The Team Manager

Cillian reads the list on the gym door twice. His name is not on it. He does not make the basketball team.

Cillian membaca daftar di pintu gimnasium dua kali. Namanya tidak ada di sana. Ia tidak masuk tim basket.

He turns to leave, but the coach calls him. "Cillian, wait. Do you have a minute?"

Ia berbalik untuk pergi, tetapi pelatih memanggilnya. "Cillian, tunggu. Kamu punya waktu sebentar?"

"Yes, coach."

"Ada, Pelatih."

"I need a team manager," the coach says. "You carry the water, write the scores, and bring the balls. You come to every practice. You sit with the team."

"Saya butuh seorang manajer tim," kata pelatih. "Kamu membawa air minum, mencatat skor, dan membawa bola. Kamu datang ke setiap latihan. Kamu duduk bersama tim."

Cillian says nothing. He wants to play, not to carry water.

Cillian tidak berkata apa-apa. Ia ingin bermain, bukan membawa air minum.

"Think about it," the coach says. "Tell me on Monday."

"Pikirkan dulu," kata pelatih. "Beri tahu saya hari Senin."

At home, his sister listens to the story. "You can say no," she says. "You like running. You can try a different sport."

Di rumah, kakaknya mendengarkan ceritanya. "Kamu boleh menolak," katanya. "Kamu suka berlari. Kamu bisa mencoba olahraga lain."

She is right. But all weekend, Cillian thinks about the gym. He thinks about the sound of the ball. He does not want to leave it.

Kakaknya benar. Tetapi sepanjang akhir pekan, Cillian memikirkan gimnasium itu. Ia memikirkan suara bola. Ia tidak mau meninggalkannya.

On Monday, he finds the coach at the gym door. "I will do it," he says.

Pada hari Senin, ia menemui pelatih di pintu gimnasium. "Saya mau melakukannya," katanya.

"Good. Practice starts now," the coach says.

"Bagus. Latihan mulai sekarang," kata pelatih.

Cillian writes every score on a paper. After a game, a tall player takes a bottle from him. "Thanks, Cillian. What is the score?"

Cillian mencatat setiap skor di selembar kertas. Setelah sebuah pertandingan, seorang pemain jangkung mengambil botol darinya. "Makasih, Cillian. Skornya berapa?"

"Twelve to ten," Cillian says. Everyone knows his name now.

"Dua belas lawan sepuluh," kata Cillian. Sekarang semua orang tahu namanya.

At the end, the coach throws him a ball. "Take a shot." Cillian shoots, and the ball goes in. The team shouts. He picks up the empty bottles and goes to fill them again.

Di akhir latihan, pelatih melemparkan sebuah bola kepadanya. "Coba tembak." Cillian menembak, dan bola itu masuk. Tim bersorak. Ia mengumpulkan botol-botol kosong dan pergi mengisinya lagi.