The Thousand-Piece Puzzle

Nia came to Mateo's flat at six o'clock. It was their first date at his home. She brought a small bag of lemon cookies. He opened the door and smiled. "I have a plan," Mateo said. "Dinner is easy. It is soup and bread. But after dinner, we do a puzzle."

Nia datang ke flat Mateo pukul enam. Itu kencan pertama mereka di rumahnya. Dia membawa sekantong kecil kue lemon. Mateo membuka pintu dan tersenyum. "Aku punya rencana," kata Mateo. "Makan malamnya mudah. Sup dan roti. Tapi setelah makan malam, kita main puzzle."

"A puzzle?" Nia said.

"Puzzle?" kata Nia.

"Is that a joke?"

"Itu bercanda, ya?"

"No joke," he said.

"Tidak bercanda," katanya.

"It has a thousand pieces."

"Puzzle ini punya seribu keping."

The flat was small and tidy. There was a green couch and a low table. The puzzle box sat on the table. On the box there was a picture of a harbor. It had blue boats, red roofs, and a gray sky.

Flat itu kecil dan rapi. Ada sofa hijau dan meja rendah. Kotak puzzle terletak di atas meja. Di kotaknya ada gambar sebuah pelabuhan. Ada perahu-perahu biru, atap-atap merah, dan langit kelabu.

The soup was good. The bread was a little hard. Nia ate two pieces and said nothing about it. Mateo saw her face and laughed. "The bread is bad," he said.

Supnya enak. Rotinya agak keras. Nia makan dua potong dan tidak berkomentar apa-apa. Mateo melihat wajahnya dan tertawa. "Rotinya jelek," katanya.

"The bread is fine," said Nia.

"Rotinya baik-baik saja," kata Nia.

"It is just strong."

"Cuma kuat."

They washed the plates together. His dog, Pico, walked in circles around their feet. Pico was old and brown. He had one ear up and one ear down. "He likes you," said Mateo. "He likes the cookies," said Nia.

Mereka mencuci piring bersama. Anjingnya, Pico, berjalan berputar-putar di sekitar kaki mereka. Pico sudah tua dan berbulu cokelat. Satu telinganya tegak dan satu lagi terkulai. "Dia suka kamu," kata Mateo. "Dia suka kuenya," kata Nia.

They sat on the floor by the low table. Mateo poured all the pieces out. Nia looked at the mess. "This is impossible," she said.

Mereka duduk di lantai dekat meja rendah. Mateo menuangkan semua kepingnya. Nia memandangi kekacauan itu. "Ini mustahil," katanya.

"We start with the edges," said Mateo.

"Kita mulai dari bagian tepi," kata Mateo.

"It is the only rule."

"Itu satu-satunya aturan."

So they did. They found the corners first. Then they found the straight sides. Nia was fast. She had sharp eyes and a quick hand. Mateo was slow, but he was careful. He held each piece up to the light. After an hour, they had a blue frame. They both sat back and looked at it.

Jadi mereka melakukannya. Mereka menemukan sudut-sudutnya lebih dulu. Lalu mereka menemukan sisi-sisi yang lurus. Nia cepat. Matanya tajam dan tangannya gesit. Mateo lambat, tapi teliti. Dia mengangkat setiap keping ke arah cahaya. Setelah satu jam, mereka punya bingkai biru. Keduanya bersandar ke belakang dan memandanginya.

"We are good," said Nia. "We are a team," said Mateo. Then his face went red. He looked down at the table. Nia pretended not to see. She picked up a piece. It had a red roof on it. She put it in the right place. It fit with a small click.

"Kita hebat," kata Nia. "Kita tim," kata Mateo. Lalu wajahnya memerah. Dia menunduk menatap meja. Nia pura-pura tidak melihat. Dia mengambil sebuah keping. Di keping itu ada atap merah. Dia memasangnya di tempat yang tepat. Keping itu pas dengan bunyi klik kecil.

