The Scarf for Nobody in Particular

The back room of the pharmacy is smaller than a parking space. Today it holds two people who do not like each other.

Ruang belakang apotek itu lebih kecil daripada satu tempat parkir. Hari ini ruangan itu diisi dua orang yang tidak saling menyukai.

Nils stands by the shelves with a clipboard. He labels everything. Every box of tablets has a neat white sticker with a date, a number and his initials. Adaeze sits at the little desk by the door, and she works in a completely different way. She remembers where things are by feel, and she never writes a thing down.

Nils berdiri di dekat rak sambil memegang papan jepit. Ia melabeli segalanya. Setiap kotak tablet punya stiker putih rapi berisi tanggal, nomor, dan inisialnya. Adaeze duduk di meja kecil dekat pintu, dan caranya bekerja sama sekali berbeda. Ia mengingat letak barang dari rasa, dan ia tidak pernah menulis apa pun.

"You've moved the cough syrup again," Nils says.

"Kamu memindahkan sirop batuk itu lagi," kata Nils.

"I've put it where people can reach it," Adaeze says. "You hid it behind the vitamins."

"Aku menaruhnya di tempat yang bisa dijangkau orang," kata Adaeze. "Kamu menyembunyikannya di belakang vitamin."

"I filed it behind the vitamins. There's a difference."

"Aku mengarsipkannya di belakang vitamin. Itu berbeda."

They have worked in the same pharmacy for four years. For three of those years, they have been polite. This year, the owner says that one of them will become the head pharmacist. The politeness has quietly disappeared. Now they count each other's mistakes like points in a game.

Mereka sudah bekerja di apotek yang sama selama empat tahun. Selama tiga tahun di antaranya, mereka bersikap sopan. Tahun ini, sang pemilik berkata bahwa salah satu dari mereka akan menjadi kepala apoteker. Kesopanan itu pun diam-diam menghilang. Sekarang mereka menghitung kesalahan satu sama lain seperti poin dalam sebuah permainan.

On the hook behind the desk hangs a long striped scarf. It is blue and yellow and green, and it is already almost two metres long. Adaeze knits it during her breaks, a few rows at a time. Nobody knows who it is for. Nils has asked about it once, and she only shrugs.

Di pengait di belakang meja tergantung sebuah syal panjang bergaris. Warnanya biru, kuning, dan hijau, dan panjangnya sudah hampir dua meter. Adaeze merajutnya saat istirahat, beberapa baris sekali duduk. Tidak ada yang tahu syal itu untuk siapa. Nils pernah bertanya sekali, dan ia hanya mengangkat bahu.

"It's for no one in particular," she says.

"Untuk siapa saja," katanya.

"Nobody knits two metres of scarf for no one," he says.

"Tidak ada orang yang merajut syal dua meter untuk siapa saja," kata Nils.

"I do."

"Aku merajut."

Today is Friday, and the area manager is coming on Monday to inspect the shop. Everyone in the building knows that the back room must be perfect by then. The manager, a tall woman with a very quiet voice, arrives at nine o'clock with a plan.

Hari ini hari Jumat, dan manajer area akan datang hari Senin untuk memeriksa toko. Semua orang di gedung itu tahu bahwa ruang belakang harus sempurna saat itu. Sang manajer, seorang perempuan jangkung dengan suara sangat pelan, tiba pukul sembilan dengan sebuah rencana.

"The inspection is about the cold storage and the stock list," she says. "Nils, you have the list. Adaeze, you have the keys to the cabinet. Neither of you can finish without the other. So you will work together until it is done."

"Pemeriksaan ini tentang penyimpanan dingin dan daftar stok," katanya. "Nils, kamu memegang daftarnya. Adaeze, kamu memegang kunci lemari. Tidak satu pun dari kalian bisa menyelesaikannya tanpa yang lain. Jadi kalian akan bekerja bersama sampai selesai."

"Together?" Nils says.

"Bersama?" kata Nils.

"Together," she repeats, and she leaves.

"Bersama," ulangnya, lalu ia pergi.

For the first two hours, they work like two people sharing a very small boat. Nils reads out a name and a number, and Adaeze finds the box and gives it back. Neither of them says anything kind. Once, Nils reads a number wrong, and Adaeze lets him know about it with a very long look.

Selama dua jam pertama, mereka bekerja seperti dua orang yang berbagi perahu yang sangat kecil. Nils membacakan sebuah nama dan nomor, dan Adaeze menemukan kotaknya lalu mengembalikannya. Tidak seorang pun mengucapkan kata yang ramah. Sekali, Nils salah membaca sebuah nomor, dan Adaeze menegurnya dengan tatapan yang sangat panjang.

