Wheels in the Workshop

Katya hid a box behind the oil drum in the maintenance room. In the box was a pair of skates.

Katya menyembunyikan sebuah kotak di balik drum oli di ruang perawatan. Di dalam kotak itu ada sepasang sepatu roda.

They were bright yellow, with soft white wheels. She bought them on Monday for Radha.

Sepatu roda itu berwarna kuning cerah, dengan roda putih yang lembut. Ia membelinya hari Senin untuk Radha.

Radha worked on the cable cars too. Every night, she checked the brakes and the long steel cables.

Radha juga bekerja di kereta gantung. Setiap malam, ia memeriksa rem dan kabel baja yang panjang.

Katya liked her very much. But she was too shy to say it.

Katya sangat menyukainya. Tetapi ia terlalu malu untuk mengatakannya.

Radha loved to skate. She talked about it all the time.

Radha suka bermain sepatu roda. Ia membicarakannya sepanjang waktu.

"At home, I skate in my kitchen," Radha told her once. "My neighbours hate it."

"Di rumah, aku bermain sepatu roda di dapurku," kata Radha kepadanya suatu kali. "Tetanggaku benci itu."

Katya laughed, and an idea came to her. That night, she made a plan.

Katya tertawa, dan sebuah gagasan terlintas di benaknya. Malam itu, ia menyusun rencana.

Her plan was simple. After work, she wanted to take Radha up to the top station. The square up there was wide and smooth. It had soft lights and a view of the whole town. She wanted to give Radha the skates. Then she wanted to skate with her under the stars.

Rencananya sederhana. Sepulang kerja, ia ingin membawa Radha ke stasiun puncak. Alun-alun di atas sana luas dan rata. Lampunya lembut dan pemandangannya meliputi seluruh kota. Ia ingin memberikan sepatu roda itu kepada Radha. Lalu ia ingin bermain sepatu roda bersamanya di bawah bintang-bintang.

On Friday, Katya came to work early. She checked the box three times. It was still behind the oil drum.

Pada hari Jumat, Katya datang bekerja lebih awal. Ia memeriksa kotak itu tiga kali. Kotak itu masih ada di balik drum oli.

At eight o'clock, she found Radha near the big wheel. Radha wrote numbers on a clipboard.

Pukul delapan, ia menemukan Radha di dekat roda besar. Radha menulis angka-angka di papan jepit.

"Radha, can you stay late tonight?" Katya asked.

"Radha, bisakah kamu tinggal sampai larut malam ini?" tanya Katya.

"Sure," said Radha. "Is something wrong?"

"Tentu," kata Radha. "Ada yang salah?"

"No. I want to show you something at the top," Katya said. Her voice sounded strange.

"Tidak. Aku ingin menunjukkan sesuatu padamu di puncak," kata Katya. Suaranya terdengar aneh.

Radha smiled. "Okay. I like a good surprise."

Radha tersenyum. "Baiklah. Aku suka kejutan yang bagus."

The plan was perfect. Then the night supervisor came in.

Rencana itu sempurna. Lalu penyelia malam masuk.

"Bad news," he said. "The line stops now. One cabin has a loose bolt."

"Kabar buruk," katanya. "Jalur dihentikan sekarang. Satu kabin punya baut yang longgar."

Katya felt sick. "Which cabin?"

Katya merasa mual. "Kabin yang mana?"

"Number four. Somebody must fix it before morning."

"Nomor empat. Seseorang harus memperbaikinya sebelum pagi."

"We can do it," Radha said at once. "Right, Katya?"

"Kami bisa melakukannya," kata Radha seketika. "Ya, kan, Katya?"

Katya wanted to cry. But she nodded. A cable car is not a toy. A loose bolt is a danger.

Katya ingin menangis. Tetapi ia mengangguk. Kereta gantung bukan mainan. Baut yang longgar itu berbahaya.

They worked for two hours. The cabin hung in the middle of the room. It was high above the floor. Radha held the lamp. Katya turned the wrench.

