The Garden Visitor

Camila had grown tomatoes in the community garden for two summers. This year, though, something strange kept happening. Every few mornings, she would arrive to find one or two tomatoes missing from the vine. They were always the reddest, ripest ones.

Camila sudah dua musim panas menanam tomat di kebun komunitas. Namun tahun ini, sesuatu yang aneh terus terjadi. Setiap beberapa pagi, ia tiba dan mendapati satu atau dua tomat hilang dari batangnya. Selalu yang paling merah dan paling matang.

At first she blamed birds. But birds usually left marks or torn leaves behind. Her plants looked untouched except for the missing fruit. She began checking her plot every single morning before work, just to see how much had disappeared overnight.

Awalnya ia menyalahkan burung. Tetapi burung biasanya meninggalkan bekas atau daun yang robek. Tanamannya tampak utuh kecuali buah yang hilang. Ia mulai memeriksa petak kebunnya setiap pagi sebelum berangkat kerja, sekadar untuk melihat berapa banyak yang hilang semalaman.

After a week of this, she mentioned it to another gardener. His name was Farid, and he tended the plot next to hers. "It might be raccoons," he said. "They're clever, and they know exactly which tomatoes are ripe."

Setelah seminggu seperti ini, ia menyebutkannya kepada seorang tukang kebun lain. Namanya Farid, dan ia mengurus petak di sebelah petak Camila. "Mungkin rakun," katanya. "Mereka cerdik, dan tahu persis tomat mana yang matang."

Camila wasn't fully convinced, since raccoons usually left the vines a mess. She decided to find out for herself. One evening, she brought a folding chair and a book. She waited quietly near her plot until it got dark.

Camila tidak sepenuhnya yakin, karena rakun biasanya meninggalkan batang tanaman berantakan. Ia memutuskan mencari tahu sendiri. Suatu sore, ia membawa kursi lipat dan sebuah buku. Ia menunggu dengan tenang di dekat petaknya sampai hari gelap.

Around eight o'clock, she heard a rustle near the fence. A small boy, maybe seven years old, was carefully climbing through a gap in the fence. He walked straight to her tomato plants and picked the two ripest ones, just like every other night.

Sekitar pukul delapan, ia mendengar gemeresik di dekat pagar. Seorang anak laki-laki kecil, mungkin berumur tujuh tahun, dengan hati-hati menyelinap lewat celah di pagar. Ia berjalan lurus ke tanaman tomat Camila dan memetik dua yang paling matang, seperti setiap malam lainnya.

Camila stood up slowly so she wouldn't scare him. "Hi there. These are my tomatoes, you know."

Camila berdiri perlahan agar tidak menakutinya. "Halo. Ini tomat-tomat Kakak, lho."

The boy froze, clearly embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "My mom says we can't afford good vegetables right now, and yours always look so nice."

Anak itu membeku, jelas malu. "Maaf," katanya pelan. "Kata Ibu kami belum mampu membeli sayuran yang bagus sekarang, dan tomat Kakak selalu kelihatan bagus."

His name was Milo, and he lived in the apartments across the street. Camila felt her frustration melt away completely. She showed him how to tell when a tomato was truly ready to pick. She also offered to let him take a few each week, as long as he asked first.

Namanya Milo, dan ia tinggal di apartemen di seberang jalan. Kekesalan Camila meleleh seluruhnya. Ia menunjukkan cara mengetahui kapan sebuah tomat benar-benar siap dipetik. Ia juga menawarkan agar Milo mengambil beberapa tiap minggu, asalkan bertanya dulu.

From that point on, Milo visited her plot openly. Camila found she enjoyed the company almost as much as the tomatoes themselves.

Sejak saat itu, Milo mengunjungi petaknya secara terang-terangan. Camila mendapati ia menikmati kebersamaan itu hampir sama seperti menikmati tomatnya sendiri.