The Captain's Last Crossing

On the morning of her last crossing, Iolanthe reached the pier at twenty to six, as she had done for twenty-six years. The harbor was grey, and a thin mist lay on the water between the island and the mainland. She walked the length of the ferry, touched the rail near the stern, as always, and said nothing about it to Benno.

Pada pagi penyeberangan terakhirnya, Iolanthe tiba di dermaga pukul enam kurang dua puluh, seperti yang sudah ia lakukan selama dua puluh enam tahun. Pelabuhan itu kelabu, dan kabut tipis menggantung di atas air antara pulau dan daratan. Ia berjalan menyusuri panjang feri, menyentuh pagar di dekat buritan, seperti biasa, dan tidak mengatakan apa pun soal itu kepada Benno.

Benno had worked under her for two years and had been told, officially, that he would take over the wheel after the summer. He had also been told, unofficially, by almost everyone, that she could never be replaced. Every evening he had practiced docking in the empty bay, and every evening he had gone home less sure of himself.

Benno sudah dua tahun bekerja di bawahnya dan telah diberi tahu, secara resmi, bahwa ia akan mengambil alih kemudi setelah musim panas. Ia juga telah diberi tahu, secara tidak resmi, oleh hampir semua orang, bahwa Iolanthe tidak mungkin digantikan. Setiap malam ia berlatih bersandar di teluk yang kosong, dan setiap malam ia pulang dengan keyakinan diri yang makin berkurang.

At ten to seven, he had his hand on the ramp lever when a young man ran onto the pier, his suitcase bouncing behind him. The timetable said departure at six-fifty. Benno began to raise the ramp.

Pukul tujuh kurang sepuluh, tangannya sudah memegang tuas rampa, ketika seorang pemuda berlari ke dermaga, kopernya memantul di belakangnya. Jadwal menyebutkan keberangkatan pukul enam lima puluh. Benno mulai mengangkat rampa.

"Hold it," Iolanthe called from the cabin window.

"Tahan," seru Iolanthe dari jendela kabin.

"It's already ten to seven, Captain."

"Sudah pukul tujuh kurang sepuluh, Kapten."

"I know what time it is. Nobody has ever been wrecked by forty seconds."

"Aku tahu jam berapa sekarang. Belum pernah ada yang karam gara-gara empat puluh detik."

The young man tumbled aboard, gasping and apologizing to everyone. The regulars, meanwhile, were behaving strangely. Normally they waved at the cabin as they boarded. Today they kept their eyes on the deck. A large sheet of paper was being passed from hand to hand, as quietly as a secret in a classroom.

Pemuda itu terhuyung naik ke kapal, terengah-engah dan meminta maaf kepada semua orang. Sementara itu, para penumpang tetap berperilaku aneh. Biasanya mereka melambai ke arah kabin saat naik. Hari ini mereka menjaga mata tetap di dek. Selembar kertas besar diedarkan dari tangan ke tangan, setenang rahasia di dalam kelas.

Halfway across, Iolanthe stepped away from the wheel. "Take her," she said. "Out here, she's yours." Benno's palms were damp against the wood. Behind him, from the stern, came the sound of a cello. Its owner had caught the early boat every morning for eleven years, and he played a slow tune that nobody had announced.

Di tengah penyeberangan, Iolanthe melangkah menjauh dari kemudi. "Ambil alih," katanya. "Di tengah laut ini, kapal ini milikmu." Telapak tangan Benno lembap di atas kayu. Dari belakangnya, dari buritan, terdengar suara selo. Pemiliknya sudah naik kapal pagi itu setiap hari selama sebelas tahun, dan ia memainkan lagu lambat yang tak diumumkan siapa pun.

The baker put the sheet of paper into the captain's hands. Sixty names covered it, some in pencil and some in pen. Iolanthe read it for a long time, and then she wiped her face with her sleeve and blamed the spray.

Si tukang roti meletakkan kertas itu ke tangan kapten. Enam puluh nama memenuhinya, sebagian dengan pensil dan sebagian dengan pulpen. Iolanthe membacanya lama sekali, lalu mengusap wajahnya dengan lengan baju dan menyalahkan percikan air.

She told Benno later that she had known for a week. "Nothing happens on this boat without my hearing about it," she said. "But they had been so secretive that it would have been unkind to spoil it."

Kemudian ia memberi tahu Benno bahwa ia sudah tahu sejak seminggu sebelumnya. "Tak ada yang terjadi di kapal ini tanpa sepengetahuanku," katanya. "Tapi mereka begitu merahasiakannya sampai rasanya tidak baik kalau merusaknya."

As the mainland pier came into view, she joined him at the wheel. "One piece of advice, and then I'll leave you alone," she said. "Everyone will teach you the engine and the tides. If I were you, I would worry less about those. Wait for the runner."

Ketika dermaga daratan mulai tampak, ia bergabung dengan Benno di kemudi. "Satu nasihat, lalu aku tidak akan mengganggumu lagi," katanya. "Semua orang akan mengajarimu soal mesin dan pasang surut. Kalau jadi kamu, aku akan lebih sedikit mengkhawatirkan keduanya. Tunggulah si pelari."

"The runner?"

"Si pelari?"

"Every boat has one. Somebody who is late for something that matters. Forty seconds, every time. The timetable can spare it, and they never forget it."

"Setiap kapal punya satu. Seseorang yang terlambat untuk sesuatu yang penting. Empat puluh detik, setiap kali. Jadwal bisa mengalah untuk itu, dan mereka tidak pernah melupakannya."

He brought the ferry in slowly, with the engine barely a murmur. The hull touched the fender so softly that the cellist, still playing, did not miss a note. Nobody clapped. The regulars simply nodded to him as they went ashore, one by one, as if he had always been the one at the wheel.

Ia membawa feri itu merapat dengan pelan, mesinnya nyaris tak berdesing. Lambung kapal menyentuh bantalan dermaga dengan begitu lembut sehingga pemain selo, yang masih bermain, tidak kehilangan satu nada pun. Tak seorang pun bertepuk tangan. Para penumpang hanya mengangguk kepadanya saat turun ke darat, satu per satu, seakan sejak dulu dialah yang memegang kemudi.

When the last passenger had left, Iolanthe handed him the logbook. "You write the final entry," she said.

Ketika penumpang terakhir pergi, Iolanthe menyerahkan buku log kepadanya. "Kamu yang menulis catatan terakhir," katanya.

Benno wrote the time, the wind and the visibility. Under "Remarks", he hesitated, and then he wrote, "Waited for a runner. Forty seconds."

Benno menulis waktu, angin, dan jarak pandang. Di bawah "Keterangan", ia ragu, lalu menulis, "Menunggu seorang pelari. Empat puluh detik."