The Hole in Court Two

The volleyball tournament at the Eastfield Sports Hall began at ten o'clock. By half past eight, Dina had dropped a box of whistles and lost a roll of tape. She had also walked into a glass door.

Turnamen bola voli di Aula Olahraga Eastfield dimulai pukul sepuluh. Pada pukul setengah sembilan, Dina sudah menjatuhkan sekotak peluit dan menghilangkan segulung lakban. Ia juga sempat menabrak pintu kaca.

She was fifteen, and this was her first day as a volunteer. Her job was simple. She had to help Tala, the organiser, and do exactly what Tala said.

Ia berusia lima belas tahun, dan ini hari pertamanya sebagai relawan. Tugasnya sederhana. Ia harus membantu Tala, sang penyelenggara, dan melakukan persis apa yang dikatakan Tala.

Tala was sixteen and carried a clipboard everywhere. She kept a pen behind each ear. She walked fast and talked even faster.

Tala berusia enam belas tahun dan membawa papan jepit ke mana-mana. Ia menyelipkan sebuah pulpen di balik setiap telinganya. Ia berjalan cepat dan berbicara lebih cepat lagi.

"Court Two," Tala said, without slowing down. "The net has a hole. Fix it before the first match."

"Lapangan Dua," kata Tala tanpa memperlambat langkah. "Jaringnya berlubang. Perbaiki sebelum pertandingan pertama."

"Fix it?" Dina asked. "How?"

"Memperbaiki?" tanya Dina. "Bagaimana?"

"I don't know. You're clever. Just fix it." Tala was already ten steps away, shouting at a boy about a missing scoreboard.

"Aku tidak tahu. Kamu pintar. Pokoknya perbaiki." Tala sudah sepuluh langkah jauhnya, meneriaki seorang anak laki-laki soal papan skor yang hilang.

Dina stood alone on Court Two and looked up. The net hung across the middle of the court, white and tight. She walked along it slowly and checked the top, the bottom, and both ends.

Dina berdiri sendirian di Lapangan Dua dan menengadah. Jaring itu terbentang di tengah lapangan, putih dan kencang. Ia berjalan menyusurinya perlahan dan memeriksa bagian atas, bawah, dan kedua ujungnya.

At last she found it. Near the left pole, one square of the mesh had a tiny rip. It was about the size of a coin.

Akhirnya ia menemukannya. Dekat tiang kiri, satu kotak jaring punya robekan kecil. Ukurannya sebesar koin.

"That is a very small hole," she told the empty hall. "But if a ball hits it, the whole net might come apart."

"Itu lubang yang sangat kecil," katanya kepada aula kosong. "Tapi kalau bola mengenainya, seluruh jaring bisa terlepas."

She found a roll of fishing line in the equipment room and a needle in her bag. For twenty minutes she sat on the floor and sewed. Her stitches looked like a spider had written a long letter. When she finished, the hole was gone, but the net had a lumpy scar.

Ia menemukan segulung senar pancing di ruang peralatan dan sebuah jarum di tasnya. Selama dua puluh menit ia duduk di lantai dan menjahit. Jahitannya tampak seperti laba-laba yang menulis surat panjang. Ketika selesai, lubang itu hilang, tetapi jaringnya punya bekas luka yang benjol-benjol.

Dina stepped back and frowned. A boy carrying chairs stopped and looked at her work.

Dina mundur selangkah dan mengerutkan kening. Seorang anak laki-laki yang membawa kursi berhenti dan memandang hasil kerjanya.

"That looks like a bandage," he said, and he walked on.

"Kelihatannya seperti plester," katanya, lalu berjalan terus.

The words stayed in her head. A tournament net should look perfect. The referees would notice the scar, and the players would laugh. Tala had said to fix the problem, and a bandage was not a fix.

Kata-kata itu tertinggal di kepalanya. Jaring turnamen seharusnya tampak sempurna. Para wasit akan memperhatikan bekas luka itu, dan para pemain akan menertawakannya. Tala menyuruhnya memperbaiki masalah, dan plester bukan perbaikan.

She decided to find a spare net. The caretaker was drinking juice in the corridor. He was a tall man with a ring of keys on his belt.

Ia memutuskan mencari jaring cadangan. Penjaga gedung sedang minum jus di koridor. Ia pria jangkung dengan seuntai kunci di sabuknya.

"A spare net?" he said. "Yes, there is one in the back store. But it's heavy, and it needs three people and a ladder."

"Jaring cadangan?" katanya. "Ya, ada satu di gudang belakang. Tapi berat, dan butuh tiga orang dan sebuah tangga."

"I can find three people," Dina said. She had no idea where she would find them. She only knew that Tala had given her a job, and she wanted to finish it.

"Aku bisa mencari tiga orang," kata Dina. Ia tidak tahu di mana akan menemukan mereka. Ia hanya tahu bahwa Tala telah memberinya tugas, dan ia ingin menyelesaikannya.

