The Crack in the Lucky Pot

The night market opened at six. By seven, the food row was full of smoke and noise. Lamps hung over every stall. People walked slowly and smelled everything.

Pasar malam dibuka pukul enam. Menjelang pukul tujuh, deretan kios makanan sudah penuh asap dan keramaian. Lampu-lampu tergantung di atas setiap kios. Orang-orang berjalan pelan dan mengendus segala hal.

Stellan worked at the third stall from the corner. It sold fried noodles and small sweet buns. The owner was Gabor. He was loud, kind and always in a hurry.

Stellan bekerja di kios ketiga dari sudut. Kios itu menjual mi goreng dan roti manis kecil. Pemiliknya Gabor. Ia berisik, baik hati, dan selalu terburu-buru.

It was Stellan's second week. He was nineteen. He washed pots, carried bags of rice and wiped the counter. He wanted to learn how to cook. Gabor promised him one real lesson on Friday.

Itu minggu kedua Stellan bekerja. Usianya sembilan belas tahun. Ia mencuci panci, mengangkut karung beras, dan mengelap meja kasir. Ia ingin belajar memasak. Gabor menjanjikan satu pelajaran sungguhan padanya pada hari Jumat.

On the end of the counter stood a flower pot. It was round and blue, with little white birds painted on it. A green plant grew inside. Gabor called it his lucky plant.

Di ujung meja kasir berdiri sebuah pot bunga. Pot itu bulat dan biru, dengan burung-burung putih kecil yang dilukis di atasnya. Sebuah tanaman hijau tumbuh di dalamnya. Gabor menyebutnya tanaman keberuntungannya.

"This pot came from my first stall," he said that evening. "Ten years. Please never move it."

"Pot ini berasal dari kios pertamaku," katanya malam itu. "Sepuluh tahun. Tolong jangan pernah dipindahkan."

"I won't," said Stellan.

"Tidak akan, Pak," kata Stellan.

But an hour later, a big delivery came. A man pushed a cart of boxes along the row. Stellan stepped back to make space. His elbow hit the pot.

Tetapi satu jam kemudian, datang kiriman barang yang besar. Seorang pria mendorong gerobak berisi kardus-kardus menyusuri deretan kios. Stellan mundur untuk memberi ruang. Sikunya menyenggol pot itu.

The pot fell off the counter. It hit the stone floor with a sharp sound. Stellan froze. Nobody looked. The market was too loud.

Pot itu jatuh dari meja. Ia menghantam lantai batu dengan bunyi nyaring. Stellan membeku. Tak seorang pun menoleh. Pasar terlalu ribut.

He knelt down. The pot was not in pieces. But a long crack ran from the edge to the middle. Dark soil slid out of it, and a few small stones.

Ia berlutut. Pot itu tidak pecah berkeping-keping. Tetapi sebuah retakan panjang membentang dari tepi sampai ke tengah. Tanah gelap merosot keluar darinya, bersama beberapa kerikil kecil.

His stomach felt cold. He looked up. Gabor was at the stove with his back to him. Smoke rose around him, and he shouted an order to the cook.

Perutnya terasa dingin. Ia mendongak. Gabor ada di depan kompor, membelakanginya. Asap mengepul di sekelilingnya, dan ia meneriakkan pesanan kepada juru masak.

Stellan did a bad thing. He picked up the pot and pushed the soil back inside. He put the pot on the counter again. He turned the crack to the wall.

Stellan melakukan hal yang buruk. Ia memungut pot itu dan mendorong tanahnya kembali ke dalam. Ia menaruh pot itu lagi di atas meja. Ia memutar retakannya menghadap dinding.

From the front, it looked perfect. The white birds still flew across the blue. The green plant still stood tall.

Dari depan, pot itu tampak sempurna. Burung-burung putih itu masih terbang melintasi warna biru. Tanaman hijau itu masih berdiri tegak.

"Stellan! Two portions of noodles for table four!" Gabor shouted.

"Stellan! Dua porsi mi untuk meja empat!" teriak Gabor.

"Coming!" said Stellan. His voice sounded thin.

"Siap!" kata Stellan. Suaranya terdengar tipis.

The next hour was busy. Stellan ran between the stove and the tables. He carried plates and cups. He smiled at customers. But his mind stayed with the pot. Every time he passed it, his chest felt tight.

Satu jam berikutnya sibuk sekali. Stellan berlari bolak-balik antara kompor dan meja-meja. Ia membawa piring dan cangkir. Ia tersenyum kepada para pelanggan. Tetapi pikirannya tetap tertinggal di pot itu. Setiap kali melewatinya, dadanya terasa sesak.

