The Hilltop Shelter and the Wrong Shoes

At twenty-five to seven on the morning of the Hill Dash, Hendrik arrives at the bus shelter on top of the hill. He carries a starting flag and a stopwatch, and he has a feeling that he has forgotten something. He is the new chairman of the village running club, and this is his first race as the person in charge. He has laid out his clothes the night before. He has set two alarms. He has rehearsed his welcome speech in the bathroom mirror until his toothbrush looks bored.

Pukul enam lewat tiga puluh lima pada pagi Hill Dash, Hendrik tiba di halte bus di puncak bukit. Ia membawa bendera start dan stopwatch, dan ia punya firasat bahwa ia melupakan sesuatu. Ia ketua baru klub lari desa, dan ini balapan pertamanya sebagai penanggung jawab. Ia sudah menyiapkan pakaiannya sejak malam sebelumnya. Ia sudah memasang dua alarm. Ia sudah berlatih pidato sambutannya di depan cermin kamar mandi sampai sikat giginya tampak bosan.

The shelter is an odd place for a race finish, but it is the only building for a mile. It is a small brick box with a tin roof and a long wooden bench. A notice board is crowded with posters for lost cats and yoga classes. Nobody has waited for a bus here for years. Instead the village uses it as a meeting point, a lookout and, once a month, a collection point for the school's shoe drive.

Halte itu tempat yang aneh untuk garis akhir lomba, tetapi itu satu-satunya bangunan dalam jarak satu mil. Bentuknya kotak bata kecil dengan atap seng dan bangku kayu panjang. Papan pengumumannya penuh dengan poster kucing hilang dan kelas yoga. Sudah bertahun-tahun tidak ada yang menunggu bus di sini. Sebagai gantinya, desa memakainya sebagai tempat bertemu, tempat mengamati pemandangan, dan, sebulan sekali, tempat pengumpulan untuk penggalangan sepatu sekolah.

Giulia is already there, standing next to a big blue crate with a hand-painted sign that says OUTGROWN SHOES, PLEASE. She runs the shoe drive, and she also chairs the Hill Dash committee. She has a clipboard, a flask of coffee and the unhurried air of someone who has done this before.

Giulia sudah ada di sana, berdiri di samping peti biru besar dengan papan tulisan tangan yang berbunyi SEPATU YANG SUDAH KEKECILAN, TOLONG. Ia yang mengurus penggalangan sepatu, dan ia juga ketua panitia Hill Dash. Ia membawa papan jepit, termos kopi, dan sikap tenang orang yang sudah pernah melakukan ini.

"Good morning, Chairman," she says. "You are early."

"Selamat pagi, Pak Ketua," katanya. "Anda datang pagi sekali."

"I like to be prepared," Hendrik says, with dignity.

"Aku suka bersiap-siap," kata Hendrik dengan penuh wibawa.

He strides up to the bench, sets down his flag and checks his watch. Then he sits, stretches out his legs and looks at his feet.

Ia melangkah mantap ke bangku, meletakkan benderanya dan memeriksa jam tangannya. Lalu ia duduk, meluruskan kakinya dan memandang kakinya.

On his left foot he is wearing a heavy brown leather walking boot. On his right foot he is wearing a thin white running shoe with a bright green stripe.

Di kaki kirinya ia memakai sepatu bot jalan kaki dari kulit cokelat yang berat. Di kaki kanannya ia memakai sepatu lari putih tipis dengan garis hijau terang.

For a few seconds he does not move at all. Perhaps it is a trick of the early light, he thinks. He closes his eyes and opens them again, and the shoes are still different.

Selama beberapa detik ia tidak bergerak sama sekali. Mungkin ini cuma tipuan cahaya pagi, pikirnya. Ia memejamkan mata lalu membukanya lagi, dan sepatu-sepatu itu tetap berbeda.

"Giulia," he says carefully. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Giulia," katanya hati-hati. "Sudah berapa lama kamu berdiri di situ?"

"Since six," Giulia says. "I noticed the shoes when you came up the lane. I thought it might be a fashion choice."

"Sejak jam enam," kata Giulia. "Aku melihat sepatumu waktu kamu naik lewat jalan setapak. Kupikir itu pilihan mode."

"It is not a fashion choice."

"Itu bukan pilihan mode."

"Then it is a very confident mistake."

"Kalau begitu, itu kesalahan yang sangat percaya diri."

Hendrik looks down the hill. Far below, on the village green, a small crowd is already gathering at the starting line. There are runners in bright shirts, children on their parents' shoulders and a man with a trumpet. The race begins at seven. The starter must give the signal from the top. The starter must be Hendrik, because the club rules say so, and he wrote them himself.

