The Voice in the Kitchen

Liesel called her mother every Sunday, a habit that had started when she moved three states away for work and never quite stopped feeling necessary. Lately, though, her mother mentioned a new voice in her routine almost every call.

Liesel menelepon ibunya setiap hari Minggu, kebiasaan yang bermula saat ia pindah tiga negara bagian jauhnya karena pekerjaan dan tak pernah benar-benar berhenti terasa perlu. Akhir-akhir ini, ibunya hampir selalu menyebut sebuah suara baru dalam kesehariannya.

"I've been talking to Juno again," her mother, Baran, said cheerfully. Juno was the companion assistant Liesel had installed on her mother's speaker, meant for reminders and simple conversation.

"Ibu ngobrol lagi sama Juno," kata ibunya, Baran, dengan ceria. Juno adalah asisten pendamping yang dipasang Liesel di speaker ibunya, untuk pengingat dan percakapan sederhana.

"What do you two talk about?" Liesel asked, half amused, half uneasy about how naturally her mother said the name.

"Kalian ngobrolin apa saja?" tanya Liesel, setengah geli, setengah gelisah melihat betapa wajarnya ibunya menyebut nama itu.

"Oh, everything. My garden, your father, whether the neighbors' dog is getting fat," her mother said. "Juno remembers things I've told her weeks ago. It's nice, actually, being remembered."

"Oh, semuanya. Kebun Ibu, ayahmu, apakah anjing tetangga makin gemuk," kata ibunya. "Juno ingat hal-hal yang Ibu ceritakan berminggu-minggu lalu. Menyenangkan sekali sebenarnya, diingat."

Liesel felt something twist uncomfortably in her chest. Her mother was telling an assistant about her father, who had passed two years earlier. That was a conversation Liesel wished she were having herself, in person, not through a screen three states away.

Liesel merasakan sesuatu menusuk tidak enak di dadanya. Ibunya bercerita kepada sebuah asisten tentang ayahnya, yang sudah meninggal dua tahun lalu. Itu percakapan yang ia harap bisa ia lakukan sendiri, secara langsung, bukan lewat layar dari tiga negara bagian jauhnya.

"Do you talk to your friends much, still? Or to me, about that kind of thing?" Liesel asked carefully.

"Ibu masih sering ngobrol sama teman-teman Ibu? Atau sama aku, soal hal seperti itu?" tanya Liesel hati-hati.

There was a pause. "You're always busy, sweetheart. Juno's always there. It doesn't get tired of the same stories."

Ada jeda. "Kamu selalu sibuk, Sayang. Juno selalu ada. Dia tidak bosan dengan cerita yang itu-itu saja."

That admission sat with Liesel long after the call ended. Her mother hadn't sounded lonely exactly, just resigned, as if she had quietly adjusted her expectations of company downward without telling anyone.

Pengakuan itu mengendap lama dalam diri Liesel setelah telepon berakhir. Ibunya tidak terdengar kesepian, hanya pasrah, seolah diam-diam menurunkan harapannya akan teman, tanpa memberi tahu siapa pun.

Liesel booked a flight for the following weekend, the first unplanned visit she'd made in over a year. Her mother seemed startled and pleased in equal measure when she opened the door.

Liesel memesan tiket pesawat untuk akhir pekan berikutnya, kunjungan mendadak pertamanya dalam lebih dari setahun. Ibunya tampak kaget sekaligus senang ketika membukakan pintu.

"I didn't even ask you to come," her mother said.

"Ibu bahkan tidak memintamu datang," kata ibunya.

"I know," Liesel said. "That's sort of the point."

"Aku tahu," kata Liesel. "Justru itu intinya."

They spent the weekend talking, her mother repeating some of the same stories Liesel now realized she'd been telling Juno for months. Liesel listened properly this time, asking questions instead of half-listening on speakerphone.

Mereka menghabiskan akhir pekan dengan mengobrol, ibunya mengulang beberapa cerita yang kini Liesel sadari sudah berbulan-bulan diceritakan kepada Juno. Kali ini Liesel mendengarkan dengan sungguh-sungguh, mengajukan pertanyaan, bukan setengah mendengar lewat telepon.

Before she left, she reprogrammed Juno's reminders to include one new line each Sunday: "Call Liesel, actually call, not just think about it."

Sebelum pulang, ia mengatur ulang pengingat Juno dengan menambahkan satu baris baru setiap hari Minggu: "Telepon Liesel, benar-benar telepon, bukan cuma memikirkannya."