The Gate That Never Stays Open

Every evening at six, Esteban opens the ticket booth of the Lumen Cinema. Every evening at six, the gate slams.

Setiap sore pukul enam, Esteban membuka loket tiket Bioskop Lumen. Setiap sore pukul enam, gerbang itu berdebam menutup.

The gate belongs to the old iron fence beside the booth. It guards a narrow side alley. The cinema keeps its bins, its spare chairs and one tired plant there. The gate has a bent hinge. It swings shut by itself with a clang that you can hear three streets away. Esteban has complained about it to the owner for eleven years. The owner always says the same thing: "It adds atmosphere."

Gerbang itu bagian dari pagar besi tua di samping loket. Gerbang itu menjaga lorong samping yang sempit. Bioskop menyimpan tempat sampah, kursi cadangan, dan satu tanaman yang tampak lelah di sana. Engsel gerbang itu bengkok. Gerbang itu menutup sendiri dengan dentang yang terdengar sampai tiga jalan jauhnya. Esteban sudah mengeluhkannya kepada pemilik selama sebelas tahun. Pemiliknya selalu menjawab hal yang sama: "Itu menambah suasana."

Esteban does not want atmosphere. He wants to sit in his small glass booth, read the newspaper and sell tickets in peace.

Esteban tidak menginginkan suasana. Ia ingin duduk di loket kacanya yang kecil, membaca koran, dan menjual tiket dengan tenang.

He tries to fight the gate in different ways. First, he tries a brick to hold it open. The gate pushes the brick across the pavement. Then he tries a heavy bucket of sand. The gate drags that along too, with a scraping noise like an angry animal. Today he has a new plan. He has tied the gate to the fence with a long piece of green string.

Ia mencoba melawan gerbang itu dengan berbagai cara. Pertama, ia mencoba mengganjalnya dengan batu bata. Gerbang itu mendorong batu bata sampai melintasi trotoar. Lalu ia mencoba seember pasir yang berat. Gerbang itu menyeret ember itu juga, dengan bunyi gesekan seperti hewan yang marah. Hari ini ia punya rencana baru. Ia sudah mengikat gerbang itu ke pagar dengan seutas tali hijau yang panjang.

"It won't work," says Zosia.

"Tidak akan berhasil," kata Zosia.

She is leaning out of the little window above the booth, where the projection room is. She has worked there for twenty years, and she has a loud voice and a bright orange scarf. Nothing about the cinema surprises her any more.

Ia bersandar keluar dari jendela kecil di atas loket, tempat ruang proyeksi berada. Ia sudah bekerja di sana selama dua puluh tahun, dan ia bersuara lantang serta mengenakan syal oranye cerah. Tidak ada lagi yang mengejutkannya di bioskop itu.

"It will work," Esteban says. "It is a very strong string."

"Pasti berhasil," kata Esteban. "Talinya sangat kuat."

"The gate has beaten a brick, a bucket and a mop. A string is not going to frighten it."

"Gerbang itu sudah mengalahkan batu bata, ember, dan alat pel. Seutas tali tidak akan menakutinya."

"We'll see."

"Kita lihat saja."

At six o'clock, the gate swings shut. The string stretches, snaps and flies through the air like a thin green snake. Esteban ducks. Zosia laughs so hard that she has to hold on to the window frame.

Pukul enam, gerbang itu menutup. Tali itu meregang, putus, dan melayang di udara seperti ular hijau yang tipis. Esteban merunduk. Zosia tertawa begitu keras sampai harus berpegangan pada bingkai jendela.

"I told you," she says.

"Sudah kubilang," katanya.

"You enjoy this too much."

"Kamu terlalu menikmati ini."

"I enjoy it exactly the right amount."

"Aku menikmatinya persis sebanyak yang pantas."

The first customers arrive at a quarter to seven. They are the same three people who come to the early show every week. A woman in a green hat buys one ticket and always asks for the third row. A man in a flat cap buys one ticket and says nothing. A young woman with a notebook buys one ticket. She tells Esteban she is writing about the history of cinemas. She has been writing about it for three years.

Pelanggan pertama tiba pukul tujuh kurang seperempat. Mereka tiga orang yang sama yang datang ke pertunjukan awal setiap minggu. Seorang wanita bertopi hijau membeli satu tiket dan selalu meminta baris ketiga. Seorang pria bertopi pet datar membeli satu tiket dan tidak berkata apa-apa. Seorang wanita muda dengan buku catatan membeli satu tiket. Ia bilang kepada Esteban bahwa ia sedang menulis tentang sejarah bioskop. Sudah tiga tahun ia menulisnya.

