The Stuck Coin Slot

Karina carried a big bag of laundry. She walked into the laundromat on Elm Street. Six machines stood in a row.

Karina membawa sekantong besar cucian. Ia masuk ke binatu di Jalan Elm. Enam mesin berjajar dalam satu baris.

She put her clothes into a large machine. She pushed in three coins. The machine did not start.

Ia memasukkan pakaiannya ke sebuah mesin besar. Ia memasukkan tiga koin. Mesin itu tidak menyala.

She pushed the coins in again. The tray stayed stuck halfway. Karina sighed and looked around the room.

Ia memasukkan koin-koin itu lagi. Lacinya tersangkut di tengah. Karina menghela napas dan memandang sekeliling ruangan.

"Excuse me," she said to a man behind the counter. "This machine ate my coins."

"Permisi," katanya kepada seorang pria di balik meja. "Mesin ini menelan koin saya."

The man's shirt had a name tag. It said Kofi. He walked over with a small tool.

Kemeja pria itu memakai tanda nama. Tertulis Kofi. Ia berjalan menghampiri dengan sebuah alat kecil.

"This slot gets stuck sometimes," Kofi said. He tapped the tray gently with the tool.

"Lubang koin ini memang kadang macet," kata Kofi. Ia mengetuk laci itu pelan dengan alatnya.

The tray popped open right away. Three coins fell into his hand. He gave them back to Karina.

Laci itu langsung terbuka. Tiga koin jatuh ke tangannya. Ia mengembalikannya kepada Karina.

"Try the machine next to it," Kofi said. "That one always works well."

"Coba mesin di sebelahnya," kata Kofi. "Yang itu selalu berfungsi dengan baik."

Karina moved her clothes to the next machine. She put the coins in slowly. The machine hummed and started.

Karina memindahkan pakaiannya ke mesin sebelah. Ia memasukkan koin-koin itu perlahan. Mesin itu berdengung dan menyala.

"Thank you," Karina said with a smile. She sat down with her book. Kofi went back to his counter.

"Terima kasih," kata Karina sambil tersenyum. Ia duduk dengan bukunya. Kofi kembali ke mejanya.

Twenty minutes later, her clothes were clean. She folded them into her bag. She waved to Kofi on her way out.

Dua puluh menit kemudian, pakaiannya sudah bersih. Ia melipatnya ke dalam tas. Ia melambaikan tangan kepada Kofi saat keluar.

"See you next week," she called back. She pushed the door open with her elbow. The street outside felt warm and bright.

"Sampai jumpa minggu depan," serunya. Ia mendorong pintu dengan sikunya. Jalanan di luar terasa hangat dan cerah.