The Color Nobody Mixed

Every Saturday, Karolina opens the print shop at eight. The shop smells of ink and warm paper. She turns on the big press and listens to it hum.

Setiap hari Sabtu, Karolina membuka toko cetak pukul delapan. Toko itu berbau tinta dan kertas hangat. Ia menyalakan mesin cetak besar dan mendengarkannya berdengung.

She has a list. First, she cleans the press. Then she loads the paper. Then she prints whatever the owner writes on the board that week.

Ia punya daftar. Pertama, ia membersihkan mesin cetak. Lalu ia memasukkan kertas. Lalu ia mencetak apa pun yang ditulis pemilik di papan minggu itu.

Today the board says, "Lost cat. Garden sale. Bike repair. Choir night." Karolina prints the same kinds of posters all year. She is good at it. She never makes a mistake.

Hari ini papan itu bertuliskan, "Kucing hilang. Obral kebun. Servis sepeda. Malam paduan suara." Karolina mencetak jenis poster yang sama sepanjang tahun. Ia pandai melakukannya. Ia tidak pernah membuat kesalahan.

Behind the press, there is a dark corner with the ink shelf. The lamp there is broken. Karolina keeps a small flashlight in her pocket for that corner. The beam is weak and yellow. It makes a circle the size of a coin.

Di belakang mesin cetak, ada sudut gelap dengan rak tinta. Lampu di sana rusak. Karolina menyimpan senter kecil di sakunya untuk sudut itu. Sinarnya lemah dan kekuningan. Ia membuat lingkaran seukuran koin.

"One day I will buy you new batteries," she tells the flashlight.

"Suatu hari aku akan membelikanmu baterai baru," katanya kepada senter itu.

By noon, the first three jobs are done. The posters hang on the drying rack like white flags. The owner comes out of the office with his coat on.

Menjelang siang, tiga pekerjaan pertama sudah selesai. Poster-poster itu tergantung di rak pengering seperti bendera putih. Pemilik keluar dari kantor dengan mengenakan mantelnya.

"The folding machine is broken again," he says. "I need a part from the other side of town. It will take all afternoon. Watch the shop."

"Mesin pelipat rusak lagi," katanya. "Saya perlu suku cadang dari seberang kota. Butuh waktu sepanjang sore. Jaga tokonya."

"Can I use the press?" Karolina asks.

"Boleh saya memakai mesin cetak?" tanya Karolina.

"Only the small jobs," he says. "Nothing new. Nothing difficult."

"Hanya pekerjaan kecil," katanya. "Jangan yang baru. Jangan yang sulit."

He leaves. The door bell rings behind him. Karolina sits on her stool and looks at the quiet shop. This is her favorite part of the day. It is also the most boring.

Ia pergi. Bel pintu berbunyi di belakangnya. Karolina duduk di bangkunya dan memandang toko yang sunyi. Ini bagian favoritnya dalam sehari. Ini juga yang paling membosankan.

Then the bell rings again.

Lalu bel berbunyi lagi.

A girl rushes in. She has paint on her sleeves. A paper roll is under her arm. Her hair is tied with a shoelace. She looks around the shop fast.

Seorang gadis bergegas masuk. Lengan bajunya bernoda cat. Sebuah gulungan kertas terselip di bawah lengannya. Rambutnya diikat dengan tali sepatu. Ia memandang sekeliling toko dengan cepat.

"Hi. I'm Anika," she says. "Are you the printer?"

"Hai. Aku Anika," katanya. "Kamu tukang cetaknya?"

"I am one of them," Karolina says. "What do you need?"

"Aku salah satunya," kata Karolina. "Kamu butuh apa?"

"Fifty posters, by four o'clock," says Anika. "My band plays tonight at the youth hall. The other shop says no. They say it is too late."

"Lima puluh poster, sebelum pukul empat," kata Anika. "Bandku tampil malam ini di balai pemuda. Toko yang lain menolak. Mereka bilang sudah terlalu mepet."

Karolina looks at the clock. It is twelve past twelve. She thinks about the owner and the rule about nothing new.

Karolina melihat jam. Pukul dua belas lewat dua belas menit. Ia memikirkan pemilik toko dan aturan tentang tidak boleh ada yang baru.

