The Flat Tire in the Mountains

Dario and Naomi had been driving for almost three hours. They were winding up through the mountains toward a cabin they'd rented for the weekend. The road grew narrower with every mile, and cell phone signal had disappeared almost an hour earlier.

Dario dan Naomi sudah mengemudi hampir tiga jam. Mereka berkelok-kelok menaiki pegunungan menuju kabin yang mereka sewa untuk akhir pekan. Jalan makin sempit setiap kilometernya, dan sinyal ponsel sudah hilang hampir sejam sebelumnya.

Just past a sharp curve, they heard a loud pop, followed by a strange thumping sound. Dario pulled over carefully onto a small patch of gravel at the edge of the road.

Tepat setelah tikungan tajam, mereka mendengar bunyi letupan keras, disusul bunyi berdebum yang aneh. Dario menepi dengan hati-hati ke hamparan kerikil kecil di pinggir jalan.

"That doesn't sound good," Naomi said, already unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Kedengarannya tidak bagus," kata Naomi, sudah melepas sabuk pengamannya.

They got out and found the back-left tire completely flat, torn open by something sharp on the road. Neither of them had ever changed a tire alone. They'd both watched videos about it at some point.

Mereka turun dan mendapati ban kiri belakang kempis total, robek oleh sesuatu yang tajam di jalan. Tak satu pun dari mereka pernah mengganti ban sendirian. Keduanya pernah menonton video tentang itu pada suatu saat.

"We should have practiced this before we left," Dario admitted, opening the trunk to look for the spare.

"Seharusnya kita berlatih ini sebelum berangkat," aku Dario sambil membuka bagasi untuk mencari ban serep.

Fortunately, the car had a full-size spare and a tool kit tucked beneath the trunk floor. Naomi pulled out her phone, hoping to find instructions, but there was no signal at all. They would have to figure it out together, using only the diagrams printed on the jack itself.

Untungnya, mobil itu punya ban serep ukuran penuh dan satu set perkakas yang terselip di bawah lantai bagasi. Naomi mengeluarkan ponselnya, berharap menemukan petunjuk, tetapi sama sekali tidak ada sinyal. Mereka harus mencari tahu bersama, hanya berbekal diagram yang tercetak pada dongkraknya.

It took them almost forty minutes, since neither wanted to make a mistake that could leave them stranded. Dario held the jack steady while Naomi loosened the bolts. They switched roles whenever one of their arms got tired. By the time the spare was finally in place, both of their hands were covered in dust.

Mereka butuh hampir empat puluh menit, karena tak seorang pun ingin membuat kesalahan yang bisa membuat mereka terjebak. Dario menahan dongkrak agar tetap stabil sementara Naomi mengendurkan bautnya. Mereka bertukar peran setiap kali lengan salah satu dari mereka lelah. Ketika ban serep akhirnya terpasang, tangan mereka berdua penuh debu.

"We actually did it," Naomi said, wiping her forehead and grinning with relief.

"Kita benar-benar berhasil," kata Naomi sambil menyeka dahinya dan nyengir lega.

"Next time, I'm definitely watching one of those videos again before we leave the house," Dario replied. He laughed at how nervous they'd both been.

"Lain kali, aku pasti menonton salah satu video itu lagi sebelum kita keluar rumah," jawab Dario. Ia tertawa mengingat betapa gugupnya mereka berdua.

They drove the rest of the way slowly, keeping an eye on the spare tire. They reached the cabin just as the sun began to set behind the peaks.

Mereka mengemudi sisa perjalanan dengan pelan, terus mengawasi ban serepnya. Mereka tiba di kabin tepat ketika matahari mulai terbenam di balik puncak-puncak gunung.