Hendrik memandang ke bawah bukit. Jauh di bawah, di lapangan hijau desa, kerumunan kecil sudah berkumpul di garis start. Ada pelari berkaus cerah, anak-anak di bahu orang tua mereka, dan seorang pria dengan terompet. Lomba dimulai pukul tujuh. Pemberi aba-aba harus memberi tanda dari puncak. Pemberi aba-aba itu harus Hendrik, karena peraturan klub berkata begitu, dan ia sendiri yang menulisnya.

"It was dark in the kitchen," he says, in a thin voice. "I dressed quietly because my family was still asleep. I picked up two shoes by the back door, and I did not look."

"Di dapur gelap," katanya dengan suara tipis. "Aku berpakaian pelan-pelan karena keluargaku masih tidur. Aku mengambil dua sepatu di dekat pintu belakang, dan aku tidak melihat."

"Don't worry," Giulia says. "It happens. Last year the mayor wore two different socks, and nobody said a word."

"Jangan khawatir," kata Giulia. "Itu bisa terjadi. Tahun lalu wali kota memakai dua kaus kaki yang berbeda, dan tidak ada yang bilang apa-apa."

"Because he is the mayor."

"Karena dia wali kota."

"Because they were too busy laughing."

"Karena mereka terlalu sibuk tertawa."

Hendrik puts his head in his hands. Then, because there is nothing else to do, he walks to the notice board and back, to find out how bad it really is. It is very bad. The boot is too stiff, the shoe is too light, and the result is a slow, lopsided limp that makes him look like a pirate. A boy of about ten, who has just reached the top of the hill with his mother, stops dead and stares.

Hendrik membenamkan kepalanya di tangannya. Lalu, karena tidak ada hal lain yang bisa dilakukan, ia berjalan ke papan pengumuman dan kembali, untuk mengetahui seberapa buruk keadaannya. Ternyata sangat buruk. Botnya terlalu kaku, sepatunya terlalu ringan, dan hasilnya adalah langkah pincang yang lambat dan miring yang membuatnya tampak seperti bajak laut. Seorang anak laki-laki berusia sekitar sepuluh tahun, yang baru saja tiba di puncak bukit bersama ibunya, berhenti mendadak dan menatap.

"Why is that man wearing a boot on one foot?" the boy asks, loudly.

"Kenapa bapak itu memakai bot di satu kaki?" tanya anak itu dengan keras.

"He is a very dedicated runner," Giulia says, without blinking.

"Dia pelari yang sangat berdedikasi," kata Giulia tanpa berkedip.

Hendrik sits down again and unlaces both shoes. For a moment he considers going home, but home is forty minutes away on foot, and the race starts in twenty. He considers starting the race in his socks. He considers moving to another country.

Hendrik duduk lagi dan melepas tali kedua sepatunya. Sesaat ia mempertimbangkan untuk pulang, tetapi rumahnya empat puluh menit berjalan kaki, dan lomba dimulai dua puluh menit lagi. Ia mempertimbangkan untuk memulai lomba dengan kaus kaki saja. Ia mempertimbangkan untuk pindah ke negara lain.

"Wait," Giulia says. She puts down her coffee and looks at the blue crate. "What size do you take?"

"Tunggu," kata Giulia. Ia meletakkan kopinya dan memandang peti biru itu. "Kamu pakai ukuran berapa?"

"Forty-five."

"Empat puluh lima."

"Hmm. That is large for a school shoe drive. But let's see."

"Hmm. Itu besar untuk penggalangan sepatu sekolah. Tapi mari kita lihat."

They kneel together on the concrete floor and begin to lift out the shoes. The crate is full of the small, hopeful objects that children leave behind as they grow. There are tiny sandals, football boots with the studs worn flat and a single glittery slipper with no partner. Giulia pulls out a pair of ballet shoes and holds them up to Hendrik's foot. They are the size of his hand.

Mereka berlutut bersama di lantai beton dan mulai mengangkat sepatu-sepatu itu keluar. Peti itu penuh dengan benda-benda kecil penuh harapan yang ditinggalkan anak-anak ketika mereka tumbuh. Ada sandal-sandal mungil, sepatu sepak bola dengan stud yang aus rata, dan sebuah sandal rumah berkilau tanpa pasangan. Giulia menarik keluar sepasang sepatu balet dan mengangkatnya ke kaki Hendrik. Sepatu itu seukuran tangannya.

"Not those," he says.

"Bukan yang itu," katanya.

"No. Probably not those."

"Bukan. Mungkin bukan yang itu."

By a quarter to seven, the floor of the shelter is covered with shoes in a wide, colourful circle. The boy and his mother have settled on the bench to watch. He offers advice. He suggests a rubber boot. He suggests tying the walking boot to the running shoe with string and wearing them as a pair. Hendrik thanks him, politely, for neither.

