The Quiet Corner Door

Jolene carries her violin case into the church hall as if it is a bag of eggs. She has done it every afternoon this month, and she does it carefully every time. Inside the case, there is a violin worth more than everything else she owns.

Jolene membawa kotak biolanya masuk ke aula gereja seakan-akan itu sekantong telur. Ia melakukannya setiap sore bulan ini, dan setiap kali ia melakukannya dengan hati-hati. Di dalam kotak itu ada sebuah biola yang nilainya lebih tinggi daripada semua barang lain yang ia miliki.

At home, she cannot play it. Her flat has two rooms, three brothers and one thin wall. Every time she lifts the bow, someone bangs on the wall from the other side. The neighbour wants quiet, and her brothers want football on the television. Jolene wants only twenty minutes alone.

Di rumah, ia tidak bisa memainkannya. Apartemennya punya dua kamar, tiga saudara laki-laki, dan satu dinding tipis. Setiap kali ia mengangkat busur, seseorang memukul dinding dari seberang. Tetangga menginginkan ketenangan, dan saudara-saudaranya menginginkan sepak bola di televisi. Jolene hanya ingin dua puluh menit sendirian.

So she comes to the hall, where the sewing circle meets. Nobody asked her to join. She came in one afternoon with a torn coat. A tall woman with a tape measure round her neck fixed it in two minutes. Since then, Jolene has stayed to help with the buttons. In return, nobody minds if she sits at the back and practises quietly.

Jadi ia datang ke aula, tempat kelompok menjahit berkumpul. Tak ada yang memintanya bergabung. Ia masuk suatu sore dengan mantel yang sobek. Seorang wanita jangkung dengan pita ukur melingkar di lehernya memperbaikinya dalam dua menit. Sejak itu, Jolene tinggal untuk membantu memasang kancing. Sebagai gantinya, tak ada yang keberatan kalau ia duduk di belakang dan berlatih dengan pelan.

Quietly is the problem. The hall has a high roof and a stone floor. Every note she plays comes back to her like a ghost. The women are patient, but she sees them look at each other when she plays a wrong note. She feels it on her skin like a draught.

Pelan adalah masalahnya. Aula itu beratap tinggi dan berlantai batu. Setiap nada yang ia mainkan kembali kepadanya seperti hantu. Para wanita itu sabar, tetapi ia melihat mereka saling memandang saat ia memainkan nada yang salah. Ia merasakannya di kulitnya seperti embusan angin dingin.

On this particular afternoon, the circle is making costumes for the winter play. Fabric covers every table, and needles flash in the light. Jolene sits by the big tin of buttons and sorts them by colour. Blue here, green there, white in the lid.

Pada sore yang satu ini, kelompok itu sedang membuat kostum untuk drama musim dingin. Kain menutupi setiap meja, dan jarum berkilat di bawah cahaya. Jolene duduk di dekat kaleng besar berisi kancing dan memilahnya berdasarkan warna. Biru di sini, hijau di sana, putih di tutupnya.

Near the bottom of the tin, her fingers find something heavy. She pulls it out.

Di dekat dasar kaleng, jari-jarinya menemukan sesuatu yang berat. Ia menariknya keluar.

It is a key. It is made of brass and is as long as her hand. The handle is worn and shaped like a clover. The metal is cool and smooth, as if many fingers have held it.

Itu sebuah kunci. Terbuat dari kuningan dan sepanjang telapak tangannya. Gagangnya aus dan berbentuk daun semanggi. Logamnya dingin dan licin, seolah banyak jari pernah memegangnya.

"Look at this," she says.

"Lihat ini," katanya.

"That's a good one," says the woman with the tape measure. "I've never seen it before."

"Itu bagus," kata wanita dengan pita ukur. "Aku belum pernah melihatnya."

"Do you know what it opens?" Jolene asks.

"Ibu tahu ini membuka apa?" tanya Jolene.

The woman shakes her head. She asks the others, one by one. A woman with pins in her mouth shrugs. Another says it looks like a key for a cupboard. A third says that, with a clover like that, it must open something important.

Wanita itu menggeleng. Ia bertanya kepada yang lain, satu per satu. Seorang wanita dengan peniti di mulutnya mengangkat bahu. Yang lain bilang itu seperti kunci untuk sebuah lemari. Yang ketiga bilang bahwa dengan semanggi seperti itu, kunci ini pasti membuka sesuatu yang penting.