They talked while they worked. Nia told him about her little brother. He wanted to be a pilot. But he feared high places. Mateo told her about his first job. He washed dishes in a hotel. He broke six plates in one week. "Six?" said Nia.

Mereka mengobrol sambil bekerja. Nia bercerita tentang adik laki-lakinya. Adiknya ingin menjadi pilot. Tapi dia takut ketinggian. Mateo bercerita tentang pekerjaan pertamanya. Dia mencuci piring di sebuah hotel. Dia memecahkan enam piring dalam satu minggu. "Enam?" kata Nia.

"Seven," said Mateo.

"Tujuh," kata Mateo.

"I do not count the last one."

"Yang terakhir tidak kuhitung."

She laughed so hard that Pico barked. By ten o'clock, the harbor was almost done. The boats were blue. The roofs were red. Only the gray sky had holes in it. Nia looked at the table. "One piece is gone," she said.

Nia tertawa begitu keras sampai Pico menggonggong. Menjelang pukul sepuluh, pelabuhan itu hampir selesai. Perahu-perahunya biru. Atap-atapnya merah. Hanya langit kelabunya yang masih berlubang. Nia memandang meja. "Ada satu keping yang hilang," katanya.

"No," said Mateo.

"Tidak," kata Mateo.

"We have them all."

"Kita punya semuanya."

"Count the holes," she said.

"Hitung lubangnya," katanya.

"Then count the pieces."

"Lalu hitung kepingnya."

They counted. There was one hole and no piece. Mateo looked under the table. Nia looked under the couch. They looked in the box, and they shook the box. Nothing came out.

Mereka menghitung. Ada satu lubang dan tidak ada kepingnya. Mateo mencari di bawah meja. Nia mencari di bawah sofa. Mereka mencari di dalam kotak, dan mengguncang kotaknya. Tidak ada yang keluar.

Then Mateo looked at Pico. The old dog lay on his bed in the corner. He was very still. He looked at Mateo. One ear was up. One ear was down. "Pico," said Mateo. "Open your mouth." Pico did not move. Mateo gently touched his chin. A small gray piece fell out on the floor. It was wet.

Lalu Mateo menatap Pico. Anjing tua itu berbaring di tempat tidurnya di sudut. Dia diam sekali. Dia menatap Mateo. Satu telinganya tegak. Satu lagi terkulai. "Pico," kata Mateo. "Buka mulutmu." Pico tidak bergerak. Mateo menyentuh dagunya dengan lembut. Sebuah keping kecil berwarna kelabu jatuh ke lantai. Keping itu basah.

Nia put her hand over her mouth. Her whole body shook with laughter. Mateo held up the piece with two fingers. "It is a little wet," he said. "It is perfect," said Nia.

Nia menutup mulutnya dengan tangan. Seluruh tubuhnya bergetar menahan tawa. Mateo mengangkat keping itu dengan dua jari. "Agak basah," katanya. "Sempurna," kata Nia.

He dried it on his shirt. Then he gave it to her. She pressed it into the last hole. The picture was finished. They looked at it for a long time. At the door, Nia put on her coat. The street was dark and quiet. She held the empty cookie bag in her hand. "Mateo," she said. "Yes?"

Dia mengeringkannya dengan kausnya. Lalu dia memberikannya kepada Nia. Nia menekannya ke lubang yang terakhir. Gambarnya selesai. Mereka memandanginya lama sekali. Di pintu, Nia memakai mantelnya. Jalanan gelap dan sunyi. Dia memegang kantong kue yang kosong di tangannya. "Mateo," katanya. "Ya?"

"Next time, I choose the puzzle," she said.

"Lain kali, aku yang memilih puzzle-nya," katanya.

"And you keep Pico away from it."

"Dan kamu jauhkan Pico darinya."

"There is a next time?" he asked.

"Jadi ada lain kali?" tanyanya.

"Two thousand pieces," said Nia. Then she went down the stairs.

"Dua ribu keping," kata Nia. Lalu dia menuruni tangga.