Your Move on the Ice

Mirza arrives at the skating rink at six in the morning, before the first visitors. The ice is empty and shining, and the air smells of cold metal. Gus is already sitting on the bench by the barrier, tying his skates with great care.

Mirza tiba di arena seluncur es pukul enam pagi, sebelum para pengunjung pertama. Esnya kosong dan berkilau, dan udara berbau logam dingin. Gus sudah duduk di bangku dekat pagar pembatas, mengikat sepatu esnya dengan sangat hati-hati.

"You are late," he says.

"Kamu terlambat," katanya.

"I am four minutes early," Mirza says. "Your watch is wrong."

"Aku empat menit lebih awal," kata Mirza. "Jam tanganmu salah."

"My watch is never wrong. That is why I brought the clock."

"Jam tanganku tidak pernah salah. Makanya aku membawa jam itu."

On the bench between them sits an old wooden chess clock. Gus bought it at a market stall last month. It has two white faces, two brass buttons, and a loud tick that echoes across the empty ice.

Di bangku di antara mereka terletak sebuah jam catur kayu tua. Gus membelinya di sebuah lapak pasar bulan lalu. Jam itu punya dua muka putih, dua tombol kuningan, dan detak keras yang menggema di atas es yang kosong.

The rink is celebrating its fiftieth year, and the manager has asked for a show. Mirza skated every winter as a girl. Now she wants a routine with fast spins and long, sharp lines. Gus is a carpenter who learned to skate in the autumn. He wants something slow and funny, with a bow at the end.

Arena itu sedang merayakan ulang tahun kelima puluh, dan manajernya meminta sebuah pertunjukan. Mirza bermain seluncur setiap musim dingin saat masih kecil. Kini ia menginginkan rutinitas dengan putaran cepat dan garis-garis panjang yang tajam. Gus seorang tukang kayu yang belajar bermain seluncur pada musim gugur. Ia menginginkan sesuatu yang lambat dan lucu, dengan membungkuk hormat di akhir.

They could not agree. So they made a rule, and the clock is the judge. Each of them gets twenty minutes of every morning. While your side of the clock runs, you choose what the pair practises. When your time ends, you press your button, and the other person takes over.

Mereka tak bisa sepakat. Maka mereka membuat aturan, dan jam itu menjadi hakimnya. Masing-masing mendapat dua puluh menit setiap pagi. Selama giliran sisimu berjalan, kamu yang memilih apa yang dilatih berdua. Saat waktumu habis, kamu menekan tombolmu, dan orang yang lain mengambil alih.

"Ladies first," Gus says.

"Perempuan dulu," kata Gus.

Gus presses his button, and Mirza's side begins to tick. For twenty minutes, she leads. They skate fast circles. They practise her spin, with Gus holding her hand and trying not to fall. He falls twice. She does not mind. Her plan is good, and she can feel it.

Gus menekan tombolnya, dan sisi Mirza mulai berdetak. Selama dua puluh menit, Mirza memimpin. Mereka meluncur dalam lingkaran-lingkaran cepat. Mereka berlatih putarannya, dengan Gus memegang tangannya dan berusaha tidak jatuh. Ia jatuh dua kali. Mirza tidak keberatan. Rencananya bagus, dan ia bisa merasakannya.

Then she slaps the button. The ticking changes sides.

Lalu ia menepuk tombolnya. Detaknya berpindah sisi.

"Finally," Gus says, and he stands up. "My turn."

"Akhirnya," kata Gus, dan ia berdiri. "Giliranku."

He wants to try a slow turn he has invented. It is a wide, gentle curve with a bow in the middle. It looks like a boat on a quiet lake. Mirza follows him, and she has to admit that it is pretty. They have skated for perhaps ten minutes when the clock gives a loud click.

Ia ingin mencoba putaran lambat yang ia ciptakan. Itu lengkungan lebar yang lembut dengan bungkukan hormat di tengahnya. Tampak seperti perahu di danau yang tenang. Mirza mengikutinya, dan ia harus mengakui bahwa itu indah. Mereka mungkin baru bermain sepuluh menit ketika jam itu berbunyi klik keras.

"Time," Mirza calls from the barrier. She is holding the clock in her hands. "Your twenty minutes are over."

"Waktu habis," seru Mirza dari pagar pembatas. Ia memegang jam itu di tangannya. "Dua puluh menitmu sudah habis."

Gus stops in the middle of the ice. "That was fast."

Gus berhenti di tengah es. "Cepat sekali."

"The clock does not lie."

"Jam tidak berbohong."

He skates over, slowly, and looks at his watch. He does not say anything. He only puts his chin in his hand, the way he does when he checks a measurement.

Ia meluncur menghampiri, perlahan, dan melihat jam tangannya. Ia tidak mengatakan apa-apa. Ia hanya menopangkan dagu di tangannya, seperti yang ia lakukan saat memeriksa ukuran.

