The Rain Race on the Window

It rains on Sunday, and Rafi is bored. His mother is at work. His father is asleep on the couch. His little sister Sana sits on the floor. She has a toy horse. Rafi has no homework. He has no friends at the door. He cannot go to the park. He looks out the window and sighs.

Hari Minggu hujan, dan Rafi bosan. Ibunya sedang bekerja. Ayahnya tertidur di sofa. Adik kecilnya, Sana, duduk di lantai. Dia membawa kuda mainan. Rafi tidak punya PR. Tidak ada teman yang datang ke pintu. Dia tidak bisa pergi ke taman. Dia melihat ke luar jendela dan menghela napas.

Raindrops run down the glass. Some are fast. Some are slow. Some stop for a second and then go again. "Sana," he says.

Tetesan hujan mengalir di kaca. Ada yang cepat. Ada yang lambat. Ada yang berhenti sebentar lalu jalan lagi. "Sana," katanya.

"Come here." She walks to the window with her horse. She is five years old. She has two small braids and a very serious face.

"Sini." Dia berjalan ke jendela sambil membawa kudanya. Dia berumur lima tahun. Dia punya dua kepang kecil dan wajah yang sangat serius.

"Look at the drops," says Rafi.

"Lihat tetesannya," kata Rafi.

"They race."

"Mereka balapan."

"They do not race," says Sana.

"Mereka tidak balapan," kata Sana.

"They fall."

"Mereka jatuh."

"Pick one," he says.

"Pilih satu," katanya.

"I pick the big one at the top." Sana thinks for a long time. Then she points at a tiny drop near the corner.

"Aku pilih yang besar di atas." Sana berpikir lama. Lalu dia menunjuk tetesan kecil di dekat sudut.

"That one," she says.

"Yang itu," katanya.

"It is too small," says Rafi.

"Itu terlalu kecil," kata Rafi.

"It will lose."

"Dia akan kalah."

"No," says Sana.

"Tidak," kata Sana.

"It is fast."

"Dia cepat."

They put their fingers on the glass. Rafi says, "One, two, three, go!" Both drops start to move. The big drop runs down in a straight line. The small drop turns and stops. It starts again.

Mereka meletakkan jari di kaca. Rafi berkata, "Satu, dua, tiga, jalan!" Kedua tetesan mulai bergerak. Tetesan besar meluncur turun dalam garis lurus. Tetesan kecil berbelok dan berhenti. Lalu mulai lagi.

"I win," says Rafi.

"Aku menang," kata Rafi.

"Wait," says Sana.

"Tunggu," kata Sana.

The big drop reaches a dust spot on the glass. It stops. It shakes, and it cannot move. The small drop runs past it and reaches the bottom. "I win!" Sana shouts. She jumps up and down. Her horse flies through the air.

Tetesan besar sampai di bercak debu di kaca. Dia berhenti. Dia bergetar, dan tidak bisa bergerak. Tetesan kecil meluncur melewatinya dan sampai di bawah. "Aku menang!" teriak Sana. Dia melompat-lompat. Kudanya terbang di udara.

"Shh," says Rafi.

"Sst," kata Rafi.

"Dad is asleep."

"Ayah sedang tidur."

"My drop is the best," Sana says. It is a loud whisper. "One more race," says Rafi.

"Tetesanku yang terbaik," kata Sana. Itu bisikan yang keras. "Sekali lagi," kata Rafi.

They race again, and again. They give the drops names. The big one is Thunder. The small one is Pepper. A third one, with a long tail, is the Snake. Sana likes the Snake the most. She says it is a friend of her horse.

Mereka balapan lagi, dan lagi. Mereka memberi nama pada tetesan-tetesan itu. Yang besar bernama Guntur. Yang kecil bernama Lada. Yang ketiga, dengan ekor panjang, bernama Ular. Sana paling suka Ular. Katanya Ular adalah teman kudanya.

After ten races, Rafi has an idea. He gets a pen and a piece of paper. He draws a line down the middle. On one side he writes his name. On the other side he writes Sana's name. "We keep score," he says.

