The Carriage on Siding Nine

The old carriage had stood on Siding Nine for thirty years. The railway society wanted it ready for a visitor inspection by nine o'clock the next morning. Anneke had been restoring its woodwork since spring. Luca had been hired three weeks earlier to replace the wiring. In all that time, they had agreed on nothing.

Gerbong tua itu sudah berdiri di Jalur Sembilan selama tiga puluh tahun. Perhimpunan kereta api menginginkannya siap untuk inspeksi pengunjung pukul sembilan keesokan paginya. Anneke sudah memugar bagian kayunya sejak musim semi. Luca dipekerjakan tiga minggu sebelumnya untuk mengganti kabel listriknya. Selama itu, mereka tidak pernah sepakat dalam hal apa pun.

"You've drilled a hole in the original panel," Anneke said that evening, standing in the aisle with her arms crossed.

"Kamu sudah mengebor lubang di panel asli," kata Anneke malam itu, berdiri di lorong dengan tangan bersedekap.

"I've drilled a small hole in a panel that was already cracked," Luca answered. "If I had waited for your permission, we would still be sitting in the dark."

"Aku mengebor lubang kecil di panel yang sudah retak," jawab Luca. "Kalau aku menunggu izinmu, kita masih duduk dalam gelap sekarang."

"Some of us think the dark has character."

"Sebagian dari kita berpendapat kegelapan itu punya karakter."

"Some of us have to pass an inspection."

"Sebagian dari kita harus lulus inspeksi."

It was a familiar argument. Anneke believed the carriage should look exactly as it had in its best years, with brass lamps, leather straps and varnished walnut. Luca believed that nobody would pay to visit a museum that might catch fire. They had been polite for the first week and rude for the second. By the third they had simply stopped looking at each other when they talked.

Itu pertengkaran yang sudah akrab. Anneke percaya gerbong itu harus tampak persis seperti pada masa jayanya, dengan lampu kuningan, tali kulit, dan kayu walnut yang dipelitur. Luca percaya tidak ada yang mau membayar untuk mengunjungi museum yang mungkin terbakar. Mereka bersikap sopan pada minggu pertama dan kasar pada minggu kedua. Pada minggu ketiga, mereka sama sekali berhenti saling menatap saat bicara.

At seven o'clock, the heater died. It was an ancient iron box under the floor, and it gave a long sigh, a short rattle, and then nothing. Within an hour the carriage felt like the inside of a refrigerator.

Pukul tujuh, pemanas mati. Itu kotak besi kuno di bawah lantai, dan ia mengeluarkan desahan panjang, gemeretak singkat, lalu tidak ada apa-apa. Dalam satu jam gerbong itu terasa seperti bagian dalam lemari es.

"We can't leave," Anneke said, rubbing her hands together. "The varnish on the ceiling is still wet. If it gets too cold overnight, it will cloud over, and the inspector will see every mark."

"Kita tidak bisa pergi," kata Anneke sambil menggosok-gosok tangannya. "Pelitur di langit-langit masih basah. Kalau terlalu dingin semalaman, pelitur itu akan memudar keruh, dan inspektur akan melihat setiap goresan."

"And I can't leave either," said Luca. "Half of the lamps aren't connected yet. If the board arrives tomorrow and finds the lights out, they'll replace me with someone cheaper."

"Aku juga tidak bisa pergi," kata Luca. "Setengah dari lampu belum tersambung. Kalau dewan datang besok dan mendapati lampunya mati, mereka akan menggantiku dengan orang yang lebih murah."

They looked at each other for the first time in days. Neither of them enjoyed what they saw, because each recognised the same tired, stubborn face.

Mereka saling menatap untuk pertama kalinya dalam beberapa hari. Tak seorang pun menyukai apa yang mereka lihat, karena masing-masing mengenali wajah lelah dan keras kepala yang sama.

"I suppose," Anneke said slowly, "that we should have started working together a week ago."

"Kurasa," kata Anneke perlahan, "seharusnya kita mulai bekerja sama seminggu yang lalu."

"That is the closest thing to an apology I have ever heard from you."

"Itu hal yang paling mendekati permintaan maaf yang pernah kudengar darimu."

"Don't get used to it."

"Jangan terbiasa."

They made a plan, though neither of them would have called it that. Luca brought two work lamps and a long extension cable from his van. Anneke found a metal tray and a stack of old bricks in the storeroom. If the bricks were warmed under the lamps, they could stand around the wet varnish like small radiators. It was a crude idea, and it might easily have failed, but there was no one else to ask.

