The Campus Food Pantry

Ester has discovered that a cup of tea with three sugars can pass for dinner, at least until about nine o'clock. It is only the fifth week of her first semester, and her grocery money ran out before the middle of the month.

Ester telah menemukan bahwa secangkir teh dengan tiga sendok gula bisa dianggap sebagai makan malam, setidaknya sampai sekitar pukul sembilan. Ini baru minggu kelima semester pertamanya, dan uang belanjanya sudah habis sebelum pertengahan bulan.

She has told nobody. Her scholarship covers tuition and a room, but food depends on a part-time job that was cut to six hours a week. Asking her parents is out of the question, because they would send money they do not have.

Ia belum memberi tahu siapa pun. Beasiswanya menanggung uang kuliah dan sebuah kamar, tetapi makanan bergantung pada pekerjaan paruh waktu yang dipangkas menjadi enam jam seminggu. Meminta kepada orang tuanya tidak mungkin, karena mereka akan mengirim uang yang tidak mereka punya.

Her roommate, Laila, notices anyway. The cupboard shelf on Ester's side holds only a tea box and half a bag of rice. Ester always has an excuse for skipping the dining hall: a deadline, a headache, a late lecture. Laila says nothing about it.

Teman sekamarnya, Laila, menyadarinya juga. Rak lemari di sisi Ester hanya berisi sekotak teh dan setengah kantong beras. Ester selalu punya alasan untuk melewatkan ruang makan: tenggat tugas, sakit kepala, kuliah malam. Laila tidak mengatakan apa-apa soal itu.

On Tuesday, she drops her backpack on the bed and sighs. "I need a favor," she says. "The campus pantry is short of volunteers tonight, and the delivery is huge. Could you give me an hour?"

Pada hari Selasa, ia menjatuhkan ranselnya di atas tempat tidur dan mendesah. "Aku butuh bantuanmu," katanya. "Pantri kampus kekurangan relawan malam ini, dan kirimannya banyak sekali. Bisakah kamu meluangkan satu jam?"

Ester freezes at the word "pantry." She has been walking past its blue basement door for weeks, always staring at her phone. It is as if the door were a stranger she did not want to greet.

Ester membeku mendengar kata "pantri". Selama berminggu-minggu ia berjalan melewati pintu biru ruang bawah tanahnya, selalu sambil menatap ponselnya. Seolah-olah pintu itu orang asing yang tidak ingin ia sapa.

"I'm not sure I'm the right person," she says.

"Aku tidak yakin akulah orang yang tepat," katanya.

"You have two hands," Laila replies. "That's the whole job description."

"Kamu punya dua tangan," jawab Laila. "Itu seluruh deskripsi pekerjaannya."

Downstairs, the room smells of cardboard and oranges. Shelves are labeled in thick marker: "No kitchen needed," "Breakfast," "Fresh." A coordinator in a knitted hat hands Ester a box cutter and explains that anything dated within the week must be stacked at the front.

Di bawah, ruangan itu berbau kardus dan jeruk. Rak-rak diberi label dengan spidol tebal: "Tanpa perlu dapur", "Sarapan", "Segar". Seorang koordinator bertopi rajut menyerahkan pemotong kardus kepada Ester dan menjelaskan bahwa apa pun yang tanggalnya jatuh dalam minggu ini harus ditumpuk di bagian depan.

For an hour she lines up tins and boxes of pasta. Students come in quietly, hoods up or headphones in, and each one takes a bag without explaining anything. Nobody is asked for a card or a story. A boy in a lab coat leaves with a bag of lentils and thanks the room in general. Ester thinks that if she were standing on the other side of the table, she would want it to be exactly this ordinary.

Selama satu jam ia menyusun kaleng dan kotak pasta. Para mahasiswa datang dengan tenang, berkerudung atau memakai earphone, dan masing-masing mengambil satu kantong tanpa menjelaskan apa pun. Tidak seorang pun diminta menunjukkan kartu atau menceritakan kisahnya. Seorang anak laki-laki berjas lab pergi membawa sekantong lentil dan berterima kasih kepada seisi ruangan. Ester berpikir bahwa kalau ia berdiri di sisi seberang meja itu, ia ingin semuanya berjalan sewajar ini.

At closing time, the coordinator counts the crates. "These soups expire on Friday," he says. "They will be thrown away unless somebody takes them. Volunteers get first pick. House rule."

Saat tutup, sang koordinator menghitung peti-peti. "Sup-sup ini kedaluwarsa hari Jumat," katanya. "Semuanya akan dibuang kalau tidak ada yang mengambil. Para relawan mendapat pilihan pertama. Aturan rumah."

Ester looks at Laila. Laila is studying a carton of oat milk with great interest.

Ester menoleh ke Laila. Laila sedang mengamati sekotak susu oat dengan sangat tertarik.

It dawns on Ester that her roommate must have planned the whole evening. She ought to be annoyed. Although her face feels hot, she finds that she is not.

Ester tiba-tiba sadar bahwa teman sekamarnya pasti merencanakan seluruh malam ini. Seharusnya ia kesal. Meskipun wajahnya terasa panas, ia mendapati dirinya tidak kesal.

"You invented the shortage," she says quietly.

"Kamu mengarang kekurangan itu," katanya pelan.

"The delivery really was huge," Laila answers. "The rest is a coincidence." Her mouth twitches. "Volunteer rules. I don't make them."

"Kirimannya memang banyak sekali," jawab Laila. "Sisanya cuma kebetulan." Bibirnya berkedut. "Aturan relawan. Aku tidak membuatnya."

Ester picks up a tin of tomato soup, then a second one, and a bag of apples from the bottom shelf. Laila holds the door open with her foot.

Ester mengambil sekaleng sup tomat, lalu yang kedua, dan sekantong apel dari rak paling bawah. Laila menahan pintu dengan kakinya.

"Same time next Tuesday?" Laila asks.

"Selasa depan jam yang sama?" tanya Laila.

"Bring a bigger bag," Ester says.

"Bawa kantong yang lebih besar," kata Ester.