The Morning Crossword

Every morning, Daria and Walt do the same things. They do them in the same order. They do them for fifty years.

Setiap pagi, Daria dan Walt melakukan hal yang sama. Mereka melakukannya dengan urutan yang sama. Sudah lima puluh tahun mereka begitu.

At six, Walt gets up first. He puts on his blue robe. He goes to the kitchen and fills the kettle.

Pukul enam, Walt bangun lebih dulu. Ia memakai jubah birunya. Ia pergi ke dapur dan mengisi ketel.

At six fifteen, Daria comes in. Her hair is white and soft. She sits at the table by the window.

Pukul enam lewat lima belas, Daria masuk. Rambutnya putih dan lembut. Ia duduk di meja dekat jendela.

At six thirty, Walt brings two cups of tea. The tea in the green cup is hers. The tea in the brown cup is his. He puts a spoon of honey in hers. He never forgets.

Pukul enam lewat tiga puluh, Walt membawa dua cangkir teh. Teh di cangkir hijau milik Daria. Teh di cangkir cokelat milik Walt. Ia memasukkan satu sendok madu ke teh Daria. Ia tidak pernah lupa.

At six forty, the newspaper comes. Walt brings it in. He takes out the page with the crossword. He puts it between them on the table.

Pukul enam lewat empat puluh, koran datang. Walt membawanya masuk. Ia mengambil halaman teka-teki silang. Ia meletakkannya di meja di antara mereka.

Daria holds the pen. Walt holds the glasses. This is the rule. She writes, and he reads the clues.

Daria memegang pulpen. Walt memegang kacamata. Begitulah aturannya. Daria menulis, dan Walt membacakan petunjuknya.

"Seven letters," Walt says. "A small gray bird."

"Enam huruf," kata Walt. "Burung kecil berwarna abu-abu."

"Sparrow," says Daria. She writes it fast.

"Emprit," kata Daria. Ia menulisnya dengan cepat.

"Four letters. A cold white drink."

"Empat huruf. Minuman putih yang dingin."

"Milk."

"Susu."

"Five letters. Not early."

"Lima huruf. Tidak awal."

"Late," Daria says. She smiles. "That is you at night."

"Telat," kata Daria. Ia tersenyum. "Itu kamu kalau malam."

"That is not true," says Walt. "I sleep at ten."

"Itu tidak benar," kata Walt. "Aku tidur jam sepuluh."

"You sleep at eight in the chair," she says. "I cover you with a blanket."

"Kamu tidur jam delapan di kursi," katanya. "Aku yang menyelimutimu."

He pretends to be angry. He looks over his glasses. She pats his hand.

Walt pura-pura marah. Ia memandang dari atas kacamatanya. Daria menepuk tangannya.

Walt makes toast. He cuts it in four pieces, the way she likes. Daria eats one piece and gives him one. The other two sit on the plate for later.

Walt membuat roti panggang. Ia memotongnya menjadi empat bagian, seperti yang disukai Daria. Daria makan satu potong dan memberikan satu kepada Walt. Dua potong lainnya tetap di piring untuk nanti.

"The weather is cold today," Walt reads. "It rains after lunch."

"Cuaca hari ini dingin," Walt membaca. "Hujan turun sesudah makan siang."

"My knees know," says Daria. "They hurt a lot."

"Lututku sudah tahu," kata Daria. "Sakit sekali."

"Then we stay home," he says. "We read, and we sleep."

"Kalau begitu kita di rumah saja," katanya. "Kita membaca, dan kita tidur."

"You sleep," she says. "I read."

"Kamu yang tidur," katanya. "Aku membaca."

They finish most of the page. Then they get stuck on the last clue.

Mereka menyelesaikan hampir seluruh halaman. Lalu mereka tersangkut di petunjuk terakhir.

Walt reads it slowly. "Seven letters," he says. "Walt, to Daria, for fifty years."

Walt membacanya pelan-pelan. "Tujuh huruf," katanya. "Walt, bagi Daria, selama lima puluh tahun."

Daria stops. She looks at the paper. The clue is not printed. Someone writes it by hand. It is in blue pen, over the old clue.

Daria berhenti. Ia menatap kertas itu. Petunjuk itu tidak tercetak. Seseorang menulisnya dengan tangan. Tulisannya dengan pulpen biru, di atas petunjuk yang lama.

"Who writes this?" she asks.

"Siapa yang menulis ini?" tanyanya.

"I do not know," says Walt. He looks at the ceiling. "Maybe a clever mouse."

"Aku tidak tahu," kata Walt. Ia menatap langit-langit. "Mungkin tikus yang pintar."

"A mouse with your terrible letters," Daria says. "They look like spiders."

"Tikus dengan tulisan jelekmu," kata Daria. "Huruf-hurufnya seperti laba-laba."

"The mouse is not good at writing," Walt says.

"Tikusnya tidak pandai menulis," kata Walt.

She puts a finger on the boxes. There are seven. Four of the letters are there from other words. The first letter is H. The fourth is B.

Ia meletakkan satu jari di kotak-kotak itu. Ada tujuh kotak. Empat hurufnya sudah ada dari kata-kata lain. Huruf pertama adalah S. Huruf keempat adalah M.

Daria thinks. Outside, a neighbor opens a window. A dog barks twice. The kettle ticks as it cools.

Daria berpikir. Di luar, seorang tetangga membuka jendela. Seekor anjing menggonggong dua kali. Ketel berdetik saat mendingin.

"Husband," she says.

"Suamiku," katanya.

"Count the boxes," says Walt.

"Hitung kotaknya," kata Walt.

She counts. There are seven. She writes the letters one by one. Each one fits.

Ia menghitung. Ada tujuh. Ia menulis huruf-hurufnya satu per satu. Semuanya pas.

"It is correct," she says softly.

"Benar," katanya pelan.

"I think so too," says Walt.

"Menurutku juga begitu," kata Walt.

Daria puts the pen down. She does not say anything for a moment. The sun reaches the table. The tea in both cups is still warm.

Daria meletakkan pulpennya. Ia tidak berkata apa-apa sejenak. Matahari sampai ke meja. Teh di kedua cangkir masih hangat.

"You are a very bad mouse," she says.

"Kamu tikus yang sangat nakal," katanya.

"I know," says Walt. "Pass me the honey. I want two spoons today."

"Aku tahu," kata Walt. "Tolong ambilkan madunya. Hari ini aku mau dua sendok."