The Cactus at the Test Centre

Zeke arrived at the driving test centre an hour early. He had been awake since five, and his stomach felt like a washing machine. His test was at ten. It was only nine now.

Zeke tiba di pusat ujian mengemudi satu jam lebih awal. Ia sudah terjaga sejak pukul lima, dan perutnya terasa seperti mesin cuci. Ujiannya pukul sepuluh. Sekarang baru pukul sembilan.

He sat on a low wall and watched the learner cars roll in and out. Every driver looked calm. Every driver looked like a person who had never stalled an engine in their life.

Ia duduk di atas tembok pendek dan memperhatikan mobil-mobil latihan keluar masuk. Setiap pengemudi tampak tenang. Setiap pengemudi tampak seperti orang yang seumur hidup belum pernah membuat mesin mobilnya mati mendadak.

"Stop it," Zeke told himself. "You have practised for six months."

"Sudah, hentikan," kata Zeke kepada dirinya sendiri. "Kamu sudah berlatih enam bulan."

Then something small caught his eye. It lay on the tarmac beside the wall, and it was no bigger than a walnut. Zeke picked it up. It was a tiny cactus in a plastic pot the size of an egg cup. Under the pot, a little magnet was stuck on with tape.

Lalu sesuatu yang kecil menarik perhatiannya. Benda itu tergeletak di aspal di samping tembok, dan tidak lebih besar dari buah kenari. Zeke memungutnya. Itu sebuah kaktus mungil dalam pot plastik sebesar cangkir telur. Di bawah pot itu, sebuah magnet kecil direkatkan dengan selotip.

"Where did you come from?" he asked.

"Dari mana kamu datang?" tanyanya.

The cactus said nothing, but the magnet told him a lot. People put magnets like that on car dashboards. Somebody had lost a lucky charm on the worst possible day. Zeke knew exactly how that felt, and it gave him something to do besides worry.

Kaktus itu tidak berkata apa-apa, tetapi magnet itu memberitahunya banyak hal. Orang menaruh magnet seperti itu di dasbor mobil. Seseorang telah kehilangan jimat keberuntungan di hari yang paling buruk. Zeke tahu persis bagaimana rasanya, dan itu memberinya kegiatan selain cemas.

He walked to the kiosk at the entrance. A man in a yellow jacket sat there, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

Ia berjalan ke kios di pintu masuk. Seorang pria berjaket kuning duduk di sana, minum kopi dan membaca koran.

"Excuse me," said Zeke. "Did anyone report a lost cactus?"

"Permisi," kata Zeke. "Apakah ada yang melaporkan kaktus hilang?"

"That is not mine," the man said. "I only know about cars. But the instructor with the silver hatchback has a lot of little things on her dashboard. She always parks by the bins."

"Itu bukan milik saya," kata pria itu. "Saya hanya tahu soal mobil. Tapi instruktur dengan mobil hatchback perak punya banyak benda kecil di dasbornya. Dia selalu parkir di dekat tempat sampah."

Zeke thanked him and crossed the car park. The silver hatchback stood next to the bins. A tall woman was wiping its windscreen.

Zeke berterima kasih kepadanya dan menyeberangi tempat parkir. Mobil hatchback perak itu berdiri di samping tempat sampah. Seorang perempuan jangkung sedang menyeka kaca depannya.

"Sorry to bother you," said Zeke. "Is this cactus yours?"

"Maaf mengganggu," kata Zeke. "Apakah kaktus ini milik Ibu?"

She leaned closer and smiled. "What a lovely little thing. No, mine is a plastic duck, and he is much louder." She pointed across the car park. "But I have seen one like it before. A young man was holding it in the waiting room last week. He was talking to it before his test."

Ia mencondongkan badan dan tersenyum. "Lucu sekali. Bukan, milik saya bebek plastik, dan dia jauh lebih berisik." Ia menunjuk ke seberang tempat parkir. "Tapi saya pernah melihat yang seperti ini. Seorang pemuda memegangnya di ruang tunggu minggu lalu. Dia berbicara kepadanya sebelum ujian."

