The Book Club Joke

Elsie loves her Tuesday book club. Ten people meet at the library every week. Corin always brings snacks for everyone.

Elsie suka sekali klub buku hari Selasanya. Sepuluh orang bertemu di perpustakaan setiap minggu. Corin selalu membawa camilan untuk semua orang.

Last week, the group read a mystery novel. Elsie shared her guess about the ending. Corin laughed and said, "That guess is wild!"

Minggu lalu, kelompok itu membaca novel misteri. Elsie menyampaikan tebakannya tentang akhir ceritanya. Corin tertawa dan berkata, "Tebakan itu liar sekali!"

Elsie felt small and a little hurt. She thought Corin laughed at her idea. She left the meeting early, without a word.

Elsie merasa kecil dan sedikit sakit hati. Ia mengira Corin menertawakan idenya. Ia meninggalkan pertemuan lebih awal, tanpa sepatah kata pun.

For the next meeting, Elsie stayed home. She told herself she needed a rest. Really, she did not want to see Corin.

Pada pertemuan berikutnya, Elsie tinggal di rumah. Ia berkata pada dirinya sendiri bahwa ia perlu istirahat. Sebenarnya, ia tidak ingin bertemu Corin.

Corin noticed her empty chair right away. He sent her a short message. "We missed you tonight. Is everything okay?"

Corin langsung melihat kursinya yang kosong. Ia mengirim pesan singkat. "Kami merindukanmu malam ini. Semuanya baik-baik saja?"

Elsie wrote back. She explained her hurt feelings. She pressed send fast.

Elsie membalas. Ia menjelaskan perasaannya yang terluka. Ia cepat-cepat menekan kirim.

Corin called her back within minutes. "I laughed at the twist, not at you," he said. "Your guess was close to the real ending!"

Dalam beberapa menit, Corin menelepon balik. "Aku menertawakan kejutan ceritanya, bukan kamu," katanya. "Tebakanmu hampir sama dengan akhir yang sebenarnya!"

Elsie read his words twice. She understood the joke now. It was never about her at all.

Elsie membaca kata-katanya dua kali. Sekarang ia mengerti leluconnya. Lelucon itu sama sekali bukan tentang dirinya.

The next Tuesday, Elsie walked back into the library. Corin saved her a seat near the snacks. He handed her a cookie without a word.

Pada Selasa berikutnya, Elsie melangkah kembali ke perpustakaan. Corin menyimpan kursi untuknya di dekat camilan. Ia menyodorkan sebuah kue kepadanya tanpa berkata apa-apa.

"New book, new guesses," he said with a grin. Elsie opened the book and smiled. "Let's see who gets it right this time."

"Buku baru, tebakan baru," katanya sambil nyengir. Elsie membuka buku itu dan tersenyum. "Kita lihat siapa yang benar kali ini."

After that day, Elsie and Corin became good friends. They texted about books between meetings. Elsie shared every guess without fear now.

Sejak hari itu, Elsie dan Corin menjadi teman baik. Mereka berkirim pesan tentang buku di sela pertemuan. Kini Elsie membagikan setiap tebakannya tanpa rasa takut.

The group later picked a new mystery novel. Corin saved her a seat again. Elsie brought snacks this time, too.

Kelompok itu kemudian memilih novel misteri baru. Corin kembali menyimpan kursi untuknya. Kali ini Elsie yang membawa camilan.