The next morning is the same. Mirza leads for twenty minutes, and her plan grows. She adds a jump. She adds a lift that scares both of them. When it is Gus's turn, he has a new idea, a small dance step with the feet together. He barely finishes the first try before the clock clicks again.

Pagi berikutnya sama saja. Mirza memimpin selama dua puluh menit, dan rencananya makin berkembang. Ia menambahkan lompatan. Ia menambahkan angkatan yang menakutkan mereka berdua. Ketika giliran Gus, ia punya gagasan baru, langkah dansa kecil dengan kaki rapat. Ia nyaris tak selesai mencoba pertama kali ketika jam itu berbunyi klik lagi.

"Time," she says.

"Waktu habis," kata Mirza.

"Already?" Gus asks. "It feels like five minutes."

"Sudah?" tanya Gus. "Rasanya baru lima menit."

Mirza does not look at the clock twice. She is thinking about the lift.

Mirza tidak melihat jam dua kali. Ia sedang memikirkan angkatan itu.

On the third morning, Gus arrives before her. When Mirza walks in, he is sitting on the bench with the clock open on his knees. A small screwdriver lies beside him, and so does his phone.

Pada pagi ketiga, Gus tiba sebelum Mirza. Ketika Mirza masuk, Gus sedang duduk di bangku dengan jam terbuka di lututnya. Sebuah obeng kecil tergeletak di sampingnya, juga ponselnya.

"What are you doing to my judge?" she asks.

"Apa yang kamu lakukan pada hakimku?" tanyanya.

"I am making sure the judge is honest." He holds up the phone. "I timed us yesterday. You skated for twenty-four minutes. I skated for eleven."

"Aku memastikan hakimnya jujur." Ia mengangkat ponselnya. "Kemarin aku mencatat waktu kita. Kamu bermain dua puluh empat menit. Aku sebelas."

Mirza stares at him. "That cannot be right."

Mirza menatapnya. "Itu tidak mungkin benar."

"The clock is fine. I checked every part." He closes the back and puts the screwdriver away. "It is not the clock that is wrong. It is the hand that presses the button."

"Jamnya baik-baik saja. Aku memeriksa setiap bagiannya." Ia menutup bagian belakangnya dan menyimpan obengnya. "Bukan jamnya yang salah. Tangan yang menekan tombolnyalah."

For a moment she wants to argue. She has a long speech ready, about her experience and her years on the ice. Instead she sits down next to him on the bench, and the speech goes quiet.

Sejenak Mirza ingin membantah. Ia sudah menyiapkan pidato panjang tentang pengalamannya dan tahun-tahunnya di atas es. Alih-alih, ia duduk di samping Gus di bangku, dan pidato itu pun diam.

"I did not know," she says at last.

"Aku tidak tahu," katanya akhirnya.

"I think you did a little."

"Kurasa kamu sedikit tahu."

She looks at her gloves. It is true, and it is easy to see once he says it. Each morning she has pressed her button late and his button early. She has told herself that she was only being careful. But the real reason is smaller and harder. The show is in two weeks. After that, there is no reason for them to meet at six in the morning.

Ia memandang sarung tangannya. Itu benar, dan mudah dilihat setelah Gus mengatakannya. Setiap pagi ia menekan tombolnya terlambat dan tombol Gus terlalu cepat. Ia meyakinkan diri bahwa ia hanya berhati-hati. Tetapi alasan sebenarnya lebih kecil dan lebih sulit. Pertunjukannya dua minggu lagi. Setelah itu, tak ada alasan bagi mereka untuk bertemu pukul enam pagi.

"I wanted our routine to be perfect," she says. "If it is perfect, then maybe we will keep skating together."

"Aku ingin rutinitas kita sempurna," katanya. "Kalau sempurna, mungkin kita akan terus bermain bersama."

"That is a strange way to ask," Gus says.

"Itu cara bertanya yang aneh," kata Gus.

"I know. I am sorry. It was a mistake, and a silly one."

"Aku tahu. Maaf. Itu kesalahan, dan kesalahan yang konyol."

He nods. He does not look angry. He looks like a man who has solved a puzzle and wishes the answer were kinder. "Thank you for telling me," he says. "I mean it."

Gus mengangguk. Ia tidak tampak marah. Ia tampak seperti orang yang telah memecahkan teka-teki dan berharap jawabannya lebih baik hati. "Terima kasih sudah memberi tahu aku," katanya. "Aku sungguh-sungguh."

"What do we do now?"

"Lalu kita bagaimana sekarang?"

Gus gets up and walks to the edge of the ice. "We do the morning again, and this time we do it properly. I press your button, and you press mine. Then neither of us can cheat."

Gus bangkit dan berjalan ke tepi es. "Kita ulangi pagi ini, dan kali ini kita lakukan dengan benar. Aku menekan tombolmu, dan kamu menekan tombolku. Dengan begitu tak seorang pun bisa curang."

"That is the most sensible thing anyone has said to me this month," Mirza says.

