The Dog Who Barked at Gates

Zuri walked dogs for her job. Every morning she took six dogs to the park. Five of them were easy. The sixth was Biko.

Zuri bekerja sebagai pengajak anjing jalan-jalan. Setiap pagi dia membawa enam anjing ke taman. Lima di antaranya mudah. Yang keenam adalah Biko.

Biko was a big brown dog. He pulled hard on his lead. He barked at bikes, at gates, and at birds. Last week he pulled Zuri onto the grass. Her knee hurt for two days.

Biko adalah anjing cokelat yang besar. Dia menarik talinya dengan keras. Dia menggonggong pada sepeda, pada pagar, dan pada burung. Minggu lalu dia menarik Zuri ke atas rumput. Lutut Zuri sakit selama dua hari.

On Monday, Marek asked Zuri to come to his office. Marek owned the dog company. He sat behind a small desk with a worried face.

Pada hari Senin, Marek meminta Zuri datang ke kantornya. Marek pemilik perusahaan anjing itu. Dia duduk di balik meja kecil dengan wajah cemas.

"Biko's owner sent me a message," Marek said. "She asks how he is."

"Pemilik Biko mengirim pesan kepada saya," kata Marek. "Dia bertanya bagaimana keadaan Biko."

"What do I tell her?" Zuri asked.

"Apa yang harus saya katakan?" tanya Zuri.

"Tell her he is too hard," Marek said. "Then we stop. You get an easy job."

"Katakan dia terlalu sulit," kata Marek. "Lalu kita berhenti. Kamu dapat pekerjaan yang lebih mudah."

Zuri did not answer. She thought about Biko at the park gate. His legs shook and his eyes were wide. He did not look bad to her. He looked afraid.

Zuri tidak menjawab. Dia memikirkan Biko di gerbang taman. Kakinya gemetar dan matanya melebar. Bagi Zuri, Biko tidak tampak nakal. Dia tampak ketakutan.

"Give me one week," she said. "I walk him alone, very early."

"Beri saya waktu satu minggu," katanya. "Saya akan mengajaknya jalan sendirian, pagi-pagi sekali."

Marek looked at her for a long time. "One week," he said. "Then you tell her the truth."

Marek menatapnya lama. "Satu minggu," katanya. "Lalu kamu katakan yang sebenarnya kepada pemiliknya."

That night, Zuri sat in her kitchen. She wrote a plan on a piece of paper. Go slow. Stay calm. Take cheese. She put the paper next to her keys.

Malam itu, Zuri duduk di dapurnya. Dia menulis sebuah rencana di selembar kertas. Pelan-pelan. Tetap tenang. Bawa keju. Dia menaruh kertas itu di samping kuncinya.

On Tuesday, she came to Biko's house at six o'clock. The street was quiet. The park was empty. She put cheese in her pocket.

Pada hari Selasa, dia tiba di rumah Biko pukul enam. Jalanan sepi. Taman kosong. Dia memasukkan keju ke sakunya.

Biko pulled at first. Zuri stopped and stood still. She did not shout. When the lead went loose, she gave him cheese. They walked ten steps. Then they stopped again.

Awalnya Biko menarik. Zuri berhenti dan berdiri diam. Dia tidak berteriak. Ketika tali mengendur, dia memberi Biko keju. Mereka berjalan sepuluh langkah. Lalu mereka berhenti lagi.

Her arm was sore and her coffee was cold. She wanted to go home. But Biko sat and looked at her, and she stayed.

Lengannya pegal dan kopinya sudah dingin. Dia ingin pulang. Tetapi Biko duduk dan menatapnya, dan dia bertahan.

The five easy dogs waited at home. Their owners sent short, cross messages. Zuri walked them late that day. She did not like it. But she did not change her plan.

Kelima anjing yang mudah menunggu di rumah. Para pemiliknya mengirim pesan-pesan pendek yang kesal. Hari itu Zuri mengajak mereka berjalan terlambat. Dia tidak menyukainya. Tetapi dia tidak mengubah rencananya.

On Wednesday, a boy rode past on a bike. Biko barked once. Zuri gave him cheese and said his name softly. He looked at her, not at the bike.

Pada hari Rabu, seorang anak laki-laki lewat dengan sepeda. Biko menggonggong sekali. Zuri memberinya keju dan menyebut namanya dengan lembut. Biko menatapnya, bukan menatap sepeda itu.

On Wednesday night, Marek called her. "Is it working?" he asked.

Rabu malam, Marek meneleponnya. "Apakah berhasil?" tanyanya.

"A little," Zuri said. "He is slow, but he tries."

"Sedikit," kata Zuri. "Dia lambat, tapi dia berusaha."

"My other clients are cross," Marek said. "I need good news."

"Klien saya yang lain kesal," kata Marek. "Saya butuh kabar baik."

"You get it on Friday," she said.

"Anda akan mendapatkannya hari Jumat," katanya.

On Thursday, they walked to the gate. Biko stopped. His legs shook. Zuri sat down on the path beside him. She waited. After a minute, he sat down too. Then he walked through the gate with her.

Pada hari Kamis, mereka berjalan ke gerbang. Biko berhenti. Kakinya gemetar. Zuri duduk di jalan setapak di sampingnya. Dia menunggu. Setelah satu menit, Biko ikut duduk. Lalu dia berjalan melewati gerbang bersamanya.

On Friday, Biko walked next to her around the park. The lead stayed loose. He barked at one bird, and that was all.

Pada hari Jumat, Biko berjalan di samping Zuri mengelilingi taman. Talinya tetap kendur. Dia menggonggong pada satu burung, hanya itu.

At seven o'clock, Zuri sat on a bench. Biko put his big head on her shoe. She took out her phone and wrote to his owner.

Pukul tujuh, Zuri duduk di sebuah bangku. Biko menaruh kepalanya yang besar di atas sepatu Zuri. Dia mengeluarkan ponselnya dan menulis kepada pemilik Biko.

"Biko is not a bad dog," she wrote. "He is afraid of noise. We walk early. He learns fast. Please let me keep him."

"Biko bukan anjing nakal," tulisnya. "Dia takut pada kebisingan. Kami berjalan pagi-pagi. Dia belajar dengan cepat. Tolong biarkan saya tetap mengajaknya."

She pressed the button to send it. Her hands shook a little. Then she called Marek.

Dia menekan tombol kirim. Tangannya sedikit gemetar. Lalu dia menelepon Marek.

"Well?" he asked.

"Bagaimana?" tanyanya.

"I tell her the truth," Zuri said. "Biko stays on my list."

"Saya katakan yang sebenarnya," kata Zuri. "Biko tetap dalam daftar saya."

Marek laughed a little. "Then walk him on Monday," he said. "Same time."

Marek tertawa kecil. "Kalau begitu ajak dia jalan hari Senin," katanya. "Jam yang sama."

Zuri stood up and held the lead. Biko stood up too.

Zuri berdiri sambil memegang tali. Biko ikut berdiri.

"Come on, Biko," she said. "We have five more dogs to meet."

"Ayo, Biko," katanya. "Kita masih harus menemui lima anjing lagi."