Setelah sepuluh balapan, Rafi punya ide. Dia mengambil pulpen dan selembar kertas. Dia menarik garis di tengah kertas. Di satu sisi dia menulis namanya. Di sisi lain dia menulis nama Sana. "Kita catat skor," katanya.

"What is score?" Sana asks.

"Skor itu apa?" tanya Sana.

"A number for winning," he says.

"Angka untuk kemenangan," katanya.

She counts on her fingers. "I have three. You have four."

Dia menghitung dengan jarinya. "Aku punya tiga. Kakak punya empat."

"No, you have four," says Rafi.

"Bukan, kamu punya empat," kata Rafi.

"I made a mistake."

"Aku salah hitung."

"You let me win," says Sana. Rafi looks at the paper. It is true, and he is a little embarrassed.

"Kakak membiarkan aku menang," kata Sana. Rafi melihat kertas itu. Itu benar, dan dia sedikit malu.

"A little," he says.

"Sedikit," katanya.

"Do you mind?"

"Kamu keberatan?"

"No," she says.

"Tidak," katanya.

"But next time, do not."

"Tapi lain kali, jangan begitu."

The rain gets harder. The drops run faster. Sana makes a new rule. The winner never stops on the way. Rafi tells her that is a very good rule. She nods like a small teacher. Their father wakes up. He walks into the room with his hair standing up. "What is this noise?" he asks.

Hujan makin deras. Tetesan meluncur lebih cepat. Sana membuat aturan baru. Pemenang tidak boleh berhenti di tengah jalan. Rafi bilang itu aturan yang sangat bagus. Sana mengangguk seperti guru kecil. Ayah mereka terbangun. Dia berjalan masuk ke ruangan dengan rambut berdiri. "Ribut apa ini?" tanyanya.

"We race the rain," says Sana.

"Kami balapan hujan," kata Sana.

"Who wins?"

"Siapa yang menang?"

"I am," she says.

"Aku," katanya.

"Rafi lets me win." Their father sits down on the floor next to them. His knees crack. He looks at the window. He looks at the paper.

"Kak Rafi membiarkan aku menang." Ayah mereka duduk di lantai di samping mereka. Lututnya berbunyi. Dia melihat ke jendela. Dia melihat kertas itu.

"May I play?" he asks.

"Boleh Ayah ikut main?" tanyanya.

"You need a drop," says Rafi.

"Ayah butuh satu tetesan," kata Rafi.

Their father looks for a long time. He picks a drop near the middle. It is round and clear. "This one," he says.

Ayah mereka mencari lama. Dia memilih satu tetesan di dekat tengah. Bentuknya bulat dan jernih. "Yang ini," katanya.

"I call him Dad."

"Ayah beri nama Ayah."

"Dad is slow," says Sana.

"Ayah lambat," kata Sana.

"Dad is careful," says their father.

"Ayah hati-hati," kata ayah mereka.

They put their fingers on the glass. Rafi counts down. Three drops run, and a fourth, and a fifth. The room is full of noise. Their father laughs. Sana shouts. Rafi forgets that he was bored. Dad loses the first race. He loses the second race too. By the evening, he has no points at all.

Mereka meletakkan jari di kaca. Rafi menghitung mundur. Tiga tetesan meluncur, lalu yang keempat, lalu yang kelima. Ruangan penuh keributan. Ayah mereka tertawa. Sana berteriak. Rafi lupa bahwa tadi dia bosan. Ayah kalah di balapan pertama. Dia juga kalah di balapan kedua. Menjelang malam, dia tidak punya poin sama sekali.

"I am a bad drop," he says.

"Aku tetesan yang jelek," katanya.

"You are a very bad drop," says Sana kindly. When their mother comes home, the rain is soft. She opens the door. Three people stand at the window. Nobody turns around.

"Ayah tetesan yang sangat jelek," kata Sana dengan baik hati. Ketika ibu mereka pulang, hujan sudah reda. Dia membuka pintu. Tiga orang berdiri di dekat jendela. Tidak ada yang menoleh.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"Kalian sedang apa?" tanyanya.

"Shh," says Rafi.

"Sst," kata Rafi.

"The last race."

"Balapan terakhir."