MISTERI KANTUNG MACAN (10)

 

A novel by Nurlaeli Umar

Publisher; AE Publishing (ISBN 978-602-5468-81-0)

BLOG NURLAELI UMAR-

Dengan kaus yang melekat dan sarung yang diraih dari gantungan paku pengganti celana

pangsi hitam yang tadi dikenakannya, dia masuk ke kamar berbaring di samping istrinya yang

tidak menyadari kehadirannya sampai pagi menjelang.

Wearing a clinging T-shirt and a sarong taken from a nail hook to replace the black pangsi trousers he had been wearing earlier, he went into the room and lay down beside his wife, who did not realize his presence until morning came.

NING

Dukuh Sepuh, sebelah barat, Oktober 2017

Nasi di rantang mainan yang sudah dibubuhi gula tidak menarik lagi sepertinya, karena anak

itu menggelengkan kepala dengan lesu. Dia bangun dari duduknya di tepi ranjang kayu,

berjalan mendekati deretan kaca dan mencoba melihat ke luar. Rasa nasi itu di lidah

berbeda dengan tapai ketan berbungkus daun jambu air yang kemarin dicicipinya. Padahal

dia tahu betul, mamaknya membubuhkan gula pada nasi, sama seperti yang baru saja dia

lakukan.

The rice in the toy rantang (tiered lunch box) that had already been sprinkled with sugar no longer seemed appealing, for the child shook his head weakly. He rose from where he had been sitting on the edge of the wooden bed, walked toward the row of glass panes, and tried to look outside. The taste of the rice on his tongue was different from that of the fermented sticky rice wrapped in rose-apple leaves he had sampled yesterday. And yet he knew very well that his mother had added sugar to the rice, just as he himself had just done.

Malam gelap, hujan deras turun seperti air ditumpahkann dari langit. Terdengar nyaring

jatuhnya di kucuran dari atap seng. Dari kaca, garis-garis hujan terlihat indah terkena pendar

pancaran sinar lampu dari dalam rumah. Sepi terasa sekali. Kemana semua orang? Mungkin

mereka sudah tidur. Tidak ada satu pun yang melintas.

The night was dark, and heavy rain fell as if water were being poured from the sky. Its loud splashing could be heard as it streamed off the corrugated metal roof. Seen through the glass, the streaks of rain looked beautiful, catching the glow of the lamplight from inside the house. The silence felt overwhelming. Where had everyone gone? Perhaps they were already asleep. Not a single soul passed by.

Suasana berbeda sekali dengan siang hari di mana orang-orang berlalu-lalang, bahkan di hari

pasaran semua tampak seperti pesta. Ada mobil, ada delman, lalu orang-orang dengan baju

berwarna-warni, berdandan rapi, dan jinjingan tas penuh belanjaan melintas di jalan yang

sama.

The atmosphere was completely different from the daytime, when people came and went, and on market days everything even looked like a festival. There were cars, there were horse-drawn carriages, and then people in colorful clothes, neatly dressed, carrying bags full of shopping, passing along the same road.

Dari jendela yang mengembun tidak ada satu pun yang terlihat kecuali air yang berlomba

turun membentuk jarum-jarum saling berebut jatuh. Lalu pohon pisang yang daunnya

menghitam dan terlihat kuyup. Pohon jambu biji mengigil kedinginan, bersama sedikit

rumput hias yang terendam. Serimbun perdu teh-tehan yang dibentuk bulat tampak seperti

seseorang gemuk pendek hitam yang sedang memeluk lutut.

Through the fogged window, nothing could be seen except water racing downward, forming needle-like streaks competing to fall. Then there was the banana tree, its leaves darkened and looking thoroughly drenched. The guava tree shivered in the cold, along with a few ornamental grasses submerged in water. A dense clump of neatly rounded teh-tehan shrubs looked like a short, fat black figure hugging its knees.

Diam-diam tubuh kecil itu berharap dengan sangat, seseorang melintas di jalan yang

memanjang di depan rumah. Mengharapkan mobil atau sepeda tidak mungkin, tidak pernah

ada yang melintas dengan kendaraan seperti itu di hari gelap. Mungkin sorotan kecil dari

senter cukup menghiburnya. Tetap tidak ada, bahkan sampai hujan sedikit reda.

Quietly, the small body hoped with all its heart that someone would pass along the road stretching out in front of the house. Hoping for a car or a bicycle was impossible—no one ever passed by in such vehicles on dark nights. Perhaps even a faint beam from a flashlight would be enough to comfort him. Still, there was nothing, even when the rain began to ease a little.

“Tidur, Nak. Kamu sedang apa di depan kaca?”

“Aku melihat hujan, Mak.”