Around nine, a small girl came to the counter with her mother. She looked at the plant. She had big, curious eyes.

Sekitar pukul sembilan, seorang gadis kecil datang ke meja kasir bersama ibunya. Ia memandangi tanaman itu. Matanya besar dan penuh rasa ingin tahu.

"The birds are pretty," she said. Then she walked around the end of the counter. "Why is the back broken?"

"Burung-burungnya cantik," katanya. Lalu ia berjalan ke ujung meja. "Kenapa belakangnya pecah?"

Stellan's heart jumped. "It is an old pot," he said fast. "Old pots get cracks."

Jantung Stellan melonjak. "Itu pot tua," katanya cepat. "Pot tua memang suka retak."

The girl touched the crack with one finger. A thin line of water ran down the blue side. It dripped onto the floor.

Gadis itu menyentuh retakan itu dengan satu jari. Seuntai tipis air mengalir menuruni sisi biru itu. Air itu menetes ke lantai.

"It cries," she said.

"Dia menangis," katanya.

Her mother laughed and took her hand. They walked away with their buns. But Stellan stayed where he was. He looked at the small wet circle on the stone.

Ibunya tertawa dan menggandeng tangannya. Mereka pergi membawa roti mereka. Tetapi Stellan tetap di tempatnya. Ia memandangi lingkaran basah kecil di atas batu itu.

He knew that the plant needed water. He knew that the crack grew bigger. By morning, the pot might fall apart. And Gabor could find out in the worst way.

Ia tahu tanaman itu butuh air. Ia tahu retakan itu makin lebar. Pada pagi hari, pot itu mungkin sudah hancur. Dan Gabor bisa mengetahuinya dengan cara yang paling buruk.

He thought about the pot. It came with Gabor from his first stall. He thought about ten years of nights like this one. His hiding place was only a small lie. But the lie grew.

Ia memikirkan pot itu. Pot itu ikut bersama Gabor dari kios pertamanya. Ia memikirkan sepuluh tahun malam-malam seperti ini. Tempat persembunyiannya hanyalah dusta kecil. Tetapi dusta itu tumbuh.

There was a quiet moment at ten, between two groups of customers. Gabor stood by the counter and drank a glass of water. Stellan took a breath.

Ada saat tenang pada pukul sepuluh, di antara dua rombongan pelanggan. Gabor berdiri di dekat meja kasir dan minum segelas air. Stellan menarik napas.

"Gabor, I need to tell you something."

"Gabor, saya perlu memberitahu Anda sesuatu."

"Tell me while I drink," said Gabor. "It is the only quiet minute I have."

"Katakan sambil aku minum," kata Gabor. "Ini satu-satunya menit tenang yang kupunya."

"I broke your lucky pot," said Stellan. The words came out fast. "I hit it with my elbow. It fell. I turned the crack to the wall so you could not see."

"Saya memecahkan pot keberuntungan Anda," kata Stellan. Kata-kata itu keluar dengan cepat. "Siku saya menyenggolnya. Pot itu jatuh. Saya memutar retakannya ke arah dinding supaya Anda tidak bisa melihatnya."

Gabor put down his glass. He picked up the pot with both hands and turned it around. He looked at the long crack. He said nothing for a while.

Gabor menaruh gelasnya. Ia mengangkat pot itu dengan kedua tangan dan memutarnya. Ia memandangi retakan panjang itu. Beberapa saat ia tidak berkata apa-apa.

Stellan waited. He expected a loud voice. He expected to lose his job. He kept his eyes on the floor.

Stellan menunggu. Ia mengira akan dibentak. Ia mengira akan kehilangan pekerjaannya. Ia terus menatap lantai.

"Why did you hide it?" Gabor asked. His voice was low.

"Kenapa kamu menyembunyikannya?" tanya Gabor. Suaranya rendah.

"I felt too bad," said Stellan. "You said never to move it."

"Saya merasa terlalu bersalah," kata Stellan. "Anda bilang jangan pernah dipindahkan."

"I am a little angry," said Gabor. "But not about the pot."

"Aku agak marah," kata Gabor. "Tapi bukan soal pot itu."

Stellan looked up.

Stellan mendongak.

"Pots break," Gabor said. "Everyone breaks something here. Last month I broke three plates and a big pan. But you waited more than three hours to tell me. That part is hard for me."

"Pot bisa pecah," kata Gabor. "Semua orang memecahkan sesuatu di sini. Bulan lalu aku memecahkan tiga piring dan satu wajan besar. Tapi kamu menunggu lebih dari tiga jam untuk memberitahuku. Bagian itu yang berat bagiku."

