The Landlord's Daughter

On the last Friday of every month, Florence's landlord sends his daughter to collect the repairs list. It has been the arrangement since she moved in. A written list is left on the table, and someone who knows which of the old building's problems can wait picks it up.

Pada hari Jumat terakhir setiap bulan, pemilik rumah Florence mengutus putrinya untuk mengambil daftar perbaikan. Begitulah kesepakatannya sejak Florence pindah. Sebuah daftar tertulis ditinggalkan di atas meja, dan seseorang yang tahu masalah mana di gedung tua itu yang bisa menunggu akan mengambilnya.

In the first months, the visits last two minutes. The daughter stands in the doorway, reads the list, nods and writes in a small notebook. She is calm and practical, with paint on her sleeves and a screwdriver in her back pocket.

Pada bulan-bulan pertama, kunjungannya berlangsung dua menit. Sang putri berdiri di ambang pintu, membaca daftar itu, mengangguk, dan menulis di buku catatan kecil. Ia tenang dan praktis, dengan noda cat di lengan baju dan obeng di saku belakang.

Then the visits begin to grow. One month there is tea. The next, there is a long debate about a radiator that knocks all night. In the spring, they sit on the kitchen floor to look at a stuck cupboard hinge and forget to look at it.

Lalu kunjungan itu mulai memanjang. Satu bulan ada teh. Bulan berikutnya, ada perdebatan panjang tentang radiator yang berketuk sepanjang malam. Pada musim semi, mereka duduk di lantai dapur untuk memeriksa engsel lemari yang macet dan lupa memeriksanya.

Florence has also noticed something about her own list. It keeps getting longer, while the problems on it keep getting smaller. Last month, item seven was "a sound in the hallway." The month before, it was "slight squeak, bedroom door."

Florence juga memperhatikan sesuatu tentang daftarnya sendiri. Daftar itu terus bertambah panjang, sementara masalah-masalah di dalamnya terus mengecil. Bulan lalu, butir ketujuh adalah "ada suara di lorong." Bulan sebelumnya, "sedikit berderit, pintu kamar tidur."

She tells herself this is ordinary politeness. But a landlord's family is not an ordinary neighbor. If she said something real and it went badly, she would lose a friend and perhaps her home as well. And if the daughter were only being kind because kindness was part of the family business, Florence would rather not know.

Ia meyakinkan dirinya bahwa ini hanya kesopanan biasa. Tetapi keluarga pemilik rumah bukan tetangga biasa. Kalau ia mengatakan sesuatu yang sungguh-sungguh dan hasilnya buruk, ia akan kehilangan seorang teman dan mungkin juga tempat tinggalnya. Dan kalau sang putri hanya bersikap baik karena kebaikan adalah bagian dari bisnis keluarga, Florence lebih memilih tidak tahu.

On the day the renewal letter arrives, she sits down at the kitchen table to write the list. Her pen hovers over the line "squeak, bedroom door." She stares at it for a long time. Then she crosses it out.

Pada hari surat perpanjangan sewa tiba, ia duduk di meja dapur untuk menulis daftar itu. Penanya melayang di atas baris "berderit, pintu kamar tidur." Ia menatapnya lama sekali. Lalu ia mencoretnya.

The daughter arrives at four, reads the paper and frowns. "This is the shortest list you have ever written," she says. "One item."

Sang putri tiba pukul empat, membaca kertas itu dan mengerutkan kening. "Ini daftar terpendek yang pernah kamu tulis," katanya. "Satu butir."

"I've run out of repairs," says Florence.

"Perbaikanku sudah habis," kata Florence.

"That's impossible. The bathroom fan has been rattling since March." The daughter hesitates. "And your bedroom door. I oiled it in April. And in June. And again in August."

"Mustahil. Kipas kamar mandi berisik sejak Maret." Sang putri ragu. "Dan pintu kamar tidurmu. Aku sudah memberinya minyak bulan April. Dan bulan Juni. Dan lagi bulan Agustus."

"It keeps coming back."

"Berderitnya kembali terus."

"It does." The daughter looks at her notebook rather than at Florence. "I've been using a little less oil each time."

"Memang." Sang putri menatap buku catatannya, bukan Florence. "Aku memakai minyak yang sedikit lebih sedikit setiap kali."

Florence stares at her. "You did that on purpose?"

Florence menatapnya. "Kamu sengaja melakukannya?"

"A bit. I didn't know how else to keep knocking. My father thinks I'm very dedicated to the building."

"Sedikit. Aku tidak tahu cara lain untuk terus mengetuk. Ayahku mengira aku sangat berdedikasi pada gedung ini."

Florence laughs, then stops, because the next part is the serious part. She says that the lease is up for renewal and that she wants to sign it. She says she doesn't want to be the kind of tenant who is nice to the owner's daughter to protect her home. The daughter listens and says she has been afraid of the same thing from the other side. She does not want Florence to feel that her apartment depended on an invitation.

Florence tertawa, lalu berhenti, karena bagian berikutnya adalah bagian yang serius. Ia berkata bahwa sewanya akan diperpanjang dan ia ingin menandatanganinya. Ia berkata ia tidak ingin menjadi penyewa yang bersikap manis kepada putri pemilik rumah demi mempertahankan tempat tinggalnya. Sang putri mendengarkan dan berkata bahwa ia sendiri takut hal yang sama dari sisi sebaliknya. Ia tidak ingin Florence merasa apartemennya bergantung pada sebuah undangan.

"Then let's separate the two things," says Florence. "The lease stays with your father. This is something else."

"Kalau begitu, mari kita pisahkan kedua hal itu," kata Florence. "Sewa tetap urusan ayahmu. Yang ini hal lain."

"I'd like that. I'll tell him tomorrow that someone else can collect the lists."

"Aku mau itu. Besok aku akan bilang padanya bahwa orang lain boleh mengambil daftarnya."

Florence takes the paper and writes in the margin, next to the crossed-out line: "Friday, 7 p.m. Dinner. The door may squeak." She hands it back.

Florence mengambil kertas itu dan menulis di pinggirnya, di samping baris yang dicoret: "Jumat, pukul 7 malam. Makan malam. Pintunya mungkin berderit." Ia menyerahkannya kembali.

The daughter folds it into her notebook. "I'll bring the oil," she says, "and leave it in the bag."

Sang putri melipatnya ke dalam buku catatannya. "Aku akan membawa minyaknya," katanya, "dan membiarkannya di dalam tas."