"Ask in the waiting room," said the instructor.

"Tanyakan di ruang tunggu," kata sang instruktur.

So Zeke went into the waiting room. It was a plain room with plastic chairs, a vending machine and a poster about mirrors. Six people sat there, and all of them were staring at the floor.

Jadi Zeke masuk ke ruang tunggu. Ruangan itu polos, dengan kursi plastik, mesin penjual otomatis, dan poster tentang kaca spion. Enam orang duduk di sana, dan semuanya menatap lantai.

"Does anybody here own a cactus?" Zeke asked.

"Adakah di sini yang punya kaktus?" tanya Zeke.

Nobody laughed. A girl in a green jumper looked up and sighed.

Tidak ada yang tertawa. Seorang gadis berpullover hijau mendongak dan menghela napas.

"It might be mine," she said. "Let me see it." She took the pot and turned it over in her hands. Then she shook her head. "No. Mine is bigger, and it has a pink flower." She gave it back. "But I think I know whose this is. I did my test yesterday, and I failed."

"Mungkin punyaku," katanya. "Coba kulihat." Ia mengambil pot itu dan membaliknya di tangannya. Lalu ia menggeleng. "Bukan. Punyaku lebih besar, dan ada bunga merah mudanya." Ia mengembalikannya. "Tapi kurasa aku tahu ini milik siapa. Aku ujian kemarin, dan aku gagal."

"I am sorry," said Zeke.

"Aku turut menyesal," kata Zeke.

"It's fine." She shrugged. "Anyway, the examiner had a cactus on his dashboard. It was tiny, like this one, and it was stuck on with a magnet. When I did the emergency stop, it flew off the dashboard and hit the window. He caught it and put it back. Then he wrote on his paper for a long time."

"Tidak apa-apa." Ia mengangkat bahu. "Omong-omong, penguji itu punya kaktus di dasbornya. Kecil, seperti ini, dan ditempel dengan magnet. Waktu aku melakukan pengereman darurat, kaktus itu terlempar dari dasbor dan menabrak jendela. Dia menangkapnya dan menaruhnya kembali. Lalu dia menulis di kertasnya lama sekali."

"Do you remember his name?" asked Zeke.

"Kamu ingat namanya?" tanya Zeke.

"Garrick," said the girl. "He is the one with the grey clipboard. He is very serious, but he was kind to me. He said that everyone is allowed one bad day."

"Garrick," kata gadis itu. "Dia yang membawa papan jepit abu-abu. Dia sangat serius, tapi dia baik kepadaku. Katanya semua orang boleh punya satu hari yang buruk."

Zeke felt his heart jump. "Which examiner do you think I will get at ten?"

Jantung Zeke melonjak. "Menurutmu penguji mana yang akan kudapat pukul sepuluh?"

"I cannot know that," she said. "But if the cactus is his, he will be happy to see it. Good luck."

"Itu tidak bisa kuketahui," katanya. "Tapi kalau kaktus itu miliknya, dia akan senang melihatnya. Semoga berhasil."

Zeke put the cactus into his pocket and went back outside. It was half past nine. He decided to walk around the car park to calm down. That was when the real trouble started.

Zeke memasukkan kaktus itu ke sakunya dan kembali ke luar. Sekarang pukul setengah sepuluh. Ia memutuskan berjalan mengelilingi tempat parkir untuk menenangkan diri. Saat itulah masalah yang sebenarnya dimulai.

A delivery van came round the corner too fast. Zeke jumped back, and the cactus flew out of his pocket. It bounced twice and rolled across the tarmac, straight towards the van's front wheel.

Sebuah van pengantar barang berbelok di sudut terlalu cepat. Zeke melompat mundur, dan kaktus itu terlempar dari sakunya. Kaktus itu memantul dua kali dan menggelinding melintasi aspal, lurus ke arah roda depan van.