Vito, who is sweeping the floor near the stage, stops and leans on his broom. He is sixteen, like Jolene, and he helps in the hall for a school scheme. He knows every corner of the building.

Vito, yang sedang menyapu lantai di dekat panggung, berhenti dan bersandar pada sapunya. Ia berusia enam belas tahun, sama seperti Jolene, dan ia membantu di aula untuk program sekolah. Ia tahu setiap sudut gedung itu.

"A key without a door," he says. "I like that."

"Kunci tanpa pintu," katanya. "Aku suka itu."

"Everything has a door," Jolene says. "It just takes a while to find it."

"Segala sesuatu punya pintu," kata Jolene. "Hanya perlu waktu untuk menemukannya."

"Let's find it, then," Vito says.

"Kalau begitu, ayo kita temukan," kata Vito.

They spend the next hour trying every lock in the hall. The key is too big for the kitchen cupboard. It is too big for the small door of the stage store. It does not fit the front doors or the toilets. It does not even fit the fuse box, which has a little lock of its own. Vito holds it up to the light at the end, and he shakes his head.

Mereka menghabiskan satu jam berikutnya dengan mencoba setiap kunci di aula. Kunci itu terlalu besar untuk lemari dapur. Terlalu besar untuk pintu kecil gudang panggung. Kunci itu tidak cocok untuk pintu depan maupun toilet. Bahkan tidak cocok untuk kotak sekering, yang punya kunci kecilnya sendiri. Di akhir, Vito mengangkatnya ke arah cahaya, dan ia menggeleng.

"Maybe it belongs to a door that isn't here any more," he says.

"Mungkin kunci ini milik pintu yang sudah tidak ada lagi," katanya.

Jolene sits down on the edge of the stage. She is tired, and the afternoon is almost over. She turns the key over in her hands.

Jolene duduk di tepi panggung. Ia lelah, dan sore sudah hampir berakhir. Ia membolak-balik kunci itu di tangannya.

"I wish I had a door," she says suddenly. She does not know why she says it out loud. "I mean, a room with a door that closes properly. Somewhere I can practise, and no one bangs on the wall."

"Andai aku punya pintu," katanya tiba-tiba. Ia tidak tahu kenapa ia mengatakannya keras-keras. "Maksudku, sebuah ruangan dengan pintu yang bisa tertutup rapat. Tempat aku bisa berlatih, dan tak ada yang memukul dinding."

Vito sits next to her. "That is a big wish," he says.

Vito duduk di sampingnya. "Itu permintaan yang besar," katanya.

"I know," Jolene says. "It's a stupid one, too. Nobody gives people rooms." She puts the key in her pocket and stands up. "Sorry. Forget I said it."

"Aku tahu," kata Jolene. "Dan juga permintaan yang konyol. Tak ada yang memberi orang ruangan." Ia memasukkan kunci itu ke sakunya dan berdiri. "Maaf. Lupakan saja yang kukatakan."

But at the other side of the hall, the tall woman has stopped sewing. She is looking at Jolene with her head on one side. Then she looks at the others, and something passes between them like a small, quiet message.

Tetapi di sisi lain aula, wanita jangkung itu sudah berhenti menjahit. Ia memandang Jolene dengan kepala miring. Lalu ia memandang yang lain, dan sesuatu berpindah di antara mereka seperti pesan kecil yang tenang.

For the next five days, Jolene is sure she has made a mistake. The women are busy. They talk in low voices. When she walks in, they sit up straight and hide their hands under the table. One afternoon, she finds a pile of old quilts on the stage. Vito moves it quickly to the back. Another afternoon, she hears a drill.

Selama lima hari berikutnya, Jolene yakin ia telah membuat kesalahan. Para wanita itu sibuk. Mereka berbicara dengan suara rendah. Saat ia masuk, mereka duduk tegak dan menyembunyikan tangan di bawah meja. Suatu sore, ia menemukan tumpukan selimut perca tua di panggung. Vito cepat-cepat memindahkannya ke belakang. Sore lain, ia mendengar bunyi bor.

"Are they angry with me?" she asks him on Friday.

"Apa mereka marah padaku?" tanyanya kepada Vito pada hari Jumat.

"I don't think so," Vito says. "I think they are busy." But he looks away, and she does not believe him.

