Two Bands, One Drummer

Laszlo had played drums with the same three friends since he was twelve. They practiced in Zoran's garage every Thursday, and they were not very good. But they had a name, a few songs of their own, and, at last, a real concert. It was on Saturday night, at the youth café.

Laszlo sudah bermain drum bersama tiga temannya yang sama sejak usia dua belas tahun. Mereka berlatih di garasi Zoran setiap hari Kamis, dan mereka tidak terlalu jago. Tetapi mereka punya nama, beberapa lagu ciptaan sendiri, dan akhirnya, sebuah konser sungguhan. Konser itu diadakan hari Sabtu malam, di kafe anak muda.

Three weeks before the concert, a tall boy named Aldo came up to Laszlo after school. "I heard you play at the talent show," he said. "My band needs a drummer for the city competition. The final is on Saturday."

Tiga minggu sebelum konser, seorang anak laki-laki jangkung bernama Aldo menghampiri Laszlo sepulang sekolah. "Aku dengar kamu main di pentas bakat," katanya. "Band-ku butuh drummer untuk kompetisi kota. Finalnya hari Sabtu."

Laszlo's heart jumped. Aldo's band was well known. They had won prizes, and they had real equipment. "Which Saturday?" Laszlo asked, already afraid of the answer.

Jantung Laszlo berdebar. Band Aldo cukup terkenal. Mereka sudah memenangkan beberapa penghargaan, dan peralatan mereka lengkap. "Sabtu yang mana?" tanya Laszlo, sudah takut mendengar jawabannya.

Aldo told him. It was the same night.

Aldo menyebutkan tanggalnya. Ternyata malam yang sama.

That evening, Laszlo lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Aldo's band would push him to play better. A good result in the competition could open doors: lessons, new people, maybe even a future in music. His friends' concert would be small, and nobody important would be there.

Malam itu, Laszlo berbaring di tempat tidur dan menatap langit-langit. Band Aldo akan mendorongnya bermain lebih baik. Hasil bagus di kompetisi bisa membuka banyak pintu: les musik, kenalan baru, mungkin bahkan masa depan di dunia musik. Konser teman-temannya akan kecil, dan tidak ada orang penting yang akan hadir.

But he kept thinking about Zoran, who had spent two months making posters. He thought about the Thursday practices, where nobody minded mistakes. If he left, the band would have to cancel, or find a stranger in two weeks. For three days, he told nobody.

Tetapi ia terus memikirkan Zoran, yang sudah dua bulan membuat poster. Ia memikirkan latihan hari Kamis, saat tak seorang pun mempermasalahkan kesalahan. Kalau ia pergi, band itu harus membatalkan konser, atau mencari orang asing dalam dua minggu. Selama tiga hari, ia tidak memberi tahu siapa pun.

On the fourth day, he asked himself a different question. Ten years from now, which Saturday would he be sorry to have missed? The answer came faster than he expected. There would be other competitions. His friends' first concert would only happen once.

Pada hari keempat, ia bertanya pada dirinya dengan pertanyaan yang berbeda. Sepuluh tahun lagi, Sabtu yang mana yang akan ia sesali karena terlewat? Jawabannya datang lebih cepat dari dugaannya. Kompetisi lain akan selalu ada. Konser pertama teman-temannya hanya akan terjadi sekali.

He found Aldo first. "Thank you for asking me," Laszlo said. "It means a lot. But I can't play that Saturday. I promised my friends."

Ia menemui Aldo lebih dulu. "Terima kasih sudah mengajakku," kata Laszlo. "Itu berarti banyak buatku. Tapi aku tidak bisa main hari Sabtu itu. Aku sudah berjanji pada teman-temanku."

Aldo nodded slowly. "That's fair. If there is a next time, I'll ask again."

Aldo mengangguk pelan. "Itu wajar. Kalau lain kali ada kesempatan, aku akan mengajakmu lagi."

Then Laszlo went to Zoran's garage and told him everything, including the offer. Zoran was quiet for a while.

Lalu Laszlo pergi ke garasi Zoran dan menceritakan semuanya, termasuk tawaran itu. Zoran terdiam cukup lama.

"Why are you telling me?" he said at last. "You could have just said nothing."

"Kenapa kamu cerita padaku?" katanya akhirnya. "Kamu kan bisa diam saja."

"Because it's true," Laszlo said. "And because I chose you. Nobody made me."

"Karena itu benar," kata Laszlo. "Dan karena aku memilih kalian. Tidak ada yang memaksaku."

On Saturday night, the youth café was almost full. They played badly in places, and Zoran forgot a verse. But when the last song ended, thirty people shouted for more. Laszlo sat behind his drums, hot and out of breath, and could not stop smiling.

Pada Sabtu malam, kafe anak muda itu hampir penuh. Mereka bermain kurang bagus di beberapa bagian, dan Zoran lupa satu bait. Tetapi ketika lagu terakhir selesai, tiga puluh orang berteriak meminta tambahan. Laszlo duduk di balik drumnya, kepanasan dan terengah-engah, dan tidak bisa berhenti tersenyum.

Later, his phone buzzed with a message from Aldo: "We came second. Next time I'm asking early."

Kemudian, ponselnya bergetar karena pesan dari Aldo: "Kami juara kedua. Lain kali aku akan mengajakmu lebih awal."

Laszlo typed back one word: "Ask."

Laszlo membalas dengan satu kata: "Ajak."