The Roses That Overslept

Fleur reached the flower market at four in the morning. The street was dark and cold. Only the lamps over the stalls glowed.

Fleur tiba di pasar bunga pukul empat pagi. Jalanan gelap dan dingin. Hanya lampu-lampu di atas kios yang menyala.

Her stall was the last one in the row. Ismael sat on a crate by the counter. He held a small box.

Kiosnya yang paling ujung dalam deretan itu. Ismael duduk di atas peti dekat meja kasir. Ia memegang sebuah kotak kecil.

"You are late," he said.

"Kamu terlambat," katanya.

"It is four o'clock," said Fleur. "Nobody is late at four."

"Sekarang jam empat," kata Fleur. "Tidak ada yang terlambat jam empat."

"Look at this." Ismael opened the box. Inside lay a folded paper. "I found it under the counter."

"Lihat ini." Ismael membuka kotak itu. Di dalamnya ada selembar kertas terlipat. "Kutemukan di bawah meja kasir."

Fleur unfolded the paper. It was a recipe, written in pencil. The top said, "Wake-Up Water for Sleepy Flowers." The letters were small and soft. In some places the pencil was almost gone.

Fleur membuka lipatan kertas itu. Isinya sebuah resep yang ditulis dengan pensil. Di bagian atas tertulis, "Air Pembangun untuk Bunga yang Mengantuk." Hurufnya kecil dan lembut. Di beberapa bagian, tulisan pensilnya nyaris hilang.

"Sleepy flowers?" She laughed. "Who writes a thing like that?"

"Bunga yang mengantuk?" Ia tertawa. "Siapa yang menulis hal seperti itu?"

"Someone who knew this stall," said Ismael. "Come and see the buckets."

"Seseorang yang mengenal kios ini," kata Ismael. "Ayo lihat ember-embernya."

Fleur turned around. Fifty buckets of roses stood in the dark. Every rose was shut tight. They looked like little fists.

Fleur berbalik. Lima puluh ember mawar berdiri dalam gelap. Setiap mawar tertutup rapat. Bentuknya seperti kepalan tangan kecil.

"Oh no," she said. "The hotel van comes at six."

"Aduh," katanya. "Van hotel datang jam enam."

"What do they want?" asked Ismael.

"Mereka mau apa?" tanya Ismael.

"Three hundred open roses for their tables. My mother promised them last week."

"Tiga ratus mawar yang sudah mekar untuk meja-meja mereka. Ibuku menjanjikannya minggu lalu."

Ismael looked up at the black sky. "The sun comes up at seven."

Ismael menengadah menatap langit yang hitam. "Matahari terbit jam tujuh."

"Then we need help." Fleur looked at the paper again. "Or we try this."

"Kalau begitu kita butuh bantuan." Fleur menatap kertas itu lagi. "Atau kita coba ini."

Ismael shrugged. "Why not? The roses cannot get any sleepier."

Ismael mengangkat bahu. "Kenapa tidak? Mawar-mawar itu tidak bisa lebih mengantuk lagi."

She read the list out loud. "One cup of warm water. Two spoons of honey. A handful of mint."

Ia membacakan daftarnya keras-keras. "Satu cangkir air hangat. Dua sendok madu. Segenggam mint."

"We have honey," said Ismael. "The mint seller is next door."

"Madu kita punya," kata Ismael. "Penjual mint ada di sebelah."

"There is a pinch of something too. The word is gone." Fleur held the paper under the lamp. "A white stain covers it."

"Ada juga satu jumput sesuatu. Katanya hilang." Fleur menahan kertas itu di bawah lampu. "Ada noda putih yang menutupinya."

"White powder," said Ismael. "It must be salt."

"Bubuk putih," kata Ismael. "Pasti garam."

"Or sugar."

"Atau gula."

"Sugar and honey are both sweet. It must be salt."

"Gula dan madu sama-sama manis. Pasti garam."

"Salt, then." Fleur read the last line. "Hum one slow song. Pour. Wait."

"Baiklah, garam." Fleur membaca baris terakhir. "Senandungkan satu lagu yang lambat. Tuang. Tunggu."

Ismael ran to the next stall. The mint seller looked up from his chair. He did not look surprised. Ismael asked for a big handful of mint.

