The Text Meant for Someone Else

Lena writes a text message late at night. She wants to tell her sister about a man she likes. She picks the wrong name in her phone.

Lena menulis pesan teks larut malam. Ia ingin menceritakan kepada kakaknya tentang seorang pria yang ia sukai. Ia memilih nama yang salah di ponselnya.

The message goes to Tariq instead, a man from her book club. He reads it and feels very confused. It says, "I really like him. I want to ask him out soon!"

Pesan itu malah terkirim kepada Tariq, seorang pria dari klub buku Lena. Ia membacanya dan merasa sangat bingung. Isinya: "Aku benar-benar suka dia. Aku ingin segera mengajaknya kencan!"

Tariq doesn't understand the message. He decides to write back. "Hi Lena, I think this message is for someone else," he types.

Tariq tidak mengerti pesan itu. Ia memutuskan untuk membalas. "Hai Lena, sepertinya pesan ini bukan untukku," ketiknya.

Lena checks her phone the next morning. Her face turns red when she reads Tariq's message. "Oh no, that was a big mistake," she says to herself.

Keesokan paginya Lena memeriksa ponselnya. Wajahnya memerah saat membaca pesan Tariq. "Ya ampun, ini kesalahan besar," katanya pada dirinya sendiri.

She calls Tariq right away. "I'm so sorry," she says. "That message wasn't for you."

Ia langsung menelepon Tariq. "Maaf sekali," katanya. "Pesan itu bukan untukmu."

"It's okay," Tariq says and laughs. "But now I'm curious. Who do you like?"

"Tidak apa-apa," kata Tariq sambil tertawa. "Tapi sekarang aku penasaran. Siapa yang kamu suka?"

Lena laughs too and feels a little nervous. "Actually," she says slowly, "I think I like you."

Lena ikut tertawa dan merasa sedikit gugup. "Sebenarnya," katanya pelan, "kurasa aku suka kamu."

Tariq goes quiet for a moment. Then he smiles. "I like you too," he says. "Do you want to get coffee this week?"

Tariq terdiam sejenak. Lalu ia tersenyum. "Aku juga suka kamu," katanya. "Mau minum kopi minggu ini?"

"Yes," Lena says. "I'd like that a lot." They talk on the phone for another hour. Lena forgets all about her sister.

"Mau," kata Lena. "Aku senang sekali." Mereka mengobrol lewat telepon satu jam lagi. Lena lupa sama sekali soal kakaknya.