The Rooftop Vote

Cecile's building had an empty rooftop. Last month, the owner said the people in the building could choose. They could have a vegetable garden or a small gym corner. They had two weeks, and then they had to vote.

Gedung tempat tinggal Cecile punya atap yang kosong. Bulan lalu, pemiliknya berkata bahwa para penghuni gedung boleh memilih. Mereka bisa punya kebun sayur atau pojok olahraga kecil. Mereka punya waktu dua minggu, lalu harus memberikan suara.

Cecile did not know which one she liked. So she knocked on doors. She talked to people on every floor and wrote a list.

Cecile tidak tahu mana yang ia sukai. Jadi ia mengetuk pintu-pintu. Ia berbicara dengan orang-orang di setiap lantai dan menulis sebuah daftar.

The gym needed machines. They cost three times more than the garden boxes. Machines also made noise. The top floor neighbors went to bed early. The garden was cheap and quiet.

Pojok olahraga membutuhkan alat-alat. Harganya tiga kali lebih mahal daripada kotak-kotak kebun. Alat-alat itu juga berisik. Para tetangga di lantai teratas tidur lebih awal. Kebun itu murah dan tenang.

Then she asked who would really use it every week. Only six people said they would use a gym. Fourteen said they would water the plants. An old man on the second floor said, "I cannot lift weights. But I can water tomatoes."

Lalu ia bertanya siapa yang benar-benar akan memakainya setiap minggu. Hanya enam orang yang mengatakan akan memakai pojok olahraga. Empat belas orang mengatakan akan menyiram tanaman. Seorang lelaki tua di lantai dua berkata, "Saya tidak bisa mengangkat beban. Tapi saya bisa menyiram tomat."

At home, Cecile made a table with two columns. In the garden column, she wrote: cheap, quiet, many people, fresh herbs. In the gym column, she wrote: expensive, noisy, few people.

Di rumah, Cecile membuat tabel dengan dua kolom. Di kolom kebun, ia menulis: murah, tenang, banyak orang, rempah segar. Di kolom olahraga, ia menulis: mahal, berisik, sedikit orang.

Cecile loved sport, and she wanted the gym. But she knew the list was clear. A garden was better for the whole building. She could still run in the park.

Cecile suka olahraga, dan ia ingin pojok olahraga itu. Tetapi ia tahu daftar itu sudah jelas. Kebun lebih baik untuk seluruh gedung. Ia masih bisa berlari di taman.

At the meeting, she stood up and read her list. "I like to run," she said. "But I think we will use a garden more."

Pada rapat, ia berdiri dan membacakan daftarnya. "Saya suka berlari," katanya. "Tapi saya pikir kita akan lebih sering memakai kebun."

The neighbors voted. Nineteen hands went up for the garden. Only four went up for the gym.

Para tetangga memberikan suara. Sembilan belas tangan terangkat untuk kebun. Hanya empat yang terangkat untuk pojok olahraga.

On Saturday, Cecile carried the first bag of soil up the stairs.

Pada hari Sabtu, Cecile membawa kantong tanah pertama menaiki tangga.