The Note Under the Wiper

Cosmo comes out of the shop. He sees a white paper under his wiper. "Not again," he says.

Cosmo keluar dari toko. Ia melihat selembar kertas putih di bawah wiper mobilnya. "Aduh, lagi," katanya.

He parks on this street every Friday. He thinks it is a parking ticket. He pulls out the paper slowly. He is ready to read a big number.

Ia parkir di jalan ini setiap hari Jumat. Ia mengira itu surat tilang parkir. Ia menarik kertas itu pelan-pelan. Ia sudah siap membaca angka yang besar.

But it is not a ticket. It is a note, in blue pen.

Tetapi itu bukan surat tilang. Itu sebuah catatan, ditulis dengan pulpen biru.

"I like your old car. I have the same one. Coffee?" Under the words, there is a phone number.

"Aku suka mobil tuamu. Aku punya yang sama. Ngopi?" Di bawah tulisan itu, ada sebuah nomor telepon.

Cosmo reads it twice. He looks up and down the street. Across the road, a small blue car stands by the curb. It is the same model as his, with the same round lights.

Cosmo membacanya dua kali. Ia menengok ke sepanjang jalan. Di seberang jalan, sebuah mobil biru kecil berdiri di tepi trotoar. Modelnya sama dengan miliknya, dengan lampu bundar yang sama.

He laughs. He sits in his car and takes out his phone. He calls the number before he can change his mind.

Ia tertawa. Ia duduk di mobilnya dan mengeluarkan ponselnya. Ia menelepon nomor itu sebelum sempat berubah pikiran.

"Hello?" says a woman.

"Halo?" kata seorang wanita.

"Hi. This is the old blue car," Cosmo says. "I got your note."

"Hai. Ini si mobil tua biru," kata Cosmo. "Aku menerima catatanmu."

She laughs, and he feels better at once. "I am happy you called," she says. "I thought you did not see it."

Wanita itu tertawa, dan Cosmo langsung merasa lebih baik. "Aku senang kamu menelepon," katanya. "Kukira kamu tidak melihatnya."

"I thought it was a ticket," he says.

"Kukira itu surat tilang," katanya.

"A ticket! No, no. I only like old cars."

"Surat tilang! Bukan, bukan. Aku hanya suka mobil tua."

"Then we need to talk about them," Cosmo says. "Do you know the Yellow Cup café? It is busy at lunch, so we are safe."

"Kalau begitu kita perlu membicarakannya," kata Cosmo. "Kamu tahu kafe Yellow Cup? Di sana ramai saat makan siang, jadi kita aman."

"Tomorrow at noon?" she asks.

"Besok jam dua belas siang?" tanyanya.

"Yes. I will bring a picture of my engine," he says.

"Ya. Aku akan membawa foto mesinku," katanya.

He puts the note in his pocket and starts the car. It starts on the first try.

Ia memasukkan catatan itu ke sakunya dan menyalakan mobil. Mobilnya langsung menyala pada percobaan pertama.