The Note on the Dryer

Ada lives on the third floor of an old apartment building. The building has one shared laundry room in the basement. Every Tuesday, she does her laundry there.

Ada tinggal di lantai tiga sebuah gedung apartemen tua. Gedung itu punya satu ruang cuci bersama di basemen. Setiap hari Selasa, ia mencuci pakaiannya di sana.

Lately, a stranger's clothes are in the dryer when Ada arrives. Each time, there is a small note on top. The notes say, "Sorry, I'm always late. Please just move them to a basket."

Akhir-akhir ini, pakaian orang asing selalu ada di dalam pengering saat Ada tiba. Setiap kali, ada secarik catatan kecil di atasnya. Catatan itu berbunyi, "Maaf, aku selalu terlambat. Tolong pindahkan saja ke keranjang."

At first, Ada feels a little annoyed. She thinks the man is careless with his time. She moves his clothes to a basket without a word.

Awalnya, Ada merasa agak kesal. Ia mengira pria itu ceroboh dengan waktunya. Ia memindahkan pakaian pria itu ke keranjang tanpa berkata apa-apa.

One Tuesday, Ada arrives early and meets him. His name is Jovan, and he lives on the first floor. "I'm sorry about the notes," he says. "I work the night shift at the hospital."

Pada suatu Selasa, Ada datang lebih awal dan bertemu dengannya. Namanya Jovan, dan ia tinggal di lantai satu. "Maaf soal catatan-catatan itu," katanya. "Aku bekerja shift malam di rumah sakit."

"Oh," Ada says. "I didn't know that."

"Oh," kata Ada. "Aku tidak tahu itu."

"I finish work at seven in the morning," Jovan explains. "I start my laundry before my shift. But I can't come back in time."

"Aku selesai bekerja pukul tujuh pagi," Jovan menjelaskan. "Aku mulai mencuci sebelum shift-ku. Tapi aku tidak bisa kembali tepat waktu."

Ada smiles. "That makes sense now," she says. "I thought you just forgot about your clothes."

Ada tersenyum. "Sekarang aku mengerti," katanya. "Kukira kamu cuma lupa pada pakaianmu."

"No, I think about them all night," Jovan says. They both laugh.

"Tidak, aku memikirkannya sepanjang malam," kata Jovan. Mereka berdua tertawa.

After that day, Ada changes her Tuesday routine. She waits until Jovan gets home from his night shift. They fold their laundry together and talk about their week.

Sejak hari itu, Ada mengubah rutinitas hari Selasanya. Ia menunggu sampai Jovan pulang dari shift malam. Mereka melipat cucian bersama dan mengobrol tentang minggu mereka.

Now the notes on the dryer say something different. "Thanks for waiting," they say. "See you next Tuesday."

Sekarang catatan di pengering itu berbunyi lain. "Terima kasih sudah menunggu," tulisnya. "Sampai jumpa Selasa depan."