"Seat K4, as usual," Esteban says to her. "The film tonight is a silent comedy about a man and a ladder."

"Kursi K4, seperti biasa," kata Esteban kepadanya. "Film malam ini komedi bisu tentang seorang pria dan sebuah tangga."

"Wonderful," she says, and she writes it down.

"Luar biasa," katanya, lalu ia mencatatnya.

The gate clangs behind them. Nobody turns to look. The people in the line have learned to ignore it, the way people learn to ignore a clock.

Gerbang berdentang di belakang mereka. Tidak ada yang menoleh. Orang-orang dalam antrean sudah belajar mengabaikannya, seperti orang belajar mengabaikan bunyi jam.

At five to seven, Esteban begins to count his cash. This is the part of the evening he likes best. The street is quiet, and the sign above his head makes a soft pink hum. Soon he will lock the booth and climb the stairs. He will watch the film from the back row with a cup of coffee.

Pukul tujuh kurang lima, Esteban mulai menghitung uang tunainya. Inilah bagian malam yang paling ia sukai. Jalanan sepi, dan papan nama di atas kepalanya mendengung lembut berwarna merah muda. Sebentar lagi ia akan mengunci loket dan naik tangga. Ia akan menonton film dari baris belakang sambil membawa secangkir kopi.

Then he hears a voice outside the glass.

Lalu ia mendengar suara di luar kaca.

"Good evening. I would like two tickets, please."

"Selamat malam. Saya mau dua tiket, tolong."

Esteban looks up. A tall man in a long brown coat stands in front of the booth. He has a very serious face and a neat grey beard. At the end of a thick rope, standing quietly beside him, is a goat.

Esteban mendongak. Seorang pria jangkung bermantel cokelat panjang berdiri di depan loket. Wajahnya sangat serius dan janggut abu-abunya rapi. Di ujung tali tebal, berdiri tenang di sampingnya, ada seekor kambing.

It is a large white goat with long ears and a pair of curved horns. It looks at Esteban with calm yellow eyes. Then it chews something slowly, and it seems to be thinking about the price of tickets.

Kambing itu besar dan berbulu putih dengan telinga panjang dan sepasang tanduk melengkung. Ia menatap Esteban dengan mata kuning yang tenang. Lalu ia mengunyah sesuatu perlahan, dan tampaknya sedang memikirkan harga tiket.

"I'm sorry," Esteban says. "Did you say two tickets?"

"Maaf," kata Esteban. "Tadi Bapak bilang dua tiket?"

"One for me. One for her." The man nods at the goat. "She loves films."

"Satu untuk saya. Satu untuk dia." Pria itu mengangguk ke arah kambing. "Dia suka film."

Esteban opens his mouth. He closes it. He looks up at the window, but Zosia has disappeared.

Esteban membuka mulutnya. Ia menutupnya lagi. Ia melihat ke jendela di atas, tetapi Zosia sudah menghilang.

"Sir, I don't think animals are allowed in the hall."

"Pak, saya rasa hewan tidak diizinkan masuk ke dalam aula."

"Your sign says no dogs." The man points at the small sign beside the booth. "She is not a dog. She is a guest. She will sit quietly. She has excellent manners."

"Tulisan di sana bilang dilarang membawa anjing." Pria itu menunjuk papan kecil di samping loket. "Dia bukan anjing. Dia tamu. Dia akan duduk dengan tenang. Sopan santunnya sangat baik."

The goat chooses that moment to eat the corner of a poster for next week's film. The man gently pulls her rope. "She's only curious."

Kambing itu memilih saat itu untuk memakan sudut poster film minggu depan. Pria itu menarik talinya dengan lembut. "Dia hanya penasaran."

Esteban stares at the poster, then at the goat. Then he looks at the line of people. The woman in the green hat has stopped in the doorway. The man with the cap is looking up at the ceiling very hard. The young woman has taken out her notebook again.

Esteban menatap poster itu, lalu kambing itu. Lalu ia melihat antrean orang. Wanita bertopi hijau berhenti di ambang pintu. Pria bertopi pet menatap langit-langit dengan sangat serius. Wanita muda itu sudah mengeluarkan buku catatannya lagi.