"Show me the picture," she says.

"Tunjukkan gambarnya," katanya.

Anika opens the roll on the counter. It is a hand drawing of a huge fish with a guitar. Every line is thick and brave. Under the fish, big letters say, "THE SALT KIDS. TONIGHT. SEVEN O'CLOCK."

Anika membentangkan gulungan itu di atas meja. Gambar tangan seekor ikan raksasa dengan gitar. Setiap garisnya tebal dan berani. Di bawah ikan itu, huruf-huruf besar berbunyi, "THE SALT KIDS. MALAM INI. PUKUL TUJUH."

"I want it in blue and gold," says Anika. "Deep blue, like the sea at night. And a gold fish."

"Aku ingin biru dan emas," kata Anika. "Biru tua, seperti laut di malam hari. Dan ikan emas."

"We have gold," says Karolina. "Let me check the blue."

"Kami punya emas," kata Karolina. "Biar kuperiksa birunya."

She walks to the dark corner. She takes out her flashlight and turns it on. The weak circle moves along the shelf. She finds a can marked "Sky Blue" and lifts it. It is light. She opens it. Only a thin line of ink lies at the bottom.

Ia berjalan ke sudut gelap. Ia mengeluarkan senternya dan menyalakannya. Lingkaran lemah itu bergerak di sepanjang rak. Ia menemukan kaleng berlabel "Biru Langit" dan mengangkatnya. Ringan. Ia membukanya. Hanya ada selapis tipis tinta di dasarnya.

"There is not enough blue," she calls.

"Birunya tidak cukup," serunya.

Anika's face goes sad. "Is there nothing?"

Wajah Anika menjadi sedih. "Tidak ada sama sekali?"

Karolina looks at the shelf again. There is some green and some black. There is also half a can of pale gray. The yellow beam shakes in her hand. She cannot read the small labels. She cannot tell the true colors at all.

Karolina memandang rak itu lagi. Ada sedikit hijau dan sedikit hitam. Ada juga setengah kaleng abu-abu pucat. Sinar kuning itu bergetar di tangannya. Ia tidak bisa membaca label kecil-kecil itu. Ia sama sekali tidak bisa membedakan warna yang sebenarnya.

She thinks of the owner. She thinks of the word "difficult."

Ia memikirkan pemilik toko. Ia memikirkan kata "sulit."

Then she thinks of the fish with the guitar.

Lalu ia memikirkan ikan dengan gitar itu.

"I can mix something," she says. "But I cannot promise the color."

"Aku bisa mencampur sesuatu," katanya. "Tapi aku tidak bisa menjanjikan warnanya."

"I trust you," says Anika. "I have no other shop."

"Aku percaya padamu," kata Anika. "Aku tidak punya toko lain."

Karolina carries three cans to the big table under the lamp. She pours a little pale gray into a clean tin. She adds the thin blue from the bottom of the empty can. She adds a spoon of green, because it looks dark and sea-like. Last, she adds one tiny drop from a can in the corner. In the poor light, she thinks it is black.

Karolina membawa tiga kaleng ke meja besar di bawah lampu. Ia menuang sedikit abu-abu pucat ke dalam kaleng kecil yang bersih. Ia menambahkan biru tipis dari dasar kaleng yang kosong. Ia menambahkan satu sendok hijau, karena kelihatannya gelap dan seperti laut. Terakhir, ia menambahkan setetes kecil dari sebuah kaleng di sudut. Dalam cahaya yang buruk, ia mengira itu hitam.

She stirs. The ink turns a deep, strange color between green and blue. It looks like water at night. It looks like nothing in the shop.

Ia mengaduk. Tinta itu berubah menjadi warna tua yang aneh di antara hijau dan biru. Seperti air di malam hari. Tak seperti apa pun di toko itu.

"Teal," Anika says softly. "Is that teal?"

"Toska," kata Anika pelan. "Itu toska?"

"It is something," Karolina says.

"Itu sesuatu," kata Karolina.

She tests the ink on a small piece of paper. She lets it dry for a minute and then holds it up. The paper is beautiful.

