The Stranger at Mile Twenty

Elodie stood on the sidewalk and watched the city marathon. Hundreds of runners passed her. Some waved, and some looked very tired. She clapped for all of them.

Elodie berdiri di trotoar dan menonton maraton kota. Ratusan pelari melewatinya. Ada yang melambai, dan ada yang tampak sangat lelah. Ia bertepuk tangan untuk mereka semua.

Near the last corner, a woman in a yellow shirt stopped. She walked to the edge of the road. She looked at the ground. Her face was red and wet. A man held out some water. She did not take it.

Dekat tikungan terakhir, seorang wanita berkaus kuning berhenti. Ia berjalan ke tepi jalan. Ia menatap tanah. Wajahnya merah dan basah. Seorang pria menyodorkan air minum. Ia tidak mengambilnya.

"I can't do this," the woman said quietly. "I want to stop."

"Aku tidak sanggup," kata wanita itu pelan. "Aku mau berhenti."

Elodie read the name on her shirt. It said "Rhoda."

Elodie membaca nama di kaus wanita itu. Tertulis "Rhoda."

"Rhoda!" Elodie shouted. "Rhoda, don't stop!"

"Rhoda!" teriak Elodie. "Rhoda, jangan berhenti!"

The woman looked up. "Do I know you?"

Wanita itu mendongak. "Apakah kita saling kenal?"

"No," Elodie said. "But your shirt has your name on it. Come on. The finish is only one block away."

"Tidak," kata Elodie. "Tapi kausmu bertuliskan namamu. Ayo. Garis finis tinggal satu blok lagi."

Rhoda took one slow step, and then another. Elodie walked next to her on the sidewalk. She pointed at the red flags at the end of the street.

Rhoda melangkah pelan satu langkah, lalu satu lagi. Elodie berjalan di sampingnya di trotoar. Ia menunjuk bendera-bendera merah di ujung jalan.

"Look at the flags," she said. "Only the flags. Nothing else."

"Lihat benderanya," katanya. "Hanya benderanya. Jangan yang lain."

They passed a bakery, a bus stop and a small school. People in the crowd shouted Rhoda's name too. She started to run again, very slowly.

Mereka melewati sebuah toko roti, halte bus, dan sebuah sekolah kecil. Orang-orang di kerumunan ikut meneriakkan nama Rhoda. Ia mulai berlari lagi, sangat pelan.

At the end of the block, a metal fence stopped Elodie. Rhoda kept going. She crossed the finish line with both arms in the air. Elodie held the fence and clapped until her hands hurt. Her own legs were tired too, but she did not care.

Di ujung blok, sebuah pagar logam menghentikan Elodie. Rhoda terus maju. Ia melewati garis finis dengan kedua lengan terangkat ke udara. Elodie memegang pagar dan bertepuk tangan sampai tangannya sakit. Kakinya sendiri juga lelah, tetapi ia tidak peduli.