"I need to check the rules," Esteban says.

"Saya perlu memeriksa peraturan," kata Esteban.

He opens the big folder of regulations that he keeps under the counter. It is thick and full of yellow pages. He turns the pages for a long time. There is a rule about food, a rule about phones and a rule about people who talk. There is not one single word about goats.

Ia membuka map besar berisi peraturan yang ia simpan di bawah meja. Map itu tebal dan penuh halaman kuning. Ia membolak-balik halamannya lama sekali. Ada aturan tentang makanan, aturan tentang ponsel, dan aturan tentang orang yang berbicara. Tidak ada satu kata pun tentang kambing.

"Well?" says the man.

"Bagaimana?" kata pria itu.

"It doesn't say that goats are forbidden," Esteban says slowly. "But it doesn't say they are allowed."

"Tidak tertulis bahwa kambing dilarang," kata Esteban perlahan. "Tapi juga tidak tertulis bahwa kambing diizinkan."

"A very good place to begin," the man says kindly. "Two tickets, please. I will pay in coins."

"Tempat yang sangat baik untuk memulai," kata pria itu dengan ramah. "Dua tiket, tolong. Saya akan membayar dengan koin."

He reaches into his coat pocket. He counts out the money on the counter, one coin at a time. The goat watches each coin with great interest. Esteban gives him two tickets. They are for seats F8 and F9. He does not know why he chooses those seats. He only knows that the goat should not sit near the aisle.

Ia merogoh saku mantelnya. Ia menghitung uang di atas meja, satu koin demi satu koin. Kambing itu mengamati setiap koin dengan penuh minat. Esteban memberinya dua tiket. Tiket itu untuk kursi F8 dan F9. Ia tidak tahu mengapa memilih kursi-kursi itu. Ia hanya tahu bahwa kambing itu tidak boleh duduk di dekat lorong.

The man thanks him and leads the goat toward the door. Small hooves go click, click, click on the floor. The gate swings shut behind them with a loud clang. The goat looks back at it and makes a very small sound that might be a laugh.

Pria itu mengucapkan terima kasih dan menuntun kambingnya ke pintu. Kuku-kuku kecil berbunyi tak, tak, tak di lantai. Gerbang menutup di belakang mereka dengan dentang keras. Kambing itu menoleh ke arahnya dan mengeluarkan suara sangat kecil yang mungkin tawa.

Esteban sits for a long minute without moving. Then he picks up the phone and calls the projection room.

Esteban duduk semenit penuh tanpa bergerak. Lalu ia mengangkat telepon dan menghubungi ruang proyeksi.

"Zosia."

"Zosia."

"Yes?"

"Ya?"

"Did you know about this?"

"Kamu tahu soal ini?"

"About what?" She sounds very innocent. Too innocent.

"Soal apa?" Suaranya terdengar sangat polos. Terlalu polos.

"There is a goat in my cinema."

"Ada kambing di bioskopku."

"A goat. Really? How interesting. I must write that in the log."

"Kambing. Sungguh? Menarik sekali. Aku harus mencatatnya di buku catatan harian."

"Zosia."

"Zosia."

"Esteban, the film starts in four minutes. I have to go."

"Esteban, filmnya mulai empat menit lagi. Aku harus pergi."

She hangs up. He puts down the phone and looks at the list of seat bookings on his computer. Beside the two seats, seat F10 is already marked as sold. Someone bought it online three days ago, under one initial only.

Ia menutup telepon. Esteban meletakkan gagang telepon dan melihat daftar pemesanan kursi di komputernya. Di samping kedua kursi itu, kursi F10 sudah ditandai terjual. Seseorang membelinya secara daring tiga hari lalu, hanya dengan satu inisial.

The initial is Z.

Inisialnya Z.

He looks at it for a long time. Above him, the projector begins to hum. In the hall, the lights go down. A small, pleased bleat drifts out of the dark.

Ia menatapnya lama sekali. Di atasnya, proyektor mulai berdengung. Di aula, lampu meredup. Embikan kecil yang senang melayang keluar dari kegelapan.

Outside, the gate swings gently open. And, with a patient clang, it shuts once more.

Di luar, gerbang berayun terbuka dengan lembut. Dan, dengan dentang yang sabar, gerbang itu menutup sekali lagi.