The Study Group of Two

The math study group met every Saturday at ten. It had five students. That was the plan. But on one rainy Saturday, only two came.

Kelompok belajar matematika berkumpul setiap Sabtu pukul sepuluh. Anggotanya lima siswa. Begitulah rencananya. Tetapi pada suatu Sabtu yang hujan, hanya dua orang yang datang.

Alba arrived first. She chose the big table by the window. She put out her books. The library was nearly empty. The rain hit the glass in long lines.

Alba tiba lebih dulu. Ia memilih meja besar di dekat jendela. Ia mengeluarkan buku-bukunya. Perpustakaan nyaris kosong. Hujan menimpa kaca dengan garis-garis panjang.

At five past ten, Viktor came in. His coat was wet. He stopped at the door. He looked at the empty chairs.

Pukul sepuluh lewat lima, Viktor masuk. Mantelnya basah. Ia berhenti di pintu. Ia menatap kursi-kursi yang kosong.

"Where is everyone?" he asked.

"Di mana yang lain?" tanyanya.

"I think they stayed at home," said Alba. "It is a bad day."

"Kurasa mereka tinggal di rumah," kata Alba. "Hari ini cuacanya buruk."

Viktor stood still for a moment. Alba knew him from class. He sat two rows behind her. He was tall and quiet. He always had a pencil behind his ear. They never spoke.

Viktor berdiri diam sejenak. Alba mengenalnya dari kelas. Viktor duduk dua baris di belakangnya. Ia tinggi dan pendiam. Ia selalu menyelipkan pensil di belakang telinganya. Mereka tidak pernah bicara.

"Should I go?" he asked.

"Apa sebaiknya aku pergi?" tanyanya.

"No," Alba said quickly. Then her cheeks felt warm. "I mean, we have a test on Monday. We can work together."

"Jangan," kata Alba cepat-cepat. Lalu pipinya terasa hangat. "Maksudku, kita ada ujian hari Senin. Kita bisa belajar bersama."

"Okay," said Viktor. He sat down across from her.

"Baiklah," kata Viktor. Ia duduk di seberangnya.

They opened their books. For ten minutes, neither of them spoke. Alba looked at the same problem again and again. It was about fractions. She did not understand it.

Mereka membuka buku. Selama sepuluh menit, tak seorang pun bicara. Alba menatap soal yang sama berulang kali. Soal itu tentang pecahan. Ia tidak mengerti.

"I cannot do this one," she said at last. She pushed the book across the table.

"Aku tidak bisa mengerjakan yang ini," katanya akhirnya. Ia mendorong bukunya ke seberang meja.

Viktor leaned over. He read the problem. Then he smiled. "This is easy," he said. "Wait."

Viktor membungkuk. Ia membaca soal itu. Lalu ia tersenyum. "Ini mudah," katanya. "Tunggu."

He opened his bag. He took out a bar of chocolate. It had twelve squares.

Ia membuka tasnya. Ia mengeluarkan sebatang cokelat. Cokelat itu terdiri dari dua belas kotak.

"What is that for?" Alba asked.

"Untuk apa itu?" tanya Alba.

"A teacher," said Viktor. "Look. This whole bar is one. I break it in four parts. Each part is one quarter."

"Seorang guru," kata Viktor. "Lihat. Satu batang utuh ini adalah satu. Aku membaginya jadi empat bagian. Setiap bagian adalah satu per empat."

He broke the bar into four parts. Each part had three squares. He put one part in front of Alba.

Ia mematahkan cokelat itu jadi empat bagian. Setiap bagian terdiri dari tiga kotak. Ia meletakkan satu bagian di depan Alba.

"You have one quarter," he said. "Now I give you half of my part."

"Kamu punya satu per empat," katanya. "Sekarang aku beri kamu setengah dari bagianku."

He broke his part in two and gave her half. Alba counted the squares. She had four and a half squares now.

Ia mematahkan bagiannya jadi dua dan memberikan separuhnya. Alba menghitung kotaknya. Sekarang ia punya empat setengah kotak.

"I see," she said slowly. "A quarter and a half of a quarter."

"Aku mengerti," katanya pelan. "Seperempat ditambah setengah dari seperempat."

"Yes. Write it as a number," Viktor said. "One quarter plus one eighth."

"Ya. Tulis sebagai angka," kata Viktor. "Satu per empat ditambah satu per delapan."

Alba wrote it. The answer came out right. She looked up. "That is a good teacher," she said.

Alba menuliskannya. Jawabannya benar. Ia mendongak. "Itu guru yang bagus," katanya.

"The chocolate is a very good teacher," he said.

"Cokelat adalah guru yang sangat bagus," kata Viktor.

They ate the squares. Then they did the next problem, and the next. Viktor explained. Alba listened. She laughed at his silly drawings of cakes.

Mereka memakan kotak-kotak cokelat itu. Lalu mereka mengerjakan soal berikutnya, dan berikutnya lagi. Viktor menjelaskan. Alba mendengarkan. Ia tertawa melihat gambar kue buatan Viktor yang lucu.

After a while, Alba helped him too. He had to write a short story for English class. He did not know how to start.

Setelah beberapa saat, Alba juga membantunya. Viktor harus menulis cerita pendek untuk pelajaran bahasa Inggris. Ia tidak tahu harus mulai dari mana.

"Start with a place," Alba said. "Where is your story?"

"Mulailah dengan tempat," kata Alba. "Di mana ceritamu terjadi?"

"At the sea," said Viktor.

"Di laut," kata Viktor.

"Then write: The sea was cold and gray."

"Kalau begitu tulis: Laut itu dingin dan kelabu."

He wrote it down. He looked at her with surprise. "That is good," he said.

Viktor menuliskannya. Ia menatap Alba dengan heran. "Bagus," katanya.

By noon, the rain was lighter. The library was still quiet. They finished four pages of math. They also wrote one page of the story.

Menjelang tengah hari, hujan mulai reda. Perpustakaan masih sepi. Mereka menyelesaikan empat halaman matematika. Mereka juga menulis satu halaman cerita.

The librarian came by. She said it was time to close. Alba and Viktor packed their bags.

Pustakawan datang menghampiri. Ia bilang sudah waktunya tutup. Alba dan Viktor mengemasi tas mereka.

At the door, Viktor opened his big black umbrella. "My home is on your street," he said. "Can I walk with you?"

Di pintu, Viktor membuka payung hitam besarnya. "Rumahku satu jalan denganmu," katanya. "Boleh aku jalan bersamamu?"

"Yes," said Alba. They stepped out into the rain under the one umbrella.

"Boleh," kata Alba. Mereka melangkah keluar ke tengah hujan, berdua di bawah satu payung.

At her gate, Alba stopped. "Same table next Saturday?" she asked.

Di depan pagar rumahnya, Alba berhenti. "Meja yang sama hari Sabtu depan?" tanyanya.

"Same time," said Viktor. He took out the rest of the chocolate. "I bring a bigger bar."

"Jam yang sama," kata Viktor. Ia mengeluarkan sisa cokelatnya. "Aku bawa yang lebih besar."