The Video Call Time Zone

Mateo has been dating Rosa for almost a year, but they have never lived in the same city. He works in Toronto, and she moved to Lisbon for a new job last spring. At first, the six-hour time difference felt like a small detail. Now it feels like the reason they keep missing each other.

Mateo sudah hampir setahun berpacaran dengan Rosa, tetapi mereka belum pernah tinggal di kota yang sama. Ia bekerja di Toronto, dan Rosa pindah ke Lisbon karena pekerjaan baru musim semi lalu. Awalnya, perbedaan waktu enam jam terasa seperti hal kecil. Sekarang rasanya itulah alasan mereka terus saling terlewat.

Their video calls used to happen every evening, right after Mateo finished work. But Rosa's schedule has changed, and her evenings now start hours before his. Last week, he called at his usual time and she didn't answer. He assumed she was busy and didn't think much of it. When she called back the next morning, he was already asleep.

Panggilan video mereka dulu terjadi setiap malam, tepat setelah Mateo selesai bekerja. Tetapi jadwal Rosa berubah, dan malam harinya kini dimulai beberapa jam sebelum malam Mateo. Minggu lalu, Mateo menelepon pada jam biasanya dan Rosa tidak mengangkat. Ia mengira Rosa sibuk dan tidak terlalu memikirkannya. Ketika Rosa menelepon balik keesokan paginya, Mateo sudah tertidur.

"We keep doing this," Rosa says on Saturday, when they finally catch each other awake. "I feel like we're always a few hours behind." Her voice sounds tired, not angry, and that worries Mateo more than an argument would.

"Kita terus mengulangi ini," kata Rosa pada hari Sabtu, ketika akhirnya mereka bisa saling bertemu dalam keadaan terjaga. "Rasanya kita selalu tertinggal beberapa jam." Suaranya terdengar lelah, bukan marah, dan itu membuat Mateo lebih khawatir daripada pertengkaran.

"I know," he says. "I've been guessing at your schedule instead of asking what it actually looks like now."

"Aku tahu," katanya. "Aku selama ini menebak-nebak jadwalmu, bukan bertanya seperti apa jadwalmu sekarang."

They open a shared calendar app while they talk. It's a simple step they never took before. Rosa blocks out the two hours in the evening, her time, when she is reliably free. Mateo does the same for his mornings, before his commute starts. It isn't a perfect overlap, but it's a real one. They mark it in both time zones, so neither of them has to do the math again.

Sambil bicara, mereka membuka aplikasi kalender bersama. Itu langkah sederhana yang tak pernah mereka ambil sebelumnya. Rosa menandai dua jam di malam hari, menurut waktunya, saat ia pasti senggang. Mateo melakukan hal yang sama untuk pagi harinya, sebelum perjalanan ke kantor dimulai. Tidak tumpang tindih sempurna, tetapi nyata. Mereka menandainya di kedua zona waktu, sehingga tak seorang pun perlu menghitungnya lagi.

"If we protect this time," Rosa says, "we won't lose each other in the gaps."

"Kalau kita jaga waktu ini," kata Rosa, "kita tidak akan kehilangan satu sama lain di celah-celahnya."

Mateo laughs. "That's a very serious way to describe a calendar reminder."

Mateo tertawa. "Cara yang sangat serius untuk menggambarkan pengingat kalender."

"I'm serious about the reminder," she says, but she's smiling now, and he can hear it.

"Aku serius soal pengingatnya," katanya, tetapi kini ia tersenyum, dan Mateo bisa mendengarnya.

Before they hang up, Mateo opens the calendar on his phone and adds their new time. He labels it clearly, right where he'll see it every single day.

Sebelum menutup telepon, Mateo membuka kalender di ponselnya dan menambahkan waktu baru mereka. Ia memberinya label yang jelas, tepat di tempat yang akan ia lihat setiap hari.