Mereka bekerja selama dua jam. Kabin itu tergantung di tengah ruangan. Letaknya tinggi di atas lantai. Radha memegang lampu. Katya memutar kunci inggris.

The bolt was old and stiff. It did not want to move. At last, it gave a small click.

Baut itu tua dan kaku. Ia tidak mau bergerak. Akhirnya, terdengar bunyi klik kecil.

"Done," said Katya. She felt tired and sad.

"Selesai," kata Katya. Ia merasa lelah dan sedih.

"Good work," Radha said. "Now, what did you want to show me?"

"Kerja bagus," kata Radha. "Nah, apa yang tadi ingin kamu tunjukkan padaku?"

Katya looked at the clock. It was ten at night. The last cabin was gone. The top station was dark.

Katya melihat jam. Pukul sepuluh malam. Kabin terakhir sudah pergi. Stasiun puncak gelap.

"Nothing," she said. "It was a silly idea."

"Tidak ada apa-apa," katanya. "Itu gagasan konyol."

Radha looked at her for a long moment. "Katya, you hid a box behind the oil drum. I saw it on Monday."

Radha menatapnya sesaat. "Katya, kamu menyembunyikan kotak di balik drum oli. Aku melihatnya hari Senin."

"You saw it?" Katya asked.

"Kamu melihatnya?" tanya Katya.

"I am a good engineer. I see everything," said Radha. "I did not look inside. I promise."

"Aku insinyur yang baik. Aku melihat segalanya," kata Radha. "Aku tidak mengintip isinya. Aku berjanji."

Katya sat down on a tool box. Then she began to laugh. She could not stop.

Katya duduk di atas kotak perkakas. Lalu ia mulai tertawa. Ia tidak bisa berhenti.

"It is a pair of skates," she said. "I wanted to take you to the square. I wanted a nice night for you."

"Itu sepasang sepatu roda," katanya. "Aku ingin membawamu ke alun-alun. Aku ingin memberimu malam yang indah."

Radha sat next to her. "That is the kindest thing anyone ever planned for me."

Radha duduk di sampingnya. "Itu hal paling baik yang pernah direncanakan seseorang untukku."

"But the plan is dead," said Katya. "The line is closed."

"Tapi rencananya gagal," kata Katya. "Jalurnya ditutup."

Radha looked around the room. Her eyes went from the floor to the walls and back again.

Radha memandang berkeliling ruangan. Matanya bergerak dari lantai ke dinding lalu kembali lagi.

"Katya, how long is this room?" she asked.

"Katya, seberapa panjang ruangan ini?" tanyanya.

"About forty metres. Why?"

"Sekitar empat puluh meter. Kenapa?"

"And how smooth is the floor?"

"Dan seberapa rata lantainya?"

"Very smooth. I clean it every week." Katya stopped. "Wait. You mean…"

"Sangat rata. Aku membersihkannya setiap minggu." Katya terhenti. "Tunggu. Maksudmu…"

"I mean we do not need the square," Radha said. "We have a floor right here."

"Maksudku kita tidak butuh alun-alun," kata Radha. "Kita punya lantai di sini."

They jumped up. Together they pushed the tool carts against the wall. They rolled the oil drum into a corner. Radha swept the floor with a wide broom. Katya looked for lamps.

Mereka melompat berdiri. Bersama-sama mereka mendorong kereta perkakas ke dinding. Mereka menggulingkan drum oli ke sudut. Radha menyapu lantai dengan sapu lebar. Katya mencari lampu.

She found six work lamps and a long orange cable. She hung the lamps on the hooks above the cabins. Warm yellow light filled the room. The big wheel stood still in the shadows. It looked like a huge clock.

Ia menemukan enam lampu kerja dan kabel oranye yang panjang. Ia menggantung lampu-lampu itu di pengait di atas kabin. Cahaya kuning hangat memenuhi ruangan. Roda besar berdiri diam dalam bayangan. Bentuknya seperti jam raksasa.

"It looks like a dance hall," said Radha.

"Kelihatan seperti aula dansa," kata Radha.

"It looks like a workshop," Katya said.

