The Second Interview

Amira had been scoring the written tests for two hours when she finished the stack. The candidates had been numbered, not named, so that nothing could influence the marking. Number seven was the best by a wide margin.

Amira sudah dua jam menilai ujian tertulis ketika akhirnya ia menyelesaikan tumpukan terakhir. Para kandidat diberi nomor, bukan nama, supaya tidak ada yang memengaruhi penilaian. Peserta nomor tujuh adalah yang terbaik dengan selisih jauh.

Only when she opened the key to schedule the interviews did she see who number seven was. Gisela. The name stopped her hand halfway to the keyboard.

Baru ketika ia membuka daftar kunci untuk menjadwalkan wawancara, ia melihat siapa peserta nomor tujuh itu. Gisela. Nama itu menghentikan tangannya di tengah jalan menuju keyboard.

Six years earlier, the two of them had ended things calmly, in a kitchen, with a list of who would keep which pans. Gisela had accepted a job overseas, and Amira had stayed. They had exchanged a few warm messages afterward, then none at all.

Enam tahun lalu, mereka berdua mengakhiri hubungan dengan tenang, di sebuah dapur, sambil membuat daftar siapa yang membawa panci yang mana. Gisela menerima pekerjaan di luar negeri, sedangkan Amira tetap tinggal. Setelah itu mereka sempat bertukar beberapa pesan hangat, lalu tidak sama sekali.

Amira read the score sheet again. She had given Gisela the top mark before she knew whose work it was, and she was sure it was deserved. However, she was no longer sure she could judge the interview without noticing every pause, every smile.

Amira membaca lembar penilaian itu sekali lagi. Ia memberi Gisela nilai tertinggi sebelum tahu milik siapa jawaban itu, dan ia yakin nilai itu pantas. Namun, ia tidak lagi yakin bisa menilai wawancaranya tanpa memperhatikan setiap jeda, setiap senyuman.

If she lowered a score out of caution, that would be unfair. If she raised one out of nostalgia, that would be unfair too. Either way, a stranger's work would be measured against an old story.

Kalau ia menurunkan nilai karena terlalu berhati-hati, itu tidak adil. Kalau ia menaikkan nilai karena nostalgia, itu pun tidak adil. Bagaimanapun, hasil kerja seseorang yang tidak ia kenal akan diukur dengan kisah lama.

So she walked down the corridor and knocked on her director's door. "I have to step back from this hiring," she said. "One of the candidates is someone I used to be close to. I can't be neutral."

Maka ia berjalan menyusuri koridor dan mengetuk pintu ruang direkturnya. "Saya harus mundur dari proses perekrutan ini," katanya. "Salah satu kandidat adalah orang yang dulu dekat dengan saya. Saya tidak bisa bersikap netral."

Her director nodded without asking for details. By the end of the day, a colleague had taken over the interviews, and two weeks later the panel agreed unanimously. Gisela was offered the job and accepted.

Direkturnya mengangguk tanpa menanyakan rincian. Sebelum hari berakhir, seorang rekan sudah mengambil alih wawancara, dan dua minggu kemudian panel sepakat dengan suara bulat. Gisela ditawari pekerjaan itu dan menerimanya.

Amira kept away from the second-floor kitchen for most of Gisela's first week, until an email appeared in her inbox. It was short: "I heard you stepped aside. Could I buy you a coffee?"

Amira menjauhi dapur di lantai dua hampir sepanjang minggu pertama Gisela bekerja, sampai sebuah email muncul di kotak masuknya. Isinya singkat: "Aku dengar kamu mundur. Boleh aku traktir kamu kopi?"

They met at the café on the corner, where the tables wobbled. For a minute they discussed the weather, as if neither of them could afford any other topic.

Mereka bertemu di kafe di sudut jalan, tempat meja-mejanya bergoyang. Selama semenit mereka membicarakan cuaca, seolah-olah tidak ada topik lain yang berani mereka bahas.

"Did you know when you marked my test?" Gisela finally asked.

"Apakah kamu tahu waktu kamu menilai ujianku?" tanya Gisela akhirnya.

"No. I found out afterward."

"Tidak. Aku baru tahu setelahnya."

"Would it have changed anything?"

"Apakah itu akan mengubah sesuatu?"

"Probably," Amira said. "I might have marked you down just to prove I could. And you? Would you have applied if you had known I was the manager?"

"Mungkin," kata Amira. "Bisa jadi aku menurunkan nilaimu hanya untuk membuktikan bahwa aku bisa. Kalau kamu? Apakah kamu akan melamar kalau tahu aku manajernya?"

Gisela turned her cup slowly on the saucer. "I might have withdrawn. Which would have been a mistake, because I wanted that job."

Gisela memutar cangkirnya perlahan di atas piring kecil. "Mungkin aku akan mengundurkan diri. Dan itu akan jadi kesalahan, karena aku menginginkan pekerjaan itu."

"Your test was very good," Amira said.

"Ujianmu sangat bagus," kata Amira.

"I know." Gisela smiled. "I'm trying to be humble about it."

"Aku tahu." Gisela tersenyum. "Aku sedang berusaha rendah hati soal itu."

When the bill arrived, they both reached for it, and Gisela won. "Same time next week?" she asked.

Ketika tagihan datang, mereka berdua meraihnya, dan Gisela yang menang. "Minggu depan di jam yang sama?" tanyanya.

"Ask me after your first performance review," Amira said, and picked up her coat.

"Tanyakan lagi setelah evaluasi kinerja pertamamu," kata Amira, lalu mengambil mantelnya.