The Robot at the Care Home

The care home where Mahir worked got a new companion robot in March. It was about the size of a ten-year-old child, with a soft round face and a calm voice. The manager hoped it would help residents who felt lonely in the afternoons.

Panti jompo tempat Mahir bekerja mendapat robot pendamping baru pada bulan Maret. Ukurannya sebesar anak sepuluh tahun, dengan wajah bulat yang lembut dan suara yang tenang. Pengelola panti berharap robot itu bisa membantu para penghuni yang merasa kesepian pada sore hari.

Most of the residents were curious. They asked it questions, and a few of them taught it card games. Only Wilma refused to look at it. When the robot rolled into the lounge, she turned her chair toward the window.

Sebagian besar penghuni penasaran. Mereka mengajukan pertanyaan kepadanya, dan beberapa bahkan mengajarinya permainan kartu. Hanya Wilma yang menolak menatapnya. Ketika robot itu meluncur masuk ke ruang santai, ia memutar kursinya menghadap jendela.

"I don't need a machine," she told Mahir. "I had a whole life before this place."

"Saya tidak butuh mesin," katanya kepada Mahir. "Saya sudah menjalani seluruh hidup sebelum tinggal di tempat ini."

Mahir didn't argue. He had worked there for six years, and he knew that pushing people usually made things worse. But he kept thinking about her, and he wondered what he was missing.

Mahir tidak membantah. Ia sudah enam tahun bekerja di sana, dan ia tahu bahwa mendesak orang biasanya malah memperburuk keadaan. Tetapi ia terus memikirkan Wilma, dan bertanya-tanya apa yang terlewatkan olehnya.

One evening, he was tidying her shelves when he found an old photo in a frame. In it, a young woman in a bright dress was laughing in the middle of a dance floor. On the back, someone had written "First prize, 1968".

Suatu malam, ketika sedang merapikan rak-rak Wilma, ia menemukan foto lama dalam sebuah bingkai. Di foto itu, seorang perempuan muda bergaun cerah sedang tertawa di tengah lantai dansa. Di baliknya, seseorang menulis "Juara pertama, 1968".

"Is that you?" Mahir asked.

"Ini Ibu?" tanya Mahir.

Wilma looked at the photo for a long moment. "That's me," she said. "I danced for thirty years. I haven't heard that music in a very long time."

Wilma menatap foto itu cukup lama. "Itu saya," katanya. "Saya menari selama tiga puluh tahun. Sudah lama sekali saya tidak mendengar musik itu."

"What was it like?"

"Seperti apa rasanya?"

She hummed a few notes of a slow waltz, and her eyes closed for a second.

Wilma menyenandungkan beberapa nada waltz yang lambat, dan matanya terpejam sesaat.

Mahir searched for the song that night. The next day, he asked the technician how to add music to the robot. It took him an hour to figure out, and he made several mistakes. In the end, the robot learned to play the waltz through its small speaker.

Malam itu Mahir mencari lagunya. Keesokan harinya, ia bertanya kepada teknisi cara menambahkan musik ke robot itu. Butuh satu jam baginya untuk memahaminya, dan ia membuat beberapa kesalahan. Pada akhirnya, robot itu belajar memutar waltz tersebut lewat pengeras suaranya yang kecil.

He didn't tell Wilma. He only asked the robot to play it quietly at four o'clock. That was when she usually sat by the window.

Ia tidak memberi tahu Wilma. Ia hanya meminta robot itu memutarnya dengan pelan pada pukul empat. Itu saat Wilma biasanya duduk di dekat jendela.

For three days, nothing changed. Wilma kept her eyes on the garden. On the fourth day, Mahir noticed that her hands had stopped moving in her lap.

Selama tiga hari, tidak ada yang berubah. Wilma tetap menatap taman. Pada hari keempat, Mahir memperhatikan bahwa tangan Wilma berhenti bergerak di pangkuannya.

On the fifth day, her right foot began to tap, very softly, in time with the music.

Pada hari kelima, kaki kanannya mulai mengetuk, sangat pelan, mengikuti irama musik.

Mahir said nothing. He stood by the door and watched. After a while, Wilma turned her chair a little. It was just enough to see the robot.

Mahir tidak berkata apa-apa. Ia berdiri di dekat pintu dan memperhatikan. Beberapa saat kemudian, Wilma memutar kursinya sedikit. Hanya cukup untuk melihat robot itu.

"It's not a bad speaker," she said. "But it's a bit slow at the end."

"Pengeras suaranya lumayan," katanya. "Tapi agak lambat di bagian akhir."

"I'll tell it," Mahir said.

"Nanti saya sampaikan ke robotnya," kata Mahir.