"No!" shouted Zeke.

"Jangan!" teriak Zeke.

He did not think. He ran and dropped to his knees, and he reached under the van just as the driver stopped. His fingers closed around the little pot. Something sharp pricked his thumb, but he did not care. He pulled his arm back and held the cactus above his head like a trophy.

Ia tidak berpikir. Ia berlari dan berlutut, dan meraih ke bawah van tepat saat pengemudinya berhenti. Jari-jarinya menggenggam pot kecil itu. Sesuatu yang tajam menusuk jempolnya, tetapi ia tidak peduli. Ia menarik lengannya dan mengangkat kaktus itu di atas kepalanya seperti piala.

The van driver opened his window. "I nearly drove over your arm!" he shouted.

Pengemudi van membuka jendelanya. "Hampir saja saya melindas lengan Anda!" teriaknya.

"Sorry," said Zeke. "I am rescuing a plant."

"Maaf," kata Zeke. "Saya sedang menyelamatkan tanaman."

The driver shook his head and drove away slowly. Zeke looked at the cactus. It was fine. Only a piece of tape had come off the magnet. He pressed it back down.

Pengemudi itu menggeleng dan melaju pergi pelan-pelan. Zeke memandang kaktus itu. Kaktus itu baik-baik saja. Hanya selotip pada magnetnya yang terlepas. Ia menekannya kembali.

At five to ten, a door opened on the far side of the building. A man in a dark coat came out, holding a grey clipboard and a car key. He had a serious face, and he walked like someone who had never been late in his life.

Pada pukul sepuluh kurang lima, sebuah pintu terbuka di sisi jauh gedung. Seorang pria bermantel gelap keluar, membawa papan jepit abu-abu dan kunci mobil. Wajahnya serius, dan ia berjalan seperti orang yang seumur hidup belum pernah terlambat.

"Is Zeke here?" he called.

"Apakah Zeke ada di sini?" panggilnya.

"That's me," said Zeke. His voice came out very small.

"Itu saya," kata Zeke. Suaranya terdengar sangat kecil.

"I am Garrick. I will be your examiner today." The man looked at Zeke's dirty knees, and one eyebrow went up. "Are you ready?"

"Saya Garrick. Saya penguji Anda hari ini." Pria itu memandang lutut Zeke yang kotor, dan sebelah alisnya terangkat. "Sudah siap?"

"Almost." Zeke pulled the cactus out of his pocket. "I think this is yours, sir. I found it on the ground this morning. I asked three people before I found out who owns it."

"Hampir." Zeke menarik kaktus itu dari sakunya. "Saya rasa ini milik Bapak. Saya menemukannya di tanah pagi ini. Saya bertanya kepada tiga orang sebelum tahu siapa pemiliknya."

Garrick stopped walking. For a moment his serious face changed completely. He took the cactus in both hands, as if it was a bird.

Garrick berhenti berjalan. Sesaat wajah seriusnya berubah total. Ia menerima kaktus itu dengan kedua tangan, seolah itu seekor burung.

"I have looked for this everywhere," he said. "It has sat on my dashboard for eleven years. It rolled away yesterday, and I thought it was gone for good." He looked up. "You went around the whole car park for this?"

"Saya sudah mencarinya ke mana-mana," katanya. "Kaktus ini sudah ada di dasbor saya selama sebelas tahun. Kemarin dia menggelinding pergi, dan saya kira sudah hilang selamanya." Ia mendongak. "Anda berkeliling seluruh tempat parkir demi ini?"

"I had time," said Zeke. "And I nearly lost it under a van. But it's safe now."

"Saya punya waktu," kata Zeke. "Dan hampir saja kaktus ini hilang di bawah van. Tapi sekarang sudah aman."

