The Soup Pot at Station Four

Station Four was a small fire station on Mill Road. Four people worked there on Thursdays. Every Thursday one of them made dinner.

Pos Empat adalah pos pemadam kebakaran kecil di Jalan Mill. Empat orang bekerja di sana pada hari Kamis. Setiap Kamis, salah satu dari mereka memasak makan malam.

This week it was Wesley's turn. He was a tall man with big hands. He was good with hoses. He was not good with soup.

Minggu ini giliran Wesley. Ia pria jangkung bertangan besar. Ia pandai memegang selang. Ia tidak pandai membuat sup.

At noon he put a big pot on the stove. He added water, carrots, and a bag of white beans. Then he looked at his phone.

Pada tengah hari, ia menaruh panci besar di atas kompor. Ia menambahkan air, wortel, dan sekantong kacang putih. Lalu ia melihat ponselnya.

"Ten minutes," he said. "Then I check the soup."

"Sepuluh menit," katanya. "Lalu aku cek supnya."

A bell rang in the yard. A truck needed a new tire. Wesley went outside to help. The kitchen was empty.

Sebuah bel berbunyi di halaman. Sebuah truk butuh ban baru. Wesley keluar untuk membantu. Dapur pun kosong.

Stellan walked in. He was thin and quiet. He lifted the lid and smelled the pot.

Stellan masuk. Ia kurus dan pendiam. Ia mengangkat tutup panci dan mencium baunya.

"Hmm," he said. "It smells like nothing."

"Hmm," katanya. "Baunya seperti tidak ada apa-apa."

He looked around. He saw a jar of dry herbs on the shelf. It was green and old. He put in four big spoons.

Ia melihat sekeliling. Ia melihat sebotol rempah kering di rak. Isinya hijau dan sudah tua. Ia memasukkan empat sendok besar.

"Now it smells like soup," he said. He left the room.

"Nah, sekarang baunya seperti sup," katanya. Ia meninggalkan ruangan.

Next came Valentina, the captain. She was a short woman with a loud voice. She tasted the soup with a spoon.

Berikutnya datang Valentina, sang kapten. Ia perempuan bertubuh pendek dengan suara keras. Ia mencicipi sup itu dengan sendok.

"This is water with beans," she said. "No taste at all."

"Ini air dengan kacang," katanya. "Sama sekali tidak ada rasa."

She took a small red jar from her bag. It held her favorite hot pepper. She put in a big pinch. Then she added another. Then a third one, to be safe.

Ia mengambil stoples merah kecil dari tasnya. Isinya cabai pedas kesukaannya. Ia memasukkan sejumput besar. Lalu satu lagi. Lalu yang ketiga, untuk berjaga-jaga.

"Better," she said. She walked out.

"Lebih baik," katanya. Ia berjalan keluar.

A little later Wesley came back. His hands were black from the tire. He tasted the soup.

Tak lama kemudian Wesley kembali. Tangannya hitam karena ban. Ia mencicipi sup itu.

"It is too hot," he said. "And too green. What happened?"

"Terlalu pedas," katanya. "Dan terlalu hijau. Apa yang terjadi?"

He thought for a moment. Then he took a bottle of milk from the fridge. He put in a big cup. The soup turned a strange pink color.

Ia berpikir sejenak. Lalu ia mengambil sebotol susu dari kulkas. Ia menuang satu cangkir penuh. Sup itu berubah menjadi warna merah muda yang aneh.

"Hmm," he said. "That is not right."

"Hmm," katanya. "Ini tidak benar."

He found a lemon and cut it in half. He squeezed both halves into the pot. The soup made a small noise. It looked worse.

Ia menemukan sebuah lemon dan memotongnya jadi dua. Ia memeras kedua belahnya ke dalam panci. Sup itu mengeluarkan bunyi kecil. Tampilannya makin buruk.

"I will leave it," said Wesley. "Maybe it will be fine in time."

"Biarkan saja," kata Wesley. "Mungkin nanti jadi enak kalau didiamkan."

At six the table was ready. Four plates and four spoons. A tall pot of pink soup sat in the middle. Everyone looked at it.

Pukul enam, meja sudah siap. Empat piring dan empat sendok. Sebuah panci tinggi berisi sup merah muda berdiri di tengah. Semua orang menatapnya.

"What is in this?" asked Valentina.

"Apa isinya ini?" tanya Valentina.

"Beans," said Wesley.

"Kacang," kata Wesley.

"And herbs," said Stellan.

"Dan rempah," kata Stellan.

"And pepper," said Valentina. She looked at the others. "Did you all fix it?"

"Dan cabai," kata Valentina. Ia menatap yang lain. "Kalian semua tadi memperbaikinya?"

Nobody answered.

Tak ada yang menjawab.

Then the alarm rang. It was loud and long. Four people jumped up. They ran to the truck. Nobody touched the soup.

Lalu alarm berbunyi. Suaranya keras dan panjang. Keempat orang itu melompat bangun. Mereka berlari ke truk. Tak ada yang menyentuh sup itu.

It was a small job. A car horn stuck in a parking lot. They fixed it in forty minutes.

Itu tugas kecil. Sebuah klakson mobil macet di tempat parkir. Mereka memperbaikinya dalam empat puluh menit.

When they came back, the kitchen door was open. A young boy stood by the table. He was the son of the cook next door. His face was pink.

Ketika mereka kembali, pintu dapur terbuka. Seorang anak laki-laki berdiri di dekat meja. Ia anak juru masak di sebelah. Wajahnya merah muda.

The pot was empty.

Pancinya kosong.

"I came to say hello," he said. "The door was open. I was so hungry. I ate a little. Then a little more. I am sorry."

"Aku datang untuk menyapa," katanya. "Pintunya terbuka. Aku lapar sekali. Aku makan sedikit. Lalu sedikit lagi. Maaf."

The firefighters looked at each other.

Para pemadam kebakaran itu saling berpandangan.

"How was it?" asked Wesley, slowly.

"Bagaimana rasanya?" tanya Wesley pelan-pelan.

"It was the best soup ever," said the boy. "Can I have the recipe?"

"Itu sup terenak sedunia," kata anak itu. "Boleh aku minta resepnya?"

Wesley looked at Stellan. Stellan looked at Valentina. Valentina looked at the empty pot.

Wesley menatap Stellan. Stellan menatap Valentina. Valentina menatap panci yang kosong.

"Beans," said Wesley. "And a little of everything."

"Kacang," kata Wesley. "Dan sedikit dari segalanya."

"Can you make it again?" asked the boy.

"Bisakah Bapak membuatnya lagi?" tanya anak itu.

"No," the three of them said together.

"Tidak," jawab ketiganya bersamaan.