The Train to Granada

The train left Madrid at six in the morning. Half the seats were empty. Elena chose a window seat and watched the city give way to dry, open fields.

Kereta meninggalkan Madrid pada pukul enam pagi. Setengah dari kursi-kursinya kosong. Elena memilih tempat duduk di dekat jendela dan memandang kota yang perlahan berganti menjadi ladang-ladang kering yang terbentang luas.

A woman sat across from her. She was older — maybe sixty, maybe more — and she had a small bag with a sandwich wrapped in foil. Soon her phone rang. She answered quietly, but the train was very quiet too.

Seorang wanita duduk di seberangnya. Dia lebih tua — mungkin enam puluh tahun, atau bahkan lebih — dan membawa tas kecil berisi sandwich yang dibungkus aluminium foil. Tak lama kemudian teleponnya berdering. Dia menjawab dengan suara pelan, tapi kereta juga sangat sunyi.

"No, I haven't told her yet," the woman whispered. "I will, but not today. Today I just want to see her." A pause. "She doesn't know I'm sick. Please, don't tell her either."

"Tidak, aku belum memberitahunya," bisik wanita itu. "Aku akan memberitahu, tapi tidak hari ini. Hari ini aku hanya ingin melihatnya." Dia terdiam sejenak. "Dia tidak tahu kalau aku sakit. Tolong, jangan beritahu dia juga."

Elena looked out the window and pretended not to hear. But she could not stop listening. The woman talked for a few minutes more, then hung up and ate her sandwich slowly.

Elena menatap ke luar jendela dan pura-pura tidak mendengar. Tapi dia tidak bisa berhenti menguping. Wanita itu berbicara beberapa menit lagi, lalu menutup telepon dan makan sandwichnya dengan perlahan.

When the train arrived in Granada, the woman stood up and looked at Elena. "I'm going to see my granddaughter," she said, as if explaining something Elena had already asked. "I haven't seen her in a year. Have a good trip."

Ketika kereta tiba di Granada, wanita itu berdiri dan menatap Elena. "Aku akan menemui cucuku," katanya, seolah-olah menjelaskan sesuatu yang sudah ditanyakan Elena. "Aku tidak bertemu dengannya selama setahun. Selamat jalan."

Elena watched her walk down the platform and disappear into the crowd.

Elena memperhatikan wanita itu berjalan menyusuri peron dan menghilang di antara kerumunan orang.