"Itu hal paling masuk akal yang dikatakan seseorang kepadaku bulan ini," kata Mirza.

They skate. Gus presses her button, and she stands at the barrier with her arms crossed, watching his boat-curve again. It is even prettier than she remembered. When her own twenty minutes begin, he presses his button with one finger. Her side starts to tick.

Mereka meluncur. Gus menekan tombol Mirza, dan Mirza berdiri di pagar pembatas dengan tangan bersilang, menonton lengkungan perahu Gus sekali lagi. Lengkungan itu bahkan lebih indah daripada yang ia ingat. Ketika dua puluh menitnya sendiri dimulai, Gus menekan tombolnya dengan satu jari. Sisi Mirza mulai berdetak.

She leads him into the spin, and for once she explains it slowly. She shows him where to put his foot and when to let go. Gus follows, and he does not fall. On the third try, the spin is so smooth that they both laugh out loud. A cleaner polishing the barrier looks up in surprise.

Ia membimbing Gus ke dalam putaran, dan untuk sekali ini ia menjelaskannya pelan-pelan. Ia menunjukkan di mana Gus harus meletakkan kakinya dan kapan harus melepaskan. Gus mengikuti, dan ia tidak jatuh. Pada percobaan ketiga, putarannya begitu mulus sehingga mereka berdua tertawa keras. Seorang petugas kebersihan yang sedang menggosok pagar pembatas mendongak terkejut.

They test the lift next. It frightens Mirza more than it frightens Gus. A carpenter, she finds, knows exactly how much weight a good pair of arms can hold. He checks her grip twice and tells her to count to three. On three, she goes up into the cold air. For a second she can see the whole empty rink, white and bright.

Berikutnya mereka mencoba angkatan itu. Angkatan itu lebih menakutkan Mirza daripada Gus. Seorang tukang kayu, Mirza mendapati, tahu persis berapa beban yang sanggup ditahan sepasang lengan yang baik. Gus memeriksa pegangannya dua kali dan menyuruhnya menghitung sampai tiga. Pada hitungan ketiga, Mirza naik ke udara dingin. Sedetik ia bisa melihat seluruh arena yang kosong, putih dan terang.

When Gus puts her down, she is smiling so widely that her cheeks hurt.

Ketika Gus menurunkannya, Mirza tersenyum begitu lebar sampai pipinya sakit.

"That was not in the plan," he says.

"Itu tidak ada dalam rencana," kata Gus.

"It was always in the plan."

"Itu selalu ada dalam rencana."

"Then why did you take it out?"

"Lalu kenapa kamu menghapusnya?"

She does not answer. The clock ticks, and the two of them stand on the ice and listen to it.

Mirza tidak menjawab. Jam itu berdetak, dan keduanya berdiri di atas es dan mendengarkannya.

In the second week, the routine changes shape. The fast spins stay, but they come after the slow curve instead of before it. The jump disappears, and the bow in the middle grows bigger. Neither of them would have made it alone. Mirza begins to like it more than her first plan.

Pada minggu kedua, rutinitas itu berubah bentuk. Putaran cepat tetap ada, tetapi muncul setelah lengkungan lambat, bukan sebelumnya. Lompatan menghilang, dan bungkukan hormat di tengah menjadi lebih besar. Tak satu pun dari mereka akan membuatnya sendirian. Mirza mulai menyukainya lebih daripada rencana pertamanya.

On the morning of the show, the rink is full of lights and folding chairs. Mirza stands at the barrier in a plain blue dress. Gus stands beside her in a jacket with new, shorter sleeves. In his pocket, he carries the clock. He says it brings luck.

Pada pagi pertunjukan, arena penuh lampu dan kursi lipat. Mirza berdiri di pagar pembatas dengan gaun biru sederhana. Gus berdiri di sampingnya dengan jaket berlengan baru yang lebih pendek. Di sakunya, ia membawa jam itu. Katanya jam itu membawa keberuntungan.

"Are you nervous?" she asks.

"Kamu gugup?" tanya Mirza.

"Terrified. I have a hammer in my bag in case the ice breaks."

"Ketakutan. Aku membawa palu di tasku kalau-kalau esnya pecah."

"The ice will not break."

"Esnya tidak akan pecah."

"Then I have a hammer for no reason, which is how I like to live." He takes out the clock and sets it on the barrier. For a moment they both look at the two brass buttons, one for each of them.

"Kalau begitu aku membawa palu tanpa alasan, dan begitulah caraku suka hidup." Ia mengeluarkan jam itu dan meletakkannya di pagar pembatas. Sejenak keduanya memandang kedua tombol kuningan itu, satu untuk masing-masing.

The music starts, softly, from the speakers. Mirza reaches out and presses his button. Gus smiles and presses hers.

Musik mulai mengalun pelan dari pengeras suara. Mirza mengulurkan tangan dan menekan tombol Gus. Gus tersenyum dan menekan tombol Mirza.

"Your move," she says.

"Giliranmu," katanya.