“Tidurlah! Hujan masih lama reda, yang terlihat di luar hanya gelap.”

“Tapi, aku kan belum sekolah. Jadi tidak mengapa aku bangun siang.”

“Tapi, Mamak, dan Bapak harus ke pasar besok, nanti kamu bangun tidak ada orang dan

tidak ada yang memandikan. Dan kamu nanti menangis ketakutan di rumah sendiri.”

“Aku bisa mandi sendiri. Aku gak akan nangis.”

“Sudah, jangan membantah. Tidurlah!”

“Sebentar lagi, sebentar lagi aku tidur,” dia menawar.

“Go to sleep, dear. What are you doing by the window?”

“I’m watching the rain, Mom.”

“Go to sleep! The rain won’t stop anytime soon, and all you’ll see outside is darkness.”

“But I’m not in school yet, so it’s okay if I wake up late.”

“But tomorrow your mom and dad have to go to the market. If you wake up and there’s no one at home, no one will bathe you. Then you’ll cry in fear, all alone in the house.”

“I can bathe myself. I won’t cry.”

“That’s enough, don’t argue. Go to sleep!”

“Just a little longer, just a little longer before I sleep,” he bargained.

 

Perempuan muda itu sepertinya tidak merasa keberatan, dia kemudian masuk ke dalam

kamar, sebentar kemudian keluar lagi, dan masuk ke ruang tengah. Dia meluluskan

permintaan anaknya, membiarkannya tetap berdiri di depan kaca depan dan menikmati hujan

yang kembali datang. Dia akan kembali sibuk dengan kue-kue dan bahan jualan besok di

pasar.

The young woman did not seem to mind. She went into the bedroom, then a moment later came back out and entered the living room. She granted her child’s request, letting him remain standing by the front window, enjoying the rain as it returned. She would soon be busy again with cakes and goods to sell at the market the next day.

 

Tidak ada yang melintas, atau belum? Mata gadis kecil itu terus bergerak melihat ke arah

kanan dan kiri. Benar, mungkin dia memang harus tidur. Sebenarnya dia akan beranjak dari

tempatnya berdiri, tetapi ada sesuatu yang menahannya. Dia kembali melihat ke arah jalan

besar di depan rumah itu. Tunggu! Ada sebuah sinar kecil yang jatuh menyoroti jalan dari

sebuah lampu senter. Dia memerhatikan orang itu. Orang itu melintas begitu saja, dia

sepertinya seorang lelaki, tangan kirinyanya memegang batang payung yang melindunginya.

Anak kecil itu merasa lega. Berarti tidurnya harus ditunda. Siapa tahu nanti ada yang melintas

lagi.

“Ning, tidur! Sudah malam.”

Anak perempuan kecil itu tidak menyahuti perintah dari ruang belakang. Itu suara lelaki,

suara ayahnya. Hanya satu kali, dan anak kecil itu masih tetap berada di depan kaca

memerhatikan jalan.

No one passed by—or not yet? The little girl’s eyes kept moving, looking to the right and to the left. Yes, perhaps she really should go to sleep. In fact, she was about to step away from where she stood, but something held her back. She looked again toward the main road in front of the house. Wait! A small beam of light fell across the road from a flashlight. She watched the person pass by. He seemed to be a man, his left hand holding the shaft of an umbrella to shield himself. The child felt relieved. That meant her sleep had to be postponed. Who knew—someone else might pass by again.

“Ning, go to sleep! It’s already late.”

The little girl did not respond to the command from the back room. It was a man’s voice—her father’s. Only once, and the little girl remained standing in front of the window, watching the road.

Sepuluh menit berlalu, matanya mulai mengantuk, tetapi dia merasa yakin akan ada lagi yang

berjalan melintas, meski samar terlihat dia merasa yakin itu seseorang. Sekarang hujan benar-

benar reda, menyisakan tetesan dari atap yang jatuh malas satu-satu. Ditempelkan wajahnya

ke kaca, kulit mukanya merasakan sisa dingin hujan, hangat napasnya terasa di hidung dan

pipi, meninggalkan jejak di kaca. Kantuknya menghilang seketika, dia memerhatikan

dengan sangat, ada yang berbeda, dia yakin sekali, tapi itu entah apa. (p14)

Ten minutes passed. Her eyes began to grow heavy, yet she felt certain that someone else would walk by again; even if only faintly visible, she was sure it would be a person. Now the rain had truly stopped, leaving only drops from the roof falling lazily, one by one. She pressed her face against the glass; the skin of her face felt the lingering chill of the rain, while the warmth of her breath touched her nose and cheeks, leaving traces on the window. Her drowsiness vanished instantly. She watched intently—something was different. She was absolutely certain of it, though she did not know what it was.