The Driving Lesson in the Empty Lot

Aaliyah sits in the driver's seat of her father's old car. Her father, Farid, sits beside her with his seatbelt on.

Aaliyah duduk di kursi pengemudi mobil tua ayahnya. Ayahnya, Farid, duduk di sampingnya dengan sabuk pengaman terpasang.

They are in the empty parking lot behind the old stadium. It is Sunday morning, and no other cars are around.

Mereka berada di tempat parkir kosong di belakang stadion tua. Ini Minggu pagi, dan tidak ada mobil lain di sekitar.

"This car has a manual gearbox," Farid says. "It's different from the one at your driving school."

"Mobil ini bergigi manual," kata Farid. "Berbeda dengan yang ada di sekolah mengemudimu."

Aaliyah looks at the three pedals near her feet. "Which one is the clutch again?"

Aaliyah melihat tiga pedal di dekat kakinya. "Yang mana kopling tadi?"

"The one on the left," Farid says. "Push it down all the way before you start the engine."

"Yang di sebelah kiri," kata Farid. "Injak sampai habis sebelum kamu menyalakan mesin."

Aaliyah pushes the clutch and turns the key. The engine starts with a low rumble.

Aaliyah menginjak kopling dan memutar kunci. Mesin menyala dengan dengungan rendah.

"Now slowly lift your left foot," Farid says. "Push the gas a little too."

"Sekarang angkat kaki kirimu pelan-pelan," kata Farid. "Injak gasnya sedikit juga."

Aaliyah lifts her foot too fast. The car jumps forward once, then stops completely.

Aaliyah mengangkat kakinya terlalu cepat. Mobil itu melompat ke depan sekali, lalu mati total.

"Sorry," Aaliyah says, her cheeks turning red.

"Maaf," kata Aaliyah, pipinya memerah.

"That's normal," Farid says. "Everyone stalls the car at first. Try again."

"Itu wajar," kata Farid. "Semua orang pernah membuat mobilnya mati di awal. Coba lagi."

Aaliyah starts the engine again and tries. The car jumps and stalls a second time, then a third.

Aaliyah menyalakan mesin lagi dan mencoba. Mobil itu melompat dan mati untuk kedua kalinya, lalu ketiga kalinya.

She sits back in her seat and breathes out slowly.

Ia bersandar di kursinya dan menghela napas pelan.

"Maybe I'm not good at this," she says quietly.

"Mungkin aku tidak berbakat," katanya lirih.

"You just started five minutes ago," Farid says. "Give it a few more tries."

"Kamu baru mulai lima menit yang lalu," kata Farid. "Coba beberapa kali lagi."

Aaliyah starts the car again. This time, she lifts her foot slowly and evenly. The car rolls forward, smooth and steady.

Aaliyah menyalakan mobil lagi. Kali ini, ia mengangkat kakinya dengan pelan dan rata. Mobil itu melaju ke depan, mulus dan stabil.

"I did it!" she says, gripping the wheel tightly.

"Aku berhasil!" katanya sambil mencengkeram setir erat-erat.

Farid smiles. "Let's try that again. Then we'll drive around the whole lot."

Farid tersenyum. "Ayo kita ulangi. Lalu kita keliling seluruh tempat parkir ini."