The Night of Odd Shoes

The food row at the night market starts to wake up at six. Malika lights the gas under her big pot of dumplings. Then she checks the paper lanterns above her stall. Each one is yellow and slightly crooked. She hung them herself three years ago, and she likes them crooked.

Deretan warung makanan di pasar malam mulai terjaga pukul enam. Malika menyalakan api di bawah panci besar berisi pangsitnya. Lalu ia memeriksa lampion-lampion kertas di atas lapaknya. Warnanya kuning semua, dan sedikit miring. Ia sendiri yang menggantungnya tiga tahun lalu, dan ia suka lampion itu miring.

Around her, the other cooks do the same small jobs. The noodle man stacks his bowls. The woman who sells grilled corn blows on her coals. By seven, smoke and steam fill the whole row, and the first crowds arrive.

Di sekelilingnya, para pedagang lain mengerjakan hal-hal kecil yang sama. Penjual mi menumpuk mangkuknya. Perempuan penjual jagung bakar meniup arangnya. Menjelang pukul tujuh, asap dan uap memenuhi seluruh deretan, dan pengunjung pertama pun berdatangan.

Malika knows most of her customers by their orders. The boy with the headphones always wants six pork dumplings. The two nurses share one plate and argue about the sauce. Tonight, however, a new face walks up to her counter, and the face looks upset.

Malika mengenal sebagian besar pelanggannya dari pesanan mereka. Anak laki-laki berheadphone itu selalu minta enam pangsit babi. Dua perawat berbagi satu piring dan berdebat soal saus. Namun malam ini, seorang wajah baru mendekati mejanya, dan wajah itu tampak gelisah.

The woman is about thirty, with a neat jacket and a tired smile. Malika looks at her face, and then she looks down. She cannot stop herself.

Perempuan itu berusia sekitar tiga puluh tahun, berjaket rapi dan tersenyum lelah. Malika menatap wajahnya, lalu menunduk. Ia tidak bisa menahan diri.

The woman wears one blue trainer on her left foot. On her right foot, she wears a gold sandal with a thin strap.

Perempuan itu memakai sepatu kets biru di kaki kiri. Di kaki kanannya, ia memakai sandal emas bertali tipis.

"Please don't say anything," the woman says. "I know. I know."

"Tolong jangan bilang apa-apa," kata perempuan itu. "Aku tahu. Aku tahu."

"I say nothing," Malika says. "Six dumplings?"

"Saya tidak bilang apa-apa," kata Malika. "Enam pangsit?"

"Six dumplings, yes, and a big glass of water." The woman sits on the stool beside the counter and lets out a long breath. "My name is Brina. I work in an office near here. The power was off this morning. I dressed in the dark and put on two shoes without looking. I only noticed at lunchtime. By then it was too late to go home."

"Enam pangsit, ya, dan segelas besar air putih." Perempuan itu duduk di bangku di samping meja dan mengembuskan napas panjang. "Namaku Brina. Aku bekerja di kantor dekat sini. Tadi pagi listrik padam. Aku berpakaian dalam gelap dan memakai dua sepatu tanpa melihat. Aku baru sadar saat makan siang. Waktu itu sudah terlambat untuk pulang."

"Did anybody look?" Malika asks.

"Ada yang melihat?" tanya Malika.

"Everybody looked," Brina says. "A child on the bus said, loudly, 'That lady has different feet.'"

"Semua orang melihat," kata Brina. "Seorang anak di bus berkata dengan keras, 'Ibu itu kakinya beda.'"

Malika laughs, and then she covers her mouth. "I am sorry. It is not funny."

Malika tertawa, lalu menutup mulutnya. "Maaf. Ini tidak lucu."

"It is a little funny," Brina says. "But tonight I have a dinner with my team, right here on the food row. They are all coming in an hour. Ten people, and every one of them will stare at my shoes. I just want to eat in peace."

"Sedikit lucu, kok," kata Brina. "Tapi malam ini aku ada makan malam dengan timku, di deretan warung ini juga. Mereka semua datang satu jam lagi. Sepuluh orang, dan setiap orang akan menatap sepatuku. Aku cuma ingin makan dengan tenang."

Malika puts six dumplings on a plate and slides it across the counter. Brina takes a bite and closes her eyes. For a moment, the problem seems smaller.

Malika menaruh enam pangsit di piring dan menggesernya ke seberang meja. Brina menggigit satu dan memejamkan mata. Sesaat, masalahnya terasa lebih kecil.

"I wish I could do something about it," Brina says, with her mouth half full. "I wish nobody would look at my feet tonight. That's all. Just one evening."

"Andai aku bisa berbuat sesuatu," kata Brina, dengan mulut setengah penuh. "Aku berharap tidak ada yang melihat kakiku malam ini. Itu saja. Hanya satu malam."

Malika wipes her hands on her apron. She has a habit of taking small wishes seriously. Over the years, people have asked her for stranger things than this. A man once asked for a dumpling that tasted like his mother's. She tried nine times.

