to ride the tram alone.

Wanda mulai bersekolah di sekolah baru pada bulan September. Sekolah itu berada di seberang kota. Ibunya mengantarnya ke sana pada minggu pertama. Sekarang ibunya berangkat kerja pagi-pagi. Wanda harus naik trem sendirian.

On Monday, she stood at the tram stop. Her hands were cold. She held her bag tight. A tall boy stood next to her. He wore a blue jacket and big headphones.

Pada hari Senin, dia berdiri di halte trem. Tangannya dingin. Dia memegang tasnya erat-erat. Seorang anak laki-laki jangkung berdiri di sebelahnya. Dia memakai jaket biru dan headphone besar.

"You look worried," the boy said.

"Kamu kelihatan cemas," kata anak laki-laki itu.

"I am not worried," Wanda said. She looked at her shoes. "Okay, I am a little worried. I do not know the stops."

"Aku tidak cemas," kata Wanda. Dia menatap sepatunya. "Oke, aku sedikit cemas. Aku tidak tahu halte-haltenya."

The boy pulled down his headphones. "I am Zeke. I ride this tram every day. Come with me."

Anak laki-laki itu menurunkan headphone-nya. "Aku Zeke. Aku naik trem ini setiap hari. Ikut aku saja."

"Thank you," Wanda said. "My name is Wanda."

"Terima kasih," kata Wanda. "Namaku Wanda."

The tram came. It was long and white. The doors opened with a loud noise. Zeke went in first, and Wanda followed.

Trem datang. Trem itu panjang dan putih. Pintunya terbuka dengan suara keras. Zeke masuk lebih dulu, dan Wanda mengikutinya.

"First, your card," Zeke said. "Touch it here. Wait for the beep."

"Pertama, kartumu," kata Zeke. "Tempelkan di sini. Tunggu bunyi bip."

Wanda touched her card to the small screen. It beeped. She smiled a little.

Wanda menempelkan kartunya ke layar kecil itu. Terdengar bunyi bip. Dia tersenyum sedikit.

They found two seats by the window. Zeke pointed at a map above the door. "Your school is at stop six. Look. Here is the line."

Mereka menemukan dua tempat duduk di dekat jendela. Zeke menunjuk sebuah peta di atas pintu. "Sekolahmu ada di halte enam. Lihat. Ini jalurnya."

Wanda looked at the map. She counted the dots with her finger. "One, two, three," she said slowly.

Wanda melihat peta itu. Dia menghitung titik-titiknya dengan jarinya. "Satu, dua, tiga," katanya pelan-pelan.

"Good," Zeke said. "But do not only count. Read the name on the screen. It says the next stop."

"Bagus," kata Zeke. "Tapi jangan hanya menghitung. Baca nama di layar. Layar itu menunjukkan halte berikutnya."

The screen showed a word in yellow. A woman's voice said the same word. Wanda read it twice. Then she looked out of the window and counted again.

Layar menampilkan satu kata berwarna kuning. Suara seorang wanita mengucapkan kata yang sama. Wanda membacanya dua kali. Lalu dia menatap ke luar jendela dan menghitung lagi.

"Now the button," Zeke said. "Press it at stop five. Then the tram stops at six."

"Sekarang tombolnya," kata Zeke. "Tekan di halte lima. Lalu trem berhenti di halte enam."

"What if I forget?" Wanda asked.

"Bagaimana kalau aku lupa?" tanya Wanda.

"Then you ride to stop seven. You walk back. It is not a big problem." Zeke laughed. "I did that once."

"Ya, kamu terus sampai halte tujuh. Lalu kamu jalan kaki kembali. Itu bukan masalah besar." Zeke tertawa. "Aku pernah begitu sekali."

At stop five, Wanda pressed the yellow button. A little bell rang. The tram stopped at the next stop. Zeke stood up. "This is yours."

Di halte lima, Wanda menekan tombol kuning itu. Sebuah bel kecil berbunyi. Trem berhenti di halte berikutnya. Zeke berdiri. "Ini halte kamu."

They walked to the school gate together. Wanda stopped. "Thank you, Zeke. This was easy with you."

Mereka berjalan bersama ke gerbang sekolah. Wanda berhenti. "Terima kasih, Zeke. Tadi mudah sekali karena ada kamu."

"Tomorrow, you do it," Zeke said. "I sit behind you. I say nothing."

"Besok, kamu yang melakukannya," kata Zeke. "Aku duduk di belakangmu. Aku tidak akan bilang apa-apa."

On Tuesday, Wanda touched her card first. The tram beeped. She sat by the window. Zeke sat three seats behind her. He did not say one word.

Pada hari Selasa, Wanda menempelkan kartunya lebih dulu. Trem berbunyi bip. Dia duduk di dekat jendela. Zeke duduk tiga kursi di belakangnya. Dia tidak mengucapkan sepatah kata pun.

She looked at the map. She read the names on the screen. She counted the stops with her finger. Once she looked back. Zeke only smiled and lifted his hand.

Wanda melihat peta. Dia membaca nama-nama di layar. Dia menghitung halte-haltenya dengan jarinya. Sekali dia menoleh ke belakang. Zeke hanya tersenyum dan mengangkat tangannya.

On Wednesday, Zeke waited at the stop. He pointed to the next tram. "Today, I stay here," he said. "I have a test later. I take the next one."

Pada hari Rabu, Zeke menunggu di halte. Dia menunjuk trem berikutnya. "Hari ini aku tinggal di sini," katanya. "Aku ada ujian nanti. Aku naik yang berikutnya."

Wanda looked at the long white tram. Her heart beat fast. "Okay," she said. "I can do it."

Wanda menatap trem putih yang panjang itu. Jantungnya berdebar kencang. "Oke," katanya. "Aku bisa."

"I know," Zeke said. "Text me at stop six."

"Aku tahu," kata Zeke. "Kirim pesan padaku di halte enam."

Wanda stepped inside. The doors closed with a soft noise. She touched her card, and it beeped. Then she found a seat by the window. She put her bag on her knees.

Wanda melangkah masuk. Pintu menutup dengan bunyi pelan. Dia menempelkan kartunya, dan terdengar bunyi bip. Lalu dia menemukan tempat duduk di dekat jendela. Dia menaruh tasnya di pangkuannya.

One stop passed. Then another passed. She read each name on the screen. A boy stepped in at stop three. A girl stepped out at stop four. Wanda watched the map and held her breath.

Satu halte terlewati. Lalu satu lagi terlewati. Dia membaca setiap nama di layar. Seorang anak laki-laki naik di halte tiga. Seorang anak perempuan turun di halte empat. Wanda memandangi peta sambil menahan napas.

The screen showed a yellow word. A voice said, "Next stop, Garden Street." That was stop five.

Layar menampilkan satu kata kuning. Sebuah suara berkata, "Halte berikutnya, Garden Street." Itu halte lima.

Wanda stood up. She walked to the door. Her hand reached out and pressed the yellow button.

Wanda berdiri. Dia berjalan ke pintu. Tangannya terulur dan menekan tombol kuning itu.