The Familiar Face on the Night Bus

Daria took the night bus home from the city. The bus was almost empty at this hour. She sat near the back, close to the window.

Daria naik bus malam untuk pulang dari kota. Bus itu hampir kosong pada jam selarut ini. Ia duduk di dekat bagian belakang, di samping jendela.

A man two seats ahead turned to look at her. Daria felt sure she knew his face. She could not remember his name.

Seorang pria dua kursi di depannya menoleh dan menatapnya. Daria yakin ia mengenal wajah itu. Namun ia tidak bisa mengingat namanya.

The bus stopped, and a few people got off. The man stood up and walked toward her seat.

Bus berhenti, dan beberapa penumpang turun. Pria itu berdiri dan berjalan ke arah kursinya.

"Excuse me," he said. "Did you live on Elm Street?"

"Permisi," katanya. "Apakah Anda dulu tinggal di Jalan Elm?"

Daria's eyes went wide. "Yes, years ago," she said.

Mata Daria membelalak. "Ya, bertahun-tahun yang lalu," katanya.

"I'm Anselm. Our families were neighbors long ago," he said.

"Saya Anselm. Keluarga kita dulu bertetangga," katanya.

Daria smiled and looked at him closely. "Anselm! I remember the tree house now," she said.

Daria tersenyum dan menatapnya lekat-lekat. "Anselm! Sekarang aku ingat rumah pohon itu," katanya.

They talked about their old street for a while. Daria's stop came, and she stood up to leave.

Mereka mengobrol tentang jalan lama mereka sebentar. Perhentian Daria tiba, dan ia berdiri untuk turun.

"It was good to see you," she said.

"Senang bertemu denganmu," katanya.

She stepped off the bus into the cool night air. She waved through the window. The bus pulled away.

Ia melangkah turun dari bus ke udara malam yang sejuk. Ia melambaikan tangan lewat jendela. Bus itu pun melaju pergi.