Ia menguji tinta itu pada selembar kertas kecil. Ia membiarkannya mengering semenit lalu mengangkatnya. Kertas itu indah.

"Okay," says Karolina. "Let's do it."

"Oke," kata Karolina. "Ayo kita kerjakan."

They work fast. Karolina loads the paper and Anika watches the first sheet go through. Gold goes down first. The fish shines. The press hums, then clunks, then stops. Karolina changes the plate and starts the second color.

Mereka bekerja cepat. Karolina memasukkan kertas dan Anika memperhatikan lembar pertama melewati mesin. Emas turun lebih dulu. Ikan itu berkilau. Mesin cetak berdengung, lalu berdentang, lalu berhenti. Karolina mengganti pelat dan memulai warna kedua.

When the sheet comes out, they both stand very still.

Ketika lembar itu keluar, mereka berdua berdiri diam sekali.

The fish is gold and bright. The sea around it is the strange deep teal. The letters look like they float above the water.

Ikannya emas dan terang. Laut di sekelilingnya berwarna toska tua yang aneh itu. Hurufnya tampak melayang di atas air.

"It's perfect," Anika says. "It's better than I drew it."

"Sempurna," kata Anika. "Lebih bagus daripada gambarku."

"The edges are not clean," Karolina says. She points at the corner.

"Tepinya tidak bersih," kata Karolina. Ia menunjuk sudutnya.

"I like the edges," says Anika. "They look alive."

"Aku suka tepinya," kata Anika. "Kelihatan hidup."

They print fifty copies. It takes two hours. Karolina carries each wet sheet to the rack. She pins it by one corner. Anika cleans the ink from the table with a cloth. They hardly speak. They work like two people who know each other well.

Mereka mencetak lima puluh lembar. Butuh dua jam. Karolina membawa setiap lembar basah ke rak. Ia menjepitnya di satu sudut. Anika membersihkan tinta dari meja dengan kain. Mereka nyaris tidak bicara. Mereka bekerja seperti dua orang yang saling mengenal baik.

At ten to four, the last poster goes up. The rack looks like a wall of shining water. Karolina's arms hurt, and her fingers are blue and gold. She feels like a runner at the end of a long race.

Pukul empat kurang sepuluh, poster terakhir terpasang. Rak itu tampak seperti dinding air yang berkilau. Lengan Karolina pegal, dan jari-jarinya biru dan emas. Ia merasa seperti pelari di akhir lomba panjang.

"I should go," says Anika. "Can I take them now?"

"Aku harus pergi," kata Anika. "Boleh kuambil sekarang?"

"They need ten more minutes to dry," Karolina says. "Let me put them in a box by the door."

"Masih perlu sepuluh menit lagi agar kering," kata Karolina. "Biar kuletakkan di dalam kotak dekat pintu."

They lay the posters in a box by the front door together. The afternoon sun comes in through the window. It lands on the counter. Anika takes one poster from the top of the box. She holds it up in the light.

Mereka bersama-sama menata poster itu di dalam kotak dekat pintu depan. Matahari sore masuk lewat jendela. Sinarnya jatuh di meja. Anika mengambil satu poster dari tumpukan teratas kotak. Ia mengangkatnya ke cahaya.

She stops.

Ia terhenti.

The teal is gone. In the sunlight, the sea around the fish is a deep purple.

Warna toska itu hilang. Dalam sinar matahari, laut di sekeliling ikan itu berwarna ungu tua.

Karolina stares. She puts the flashlight in her pocket. She does not remember adding anything purple. She looks at the empty tin on the table. Then she looks at the can in the corner.

Karolina menatap. Ia memasukkan senter ke sakunya. Ia tidak ingat telah menambahkan sesuatu yang ungu. Ia memandang kaleng kosong di meja. Lalu ia memandang kaleng di sudut.

Anika stares too. Then she starts to smile. "It is purple," she says. "I want them all. Both colors look like the sea."

Anika juga menatap. Lalu ia mulai tersenyum. "Ungu," katanya. "Aku mau semuanya. Kedua warna itu mirip laut."

"Karolina," Anika says slowly, "what was in that last drop?"

"Karolina," kata Anika pelan, "apa yang ada di tetesan terakhir itu?"