In the hall she found two tall boys from a visiting club. A girl beside them was eating an apple. They looked bright-eyed and idle, and they agreed to help. The caretaker gave them the ladder and a look that said he expected trouble.

Di aula ia menemukan dua anak laki-laki jangkung dari klub tamu. Seorang gadis di samping mereka sedang makan apel. Mereka tampak segar dan menganggur, dan mereka setuju membantu. Si penjaga gedung memberi mereka tangga dan tatapan yang berkata bahwa ia mengharapkan masalah.

The spare net was in a long, dusty bag. It weighed more than all four of them together. They carried it down the corridor like a very large, very sleepy animal.

Jaring cadangan itu ada di dalam tas panjang yang berdebu. Beratnya lebih dari berat mereka berempat digabungkan. Mereka membawanya menyusuri koridor seperti hewan yang sangat besar dan sangat mengantuk.

"What is wrong with the old net?" one of the boys asked.

"Ada apa dengan jaring yang lama?" tanya salah satu anak laki-laki.

"It has a hole," Dina said. "A small one. But I want everything to be perfect."

"Berlubang," kata Dina. "Yang kecil. Tapi aku ingin semuanya sempurna."

"Then I hope the new one is perfect," the girl said. She bit her apple. "It smells like a basement."

"Kalau begitu semoga yang baru sempurna," kata si gadis. Ia menggigit apelnya. "Baunya seperti ruang bawah tanah."

They opened the bag on Court Two, and the net slid out in one long, knotted wave. It was tangled around itself in a dozen places. The boys pulled one end, and the girl pulled the other. Somehow the net wrapped around all three of them at once.

Mereka membuka tas itu di Lapangan Dua, dan jaring itu meluncur keluar dalam satu gelombang panjang yang kusut. Jaring itu terlilit pada dirinya sendiri di belasan tempat. Kedua anak laki-laki menarik satu ujung, dan si gadis menarik ujung lainnya. Entah bagaimana jaring itu melilit ketiganya sekaligus.

"Don't move," Dina said.

"Jangan bergerak," kata Dina.

"I'm not moving," the taller boy said. "The net is moving me."

"Aku tidak bergerak," kata anak laki-laki yang lebih tinggi. "Jaringnya yang menggerakkanku."

It took ten minutes to free them. By then the hall was filling up. Players in bright shirts walked past the court. A few of them stopped to stare at the people trapped in the mesh.

Butuh sepuluh menit untuk membebaskan mereka. Pada saat itu aula sudah mulai penuh. Para pemain berkaus cerah berjalan melewati lapangan. Beberapa dari mereka berhenti untuk menatap orang-orang yang terjebak dalam jaring itu.

Dina climbed the ladder and unhooked the old net from the left pole. The boys held the new one ready. Everything went wrong at the same moment.

Dina memanjat tangga dan melepas jaring lama dari tiang kiri. Kedua anak laki-laki memegang yang baru, siap dipasang. Semuanya menjadi kacau pada saat yang sama.

A volleyball rolled across the floor and hit the ladder. Then another ball rolled past, and another. A fourth one bounced off the girl's shoe. Soon there were balls under the benches and balls beside the doors. One ball spun quietly near the water fountain.

Sebuah bola voli menggelinding di lantai dan menabrak tangga. Lalu bola lain menggelinding lewat, dan satu lagi. Bola keempat memantul dari sepatu si gadis. Segera ada bola di bawah bangku dan bola di samping pintu. Sebuah bola berputar pelan di dekat keran air minum.

"Where are all these balls coming from?" the girl asked.

"Dari mana datangnya semua bola ini?" tanya si gadis.

"Somebody was careless," Dina said from the top of the ladder. "I will pick them up in a minute."

"Seseorang ceroboh," kata Dina dari puncak tangga. "Aku akan memungutnya sebentar lagi."

She did not look down. She was holding the old net in one hand and the new one in the other. She was also, she realised, very high above the floor.

Ia tidak menunduk. Ia memegang jaring lama di satu tangan dan jaring baru di tangan yang lain. Ia juga, ia sadari, sangat tinggi di atas lantai.

"Dina!"

"Dina!"

The voice cut across the hall. Tala was marching towards Court Two, and her clipboard was held like a shield. Behind her walked the caretaker, who looked almost happy.

Suara itu membelah aula. Tala berjalan tegap menuju Lapangan Dua, dan papan jepitnya dipegang seperti perisai. Di belakangnya berjalan si penjaga gedung, yang tampak hampir gembira.

"What are you doing to my court?" Tala asked.

"Apa yang kamu lakukan pada lapanganku?" tanya Tala.

"I am fixing the net," Dina said. "Like you told me. The old one had a hole, and my stitches looked bad, so I got a better one."