Pada pukul tujuh kurang seperempat, lantai halte itu tertutup sepatu dalam lingkaran lebar yang berwarna-warni. Anak laki-laki dan ibunya sudah duduk di bangku untuk menonton. Anak itu memberi saran. Ia menyarankan bot karet. Ia menyarankan mengikat sepatu bot jalan kaki itu ke sepatu lari dengan tali dan memakainya sebagai sepasang. Hendrik dengan sopan mengucapkan terima kasih untuk keduanya, tetapi menolak.

At ten minutes to seven, Giulia says, "Oh."

Pada sepuluh menit sebelum pukul tujuh, Giulia berkata, "Oh."

She is holding a pair of faded blue running shoes, very large and slightly cracked at the toes. She turns one over and reads the label inside the tongue, where someone has written a name in black marker.

Ia memegang sepasang sepatu lari biru pudar, sangat besar dan sedikit retak di bagian ujung. Ia membalik salah satunya dan membaca label di dalam lidah sepatu, tempat seseorang telah menulis sebuah nama dengan spidol hitam.

"Hendrik," she says slowly, "these are yours."

"Hendrik," katanya pelan, "ini sepatumu."

He takes the shoe from her hand and looks. It is true. His own handwriting stares back at him. He remembers now. Last month he bought a new pair, and his wife told him to be sensible about the old ones. So he dropped them into this very crate on his way to the shop. He had felt rather noble about it. He had told the story twice at dinner.

Ia mengambil sepatu itu dari tangannya dan melihat. Memang benar. Tulisan tangannya sendiri menatap balik padanya. Sekarang ia ingat. Bulan lalu ia membeli sepasang baru, dan istrinya menyuruhnya bersikap bijak soal yang lama. Maka ia menjatuhkannya ke dalam peti ini juga dalam perjalanan ke toko. Ia merasa cukup mulia waktu itu. Ia sudah menceritakan kisahnya dua kali saat makan malam.

"I gave away my own shoes," he says, "and now I have come to take them back."

"Aku memberikan sepatuku sendiri," katanya, "dan sekarang aku datang untuk mengambilnya kembali."

"Technically," Giulia says, "you are borrowing them. The school will get the new ones."

"Secara teknis," kata Giulia, "kamu meminjamnya. Sekolah akan mendapat yang baru."

"I don't understand."

"Aku tidak mengerti."

"You will leave a donation in the tin for a replacement pair. The children lose nothing, and you lose a little pride. It is a fair arrangement."

"Kamu akan meninggalkan sumbangan di kaleng untuk sepasang pengganti. Anak-anak tidak kehilangan apa-apa, dan kamu kehilangan sedikit harga diri. Itu kesepakatan yang adil."

Hendrik considers this, then nods. He takes two coins from his pocket, drops them in the tin on the bench, and adds a third for the boy's good advice. He laces up the blue shoes with quick, steady fingers, and they feel like old friends who forgive everything. He stuffs the walking boot and the white running shoe into his bag, to be dealt with later at home.

Hendrik mempertimbangkannya, lalu mengangguk. Ia mengambil dua koin dari sakunya, menjatuhkannya ke kaleng di bangku, dan menambahkan satu koin ketiga untuk saran bagus dari si anak laki-laki. Ia mengikat tali sepatu biru itu dengan jari yang cepat dan mantap, dan sepatu itu terasa seperti teman lama yang memaafkan segalanya. Ia menjejalkan sepatu bot jalan kaki dan sepatu lari putih itu ke dalam tasnya, untuk diurus nanti di rumah.

At two minutes to seven he stands at the edge of the hill and looks down. The crowd has become a bright blur of colour. Somebody blows a note on the trumpet. Giulia stands beside him with her coffee, and the boy stands beside her. All three of them watch the second hand of the stopwatch crawl towards the top.

Pada pukul tujuh kurang dua menit ia berdiri di tepi bukit dan memandang ke bawah. Kerumunan itu telah menjadi kabur warna-warni yang cerah. Seseorang meniup satu nada pada terompet. Giulia berdiri di sampingnya dengan kopinya, dan anak laki-laki itu berdiri di sampingnya. Mereka bertiga menyaksikan jarum detik stopwatch merayap menuju puncak.

Hendrik takes the starting flag in both hands, lifts it high above his head, and waits for every face below to turn up towards him.

Hendrik memegang bendera start dengan kedua tangan, mengangkatnya tinggi di atas kepalanya, dan menunggu setiap wajah di bawah menoleh ke arahnya.

Then he brings it down.

Lalu ia menurunkannya.