"I'm sorry," said Stellan. "I was afraid to say it."

"Maaf," kata Stellan. "Saya takut mengatakannya."

"I know." Gabor put the pot down gently. "But you told me. Many people never do."

"Aku tahu." Gabor menaruh pot itu dengan lembut. "Tapi kamu memberitahuku. Banyak orang tidak pernah melakukannya."

He turned and looked down the row. A man at the next stall sold glue, tools and lamps. Gabor pointed at the stall.

Ia berbalik dan memandang ke sepanjang deretan kios. Seorang pria di kios sebelah menjual lem, perkakas, dan lampu. Gabor menunjuk kios itu.

"Go to the tool stall. Buy a tube of strong glue. And ask him for a piece of thin wire."

"Pergi ke kios perkakas. Beli satu tube lem yang kuat. Dan minta sepotong kawat tipis padanya."

Stellan ran. He came back with the glue and the wire in two minutes. His hands shook a little.

Stellan berlari. Ia kembali dengan lem dan kawat itu dalam dua menit. Tangannya sedikit gemetar.

Gabor cleared a corner of the counter. He took out the plant. He set it in a bowl of water. Then he held the two sides of the pot together. "Put the glue on the crack," he said. "A thin line. Not too much."

Gabor mengosongkan sudut meja kasir. Ia mengeluarkan tanaman itu. Ia menaruhnya di dalam mangkuk berisi air. Lalu ia menahan kedua sisi pot itu supaya menyatu. "Oleskan lemnya pada retakan," katanya. "Garis tipis saja. Jangan terlalu banyak."

Stellan did it slowly. He pressed the edges together and held them for a long minute. Gabor put the wire around the pot three times, like a belt. The pot looked a little strange, but it was strong.

Stellan melakukannya perlahan. Ia menekan kedua tepinya dan menahannya selama semenit yang panjang. Gabor melilitkan kawat di sekeliling pot tiga kali, seperti sabuk. Pot itu tampak agak aneh, tetapi kuat.

"Now we wait one hour," said Gabor. "The glue needs time. It will not be pretty."

"Sekarang kita tunggu satu jam," kata Gabor. "Lemnya butuh waktu. Hasilnya tidak akan cantik."

"I can buy you a new pot," said Stellan.

"Saya bisa membelikan Anda pot baru," kata Stellan.

"I don't want a new one," said Gabor. "This one has ten years in it. Now it also has this night."

"Aku tidak mau yang baru," kata Gabor. "Pot ini menyimpan sepuluh tahun. Sekarang ia juga menyimpan malam ini."

They sold noodles for another hour. Then Gabor put the plant back in the pot. He set it on the counter. This time the crack faced the front. The wire shone under the lamp.

Mereka menjual mi satu jam lagi. Lalu Gabor memasukkan tanaman itu kembali ke dalam pot. Ia menaruhnya di meja kasir. Kali ini retakannya menghadap ke depan. Kawatnya berkilau di bawah lampu.

"Some people mend pots with gold," Gabor said. "They say a mended thing is worth more. I only have wire. It will do."

"Ada orang yang memperbaiki pot dengan emas," kata Gabor. "Mereka bilang barang yang diperbaiki nilainya lebih tinggi. Aku cuma punya kawat. Ini cukup."

Stellan laughed, and the tight feeling left his chest. He wiped his hands on his apron. The market was loud again. The smell of noodles filled the air.

Stellan tertawa, dan rasa sesak itu meninggalkan dadanya. Ia mengelap tangannya di celemeknya. Pasar kembali ribut. Aroma mi memenuhi udara.

A man walked up to the stall. He looked at the menu on the wall. Then he looked at the pot.

Seorang pria menghampiri kios. Ia melihat menu di dinding. Lalu ia melihat pot itu.

"Nice plant," he said. "Is it lucky?"

"Tanamannya bagus," katanya. "Apakah ini membawa keberuntungan?"

"Very lucky," said Stellan.

"Sangat beruntung," kata Stellan.

Gabor smiled. "And on Friday," he said, "you still get your cooking lesson." He reached over and tapped the old brass bell on the counter. It always called new customers to the stall.

Gabor tersenyum. "Dan pada hari Jumat," katanya, "kamu tetap dapat pelajaran memasakmu." Ia mengulurkan tangan dan mengetuk lonceng kuningan tua di meja kasir. Lonceng itu selalu memanggil pelanggan baru ke kios.

Ding.

Ting.