"That was a seven," she says.

"Itu angka tujuh," katanya.

"It was a one."

"Itu angka satu."

"It's a seven. Look at the box, not at your handwriting."

"Itu tujuh. Lihat kotaknya, bukan tulisan tanganmu."

He looks. It is a seven. He says nothing. He writes the number again with great care, and she hides a smile behind her coffee cup.

Ia melihat. Memang tujuh. Ia tidak berkata apa-apa. Ia menulis angka itu lagi dengan sangat hati-hati, dan Adaeze menyembunyikan senyum di balik cangkir kopinya.

At eleven o'clock, a thin, high alarm begins to sound from the corner of the room. Both of them freeze. The noise is coming from the big fridge where the pharmacy keeps its vaccines and insulin. A small orange light flashes on the door.

Pukul sebelas, alarm tipis bernada tinggi mulai berbunyi dari sudut ruangan. Keduanya membeku. Suara itu berasal dari lemari es besar tempat apotek menyimpan vaksin dan insulin. Sebuah lampu oranye kecil berkedip di pintunya.

"The cooling has stopped," Nils says. His voice is suddenly very calm. "We have about twenty minutes before the temperature gets too high."

"Pendinginnya mati," kata Nils. Suaranya tiba-tiba sangat tenang. "Kita punya sekitar dua puluh menit sebelum suhunya terlalu tinggi."

"Then we move everything. Now."

"Kalau begitu kita pindahkan semuanya. Sekarang."

"Where to? The second fridge is in the shop, and it's full of customers' orders."

"Ke mana? Lemari es kedua ada di toko, dan penuh dengan pesanan pelanggan."

Adaeze is already on her feet. "Then we empty the orders onto the counter and put the vaccines in the second fridge. The orders can sit on the shelf for an hour. They don't need cold."

Adaeze sudah berdiri. "Kalau begitu kita keluarkan pesanan-pesanan itu ke atas meja kasir dan taruh vaksinnya di lemari es kedua. Pesanan itu bisa duduk di rak selama satu jam. Mereka tidak butuh dingin."

"That breaks three rules."

"Itu melanggar tiga aturan."

"Which is better, breaking three rules or throwing away a whole shelf of medicine?"

"Mana yang lebih baik, melanggar tiga aturan atau membuang satu rak penuh obat?"

Nils opens his mouth. Then he closes it and nods. "You take the orders out. I'll carry the vaccines. We need ice packs for the walk through the shop."

Nils membuka mulutnya. Lalu ia menutupnya dan mengangguk. "Kamu keluarkan pesanannya. Aku yang membawa vaksinnya. Kita butuh kantong es untuk berjalan melewati toko."

"The ice packs are in the freezer on the left."

"Kantong es ada di freezer sebelah kiri."

"There's a problem with that too," Nils says, and he points. The freezer's door is stuck. The cold has made the rubber seal swell. It will not open without a pull from two hands.

"Itu juga bermasalah," kata Nils, dan ia menunjuk. Pintu freezer itu macet. Dingin membuat segel karetnya mengembang. Pintu itu tidak akan terbuka tanpa tarikan dua tangan.

They each take a handle. "On three," Adaeze says. "One, two, three."

Mereka masing-masing memegang satu gagang. "Pada hitungan ketiga," kata Adaeze. "Satu, dua, tiga."

The door opens with a loud crack. A cloud of white air rolls out. A pile of ice packs falls onto the floor like cold bricks. They scoop them up and carry them to the big fridge. Inside, the vaccines sit in neat white rows, each with Nils's sticker on top.

Pintu itu terbuka dengan bunyi retak yang keras. Segumpal udara putih bergulung keluar. Setumpuk kantong es jatuh ke lantai seperti batu bata dingin. Mereka memungutnya dan membawanya ke lemari es besar. Di dalamnya, vaksin-vaksin tersusun dalam barisan putih yang rapi, masing-masing dengan stiker Nils di atasnya.

"Your labels help," Adaeze admits, while she lifts a tray. "I can see the dates at once."

"Label-labelmu membantu," Adaeze mengakui sambil mengangkat sebuah nampan. "Aku bisa langsung melihat tanggalnya."

"Your memory helps," he says. "I would never find the second fridge's key in this mess."

"Ingatanmu membantu," kata Nils. "Aku tidak akan pernah menemukan kunci lemari es kedua di tengah kekacauan ini."

"The key is on the hook. Behind the scarf."

"Kuncinya ada di pengait. Di belakang syal."

He reaches behind the scarf and finds it. It takes less than a minute. They have an idea at the same moment, and they both say it together: "The scarf."

