The Scooter After Closing

Pablo worked in a car garage on Mill Street. He liked the noise of the tools. He liked the smell of oil. He did not like to talk much.

Pablo bekerja di sebuah bengkel mobil di Jalan Mill. Ia suka bunyi peralatan. Ia suka bau oli. Ia tidak suka banyak bicara.

A new mechanic started in March. Her name was Valentina. She was quick and funny. She sang while she worked. Pablo listened and said nothing.

Seorang montir baru mulai bekerja pada bulan Maret. Namanya Valentina. Ia cekatan dan lucu. Ia bernyanyi sambil bekerja. Pablo mendengarkan dan tidak berkata apa-apa.

In her second week, Valentina found an old scooter. It stood behind the garage. It was blue and dirty. A tree grew through the back wheel.

Pada minggu keduanya, Valentina menemukan sebuah skuter tua. Skuter itu berdiri di belakang bengkel. Warnanya biru dan kotor. Sebatang pohon tumbuh menembus roda belakangnya.

"Can we fix this?" she asked.

"Bisakah kita memperbaiki ini?" tanyanya.

"No," said Pablo. "It is too old."

"Tidak," kata Pablo. "Terlalu tua."

"I think we can," she said. "I will do it after work."

"Kurasa bisa," katanya. "Aku akan mengerjakannya sepulang kerja."

At six o'clock the other workers went home. Pablo stayed to close the doors. He saw Valentina in the corner with the scooter. She had a wrench in her hand. She had oil on her nose.

Pukul enam, para pekerja lain pulang. Pablo tinggal untuk menutup pintu-pintu. Ia melihat Valentina di sudut bersama skuter itu. Ia memegang sebuah kunci inggris. Ada oli di hidungnya.

"You need help," he said.

"Kamu butuh bantuan," katanya.

"I thought you said no," she said, and smiled.

"Kupikir kamu bilang tidak," kata Valentina sambil tersenyum.

"I changed my mind."

"Aku berubah pikiran."

They worked for two hours. Pablo took off the old wheel. Valentina cleaned the engine. They did not talk much. But the silence felt easy.

Mereka bekerja selama dua jam. Pablo melepas roda yang lama. Valentina membersihkan mesinnya. Mereka tidak banyak bicara. Tapi keheningan itu terasa nyaman.

The next night they came back to the scooter. And the night after that. Pablo brought a bag of sandwiches. Valentina brought a small radio. She sang along to the songs. Pablo began to hum with her.

Malam berikutnya mereka kembali ke skuter itu. Dan malam setelahnya. Pablo membawa sekantong roti lapis. Valentina membawa radio kecil. Ia ikut bernyanyi mengikuti lagu-lagunya. Pablo mulai bersenandung bersamanya.

One night the radio stopped. Valentina hit the top of it. It did not play. Pablo took out his phone and found a song. They worked with the phone on a shelf.

Pada suatu malam radionya mati. Valentina memukul bagian atasnya. Radio itu tidak berbunyi. Pablo mengeluarkan ponselnya dan mencari sebuah lagu. Mereka bekerja dengan ponsel diletakkan di rak.

On Friday they could not find the right spark plug. They looked in every drawer. Pablo found a box of old parts under the shelf.

Pada hari Jumat mereka tidak bisa menemukan busi yang cocok. Mereka mencari di setiap laci. Pablo menemukan sekotak suku cadang lama di bawah rak.

"Here," he said. He held up a small silver plug. It was a perfect fit.

"Ini," katanya. Ia mengangkat sebuah busi kecil berwarna perak. Busi itu pas sekali.

"You are good at this," said Valentina.

"Kamu pandai soal ini," kata Valentina.

"You are good at everything," Pablo said. Then his face turned red. He looked at the floor.

"Kamu pandai dalam segala hal," kata Pablo. Lalu wajahnya memerah. Ia menunduk menatap lantai.

Valentina laughed softly. She did not say anything. But she moved a little closer.

Valentina tertawa pelan. Ia tidak berkata apa-apa. Tapi ia bergeser sedikit lebih dekat.

By the next Thursday, the scooter was almost ready. It had a new wheel and a new seat. The paint was fresh and blue. Pablo put a little gas in the tank.

Pada Kamis berikutnya, skuter itu hampir selesai. Skuter itu punya roda baru dan jok baru. Catnya baru dan berwarna biru. Pablo mengisi sedikit bensin ke dalam tangki.

Valentina painted the seat. Pablo painted the body. Their hands touched on the brush. Neither of them moved away.

Valentina mengecat joknya. Pablo mengecat badannya. Tangan mereka bersentuhan di atas kuas. Tak satu pun dari mereka menjauh.

"Do you want to start it?" he asked.

"Mau kamu yang menyalakannya?" tanyanya.

"No," said Valentina. "You do it. You worked hard."

"Tidak," kata Valentina. "Kamu saja. Kamu sudah bekerja keras."

Pablo sat on the seat. He turned the key. The engine coughed once. Then it made a loud, happy sound.

Pablo duduk di atas jok. Ia memutar kuncinya. Mesin terbatuk sekali. Lalu terdengar suara yang keras dan riang.

Valentina clapped. She jumped up and down. "It works!" she cried. "It really works!"

Valentina bertepuk tangan. Ia melompat-lompat. "Berhasil!" serunya. "Benar-benar berhasil!"

Pablo rode the scooter in a slow circle. The lights moved on the walls. He stopped next to her.

Pablo mengendarai skuter itu dalam lingkaran pelan. Cahaya lampunya bergerak di dinding. Ia berhenti di sebelah Valentina.

"Where does a scooter like this go?" he asked.

"Ke mana skuter seperti ini pergi?" tanyanya.

"I do not know," she said. "Somewhere nice."

"Aku tidak tahu," kata Valentina. "Ke suatu tempat yang bagus."

"I know a place," he said. "It has the best coffee in town. It closes at ten."

"Aku tahu satu tempat," katanya. "Kopinya yang terbaik di kota. Tutup pukul sepuluh."

Valentina looked at the clock. It was nine fifteen.

Valentina melihat jam. Saat itu pukul sembilan lewat lima belas.

"We have time," she said.

"Kita masih punya waktu," katanya.

Pablo moved forward on the seat. She got on behind him. He closed the garage door with his foot.

Pablo bergeser ke depan di atas jok. Valentina naik di belakangnya. Ia menutup pintu bengkel dengan kakinya.