The Cancelled Flight

Yara arrived at the airport two hours early, exactly as she always did. She had a connecting flight to catch in another city. She liked having plenty of time to spare.

Yara tiba di bandara dua jam lebih awal, seperti yang selalu ia lakukan. Ia harus mengejar penerbangan lanjutan ke kota lain. Ia suka punya banyak waktu cadangan.

She had just settled into a seat near her gate when an announcement crackled overhead. Her flight had been cancelled due to a mechanical issue. Passengers were asked to speak with an agent at the counter.

Ia baru saja duduk di kursi dekat gerbang keberangkatannya ketika sebuah pengumuman terdengar dari pengeras suara. Penerbangannya dibatalkan karena masalah mekanis. Para penumpang diminta menemui petugas di konter.

Yara's stomach tightened. She had a meeting the next morning that she couldn't miss. This was her only flight of the day on this route.

Perut Yara terasa mengencang. Besok pagi ia punya rapat yang tidak boleh dilewatkan. Itu satu-satunya penerbangan hari ini di rute tersebut.

The line at the counter grew quickly. Yara found herself standing behind a woman who looked just as worried as she felt. "Cancelled too?" the woman asked, glancing at Yara's boarding pass.

Antrean di konter cepat memanjang. Yara berdiri di belakang seorang perempuan yang tampak sama cemasnya dengan dirinya. "Dibatalkan juga?" tanya perempuan itu sambil melirik boarding pass Yara.

"Yes," Yara said. "I have a meeting tomorrow morning. I really can't be late."

"Ya," kata Yara. "Besok pagi saya ada rapat. Saya benar-benar tidak boleh terlambat."

"Same here," the woman said. "I'm Leah, by the way. Have you checked for other flights already?"

"Sama," kata perempuan itu. "Oh ya, saya Leah. Anda sudah mengecek penerbangan lain?"

Yara hadn't thought of that yet. She opened an app on her phone while they waited in line. She searched for flights leaving that evening from any nearby airport.

Yara belum terpikir ke sana. Sambil menunggu di antrean, ia membuka sebuah aplikasi di ponselnya. Ia mencari penerbangan yang berangkat malam itu dari bandara mana pun di dekat situ.

"There's one from the smaller airport across town," Yara said, "but it leaves in ninety minutes."

"Ada satu dari bandara yang lebih kecil di seberang kota," kata Yara, "tapi berangkatnya sembilan puluh menit lagi."

"If we share a taxi, we might actually make it," Leah said. "It's worth trying, at least."

"Kalau kita berbagi taksi, mungkin kita masih sempat," kata Leah. "Setidaknya layak dicoba."

They left the line together and hailed a taxi outside. The driver, sensing their urgency, took a route through side streets to avoid the worst of the traffic.

Mereka meninggalkan antrean bersama dan menyetop taksi di luar. Sopirnya, yang merasakan keadaan mendesak itu, mengambil jalan lewat gang-gang kecil untuk menghindari kemacetan terparah.

They reached the smaller airport with twenty minutes to spare, breathless but relieved. At the counter, they discovered two seats were still available on the flight.

Mereka tiba di bandara kecil itu dengan sisa waktu dua puluh menit, terengah-engah tetapi lega. Di konter, mereka mendapati masih ada dua kursi kosong di penerbangan tersebut.

"I can't believe that actually worked," Yara said, laughing as she handed over her passport.

"Saya tidak percaya ini benar-benar berhasil," kata Yara sambil tertawa dan menyerahkan paspornya.

"Desperate plans sometimes do," Leah said, grinning.

"Rencana nekat kadang memang berhasil," kata Leah sambil nyengir.

They boarded the plane together and, by coincidence, found their seats were only a few rows apart. As the plane lifted off, Yara pulled out her notes for the next day's meeting. She finally let herself relax.

Mereka naik ke pesawat bersama-sama dan, kebetulan, kursi mereka hanya berselang beberapa baris. Saat pesawat lepas landas, Yara mengeluarkan catatan untuk rapat besok. Akhirnya ia membiarkan dirinya tenang.