"Aku memperbaiki jaringnya," kata Dina. "Seperti yang kamu suruh. Yang lama berlubang, dan jahitanku kelihatan jelek, jadi aku mengambil yang lebih bagus."

Tala looked hard at her. Then she looked at the old net, which hung from Dina's hand like a sleepy flag. Then she looked at the stitches. Then she looked at the two boys and the girl. They were still half wrapped in the spare net.

Tala menatapnya tajam. Lalu ia memandang jaring lama, yang menggantung dari tangan Dina seperti bendera yang mengantuk. Lalu ia memandang jahitannya. Lalu ia memandang kedua anak laki-laki dan si gadis. Mereka masih setengah terbungkus jaring cadangan.

"Dina," she said slowly, "which net did you think I meant?"

"Dina," katanya pelan, "jaring yang mana yang kamu kira kumaksud?"

"This net. The one on Court Two."

"Jaring ini. Yang di Lapangan Dua."

Tala closed her eyes. Then she opened her bag, which was lying on a bench, and pulled out a long mesh sack. It was the kind that holds volleyballs. The bottom of it was open, and a few loose threads hung from the hole.

Tala memejamkan mata. Lalu ia membuka tasnya, yang tergeletak di bangku, dan menarik keluar karung jaring yang panjang. Jenis yang dipakai untuk menyimpan bola voli. Bagian bawahnya terbuka, dan beberapa benang lepas menggantung dari lubang itu.

"This net," Tala said. "The ball net. Everyone in our club calls it the net. I thought you knew that."

"Jaring ini," kata Tala. "Jaring bola. Semua orang di klub kami menyebutnya jaring. Kukira kamu tahu itu."

"Nobody told me," Dina said.

"Tidak ada yang bilang padaku," kata Dina.

"I told you on the phone last week."

"Aku sudah bilang lewat telepon minggu lalu."

"You said 'bring the net,'" Dina said. "I thought you meant the one for the court."

"Kamu bilang 'bawa jaringnya'," kata Dina. "Kukira maksudmu yang untuk lapangan."

For a moment nobody spoke. Then Tala started to laugh. It began as a small noise, like a hiccup. It grew until she had to sit down on the bench. The caretaker laughed too, and then the boys, and then even the girl with the apple.

Sesaat tidak ada yang bicara. Lalu Tala mulai tertawa. Awalnya bunyi kecil, seperti cegukan. Tawanya membesar sampai ia harus duduk di bangku. Si penjaga gedung ikut tertawa, lalu anak-anak laki-laki itu, lalu bahkan si gadis dengan apel.

"I am sorry," Tala said, wiping her eyes. "It was my mistake. I should have said the ball net. But your stitches are very, very brave."

"Maaf," kata Tala sambil menyeka matanya. "Itu kesalahanku. Seharusnya aku bilang jaring bola. Tapi jahitanmu sangat, sangat berani."

"They look like a bandage," Dina said.

"Kelihatannya seperti plester," kata Dina.

"They look like a bandage with confidence," Tala said.

"Seperti plester yang percaya diri," kata Tala.

Dina climbed down. She felt her face relax, and she began to laugh as well. Together they untangled the helpers and put the spare net back in its dusty bag. Then they hung the old net again with its lumpy scar. The caretaker said it was the most interesting net in the building.

Dina turun dari tangga. Ia merasakan wajahnya mengendur, dan ia pun mulai tertawa. Bersama-sama mereka melepaskan para penolong itu dan memasukkan kembali jaring cadangan ke tas berdebunya. Lalu mereka memasang kembali jaring lama dengan bekas lukanya yang benjol-benjol. Si penjaga gedung berkata itu jaring paling menarik di gedung itu.

At a quarter to ten, the first players walked onto the courts. A referee checked the net, touched the scar, and nodded. "Good strong repair," he said. Dina decided not to tell him how long it had taken.

Pada pukul sepuluh kurang seperempat, para pemain pertama melangkah ke lapangan. Seorang wasit memeriksa jaring, menyentuh bekas lukanya, dan mengangguk. "Perbaikan yang kuat dan bagus," katanya. Dina memutuskan untuk tidak memberi tahu berapa lama waktu yang dibutuhkan.

Tala picked up the broken ball net and turned it upside down. A single volleyball fell out and rolled slowly across the floor. She watched it go. Then she looked at Dina, who was standing beside a bench with three balls in her arms.

Tala mengambil jaring bola yang rusak itu dan membaliknya. Sebuah bola voli jatuh keluar dan menggelinding perlahan di lantai. Ia memperhatikannya pergi. Lalu ia memandang Dina, yang berdiri di samping bangku dengan tiga bola di pelukannya.

"Dina," Tala asked, "how many balls did we start with this morning?"

"Dina," tanya Tala, "berapa bola yang kita punya waktu mulai tadi pagi?"