Room 304 Has a View

It was past eleven when Marcos finally reached the hotel. His flight had landed two hours late and the taxi driver had taken the long way through the city. He set his suitcase down on the lobby floor and looked at the woman behind the desk.

Sudah lewat jam sebelas ketika Marcos akhirnya sampai di hotel. Pesawatnya mendarat dua jam terlambat dan sopir taksi mengambil jalan memutar melalui kota. Dia meletakkan kopernya di lantai lobi dan menatap wanita di balik meja resepsionis.

"Reservation under Marcos Soto," he said. He had practiced the sentence on the plane. The woman typed for a moment, then made a small face he could not read.

"Reservasi atas nama Marcos Soto," katanya. Dia sudah berlatih kalimat itu di pesawat. Wanita itu mengetik sebentar, lalu membuat ekspresi aneh yang tidak bisa dia pahami.

"I am sorry," she said. "Your room is no longer available. We had a problem with the booking system. But we have one room left, on the third floor." She paused. "It has a balcony. Same price."

"Maaf," kata wanita itu. "Kamar Anda sudah tidak tersedia. Ada masalah dengan sistem pemesanan kami. Tapi kami masih punya satu kamar di lantai tiga." Dia berhenti sejenak. "Ada balkonnya. Harga sama."

Marcos took the key without arguing. The elevator was older than he was. It groaned as it climbed. When he opened the door of 304 and pushed back the curtains, the city spread out below him — rooftops, lit windows, a small square with a fountain still running.

Marcos mengambil kunci tanpa berdebat. Lift itu lebih tua dari umurnya. Mesin itu berderit saat naik. Ketika dia membuka pintu kamar 304 dan menyibak tirai, kota terbentang di bawahnya — atap-atap rumah, jendela-jendela yang menyala, sebuah alun-alun kecil dengan air mancur yang masih mengalir.

He stepped onto the balcony in his coat and watched two people share a cigarette by the fountain. The wind was cold. He did not move for a long time.

Dia melangkah ke balkon dengan masih memakai mantel dan mengamati dua orang berbagi sebatang rokok di dekat air mancur. Angin terasa dingin. Dia tidak bergerak untuk waktu yang lama.