"Kurasa tidak," kata Vito. "Kurasa mereka sibuk." Tetapi ia membuang muka, dan Jolene tidak memercayainya.

On Monday, she arrives with her violin, and the hall is strangely tidy. The tables are folded up. The women stand in a line in front of the stage. Vito stands at the end, with his hands behind his back.

Pada hari Senin, ia tiba dengan biolanya, dan aula itu anehnya rapi. Meja-meja dilipat. Para wanita berdiri dalam satu barisan di depan panggung. Vito berdiri di ujung, dengan tangan di belakang punggung.

"Jolene," says the tall woman. "We have a present for you. It isn't what you asked for, but we hope it will do."

"Jolene," kata wanita jangkung itu. "Kami punya hadiah untukmu. Bukan yang kamu minta, tapi kami harap ini cukup."

She nods to Vito, and he pulls a rope.

Ia mengangguk kepada Vito, dan Vito menarik seutas tali.

In the left corner of the hall, a tall frame stands between the stage and the wall. It is made of wood and covered all over with quilt squares. Some are blue and some are green. Some have stars and some have stripes, and a few have buttons. The squares are thick and soft, because there is wadding inside them. Where a door handle should be, there is a loop of ribbon. A small pocket is sewn next to it, with the shape of a key.

Di sudut kiri aula, sebuah rangka tinggi berdiri di antara panggung dan dinding. Rangka itu terbuat dari kayu dan ditutupi seluruhnya dengan potongan-potongan selimut perca. Ada yang biru dan ada yang hijau. Ada yang bergambar bintang dan ada yang bergaris, dan beberapa dihiasi kancing. Potongan-potongan itu tebal dan lembut, karena ada kapas di dalamnya. Di tempat gagang pintu seharusnya berada, ada sebuah simpul pita. Sebuah kantong kecil dijahit di sebelahnya, dengan bentuk sebuah kunci.

Jolene stares at it. She cannot speak.

Jolene menatapnya. Ia tidak bisa bicara.

"It's a door," Vito says. "Sort of. It goes round three sides, and the fourth is the wall. It is the quietest corner in the hall."

"Ini pintu," kata Vito. "Semacam itu. Pintu ini mengelilingi tiga sisi, dan sisi keempat adalah dinding. Ini sudut paling tenang di aula."

"We took the quilts from the cupboard," says the woman with the pins. "Nobody had used them in years."

"Kami mengambil selimut-selimut itu dari lemari," kata wanita dengan peniti. "Sudah bertahun-tahun tak ada yang memakainya."

"And the key?" Jolene asks. Her voice is small.

"Dan kuncinya?" tanya Jolene. Suaranya kecil.

"The key goes in the pocket," says the tall woman. "You can't lock it, I'm afraid. But if the key is in the pocket, it means somebody is practising. Nobody comes in. That is the rule."

"Kuncinya masuk ke kantong," kata wanita jangkung itu. "Sayangnya tidak bisa dikunci. Tapi kalau kuncinya ada di kantong, artinya seseorang sedang berlatih. Tak ada yang masuk. Itu aturannya."

Jolene walks slowly to the door. She puts her hand on the soft cloth and feels how thick it is. She lifts the ribbon and goes inside. A stool and a music stand are waiting there. The sound of the hall fades behind her, as if a hand has covered her ears.

Jolene berjalan perlahan ke pintu itu. Ia meletakkan tangannya di kain yang lembut dan merasakan betapa tebalnya. Ia mengangkat pita itu dan masuk. Sebuah bangku dan sebuah penyangga partitur sudah menunggu di sana. Suara aula memudar di belakangnya, seolah sebuah tangan menutupi telinganya.

She puts the violin under her chin and lifts the bow. For the first time in months, the note does not come back to her like a ghost.

Ia menaruh biola di bawah dagunya dan mengangkat busur. Untuk pertama kalinya dalam berbulan-bulan, nada itu tidak kembali kepadanya seperti hantu.

Outside, Vito holds the key. He slips it into the pocket and gives the ribbon a small tug, to make sure everything holds. The tiny brass handle swings and taps against the wood.

Di luar, Vito memegang kunci itu. Ia menyelipkannya ke dalam kantong dan menarik pita itu sedikit, untuk memastikan semuanya kokoh. Gagang kuningan mungil itu berayun dan mengetuk kayu.

Click.

Klik.