"Thank you," said Garrick. He cleared his throat and became serious again very quickly. "This does not change anything about your test, you understand. I mark only your driving."

"Terima kasih," kata Garrick. Ia berdeham dan dengan cepat kembali serius. "Ini tidak mengubah apa pun pada ujian Anda, Anda mengerti. Saya hanya menilai cara mengemudi Anda."

"Of course," said Zeke.

"Tentu," kata Zeke.

They walked to the test car together. Garrick pressed the magnet onto the dashboard, and he gave it a little pat. Zeke sat down and checked his mirrors twice. His hands were shaking. He looked at the cactus and thought about the van, and he felt braver.

Mereka berjalan bersama ke mobil ujian. Garrick menempelkan magnet itu ke dasbor, dan menepuknya sedikit. Zeke duduk dan memeriksa kaca spionnya dua kali. Tangannya gemetar. Ia memandang kaktus itu dan memikirkan van tadi, dan ia merasa lebih berani.

The first ten minutes went well. Garrick wrote on his clipboard and said very little.

Sepuluh menit pertama berjalan lancar. Garrick menulis di papan jepitnya dan sangat sedikit bicara.

Then, on a quiet road, Garrick said, "Stop the car as quickly as you can, please."

Lalu, di jalan yang sepi, Garrick berkata, "Hentikan mobil secepat yang Anda bisa, tolong."

Zeke pressed the brake hard. The car stopped in a straight line. The cactus did not move at all, because it was held firmly by its magnet. Zeke breathed out slowly.

Zeke menginjak rem keras-keras. Mobil berhenti dalam garis lurus. Kaktus itu sama sekali tidak bergerak, karena tertahan kuat oleh magnetnya. Zeke mengembuskan napas pelan-pelan.

"Good," said Garrick, and he wrote something down.

"Bagus," kata Garrick, dan ia menulis sesuatu.

The rest of the test passed in a blur. At last the car rolled back into the test centre car park, and Garrick switched off the engine.

Sisa ujian berlalu dalam sekejap. Akhirnya mobil menggelinding kembali ke tempat parkir pusat ujian, dan Garrick mematikan mesin.

For a long minute, the only sound was his pen on the paper.

Selama semenit yang panjang, satu-satunya suara adalah penanya di atas kertas.

"Well," said Garrick. "I am happy to tell you that you have passed."

"Baiklah," kata Garrick. "Saya senang memberi tahu Anda bahwa Anda lulus."

Zeke shouted so loudly that two pigeons flew off the wall. "Sorry, sir," he said.

Zeke berteriak begitu keras sampai dua ekor merpati terbang dari tembok. "Maaf, Pak," katanya.

"It's fine," said Garrick, and he almost smiled. "You drove carefully. I do not often see a candidate who rescues a plant before his test."

"Tidak apa-apa," kata Garrick, dan ia nyaris tersenyum. "Anda mengemudi dengan hati-hati. Saya jarang melihat peserta yang menyelamatkan tanaman sebelum ujiannya."

Zeke laughed. He looked at the cactus on the dashboard and shook his head. "I think the cactus helped me."

Zeke tertawa. Ia memandang kaktus di dasbor dan menggeleng. "Saya rasa kaktus itu membantu saya."

"Of course," said Garrick. "It has been in this car for eleven years. It has never once said 'slow down' or 'watch that cyclist'. It is the best passenger I have ever had."

"Tentu saja," kata Garrick. "Dia sudah berada di mobil ini selama sebelas tahun. Dia tidak pernah sekali pun berkata 'pelan-pelan' atau 'awas pesepeda itu'. Dia penumpang terbaik yang pernah saya punya."

"Then it deserves a pass as well," said Zeke.

"Kalau begitu dia juga pantas lulus," kata Zeke.

"No," said Garrick, and he gently turned the pot. "It is prickly, but it is fair."

"Tidak," kata Garrick, dan ia memutar pot itu dengan lembut. "Dia berduri, tapi adil."