Ismael berlari ke kios sebelah. Si penjual mint mendongak dari kursinya. Ia tidak tampak terkejut. Ismael meminta segenggam besar mint.

"What for?" asked the man.

"Untuk apa?" tanya pria itu.

"For sleepy roses," said Ismael.

"Untuk mawar yang mengantuk," kata Ismael.

The man did not laugh. He gave Ismael two handfuls. "Take extra," he said. "It is early."

Pria itu tidak tertawa. Ia memberi Ismael dua genggam. "Ambil lebih," katanya. "Ini masih pagi sekali."

Back at the stall, Fleur lit the small stove. She warmed the water in a pot. She added the honey, the mint and one pinch of salt. The smell was sweet and strange.

Kembali di kios, Fleur menyalakan kompor kecil. Ia menghangatkan air dalam panci. Ia menambahkan madu, mint, dan satu jumput garam. Baunya manis dan aneh.

Then she hummed a slow song. It was a soft song her mother sang. Ismael poured the water over every bucket.

Lalu ia menyenandungkan sebuah lagu yang lambat. Itu lagu lembut yang biasa dinyanyikan ibunya. Ismael menuangkan air itu ke setiap ember.

For a long moment, nothing happened. Then a sound came from the nearest bucket. It was low and slow, like a tiny breath. Then it came again.

Untuk beberapa saat yang lama, tidak ada yang terjadi. Lalu terdengar suara dari ember terdekat. Suaranya rendah dan pelan, seperti napas kecil. Lalu terdengar lagi.

"Ismael," whispered Fleur. "Are they snoring?"

"Ismael," bisik Fleur. "Apa mereka mendengkur?"

Ismael leaned closer. The sound came from all the buckets now. Fifty buckets of roses snored together. The heads of the flowers dropped even lower.

Ismael mencondongkan badan lebih dekat. Suara itu kini datang dari semua ember. Lima puluh ember mawar mendengkur bersama-sama. Kepala bunga-bunga itu terkulai makin rendah.

"We made it worse," he said. "We sang them a lullaby!"

"Kita malah memperburuknya," katanya. "Kita menyanyikan lagu pengantar tidur untuk mereka!"

"The paper said a slow song!"

"Kertasnya bilang lagu yang lambat!"

"The paper also forgot a word!" Ismael checked his phone. "It is five o'clock. We have one hour."

"Kertasnya juga melupakan satu kata!" Ismael melihat ponselnya. "Sekarang jam lima. Kita punya satu jam."

Fleur sat down on the crate. She put her face in her hands. The roses snored in the quiet.

Fleur duduk di atas peti. Ia membenamkan wajah di kedua tangannya. Mawar-mawar itu mendengkur dalam keheningan.

"My mother will lose the hotel," she said. "They will buy their flowers somewhere else."

"Ibuku akan kehilangan pelanggan hotel itu," katanya. "Mereka akan membeli bunga di tempat lain."

Ismael did not answer at first. He stood and looked at the pot. Steam rose from the warm water. It smelled of mint and honey.

Ismael tidak langsung menjawab. Ia berdiri dan memandangi panci itu. Uap mengepul dari air hangatnya. Baunya mint dan madu.

"At my house, an alarm clock never works," he said. "Nobody gets up for it."

"Di rumahku, jam weker tidak pernah berhasil," katanya. "Tidak ada yang bangun karenanya."

"So?"

"Lalu?"

"We get up when we smell breakfast." He grinned. "Nothing wakes my family faster."

"Kami bangun saat mencium bau sarapan." Ia nyengir. "Tidak ada yang membangunkan keluargaku lebih cepat."

Fleur looked up. "You want to give the roses breakfast."

Fleur mendongak. "Kamu mau memberi mawar-mawar itu sarapan."

"Everything else failed. Why not?"

"Semua cara lain gagal. Kenapa tidak?"

They worked fast. They threw away the salty water. Ismael made a new pot with only honey and mint. They poured it into a wide pan. They put it between the buckets. Fleur waved her hat over the steam. The sweet smell drifted over the roses.

