The Lemon Tree Stays

At nine o'clock, every light in the building goes out. The fridge stops. The fan stops. Elsbeth's phone has two percent left. She stands in the dark kitchen and hears the whole building groan.

Pukul sembilan, semua lampu di gedung padam. Kulkas berhenti. Kipas berhenti. Ponsel Elsbeth tinggal dua persen. Ia berdiri di dapur yang gelap dan mendengar seluruh gedung berderit.

"Roof!" shouts her brother from the hall. "Everyone is going to the roof!"

"Atap!" teriak kakaknya dari lorong. "Semua orang naik ke atap!"

It is true. Doors open on every floor. People climb the stairs with candles and cold drinks. They talk in loud, happy voices. A power cut is a party when it happens to everyone.

Memang benar. Pintu-pintu terbuka di setiap lantai. Orang-orang menaiki tangga dengan lilin dan minuman dingin. Mereka berbicara dengan suara keras yang gembira. Pemadaman listrik adalah pesta kalau terjadi pada semua orang.

Elsbeth takes her jacket and follows them. Her family moved here two years ago. She knows the stairs and the smell of every kitchen. She knows the broken light on the fourth floor. She does not really know the people.

Elsbeth mengambil jaketnya dan mengikuti mereka. Keluarganya pindah ke sini dua tahun lalu. Ia hafal tangganya dan bau setiap dapur. Ia tahu lampu rusak di lantai empat. Ia tidak benar-benar mengenal orang-orangnya.

The roof is wide and flat. It has a low wall and a water tank. A few plastic chairs stand around. Beyond the wall, the whole city is dark. Only a few cars move on the far road. Above them, there are more stars than Elsbeth ever sees.

Atapnya lebar dan datar. Ada tembok rendah dan tangki air. Beberapa kursi plastik berdiri di sekitarnya. Di balik tembok, seluruh kota gelap. Hanya beberapa mobil bergerak di jalan yang jauh. Di atas mereka, ada lebih banyak bintang daripada yang biasa dilihat Elsbeth.

"Wow," says her brother. For once, he has nothing else to say.

"Wow," kata kakaknya. Untuk sekali ini, ia tidak punya kata-kata lain.

In the corner of the roof stands a lemon tree. It is not tall. It grows in a big clay pot, as wide as a bucket. A piece of white tape is on its side. On the tape, in black letters, are three words: DO NOT MOVE.

Di sudut atap berdiri sebatang pohon lemon. Tingginya tidak seberapa. Ia tumbuh di pot tanah liat besar, selebar ember. Selembar selotip putih menempel di sisinya. Pada selotip itu, dengan huruf hitam, tertulis tiga kata: JANGAN DIPINDAHKAN.

Elsbeth sees it every day. She never asks about it. Nobody does.

Elsbeth melihatnya setiap hari. Ia tidak pernah bertanya. Tak seorang pun bertanya.

A boy sits next to the pot with his knees up. He is Sandor, from the sixth floor. He is her age, maybe a year older. They go to different schools. They say "hi" on the stairs, and that is all.

Seorang anak laki-laki duduk di samping pot dengan lutut ditekuk. Ia Sandor, dari lantai enam. Seumuran dengannya, mungkin setahun lebih tua. Mereka bersekolah di tempat yang berbeda. Mereka saling bilang "hai" di tangga, dan hanya itu.

Tonight, Sandor does not say hi. He just looks at the tree.

Malam ini, Sandor tidak bilang hai. Ia hanya menatap pohon itu.

A man in a loud shirt shouts across the roof. "We need space for the chairs!" He points at the corner. "Who wants to move that thing?"

Seorang pria berkemeja mencolok berteriak ke seberang atap. "Kita butuh tempat untuk kursi!" Ia menunjuk sudut itu. "Siapa mau memindahkan benda itu?"

"I will do it," says another man. He walks over and puts both hands on the pot.

"Saya saja," kata pria lain. Ia berjalan mendekat dan meletakkan kedua tangannya di pot.

"Please don't," says Sandor.

"Tolong jangan," kata Sandor.

The man laughs. "It is only a plant, my friend."

Pria itu tertawa. "Ini cuma tanaman, Nak."

"Please don't touch it." Sandor is on his feet now. His voice is not loud, but it is hard. "Not even a little."

"Tolong jangan disentuh." Sandor sekarang sudah berdiri. Suaranya tidak keras, tetapi tegas. "Sedikit pun jangan."

The man looks at him. Then he shrugs and walks away. "Okay, okay. Keep your lemons," he says. Some people laugh. Then they talk about something else. The roof goes back to being a party.

Pria itu menatapnya. Lalu ia mengangkat bahu dan berjalan pergi. "Oke, oke. Simpan saja lemon-lemonmu," katanya. Beberapa orang tertawa. Lalu mereka membicarakan hal lain. Atap itu kembali menjadi pesta.

Nobody asks Sandor why. The grown-ups go back to their chairs. Elsbeth thinks about it for a minute. Then she walks over to the corner.

Tak seorang pun bertanya kepada Sandor kenapa. Orang-orang dewasa kembali ke kursi mereka. Elsbeth memikirkannya sebentar. Lalu ia berjalan ke sudut itu.

"Is it okay if I sit here?" she asks.

"Boleh aku duduk di sini?" tanyanya.

"Yes, you can sit here," says Sandor.

"Ya, kamu boleh duduk di sini," kata Sandor.

She sits down on the warm stone. For a while, they say nothing. Below them, someone plays a guitar badly. A baby cries and then stops. The lemon tree smells strong and green, like soap.

