The Letter Inside the Guitar

Helga bought the guitar at a second-hand market for thirty dollars. The varnish was scratched, and one tuning peg was loose, but the sound was warm and deep. That night, she was turning it over to look at the label when something rattled inside the body.

Helga membeli gitar itu di pasar barang bekas seharga tiga puluh dolar. Pelitur kayunya tergores, dan satu penala senarnya longgar, tetapi suaranya hangat dan dalam. Malam itu, ia sedang membolak-balik gitar itu untuk melihat labelnya ketika sesuatu berkerincing di dalam badannya.

She looked through the sound hole and saw a small piece of paper. It was folded many times. She tilted the guitar and shook it gently until the paper slid out onto the table. Then she sat down, and carefully opened it.

Ia mengintip lewat lubang suara dan melihat secarik kertas kecil. Kertas itu dilipat berkali-kali. Ia memiringkan gitar dan mengguncangnya pelan sampai kertas itu meluncur keluar ke atas meja. Lalu ia duduk, dan membukanya dengan hati-hati.

It was a letter, written in blue ink, with the date from fifteen years earlier. "Dear Ms. Selma," it began. "Thank you for lending me this guitar for two whole years. Thank you for teaching me even when I could not pay. I am moving to another city for work. I was too shy to say this to your face. I am hiding it where you will find it."

Itu sebuah surat, ditulis dengan tinta biru, bertanggal lima belas tahun sebelumnya. "Yth. Bu Selma," begitu awalnya. "Terima kasih telah meminjamkan gitar ini kepada saya selama dua tahun penuh. Terima kasih telah mengajari saya meski saya tidak mampu membayar. Saya akan pindah ke kota lain untuk bekerja. Saya terlalu malu untuk mengatakan ini langsung kepada Ibu. Saya menyembunyikannya di tempat yang akan Ibu temukan."

Helga read it twice. Someone had waited a long time for these words to be read, and they had never arrived. The teacher had probably sold the guitar without ever looking inside it.

Helga membacanya dua kali. Seseorang telah lama menanti agar kata-kata ini terbaca, tetapi tak pernah sampai. Sang guru mungkin menjual gitar itu tanpa pernah melihat ke dalamnya.

The next morning, she went back to the market and found the seller's stall empty. But on the case, she found a sticker from a small music shop near the station. She took the guitar and the letter there during her lunch break.

Keesokan paginya, ia kembali ke pasar dan mendapati lapak penjualnya kosong. Tetapi di kotak gitarnya, ia menemukan stiker dari sebuah toko musik kecil dekat stasiun. Pada jam makan siang, ia membawa gitar dan surat itu ke sana.

The owner was a man with gray hair and a pencil behind his ear. He laughed when she told him the story. "Selma? Of course I know her," he said. "She taught half the neighborhood. She sold me four guitars when she stopped giving lessons. She still comes in every Friday to buy strings."

Pemiliknya seorang pria berambut abu-abu dengan pensil terselip di telinganya. Ia tertawa saat Helga menceritakan kisahnya. "Selma? Tentu saja saya kenal," katanya. "Beliau mengajari separuh warga lingkungan ini. Beliau menjual empat gitar kepada saya ketika berhenti memberi les. Beliau masih datang setiap Jumat untuk membeli senar."

"Today is Friday," Helga said.

"Hari ini Jumat," kata Helga.

"Then you should stay for a coffee."

"Kalau begitu, tinggallah dulu untuk minum kopi."

At four o'clock, a small woman with white hair walked into the shop. Helga stood up and held out the letter. "I think this belongs to you," she said. "It was inside one of your old guitars."

Pukul empat, seorang perempuan mungil berambut putih melangkah masuk ke toko. Helga berdiri dan mengulurkan surat itu. "Saya rasa ini milik Ibu," katanya. "Surat ini ada di dalam salah satu gitar lama Ibu."

Selma took the paper and read it slowly. Her hand began to shake a little. When she finished, she laughed, and then she had to take off her glasses. "I lent that guitar to a boy who could hardly look at me," she said. "I always wondered if he knew how well he played. And all this time, he had told me, right here."

Selma menerima kertas itu dan membacanya perlahan. Tangannya mulai sedikit gemetar. Setelah selesai, ia tertawa, lalu harus melepas kacamatanya. "Saya meminjamkan gitar itu kepada seorang anak laki-laki yang nyaris tak berani menatap saya," katanya. "Saya selalu bertanya-tanya apakah ia tahu betapa bagus permainannya. Dan selama ini, ia sudah mengatakannya kepada saya, tepat di sini."

She put the letter in her pocket. Then she picked up the guitar and fixed the loose peg with two quick turns. She handed it back to Helga. "Now," she said, "would you like a lesson?"

Ia memasukkan surat itu ke saku. Lalu ia mengambil gitar itu dan memperbaiki penala yang longgar dengan dua putaran cepat. Ia menyerahkannya kembali kepada Helga. "Nah," katanya, "mau ikut les?"