Mereka membuat rencana, meski tak satu pun akan menyebutnya begitu. Luca membawa dua lampu kerja dan kabel ekstensi panjang dari vannya. Anneke menemukan sebuah baki logam dan setumpuk batu bata tua di gudang. Kalau batu bata itu dihangatkan di bawah lampu, benda-benda itu bisa berdiri mengelilingi pelitur yang basah seperti radiator kecil. Itu gagasan yang kasar, dan mudah saja gagal, tetapi tidak ada orang lain yang bisa ditanyai.

By ten o'clock the carriage glowed with a yellow light, and the air near the ceiling had become tolerable. Luca crouched on the floor and wired the first brass lamp, while Anneke held it steady on the step ladder. For the first time, she watched his hands instead of his mistakes. They were quick and careful, and he talked quietly to the cables as he worked.

Pukul sepuluh gerbong itu berpendar dengan cahaya kuning, dan udara di dekat langit-langit menjadi tertahankan. Luca berjongkok di lantai dan memasang kabel lampu kuningan pertama, sementara Anneke memeganginya agar mantap di atas tangga lipat. Untuk pertama kalinya, ia memperhatikan tangan Luca, bukan kesalahannya. Tangan itu cekatan dan hati-hati, dan Luca berbicara pelan kepada kabel-kabel itu sambil bekerja.

"You do that a lot," she said.

"Kamu sering melakukan itu," katanya.

"Do what?"

"Melakukan apa?"

"Talk to the wires. You were doing it yesterday as well."

"Berbicara pada kabel. Kemarin juga begitu."

"Habit," he said, and shrugged. "Wires respond better to kindness than to shouting. People are the same, from what I've heard."

"Kebiasaan," katanya, dan mengangkat bahu. "Kabel lebih menurut pada kelembutan daripada bentakan. Orang juga sama, kata orang."

Anneke laughed before she could stop herself, and the sound seemed to surprise them both.

Anneke tertawa sebelum sempat menahan diri, dan bunyinya tampak mengejutkan mereka berdua.

At midnight, a fuse blew. The work lamps went out, and the whole carriage dropped into darkness so thick that Anneke could not see her own hand. She heard Luca swear softly somewhere near the floor.

Pada tengah malam, sebuah sekring putus. Lampu-lampu kerja padam, dan seluruh gerbong jatuh ke dalam kegelapan yang begitu pekat sampai Anneke tidak bisa melihat tangannya sendiri. Ia mendengar Luca mengumpat pelan di suatu tempat dekat lantai.

"Don't move," he said. "The fuse box is behind the third seat, and I'm not sure my phone has any charge left."

"Jangan bergerak," katanya. "Kotak sekringnya di belakang kursi ketiga, dan aku tidak yakin ponselku masih punya daya."

"Wait," said Anneke. "Look up."

"Tunggu," kata Anneke. "Lihat ke atas."

Above the luggage rack on the left side, a small pale-green shape had begun to shine. It was a star, no bigger than a coin, glowing faintly against the dark wood. They both stared at it, as though it were a visitor.

Di atas rak bagasi di sisi kiri, sebuah bentuk hijau pucat kecil mulai bersinar. Itu sebuah bintang, tidak lebih besar dari koin, berpendar samar di atas kayu gelap. Keduanya menatapnya, seolah-olah itu seorang tamu.

"That wasn't there this morning," Luca said.

"Itu tidak ada di sana tadi pagi," kata Luca.

"It was. It's one of those stickers children press onto windows. It must have been charging up under the work lamps all evening." Anneke squinted at it. "I've varnished around that rack six times and never noticed it. Somebody stuck it underneath, where only a person lying on the floor would see it."

"Ada. Itu salah satu stiker yang ditempelkan anak-anak di jendela. Pasti dia mengisi daya di bawah lampu kerja sepanjang malam." Anneke menyipitkan mata. "Aku sudah enam kali memelitur di sekitar rak itu dan tidak pernah menyadarinya. Seseorang menempelkannya di bawah, tempat yang hanya bisa dilihat orang yang berbaring di lantai."

"That could have been decades ago."

"Itu bisa saja puluhan tahun lalu."

"Maybe the last time the carriage ran. Maybe a child on the last summer train, lying on the seat with nothing to do."

"Mungkin saat terakhir kali gerbong ini beroperasi. Mungkin seorang anak di kereta musim panas terakhir, berbaring di kursi tanpa melakukan apa-apa."

For a while neither of them spoke. The little star gave off just enough light to show the outline of the roof and the pale shape of Luca's face. Anneke found that it was easier to say things in the dark.

Beberapa saat tak seorang pun bicara. Bintang kecil itu memancarkan cahaya yang cukup untuk memperlihatkan garis atap dan bentuk pucat wajah Luca. Anneke mendapati bahwa lebih mudah mengatakan sesuatu dalam gelap.

"I should have listened to you about the wiring," she said at last. "I wanted the carriage to look the way it did when I was small. My father used to bring me here, and I think I've been trying to rebuild the afternoon more than the carriage."

