The New Dentist

Edith sits in the waiting room. She holds her bag with two hands. She does not like dentists. Her old dentist moved away. This is her first visit to a new office. Her heart is fast.

Edith duduk di ruang tunggu. Ia memegang tasnya dengan kedua tangan. Ia tidak suka dokter gigi. Dokter giginya yang lama sudah pindah. Ini kunjungan pertamanya ke klinik baru. Jantungnya berdebar cepat.

The door opens. A woman in a white coat looks at her paper and smiles. "Edith? Please come in."

Pintu terbuka. Seorang wanita berjas putih melihat kertasnya dan tersenyum. "Edith? Silakan masuk."

Edith walks in slowly and sits in the big chair. The lamp is bright. She looks at the ceiling.

Edith berjalan masuk dengan pelan dan duduk di kursi besar itu. Lampunya terang. Ia menatap langit-langit.

"Wait," the dentist says. She looks at Edith's face. "Edith from Room 9? Did you go to school on Pine Street?"

"Tunggu," kata dokter gigi itu. Ia menatap wajah Edith. "Edith dari Kelas 9? Apakah Anda dulu bersekolah di Pine Street?"

Edith looks at her. "Yes, I did. Are you … Philippa?"

Edith menatapnya. "Ya, benar. Apakah Anda … Philippa?"

"Yes!" The dentist laughs. "I sat behind you in math class for three years!"

"Ya!" Dokter gigi itu tertawa. "Saya duduk di belakang Anda di kelas matematika selama tiga tahun!"

"You always borrowed my pencils," Edith says.

"Kamu selalu meminjam pensilku," kata Edith.

"And you always forgot to take them back," Philippa says. "Ten years ago, I wanted to be a dentist. Now I am one."

"Dan kamu selalu lupa mengambilnya kembali," kata Philippa. "Sepuluh tahun lalu, saya ingin menjadi dokter gigi. Sekarang saya sudah menjadi dokter gigi."

They talk about school. They talk about the teacher who lost his glasses every day. They remember the school trip to the farm. A goat ate Philippa's sandwich. Edith laughs so hard that her shoulders move.

Mereka membicarakan masa sekolah. Mereka membicarakan guru yang setiap hari kehilangan kacamatanya. Mereka mengingat karyawisata ke peternakan. Seekor kambing memakan roti lapis Philippa. Edith tertawa begitu keras sampai bahunya bergerak.

Philippa looks in her mouth with a small mirror. She says, "Open wide, please." She works for a while. Edith closes her eyes and thinks about the goat.

Philippa memeriksa mulutnya dengan cermin kecil. Ia berkata, "Buka lebar-lebar, ya." Ia bekerja beberapa saat. Edith memejamkan mata dan memikirkan kambing itu.

"All done," Philippa says.

"Sudah selesai," kata Philippa.

"Already?" Edith asks.

"Secepat itu?" tanya Edith.