"Kelihatan seperti bengkel," kata Katya.

"A very beautiful workshop."

"Bengkel yang sangat indah."

Katya went to the oil drum and picked up the box. Her hands shook a little. She gave it to Radha.

Katya pergi ke drum oli dan mengambil kotak itu. Tangannya sedikit gemetar. Ia memberikannya kepada Radha.

Radha opened it. For a moment, she said nothing. Then she lifted one skate and touched a wheel.

Radha membukanya. Sejenak ia tidak berkata apa-apa. Lalu ia mengangkat sebuah sepatu roda dan menyentuh sebuah roda.

"They are my size," she whispered. "How did you know?"

"Ukurannya pas denganku," bisiknya. "Bagaimana kamu tahu?"

"I looked at your work boots," said Katya. "When you were not near."

"Aku melihat sepatu kerjamu," kata Katya. "Saat kamu tidak ada di dekatku."

Radha laughed. It was a happy, loud laugh, and it filled the room.

Radha tertawa. Tawa yang riang dan keras, dan memenuhi ruangan.

"Sit down," said Radha. "I will put on my skates. And then I will help you with yours."

"Duduklah," kata Radha. "Aku akan memakai sepatu rodaku. Lalu aku akan membantumu memakai punyamu."

"I do not have skates," Katya said. "I only bought one pair."

"Aku tidak punya sepatu roda," kata Katya. "Aku hanya membeli sepasang."

"Of course you did," said Radha. She smiled. "Then we have a problem."

"Tentu saja," kata Radha. Ia tersenyum. "Kalau begitu kita punya masalah."

Katya thought for a second. Then she looked at the tool carts. They had four wheels each, and a strong flat top.

Katya berpikir sejenak. Lalu ia memandang kereta-kereta perkakas. Masing-masing punya empat roda dan permukaan datar yang kuat.

"Not a problem," she said. "I have an idea."

"Bukan masalah," katanya. "Aku punya gagasan."

She pulled a cart into the middle of the floor. She stood behind it and held the handle with both hands.

Ia menarik sebuah kereta ke tengah lantai. Ia berdiri di belakangnya dan memegang gagangnya dengan kedua tangan.

"This is my skate," said Katya. "It is slow, but it is safe."

"Ini sepatu rodaku," kata Katya. "Lambat, tapi aman."

Radha put on her new skates and tied the laces. She stood up slowly. The floor was smooth, and the wheels were quiet. She took one step, then another.

Radha memakai sepatu roda barunya dan mengikat talinya. Ia berdiri perlahan. Lantainya rata, dan rodanya senyap. Ia melangkah satu kali, lalu satu kali lagi.

"They roll so well," she said. She sounded like a child on a birthday.

"Rodanya meluncur mulus sekali," katanya. Ia terdengar seperti anak kecil di hari ulang tahun.

She made a small circle around the oil drum. Then she made a big circle around the cabins. The lamps showed her shadow on the wall. Katya watched her and did not speak.

Ia membuat lingkaran kecil mengitari drum oli. Lalu ia membuat lingkaran besar mengitari kabin-kabin. Lampu-lampu menampakkan bayangannya di dinding. Katya memandanginya dan tidak berkata apa-apa.

On the third circle, Radha stopped in front of her.

Pada putaran ketiga, Radha berhenti di depannya.

"Katya, come out from behind that cart," she said.

"Katya, keluarlah dari balik kereta itu," katanya.

"I can't skate," said Katya. "I will fall."

"Aku tidak bisa bermain sepatu roda," kata Katya. "Aku akan jatuh."

"Then we fall together." Radha held out both hands.

"Kalau begitu kita jatuh bersama." Radha mengulurkan kedua tangannya.

Katya looked at the hands. She looked at Radha's face. Then she let go of the cart.

Katya memandang tangan-tangan itu. Ia memandang wajah Radha. Lalu ia melepaskan kereta itu.

She took Radha's hands, and they rolled slowly across the floor.

Ia menggenggam tangan Radha, dan mereka meluncur pelan melintasi lantai.