"Seharusnya aku mendengarkanmu soal kabel itu," katanya akhirnya. "Aku ingin gerbong ini tampak seperti saat aku kecil. Ayahku sering membawaku ke sini, dan kurasa selama ini aku berusaha membangun kembali sore itu, lebih daripada gerbongnya."

"I wanted to fix it because I didn't want it to burn," Luca answered. "But I could have asked what mattered to you before I started drilling."

"Aku ingin memperbaikinya karena aku tidak ingin gerbong ini terbakar," jawab Luca. "Tapi aku bisa saja bertanya apa yang penting bagimu sebelum mulai mengebor."

"You could have."

"Memang bisa."

"So could you."

"Kamu juga."

He found the fuse box by following the star as a landmark, and he replaced the fuse without another word. When the lamps came back on, the carriage seemed warmer than before, although it must have been the same temperature as ever. Anneke was surprised to find that she was disappointed the star had disappeared into the ordinary light.

Ia menemukan kotak sekring dengan mengikuti bintang itu sebagai penanda, dan mengganti sekringnya tanpa berkata apa-apa lagi. Ketika lampu-lampu menyala kembali, gerbong itu terasa lebih hangat daripada sebelumnya, meski pasti suhunya sama seperti biasa. Anneke terkejut mendapati dirinya kecewa karena bintang itu lenyap ditelan cahaya biasa.

They worked until five. Luca's solution was a compromise that neither of them had expected to accept. Anneke's brass lamps would stay, but each would hold a low-heat bulb and a hidden cable. The panel he had cracked was repaired with a thin strip of the same walnut, matched by Anneke's careful sanding. They carried the warm bricks along the ceiling one by one, and the varnish dried clear and smooth as glass.

Mereka bekerja sampai pukul lima. Solusi Luca adalah kompromi yang tak satu pun mengira akan mereka terima. Lampu-lampu kuningan Anneke tetap dipertahankan, tetapi masing-masing akan memakai bohlam berpanas rendah dan kabel tersembunyi. Panel yang ia retakkan diperbaiki dengan sebilah tipis kayu walnut yang sama, disesuaikan oleh pengamplasan teliti Anneke. Mereka membawa batu bata hangat itu menyusuri langit-langit satu per satu, dan pelitur mengering bening dan halus seperti kaca.

At nine o'clock the inspector walked through the carriage with a clipboard. She nodded slowly at the lamps and touched the walls with her fingertips. She asked two questions about the wiring and none about the heater. At the end she paused beneath the luggage rack on the left side and pointed upward.

Pukul sembilan sang inspektur berjalan melewati gerbong dengan papan jepit. Ia mengangguk pelan pada lampu-lampu dan menyentuh dinding dengan ujung jarinya. Ia mengajukan dua pertanyaan tentang kabel dan tidak satu pun tentang pemanas. Di akhir, ia berhenti di bawah rak bagasi di sisi kiri dan menunjuk ke atas.

"Is this star part of the restoration?"

"Apakah bintang ini bagian dari pemugaran?"

Anneke opened her mouth, but Luca spoke first. "We haven't decided yet."

Anneke membuka mulut, tetapi Luca bicara lebih dulu. "Kami belum memutuskan."

The inspector made a note and moved on. When she had gone, Anneke leaned against the wall and laughed until her eyes were wet.

Sang inspektur mencatat dan melanjutkan. Setelah ia pergi, Anneke bersandar di dinding dan tertawa sampai matanya basah.

"We haven't decided yet," she repeated. "You could have just said it was an accident."

"Kami belum memutuskan," ulangnya. "Kamu bisa saja bilang itu kebetulan."

"It wasn't an accident, though, was it?" Luca said. He picked up his toolbox from the seat. As he turned, Anneke caught sight of a small, faded green shape on the back of it. It was the same pale colour and the same five-pointed outline, a little scratched, as though it had been there for years.

"Tapi itu bukan kebetulan, kan?" kata Luca. Ia mengambil kotak perkakasnya dari kursi. Saat ia berbalik, Anneke melihat sebuah bentuk hijau kecil yang pudar di bagian belakangnya. Warnanya sama pucatnya dan garis bintang berujung limanya sama, sedikit tergores, seolah sudah ada di sana bertahun-tahun.

She looked at it, and then at him.

Ia memandangnya, lalu memandang Luca.

Luca closed the lid, picked up the box, and walked out into the morning without saying a word. Anneke stayed where she was, counting the stars on the ceiling that were not there.

Luca menutup tutupnya, mengangkat kotak itu, dan berjalan keluar ke pagi hari tanpa sepatah kata. Anneke tetap di tempatnya, menghitung bintang-bintang di langit-langit yang tidak ada di sana.