The Wrong Bookshop

Lucas ordered a coffee and sat in the empty corner of the café. He took out his book and tried to read. But the man at the next table was watching him.

Lucas memesan kopi dan duduk di sudut kafe yang sepi. Dia mengeluarkan bukunya dan mencoba membaca. Tapi pria di meja sebelah terus memperhatikannya.

"That's a very old edition," the man said. Lucas looked up. The man was wearing a heavy jacket, even though the café was warm. "I used to sell books like that one. Around the corner. The shop is gone now."

"Itu edisi yang sangat lama," kata pria itu. Lucas mendongak. Pria itu mengenakan jaket tebal, padahal kafe terasa hangat. "Dulu saya jual buku seperti itu. Di ujung jalan sana. Tokonya sudah tidak ada sekarang."

"Gone?" Lucas asked. He felt awkward, but he didn't know how to leave the conversation. "What kind of shop?"

"Tidak ada?" tanya Lucas. Dia merasa canggung, tapi tidak tahu bagaimana cara mengakhiri percakapan ini. "Toko apa memangnya?"

The man laughed quietly. "Old books. Forty years. Then the building was sold to a bank. The bank closed too, three years ago. Now it's a clothing store." He looked out the window. "Every time I pass by, I forget for one second. I almost go inside."

Pria itu tertawa pelan. "Buku-buku lama. Empat puluh tahun lamanya. Lalu gedungnya dijual ke bank. Banknya juga tutup, tiga tahun lalu. Sekarang jadi toko pakaian." Dia menatap ke luar jendela. "Setiap kali lewat sana, saya lupa sebentar. Hampir saja masuk ke dalam."

Lucas closed his book and listened. The man did not ask for anything. He just wanted to tell someone about a place that used to be there.

Lucas menutup bukunya dan mendengarkan. Pria itu tidak meminta apa-apa. Dia hanya ingin bercerita kepada seseorang tentang tempat yang dulu pernah ada di sana.