Ia merogoh ke belakang syal dan menemukannya. Tidak sampai satu menit. Pada saat yang sama mereka mendapat gagasan, dan keduanya mengatakannya bersamaan: "Syal itu."

"It's thick wool," Nils says. "It keeps the cold in."

"Wolnya tebal," kata Nils. "Bisa menahan dingin di dalam."

"It's two metres long. We can wrap the ice packs in it and lay the vaccines on top."

"Panjangnya dua meter. Kita bisa membungkus kantong es dengan syal itu dan menaruh vaksin di atasnya."

"But it's for no one in particular."

"Tapi itu untuk siapa saja."

"Then it's for this," Adaeze says, and she takes it from the hook without a second thought.

"Kalau begitu, ini untuk keperluan ini," kata Adaeze, dan ia mengambilnya dari pengait tanpa berpikir dua kali.

They wrap the ice packs in the soft wool. They line a plastic box with them and fit the vaccines in carefully. Nils carries the box through the shop like a precious cake. Adaeze runs ahead and moves the customers' orders from the second fridge to the counter. Then she holds the door open with her foot. A man waiting to pay for his shampoo watches them with open interest.

Mereka membungkus kantong es dengan wol yang lembut itu. Mereka melapisi sebuah kotak plastik dengannya dan menata vaksin dengan hati-hati. Nils membawa kotak itu melewati toko seperti kue yang berharga. Adaeze berlari di depan dan memindahkan pesanan pelanggan dari lemari es kedua ke meja kasir. Lalu ia menahan pintu dengan kakinya. Seorang pria yang menunggu untuk membayar sampo mengamati mereka dengan penuh minat.

"Is this normal?" he asks.

"Apakah ini biasa?" tanyanya.

"Perfectly normal," Adaeze says. "We do it every Friday."

"Biasa sekali," kata Adaeze. "Kami melakukannya setiap Jumat."

In under twelve minutes, every box is safely in the second fridge. Nils checks the temperature three times. It stays at exactly the right number. Adaeze sits down heavily on the stool behind the counter and laughs. He laughs too, and for a moment they look like two old friends.

Dalam waktu kurang dari dua belas menit, setiap kotak sudah aman di lemari es kedua. Nils memeriksa suhunya tiga kali. Suhunya tetap pada angka yang tepat. Adaeze duduk berat di bangku di belakang meja kasir dan tertawa. Nils pun tertawa, dan sesaat mereka tampak seperti dua sahabat lama.

The repair man arrives at noon. He fixes the big fridge in twenty minutes. The cooling hum returns to the back room like a very old song.

Tukang reparasi tiba saat tengah hari. Ia memperbaiki lemari es besar itu dalam dua puluh menit. Dengung pendingin kembali ke ruang belakang seperti lagu yang sangat tua.

On Monday, the area manager walks in at nine o'clock sharp. She inspects the shelves, the labels, the fridge and the stock list. She asks a lot of questions, and Nils and Adaeze answer them together, one finishing the other's sentence. When she finishes, she writes a long note on her form.

Pada hari Senin, manajer area masuk tepat pukul sembilan. Ia memeriksa rak, label, lemari es, dan daftar stok. Ia mengajukan banyak pertanyaan, dan Nils serta Adaeze menjawabnya bersama-sama, saling menyelesaikan kalimat satu sama lain. Setelah selesai, ia menulis catatan panjang pada formulirnya.

"Excellent," she says at last. "You two have the cleanest back room in the region. And the owner has asked me to tell you something. There is no single head pharmacist this year. There are two."

"Luar biasa," katanya akhirnya. "Kalian berdua punya ruang belakang paling bersih di wilayah ini. Dan pemilik meminta saya menyampaikan sesuatu kepada kalian. Tahun ini tidak ada satu kepala apoteker. Ada dua."

Nils turns to Adaeze, and for the first time in months, he does not see a rival.

Nils menoleh kepada Adaeze, dan untuk pertama kalinya setelah berbulan-bulan, ia tidak melihat seorang saingan.

"Co-heads," he says. "I suppose I can share a desk."

"Kepala bersama," katanya. "Kurasa aku bisa berbagi meja."

"You can share more than that," Adaeze says. She holds up the scarf, still a little damp from the ice packs. It is nearly three metres long now.

"Kamu bisa berbagi lebih dari itu," kata Adaeze. Ia mengangkat syal itu, yang masih agak lembap karena kantong es. Panjangnya hampir tiga meter sekarang.

"So it is for someone in particular now?" Nils asks.

"Jadi sekarang syal itu untuk seseorang secara khusus?" tanya Nils.

"It's for whoever stops moving my cough syrup," she says.

"Untuk siapa pun yang berhenti memindahkan sirop batukku," katanya.