The Prize That Was a Trick

Jasmin is carrying her groceries up the stairs when her neighbor opens the door across the hall. Vesna is seventy-eight, lives alone, and usually greets everyone with a polite nod. Today she is almost dancing.

Jasmin sedang membawa belanjaannya menaiki tangga ketika tetangganya membuka pintu di seberang lorong. Vesna berusia tujuh puluh delapan tahun, tinggal sendirian, dan biasanya menyapa semua orang dengan anggukan sopan. Hari ini ia hampir menari.

"Jasmin, you will never believe it," she says. "A man called this morning. I won a prize! A holiday, and a new television too."

"Jasmin, kamu pasti tidak percaya," katanya. "Tadi pagi ada seorang pria menelepon. Aku menang hadiah! Liburan, dan televisi baru juga."

"That sounds wonderful," Jasmin says, setting her bags down. "What kind of prize?"

"Kedengarannya luar biasa," kata Jasmin sambil meletakkan tas-tasnya. "Hadiah apa itu?"

"He said it was from a big travel company. I only need to pay a small fee for the paperwork. It's one hundred and fifty dollars, and then they will send everything. He wants me to buy gift cards at the corner shop and read him the numbers."

"Katanya dari perusahaan perjalanan besar. Aku hanya perlu membayar biaya kecil untuk urusan berkas. Seratus lima puluh dolar, lalu mereka akan mengirim semuanya. Dia ingin aku membeli kartu hadiah di toko di sudut jalan dan membacakan nomornya kepadanya."

Jasmin feels her stomach tighten. She has read about this trick before. But she remembers that Vesna taught her to repot a plant when she first moved in. She does not want to make her neighbor feel foolish.

Perut Jasmin terasa menegang. Ia pernah membaca soal tipuan seperti ini. Tapi ia ingat bahwa Vesna dulu mengajarinya memindahkan tanaman ke pot baru saat ia pertama kali pindah ke sini. Ia tidak ingin membuat tetangganya merasa bodoh.

"Vesna, may I sit with you for a minute? I would like to understand it properly. Would it be all right if we checked the company together?"

"Vesna, boleh aku duduk bersamamu sebentar? Aku ingin memahaminya dengan benar. Bagaimana kalau kita periksa perusahaan itu bersama-sama?"

They sit at the kitchen table. Vesna shows her the number on a sticky note. Jasmin searches for the travel company on her phone and finds its official number. "Let's call them, not him," she says. "If the prize is real, they will know about it."

Mereka duduk di meja dapur. Vesna menunjukkan nomor di kertas tempel. Jasmin mencari perusahaan perjalanan itu di ponselnya dan menemukan nomor resminya. "Ayo kita telepon mereka, bukan dia," katanya. "Kalau hadiahnya asli, mereka pasti tahu."

Vesna holds the phone herself. The woman who answers is polite and quick. "No, madam, we do not ask for payments by gift card, and we haven't called anyone this week. I'm sorry, but this is a well-known scam."

Vesna memegang ponsel itu sendiri. Perempuan yang menjawab bersikap sopan dan cekatan. "Tidak, Bu, kami tidak meminta pembayaran lewat kartu hadiah, dan minggu ini kami tidak menelepon siapa pun. Mohon maaf, tapi ini penipuan yang sudah terkenal."

For a moment, Vesna says nothing. Her hands are folded on the table, and her face has gone pink. "He was so friendly," she says quietly. "He knew my name."

Sesaat Vesna tidak berkata apa-apa. Tangannya terlipat di atas meja, dan wajahnya memerah. "Dia begitu ramah," katanya pelan. "Dia tahu namaku."

"They always sound friendly," Jasmin says. "It could happen to anyone. Even I almost fell for one last year."

"Mereka selalu terdengar ramah," kata Jasmin. "Ini bisa terjadi pada siapa saja. Aku sendiri hampir tertipu tahun lalu."

"Then I'm glad I told you." Vesna sits up straighter. "What should we do now?"

"Kalau begitu aku senang sudah bercerita kepadamu." Vesna duduk lebih tegak. "Sekarang apa yang harus kita lakukan?"

"We report the number to the police, and then I'll help you block it." Jasmin opens a new page on her phone. "And if anyone ever calls with a prize again, you know where I live."

"Kita laporkan nomor itu ke polisi, lalu aku akan membantumu memblokirnya." Jasmin membuka halaman baru di ponselnya. "Dan kalau suatu hari ada yang menelepon lagi soal hadiah, Ibu tahu di mana aku tinggal."

"Across the hall," Vesna says, and smiles. "Bring your tea."

"Di seberang lorong," kata Vesna, lalu tersenyum. "Bawa tehmu."