The Thursday Draw

The chess club meets in the park every Thursday. It is a small group. Six tables stand under a big oak tree. Old men bring tea. Children bring snacks.

Klub catur bertemu di taman setiap hari Kamis. Kelompoknya kecil. Enam meja berdiri di bawah pohon ek yang besar. Para lelaki tua membawa teh. Anak-anak membawa camilan.

The old men like to watch the two players. They say Vesna and Umar are slow but kind. Vesna brings a small cake each week. Umar brings hot tea for both of them.

Para lelaki tua suka menonton dua pemain itu. Kata mereka, Vesna dan Umar lambat tapi baik hati. Vesna membawa sepotong kue kecil setiap minggu. Umar membawa teh panas untuk mereka berdua.

Vesna always sits at the table near the water. Umar always sits across from her. They sit together every week. They have a funny record. All fourteen games end in a draw.

Vesna selalu duduk di meja dekat air. Umar selalu duduk di seberangnya. Mereka duduk bersama setiap minggu. Mereka punya rekor yang lucu. Keempat belas permainan mereka berakhir seri.

"Fourteen draws," says an old man at the next table. "That is a record for our club."

"Empat belas kali seri," kata seorang lelaki tua di meja sebelah. "Itu rekor klub kita."

Vesna smiles. "I never lose," she says.

Vesna tersenyum. "Aku tidak pernah kalah," katanya.

"And I never win," says Umar. "But I never lose too."

"Dan aku tidak pernah menang," kata Umar. "Tapi aku juga tidak pernah kalah."

Today, the sky is blue. The leaves are yellow and red. Vesna moves her white pawn. Umar moves his black one. They play fast at first. Then they slow down. The old men stop talking. The children come close.

Hari ini, langit biru. Daun-daun berwarna kuning dan merah. Vesna menggerakkan pion putihnya. Umar menggerakkan pion hitamnya. Awalnya mereka bermain cepat. Lalu mereka melambat. Para lelaki tua berhenti mengobrol. Anak-anak mendekat.

Soon only a few pieces stay on the board. Vesna has a king and a rook. Umar has a king and a rook too. Vesna thinks for a long time. She sees a way to win. It is a good plan. But it takes five moves.

Tak lama kemudian hanya tersisa beberapa bidak di papan. Vesna punya raja dan benteng. Umar juga punya raja dan benteng. Vesna berpikir lama. Dia melihat cara untuk menang. Rencananya bagus. Tapi butuh lima langkah.

She looks at Umar. He looks at the board. His tea is cold. He taps his finger on the table. He does not look worried. He looks happy.

Dia menatap Umar. Umar menatap papan. Tehnya sudah dingin. Dia mengetuk-ngetukkan jarinya di meja. Dia tidak tampak khawatir. Dia tampak senang.

Vesna stops. She thinks, "If I win, the game ends. Then he goes home. I go home. We wait a week."

Vesna berhenti. Dia berpikir, "Kalau aku menang, permainan selesai. Lalu dia pulang. Aku pulang. Kami menunggu seminggu."

She puts her rook back on the same square.

Dia mengembalikan bentengnya ke kotak yang sama.

Umar looks up. "Why did you do that?" he asks. "You had a better move."

Umar mendongak. "Kenapa kamu melakukan itu?" tanyanya. "Kamu punya langkah yang lebih bagus."

"I did not see it," says Vesna.

"Aku tidak melihatnya," kata Vesna.

"You saw it," he says. "I know your face when you see a good move."

"Kamu melihatnya," katanya. "Aku tahu wajahmu kalau kamu melihat langkah yang bagus."

She says nothing. Her cheeks are warm.

Dia tidak berkata apa-apa. Pipinya terasa hangat.

Umar looks at the board again. Slowly, he says, "I also have a good move. It wins in three steps. I saw it ten minutes ago."

Umar menatap papan lagi. Pelan-pelan, dia berkata, "Aku juga punya langkah yang bagus. Menang dalam tiga langkah. Aku sudah melihatnya sepuluh menit yang lalu."

Vesna opens her mouth. "Ten minutes? Then why…"

Vesna membuka mulut. "Sepuluh menit? Lalu kenapa…"

"I did not want the game to end," says Umar.

"Aku tidak ingin permainannya berakhir," kata Umar.

For a moment, the park is very quiet. One of the old men coughs. A child laughs. Then Vesna starts to laugh too. Umar joins her.

Sesaat, taman itu sangat sunyi. Salah satu lelaki tua terbatuk. Seorang anak tertawa. Lalu Vesna ikut tertawa. Umar bergabung dengannya.

"Fourteen draws," she says. "And we both play them on purpose."

"Empat belas kali seri," katanya. "Dan kita memainkan semuanya dengan sengaja."

"I think yes," says Umar.

"Kurasa begitu," kata Umar.

They shake hands over the board. The old men clap. "A draw again!" one of them shouts. "Another record!"

Mereka berjabat tangan di atas papan. Para lelaki tua bertepuk tangan. "Seri lagi!" teriak salah satu dari mereka. "Rekor baru!"

Vesna puts the white king on its side. Umar puts the black king next to it. The two kings lie together on the board. Both of them look at the kings and smile.

Vesna merebahkan raja putih ke sisinya. Umar meletakkan raja hitam di sebelahnya. Kedua raja itu terbaring berdampingan di papan. Keduanya memandangi raja-raja itu dan tersenyum.

Then Umar clears his throat. "Would you like to have dinner next week?" he asks. "A real dinner, I mean. With a table and a candle."

Lalu Umar berdeham. "Maukah kamu makan malam minggu depan?" tanyanya. "Maksudku makan malam yang sungguhan. Dengan meja dan lilin."

"After the game?" says Vesna.

"Setelah permainan?" kata Vesna.

"Instead of the game," says Umar. "Or after. You choose."

"Sebagai ganti permainan," kata Umar. "Atau setelahnya. Kamu yang pilih."

Vesna looks at the chess board. Then she looks at him.

Vesna memandang papan catur. Lalu dia memandangnya.

"After," she says. "I always want one more game. And next Thursday, I play black."

"Setelahnya," katanya. "Aku selalu ingin satu permainan lagi. Dan Kamis depan, aku main hitam."