Malika mengelap tangannya di celemek. Ia punya kebiasaan menganggap serius harapan-harapan kecil. Bertahun-tahun ini, orang pernah meminta hal yang jauh lebih aneh darinya. Seorang pria pernah meminta pangsit yang rasanya seperti buatan ibunya. Ia mencoba sembilan kali.

"I cannot sell you new shoes," she says. "There is a shoe stall at the end of the row, but the owner closes early. And I cannot make people blind." She looks along the row of lanterns, and a slow smile appears on her face. "But maybe I can make everyone busy with their own feet."

"Saya tidak bisa menjual sepatu baru kepada Anda," katanya. "Ada lapak sepatu di ujung deretan, tapi pemiliknya tutup lebih awal. Dan saya tidak bisa membuat orang-orang buta." Ia menatap sepanjang deretan lampion, dan senyum perlahan muncul di wajahnya. "Tapi mungkin saya bisa membuat semua orang sibuk dengan kaki mereka sendiri."

"What does that mean?" Brina asks.

"Maksudnya apa?" tanya Brina.

"Eat your dumplings," Malika says. "I need to make a few phone calls."

"Makan saja pangsitnya," kata Malika. "Saya perlu menelepon beberapa orang."

She walks next door to the noodle man and speaks to him quietly. He frowns, then shrugs, then bends down and takes off his left shoe. Malika goes to the woman with the corn and does the same. Then she visits the juice seller, the man with the skewers, and the girl with the rice cakes. Each of them listens. Each of them looks at Brina's shoes. Then they look at each other, and one by one they start to grin.

Ia berjalan ke sebelah, ke penjual mi, dan berbicara pelan kepadanya. Pria itu mengerutkan dahi, lalu mengangkat bahu, lalu membungkuk dan melepas sepatu kirinya. Malika mendatangi perempuan penjual jagung dan melakukan hal yang sama. Lalu ia mengunjungi penjual jus, pria penjual sate, dan gadis penjual kue beras. Masing-masing mendengarkan. Masing-masing melirik sepatu Brina. Lalu mereka saling pandang, dan satu per satu mulai nyengir.

Brina watches from her stool and understands nothing. Then she sees the noodle man bring out a pair of old garden boots from under his counter. He puts one boot on his left foot. His right foot keeps its own black shoe.

Brina mengamati dari bangkunya dan tidak mengerti apa-apa. Lalu ia melihat penjual mi mengeluarkan sepasang sepatu bot kebun tua dari bawah mejanya. Ia memakai satu bot di kaki kirinya. Kaki kanannya tetap memakai sepatu hitamnya sendiri.

"What is he doing?" she whispers.

"Dia sedang apa?" bisiknya.

"Wait," Malika says, and she holds up a finger.

"Tunggu saja," kata Malika, sambil mengangkat satu jari.

By eight o'clock, a strange thing is happening on the food row. The corn woman wears a pink slipper and a green clog. The juice seller has one tall boot and one tiny sandal he borrowed from his niece. The man with the skewers wears a work boot and a shower shoe. Even the man who sells phone cases joins in. He puts on a fluffy rabbit slipper and walks very seriously down the row.

Pukul delapan, sesuatu yang aneh terjadi di deretan warung itu. Penjual jagung memakai sandal rumah merah muda dan bakiak hijau. Penjual jus memakai satu bot tinggi dan satu sandal mungil yang ia pinjam dari keponakannya. Penjual sate memakai sepatu kerja dan sandal kamar mandi. Bahkan penjual casing ponsel ikut bergabung. Ia memakai sandal kelinci berbulu dan berjalan sangat serius menyusuri deretan.

Malika herself steps out from behind her counter. She wears one rubber shoe from the kitchen and one sandal from her bag. She bows to Brina like a queen.

Malika sendiri melangkah keluar dari balik mejanya. Ia memakai sebelah sepatu karet dari dapur dan sebelah sandal dari tasnya. Ia membungkuk kepada Brina seperti kepada seorang ratu.

"Mismatched Night," she announces, in her loudest voice. "Tonight, every cook has two different shoes. If a customer finds a matching pair on the whole row, he gets a free dumpling."

"Malam Sepatu Tak Sepasang," umumnya dengan suara paling keras. "Malam ini, setiap pedagang memakai dua sepatu yang berbeda. Kalau ada pembeli yang menemukan satu pasang sepatu yang sama di seluruh deretan ini, ia mendapat pangsit gratis."

People stop walking. They stare at the cooks, and then they look down at their own feet, just to be sure. A teenager laughs and points at the corn woman. A couple takes photos of the juice seller's tiny sandal. Soon a small crowd forms in the middle of the row, and everyone is bending down, searching.

Orang-orang berhenti berjalan. Mereka menatap para pedagang, lalu menunduk melihat kaki mereka sendiri, sekadar memastikan. Seorang remaja tertawa dan menunjuk penjual jagung. Sepasang kekasih memotret sandal mungil penjual jus. Tak lama, kerumunan kecil terbentuk di tengah deretan, dan semua orang membungkuk, mencari-cari.