Mereka bekerja cepat. Mereka membuang air yang asin itu. Ismael membuat panci baru hanya dengan madu dan mint. Mereka menuangnya ke dalam wajan yang lebar. Mereka meletakkannya di antara ember-ember. Fleur mengipasi uapnya dengan topinya. Bau manis itu melayang di atas mawar-mawar.

"Now we need a fast song," said Ismael. "A happy one."

"Sekarang kita butuh lagu yang cepat," kata Ismael. "Yang riang."

"Not a lullaby?"

"Bukan lagu pengantar tidur?"

"Never again."

"Tidak akan pernah lagi."

Ismael sang the silly song from his school football games. Fleur clapped the beat. The song was loud and bad. But it was certainly a morning song.

Ismael menyanyikan lagu konyol dari pertandingan sepak bola sekolahnya. Fleur menepukkan tangan mengikuti irama. Lagunya keras dan jelek. Tapi jelas itu lagu pagi.

At first nothing happened. Then one rose near the front gave a small shake. Its petals opened a little. They moved like someone stretching in bed.

Awalnya tidak terjadi apa-apa. Lalu satu mawar di dekat barisan depan bergoyang sedikit. Kelopaknya membuka sedikit. Gerakannya seperti orang yang sedang meregangkan badan di tempat tidur.

"Look!" said Fleur.

"Lihat!" kata Fleur.

Another rose opened. Then another. Soon the whole row stirred. Petals opened with soft sounds, like paper. The roses leaned toward the warm pan. Some of them glowed a little, pink in the lamplight.

Mawar lain mekar. Lalu satu lagi. Tak lama seluruh barisan bergerak. Kelopak-kelopak membuka dengan bunyi lembut, seperti kertas. Mawar-mawar itu condong ke arah wajan yang hangat. Beberapa di antaranya bersinar sedikit, merah muda di bawah cahaya lampu.

By half past five, the first buckets were open. At a quarter to six, three hundred roses were open and perfect. The market smelled like a garden. Even the mint seller clapped from his chair.

Pada pukul setengah enam, ember-ember pertama sudah mekar. Pada pukul enam kurang seperempat, tiga ratus mawar sudah mekar sempurna. Pasar berbau seperti taman. Bahkan penjual mint pun bertepuk tangan dari kursinya.

The hotel van stopped at six. A tall woman climbed out with a list. She walked down the row and touched the flowers.

Van hotel berhenti pukul enam. Seorang perempuan tinggi turun membawa daftar. Ia berjalan menyusuri barisan dan menyentuh bunga-bunga itu.

"These are beautiful," she said. "They look so awake."

"Cantik sekali," katanya. "Kelihatannya segar sekali."

"Thank you," said Fleur. "They had breakfast."

"Terima kasih," kata Fleur. "Mereka sudah sarapan."

The woman smiled as if it was a joke. She paid, and two men loaded the buckets into the van. Then the van drove away down the empty street.

Perempuan itu tersenyum seolah itu sebuah lelucon. Ia membayar, dan dua pria memuat ember-ember itu ke dalam van. Lalu van itu melaju pergi menyusuri jalan yang sepi.

Fleur took the recipe from her pocket. The first sun now lit the stall. She held the paper up to the light. At the bottom, new pencil letters showed in the light.

Fleur mengambil resep itu dari sakunya. Sinar matahari pertama kini menerangi kios. Ia mengangkat kertas itu ke arah cahaya. Di bagian bawah, huruf-huruf pensil baru tampak dalam cahaya itu.

"Listen to this," she said. "P.S. A loud friend works better than salt."

"Dengarkan ini," katanya. "P.S. Teman yang berisik lebih manjur daripada garam."

Ismael took a deep bow. "I am the loud friend."

Ismael membungkuk dalam-dalam. "Akulah teman yang berisik itu."

"You are," said Fleur. "And I owe you for the morning."

"Memang," kata Fleur. "Dan aku berutang budi padamu untuk pagi ini."

"Then I want my pay. Two big spoons of honey."

"Kalau begitu aku mau bayaranku. Dua sendok besar madu."

"One spoon," said Fleur. "Your singing was terrible."

"Satu sendok," kata Fleur. "Nyanyianmu jelek sekali."

"But it worked," said Ismael. "Roses love breakfast."

"Tapi berhasil," kata Ismael. "Mawar suka sarapan."