The Night Bus Student

Ingo has driven the night bus for six years. He knows most of his regular passengers by their habits. The loudest is a man who sings along to his headphones. The quietest is a teenage girl who gets on at half past eleven.

Ingo sudah enam tahun mengemudikan bus malam. Ia mengenal sebagian besar penumpang tetapnya dari kebiasaan mereka. Yang paling berisik adalah seorang pria yang ikut bernyanyi mengikuti lagu di headphone-nya. Yang paling pendiam adalah seorang gadis remaja yang naik pukul setengah dua belas.

She always sits under the third light, the weak one that flickers. In her lap is a stack of flashcards. Ingo can see her in the mirror above his seat. She wears a restaurant apron under her jacket, and she looks tired. The cards are covered in chemistry: formulas, tiny drawings of molecules, long words he can't pronounce.

Ia selalu duduk di bawah lampu ketiga, lampu yang redup dan berkedip. Di pangkuannya ada setumpuk kartu belajar. Ingo bisa melihatnya di kaca spion di atas kursinya. Ia mengenakan celemek restoran di balik jaketnya, dan tampak lelah. Kartu-kartu itu penuh dengan kimia: rumus, gambar molekul mungil, kata-kata panjang yang tidak bisa ia ucapkan.

He has never spoken to her. A driver who chats with a teenager late at night might seem strange. So he only nods when she steps on, and she nods back.

Ia belum pernah berbicara dengannya. Seorang sopir yang mengobrol dengan remaja pada larut malam mungkin terkesan aneh. Jadi ia hanya mengangguk ketika gadis itu naik, dan gadis itu balas mengangguk.

Tonight her stack of cards is thicker than usual. She taps each one against her knee and sometimes shakes her head at herself. Ingo has a daughter of his own, and he thinks, She has a test coming. After the fourth stop, the girl's hand slows down. After the sixth, the cards slide onto the seat, and her head rests against the window.

Malam ini tumpukan kartunya lebih tebal dari biasanya. Ia mengetukkan tiap kartu ke lututnya dan sesekali menggeleng pada dirinya sendiri. Ingo punya seorang putri sendiri, dan ia berpikir, Dia sedang menghadapi ujian. Setelah perhentian keempat, gerakan tangan gadis itu melambat. Setelah perhentian keenam, kartu-kartunya meluncur ke atas kursi, dan kepalanya bersandar di jendela.

Ingo looks from the road to the mirror and back again. If he stops the bus to wake her, he will scare her. If he lets her sleep, she will ride past her stop and walk back in the cold. He decides to wait for the right moment.

Ingo menoleh dari jalan ke spion dan kembali lagi. Kalau ia menghentikan bus untuk membangunkannya, gadis itu akan kaget. Kalau ia membiarkannya tidur, gadis itu akan melewati perhentiannya dan berjalan kembali dalam dingin. Ia memutuskan menunggu saat yang tepat.

At the corner by the bakery, one stop before hers, he brakes gently. "Excuse me," he says in his calmest voice. "Your stop is next."

Di sudut dekat toko roti, satu perhentian sebelum perhentian gadis itu, ia mengerem dengan lembut. "Permisi," katanya dengan suaranya yang paling tenang. "Perhentian Adik berikutnya."

She jumps, gathers her cards, and stares at him. "Thank you," she whispers. "I have an exam at eight. I should have gone to bed hours ago."

Gadis itu tersentak, mengumpulkan kartunya, dan menatapnya. "Terima kasih," bisiknya. "Saya ada ujian pukul delapan. Seharusnya saya sudah tidur berjam-jam lalu."

"Then go to bed now," Ingo says. "And good luck."

"Kalau begitu tidurlah sekarang," kata Ingo. "Dan semoga berhasil."

She hurries off the bus and up the street. Ingo watches her go. Then he reaches for the small dial that controls the lights over the seats. He usually keeps it low so that tired people can rest. He turns it up.

Gadis itu bergegas turun dari bus dan menyusuri jalan. Ingo memandanginya pergi. Lalu ia meraih tombol kecil yang mengatur lampu di atas kursi-kursi. Biasanya ia menyetelnya redup agar orang-orang yang lelah bisa beristirahat. Ia menaikkannya.

The next night, the girl climbs on at half past eleven and stops beside the third seat. The light above it is bright and steady. She looks at it, then at Ingo's mirror, and takes out her flashcards. Ingo nods and starts the engine.

Malam berikutnya, gadis itu naik pukul setengah dua belas dan berhenti di samping kursi ketiga. Lampu di atasnya terang dan stabil. Ia menatapnya, lalu menatap spion Ingo, dan mengeluarkan kartu-kartu belajarnya. Ingo mengangguk dan menyalakan mesin.