The Last Morning at the Fish Stall

Bianca woke at four o'clock, as she did every day. It was dark and cold. She made tea and drank it by the window. Today was her last day at the fish stall.

Bianca bangun pukul empat pagi, seperti setiap hari. Hari masih gelap dan dingin. Ia membuat teh dan meminumnya di dekat jendela. Hari ini hari terakhirnya di lapak ikan.

She was sixty-eight years old. For forty years, she sold fish at the street market. She sold cod, trout, and small silver fish for soup. Her back hurt now, and her hands hurt too. Her daughter said, "Mama, it is time."

Usianya enam puluh delapan tahun. Selama empat puluh tahun, ia menjual ikan di pasar jalanan. Ia menjual ikan kod, ikan trout, dan ikan kecil keperakan untuk sup. Sekarang punggungnya sakit, tangannya juga. Putrinya berkata, "Ibu, sudah waktunya."

At five o'clock, she arrived at the market. The street was quiet. The only light came from a lamp over her stall. A young man was already there. His name was Emeka. He was her helper, and he was twenty years old.

Pukul lima, ia tiba di pasar. Jalanan sepi. Satu-satunya cahaya datang dari lampu di atas lapaknya. Seorang pemuda sudah ada di sana. Namanya Emeka. Ia pembantunya, dan usianya dua puluh tahun.

"Good morning," Emeka said.

"Selamat pagi," kata Emeka.

"I put the ice out."

"Saya sudah menaruh es."

"Thank you," said Bianca. They laid the fish on the ice, row by row. The fish were bright and shiny. Bianca touched each one with two fingers. She did not think about it. Her hands knew the work.

"Terima kasih," kata Bianca. Mereka menata ikan di atas es, baris demi baris. Ikan-ikan itu cerah dan berkilau. Bianca menyentuh setiap ikan dengan dua jari. Ia tidak memikirkannya. Tangannya sudah hafal pekerjaan itu.

At seven o'clock, the first customers came. A tall man bought two trout. He did not say anything about the day. He just put a few extra coins on the table.

Pukul tujuh, pelanggan pertama datang. Seorang pria jangkung membeli dua ikan trout. Ia tidak mengatakan apa-apa soal hari itu. Ia hanya menaruh beberapa koin tambahan di meja.

"That is too much," Bianca said. "It is for the years," he said. Bianca looked at the coins. She did not answer. She put them in a small tin.

"Ini terlalu banyak," kata Bianca. "Itu untuk tahun-tahun yang lewat," kata pria itu. Bianca menatap koin-koin itu. Ia tidak menjawab. Ia memasukkannya ke sebuah kaleng kecil.

A woman came with her little daughter. The girl pointed at a fish. "That one has big eyes," she said.

Seorang wanita datang bersama putri kecilnya. Gadis kecil itu menunjuk seekor ikan. "Yang itu matanya besar," katanya.

"He is a good fish," said Bianca.

"Dia ikan yang baik," kata Bianca.

"He saw a lot of the sea." The girl laughed. Her mother smiled, and they bought him.

"Dia sudah melihat banyak hal di laut." Gadis kecil itu tertawa. Ibunya tersenyum, lalu mereka membeli ikan itu.

All morning, people came. Some brought flowers. One man brought a small cake in a paper box. A boy gave her a drawing of a fish. Bianca put the drawing on the front of the stall. Emeka said, "It looks like you."

Sepanjang pagi, orang-orang datang. Ada yang membawa bunga. Seorang pria membawa kue kecil dalam kotak kertas. Seorang anak laki-laki memberinya gambar ikan. Bianca menaruh gambar itu di depan lapak. Emeka berkata, "Mirip Ibu."

"The fish?" she asked. "No. The smiling face." She laughed out loud. It was a deep laugh, and it surprised her. At noon, the crowd got smaller. The sun warmed the street. Bianca sat on her old wooden stool. She looked at the scale, the knives, and the apron. She touched them all, many times.

"Ikannya?" tanyanya. "Bukan. Wajah yang tersenyum." Ia tertawa terbahak. Tawanya dalam, dan ia sendiri terkejut. Menjelang siang, keramaian mulai berkurang. Matahari menghangatkan jalan. Bianca duduk di bangku kayunya yang tua. Ia memandangi timbangan, pisau-pisau, dan celemeknya. Ia menyentuh semuanya, berkali-kali.

Emeka sat next to her on a box. "I am a little sad," he said.

Emeka duduk di sampingnya di atas sebuah kotak. "Saya agak sedih," katanya.

"Why?" she asked.

"Kenapa?" tanyanya.

"You are young. You have the whole market."

"Kamu masih muda. Seluruh pasar ini milikmu."

"I do not have you."

"Tapi saya tidak punya kamu."

Bianca was quiet. Then she said, "Listen. When the ice melts, pour the water on the street. It keeps the dust down. And never leave the knives wet. And always smile at people who buy one fish."

Bianca terdiam. Lalu ia berkata, "Dengar. Kalau es mencair, tuang airnya ke jalan. Itu menahan debu. Dan jangan pernah biarkan pisau dalam keadaan basah. Dan selalu tersenyumlah pada orang yang hanya membeli satu ikan."

"Why them?" "Because they come back the most." Emeka wrote it all in his small notebook. He wrote slowly, in big letters.

"Kenapa mereka?" "Karena merekalah yang paling sering kembali." Emeka menulis semuanya di buku catatan kecilnya. Ia menulis pelan-pelan, dengan huruf besar-besar.

By two o'clock, only five fish remained. Bianca put them in a bag for Emeka. "Take these home," she said.

Pukul dua, hanya tersisa lima ekor ikan. Bianca memasukkannya ke dalam kantong untuk Emeka. "Bawa ini pulang," katanya.

"Cook them with butter and lemon."

"Masaklah dengan mentega dan lemon."

"But this is your last day."

"Tapi ini hari terakhir Ibu."

"Yes. That is why you cook them."

"Ya. Karena itu kamu yang memasaknya."

They cleaned the stall together. They washed the table and the scale. They folded the umbrella. In the end, only the blue apron was left. Bianca took it off its hook. She held it in her hands for a long time. It was old and soft. It smelled of the sea.

Mereka membersihkan lapak bersama-sama. Mereka mencuci meja dan timbangan. Mereka melipat payung. Pada akhirnya, hanya celemek biru yang tersisa. Bianca mengambilnya dari pengaitnya. Ia memegangnya lama sekali. Celemek itu tua dan lembut. Baunya seperti laut.

Then she gave it to Emeka. He took it without a word. Bianca picked up her tin of coins. She did not look back. She walked up the street in the afternoon sun. Behind her, a metal hook rang. Emeka hung the apron up again.

Lalu ia memberikannya kepada Emeka. Emeka menerimanya tanpa sepatah kata. Bianca mengambil kaleng koinnya. Ia tidak menoleh ke belakang. Ia berjalan menyusuri jalan di bawah matahari sore. Di belakangnya, sebuah pengait logam berdenting. Emeka menggantung celemek itu kembali.