Ia duduk di atas batu yang hangat. Untuk beberapa saat, mereka tidak mengatakan apa-apa. Di bawah mereka, seseorang memainkan gitar dengan buruk. Seorang bayi menangis lalu berhenti. Pohon lemon itu berbau kuat dan hijau, seperti sabun.

"It never gives lemons," says Sandor at last. "Not many, anyway. Two last year. Both small."

"Pohon ini tidak pernah berbuah lemon," kata Sandor akhirnya. "Tidak banyak, setidaknya. Dua tahun lalu. Dua-duanya kecil."

"Then why can't anyone move it?"

"Lalu kenapa tidak boleh ada yang memindahkannya?"

"It is a rule from my mother." He almost smiles. "When you move a lemon tree, it gets angry. It drops its flowers. My mother says it can take a year to forgive you."

"Itu aturan dari ibuku." Ia hampir tersenyum. "Kalau pohon lemon dipindahkan, ia marah. Bunganya berguguran. Kata ibuku, butuh setahun baginya untuk memaafkan kita."

"That is a lot of feelings for a plant."

"Perasaannya banyak sekali untuk sebuah tanaman."

"Yes." He touches a leaf with one finger. "She brought it in a taxi when we came here. She held it on her knees the whole way. She chose this corner because the sun reaches it first."

"Ya." Ia menyentuh sehelai daun dengan satu jari. "Ibuku membawanya dengan taksi waktu kami pindah ke sini. Ia memangkunya sepanjang jalan. Ia memilih sudut ini karena matahari sampai ke sini lebih dulu."

Elsbeth watches his hand. She sees how carefully he touches the leaf. She remembers something else. Last Sunday, she saw three boxes on the stairs outside his door. They were big boxes for moving house. She did not think about them then.

Elsbeth memperhatikan tangannya. Ia melihat betapa hati-hatinya Sandor menyentuh daun itu. Ia teringat sesuatu yang lain. Minggu lalu, ia melihat tiga kardus di tangga di depan pintu Sandor. Itu kardus-kardus besar untuk pindahan rumah. Waktu itu ia tidak memikirkannya.

She thinks about them now.

Sekarang ia memikirkannya.

Everyone in the building sees the boxes. Nobody asks about them.

Semua orang di gedung ini melihat kardus-kardus itu. Tak seorang pun bertanya tentangnya.

Her heart beats faster. It is a small question, but it feels big in her mouth.

Jantungnya berdetak lebih cepat. Itu pertanyaan kecil, tetapi terasa besar di mulutnya.

"Sandor," she says. "Are you moving away?"

"Sandor," katanya. "Apa kamu mau pindah?"

He does not answer right away. The night air moves across the roof. The leaves shake. He stares at the pot.

Ia tidak langsung menjawab. Udara malam bergerak melintasi atap. Dedaunan bergoyang. Ia menatap pot itu.

"I do not know," he says. His voice is small and honest. "My father says maybe. My mother says maybe, too. They talk in the kitchen at night with the door closed. I stand behind it and listen. Nobody tells me."

"Aku tidak tahu," katanya. Suaranya kecil dan jujur. "Kata ayahku mungkin. Kata ibuku juga mungkin. Mereka berbicara di dapur malam hari dengan pintu tertutup. Aku berdiri di belakangnya dan mendengarkan. Tidak ada yang memberitahuku."

"And the tree?"

"Dan pohonnya?"

"That is the problem." He laughs, but it is not a happy laugh. "If we go, we cannot take it. It will hate that. So I water it every night. I check the leaves. It is stupid, I know."

"Itulah masalahnya." Ia tertawa, tetapi bukan tawa yang bahagia. "Kalau kami pergi, kami tidak bisa membawanya. Ia akan membenci itu. Jadi aku menyiramnya setiap malam. Aku memeriksa daun-daunnya. Konyol, aku tahu."

"It is not stupid," says Elsbeth.

"Tidak konyol," kata Elsbeth.

They are quiet again. Nearby, her brother tells a long story to a stranger. A candle burns low. The stars look very close.

Mereka diam lagi. Di dekat sana, kakaknya menceritakan kisah panjang kepada orang asing. Sebatang lilin menyala makin pendek. Bintang-bintang tampak sangat dekat.

"Thank you," says Sandor. "For asking. Nobody did."

"Terima kasih," kata Sandor. "Sudah bertanya. Tidak ada yang melakukannya."

Elsbeth does not know what to say. She picks a dry leaf from the ground. She turns it in her fingers. "Can I water it tomorrow?" she asks. "If you are busy."

Elsbeth tidak tahu harus berkata apa. Ia memungut daun kering dari tanah. Ia memutarnya di antara jemarinya. "Boleh aku menyiramnya besok?" tanyanya. "Kalau kamu sibuk."

"Maybe," says Sandor. But he does not say no.

"Mungkin," kata Sandor. Tetapi ia tidak bilang tidak.

Then, without any warning, the lights come back. The lamps in the streets blink and shine. The city below them wakes up all at once, street by street. On the roof, people clap and cheer.

Lalu, tanpa peringatan, lampu-lampu menyala kembali. Lampu-lampu jalan berkedip dan bersinar. Kota di bawah mereka terbangun sekaligus, jalan demi jalan. Di atap, orang-orang bertepuk tangan dan bersorak.

In the sudden light, Elsbeth looks at the tape on the pot. The corner lifts a little. Under it, in a different pen, are two words. She reads them before Sandor puts his hand over them. STAYS HERE.

Dalam cahaya yang tiba-tiba itu, Elsbeth memandang selotip di pot. Ujungnya sedikit terangkat. Di bawahnya, dengan pulpen yang berbeda, ada dua kata. Ia membacanya sebelum Sandor menutupinya dengan tangan. TETAP DI SINI.