"Look at that one!" a boy shouts. "He has a boot and a slipper!"

"Lihat yang itu!" seru seorang anak laki-laki. "Dia pakai bot dan sandal rumah!"

"And that one has a sandal and a trainer!" says another voice.

"Dan yang itu pakai sandal dan sepatu kets!" kata suara lain.

"No, no, that is Brina," Malika says gently, and she points at the stool. "She is a judge tonight. She decides who has the most beautiful mistake."

"Bukan, bukan, itu Brina," kata Malika dengan lembut, sambil menunjuk bangku. "Malam ini dia juri. Dia yang memutuskan siapa yang punya kesalahan paling indah."

Brina's mouth falls open. "I am a what?"

Mulut Brina ternganga. "Aku apa?"

"A judge," Malika whispers. "Sit up straight and look serious. It helps."

"Juri," bisik Malika. "Duduk yang tegak dan pasang wajah serius. Itu membantu."

So Brina sits up straight. She looks at the cooks one by one. She gives each of them a score from one to ten. The crowd cheers whenever she speaks. The rabbit slippers get a nine. The garden boot gets an eight and a half, because it is very big.

Maka Brina duduk tegak. Ia memandangi para pedagang satu per satu. Ia memberi masing-masing nilai dari satu sampai sepuluh. Kerumunan bersorak setiap kali ia bicara. Sandal kelinci mendapat sembilan. Bot kebun mendapat delapan setengah, karena ukurannya sangat besar.

At half past eight, Brina's team arrives. Ten people walk down the row in their work clothes. They stop at the same moment, like fish. Nobody looks at Brina's feet. They look at the juice seller, then at the rabbit slippers, then at the customers checking their shoes.

Pukul setengah sembilan, tim Brina tiba. Sepuluh orang berjalan menyusuri deretan dengan pakaian kerja mereka. Mereka berhenti pada saat yang sama, seperti ikan. Tak seorang pun melihat kaki Brina. Mereka melihat penjual jus, lalu sandal kelinci, lalu para pembeli yang memeriksa sepatu mereka.

"What is going on here?" her manager asks.

"Ada apa ini?" tanya atasannya.

"It's a festival," Brina says calmly. "I am the judge."

"Ini festival," kata Brina dengan tenang. "Aku jurinya."

Her manager looks at her for a long moment. Then he looks down at his own polished black shoes. "Do I need to enter?" he asks.

Atasannya menatapnya lama. Lalu ia menunduk melihat sepatu hitamnya sendiri yang mengilap. "Apa saya harus ikut?" tanyanya.

"I think you do," Brina says.

"Kurasa harus," kata Brina.

The team eats together at a long table beside Malika's stall. They talk about the day and laugh about the rabbit slippers. Nobody says a word about gold sandals. Two of them take off one shoe each and swap them, just for fun. By nine, half the row has joined the game, and the free dumplings run out twice.

Tim itu makan bersama di meja panjang di samping lapak Malika. Mereka membicarakan hari itu dan menertawakan sandal kelinci. Tak seorang pun menyebut sandal emas. Dua di antara mereka masing-masing melepas satu sepatu dan menukarnya, sekadar untuk bersenang-senang. Pukul sembilan, separuh deretan sudah ikut permainan itu, dan pangsit gratis habis dua kali.

When the crowd finally thins, Brina walks back to the counter. Her feet hurt, and her face hurts from smiling. She puts a folded note under the plate.

Ketika kerumunan akhirnya menyusut, Brina berjalan kembali ke meja. Kakinya pegal, dan wajahnya pegal karena terlalu banyak tersenyum. Ia menyelipkan selembar uang terlipat di bawah piring.

"You didn't make anyone blind," she says. "You made everyone look at everything else."

"Anda tidak membuat siapa pun buta," katanya. "Anda membuat semua orang melihat ke hal-hal lain."

"That is how most wishes work," Malika says. She shrugs. "People get the thing they ask for, but not in the shape they expect."

"Begitulah cara kerja kebanyakan harapan," kata Malika. Ia mengangkat bahu. "Orang mendapat apa yang mereka minta, tapi tidak dalam bentuk yang mereka kira."

"What shape was mine?"

"Bentuk harapanku apa?"

"A very odd one," Malika says. "With a rabbit on it."

"Bentuk yang sangat aneh," kata Malika. "Dengan seekor kelinci di atasnya."

Later, when the last customer has gone, the lanterns still glow above the empty row. The cooks pack their pots and carry them away, one soft step at a time. Under the stalls, a line of odd shoes waits in the dust. Above them, one crooked lantern swings gently.

Kemudian, setelah pelanggan terakhir pergi, lampion-lampion masih bersinar di atas deretan yang sepi. Para pedagang mengemasi panci mereka dan membawanya pergi, selangkah demi selangkah dengan pelan. Di bawah lapak-lapak, sederet sepatu yang tak sepasang menunggu di atas debu. Di atasnya, sebuah lampion yang miring berayun pelan.