Baby’s Day Out

“Keke, saya tahu ini mendadak dan saya minta maaf karena merepotkan kalian berdua tapi kalian tahu sendiri saya baru kira-kira 2 minggu berada di negeri ini, hanya kamu dan Andre yang saya benar-benar kenal dan karena itu saya mempercayakan Lauren pada kalian” suara Shirley tidak terdengar lincah dan bersemangat seperti biasanya.

“Keke, I know this is came as a shock to you and I am so sorry for troubling you guys but as you know I have been in this country like just in 2 weeks, you and Andre are the only ones I really know well and so I trust you guys to care for my Lauren” Shirley’s voice was not as cheerful and full of spirit as she used to be.

Shirley, seorang ibu tunggal, datang ke Jakarta untuk bekerja sebagai konsultan. Lauren adalah anak perempuannya.

Shirley, a single mother, came to Jakarta to work as a consultant. Lauren is her daughter.

“Tidak apa-apa” kata saya menenangkannya.

“That is okay” I calmed her down.

Shirley terkena cacar air. Memang dasar apes. Berada di negeri yang baru ditinggali selama kira-kira 2 minggu, baru saja mulai menyesuaikan diri dengan lingkungan, masyarakat dan tempat kerja baru, eh, kena cacar air.

Shirley’s got chicken pox. Not her luck. Just been in a foreign country for 2 weeks, has just adapting herself with the new environment, people and work, and she gets chicken pox.

“Kakakku akan datang dalam 2-3 hari lagi” kata Shirley menerangkan “setelah dia sampai di Jakarta, dia yang akan mengurusi Lauren sampai saya sembuh”

“My sister will come in another 2-3 days” Shirley explained “once she is in Jakarta, she will take care Lauren”

“Jangan khawatirkan Lauren” hibur Andre “yang penting kamu harus banyak istirahat, makan yang benar dan minum obat teratur supaya bisa cepat sembuh”

“Don’t worry about Lauren” said Andre cheering her up “the most important thing is you get plenty of rest, eat well and take your meds so you can get well soon”

Dokter mengatakan Lauren tidak boleh berada di dekat Shirley setidaknya selama 10 hari sampai 2 minggu supaya tidak tertular. Mungkin malah lebih dari itu. Shirley tidak mau ambil resiko.

The doctor said Lauren should not be around Shirley for at least 10 days to 2 weeks to prevent her getting it. Probably longer than that. Shirley does not want to take any risk.

“Saya sudah tulis semua instruksinya jadi kalian tidak akan repot. Lauren sendiri bukan anak yang menyulitkan”

“I have written all the instruction so you guys won’t having any headache. Lauren herself is not a difficult child”

“Kami pasti akan bisa merawat Lauren dengan baik” Andre menjawab dengan yakinnya.

“We will take good care of Lauren” Andre replied firmly.

Setelah selesai bicara dengan Shirley di telpon, kami berdua bertatapan.

After talked with Shirley on the phone, we both stared at each other.

“Cuma buat 2-3 hari saja kan?” tanya saya antara khawatir tapi juga bersemangat.

“It’s just for 2-3 days, right?” I asked, worry but also excited.

“Dia bilang begitu” Andre nyengir lalu memeluk saya “jangan khawatir. Saya kan punya pengalaman dengan Josh”

“That’s what she said” Andre grinned and hugged me “don’t worry. I have the experience looking after Josh”

Lauren tiba siang hari sebelum saya pulang kerja. Rabu (31/7) sore saya baru melihatnya karena Andre membawanya saat menjemput saya.

Lauren arrived in the afternoon before I got home from work. Wednesday (July 31^st) I saw her when Andre brought her along when he came to pick me up.

“Waduh!” begitu reaksi spontan saya ketika melihatnya “ini sih bayi!”

“Man!” that was my spontaneous reaction when I saw her “she is a baby!”

“Ya, iyalah. Memangnya kamu pikir dia mahasiswa?” Andre menertawakan saya.

“Yes, she is. Did you think she were a college student?” Andre laughed at me.

Saya menghela napas “aduh, kita bisa tidak ngurusin bayi?”

I sighed “can we take care a baby?”

“Pasti bisa” Andre menggoyang-goyangkan Lauren yang digendongnya “saya kan punya pengalaman ngurusin Josh”

“We’ll manage” Andre rocked Lauren, he was holding her “I have the experience taking care Josh”

Lauren dan saya bertatapan. Dia tersenyum. Memamerkan mulut ompongnya. Mau tidak mau saya tertawa dibuatnya. Mukanya kelihatan lucu sekali soalnya.

Lauren and I stared at each other. She smiled. Showing me her teethless mouth. I could not help not to laugh. She looked so funny.

Melihat saya tertawa agaknya membuat Lauren gembira. Dia melonjak-lonjak dengan penuh semangat. Andre tertawa melihatnya.

Seeing me laughed obviously made Lauren happy. She jumped up dan down excitedly. Andre laughed to see her like that.

“Dia suka sama kamu, ya kan, Lauren?” Andre mencium anak itu.

“She likes you, don’t you, Lauren?” Andre kissed the little girl.

Saya tersenyum “dia memang kelihatan gemesin”

I smiled “she does look adorable”

“Kamu gendong dia ya” tanpa meminta persetujuan saya, Andre langsung menaruh Lauren kepada saya.

“You hold her” without asking for my permission, Andre put Lauren in my hands.

“Aduh, jangan” saya protes “saya tidak biasa gendong bayi”

“No, don’t” I protested “I am not used to hold baby”

“Saya kan tidak bisa nyetir sambil gendong dia”

“I can't drive and hold her at the same time”

“Taruh aja dia di kursi bayinya”

“Put her in her baby seat”

Andre tampak ragu “ya, bisa saja” tapi dia tidak terdengar terlalu bersemangat sampai saya jadi bertanya-tanya kenapa dia terkesan enggan untuk menaruh Lauren di kursi bayinya.

Andre looked hesitated “yeah, we could” but he did not sound too keen about it and I wondered why he seemed reluctant to put Lauren in her baby seat.

Eh, di luar dugaan ternyata Lauren juga ogah di taruh di kursi bayinya. Begitu saya menaruhnya di situ, dia langsung menangis. Walah.

Well what do you know, Lauren herself did not want to sit in her baby seat. Once I put her on it, she cried. Oh no.

“Duduk di sini saja ya, sayang” bujuk saya “kalau duduk di depan dengan saya, kamu tidak aman”

“You better sit here, sweetie” I tried to soothe her “if you sit infront with me, it is not safe for you”

“Dia anak bayi, say” sela Andre “mana dia ngerti apa yang kamu omongin”

“She is just a baby, hun” Andre interrupted “would she understand you?”

“Terus gimana dong?” tanya saya bingung “oh, kalau gitu saya duduk di belakang aja deh, nemenin dia”

“What should I do then?” I asked in my confusion “oh, let me sit in the back with her”

Lauren kelihatan agak tenang ketika melihat saya duduk disampingnya. Tapi baru juga mobil jalan sebentar, dia mulai gelisah. Dia mengulurkan tangannya kepada saya.

Lauren seemed calmed down when she saw me sat next to her. But the car was not moved too far when she became restless. She reached out her hands to me.

“Ada apa, sayang?” saya memegang tangan mungil itu.

“What is it, sweetie?” I held that tiny hand.

Lauren mengeluarkan berbagai macam bunyi-bunyian. Bahasa bayi.

Lauren made some noises. Baby talk.

“Ada apa?” Andre menatap kami berdua lewat kaca spion.

“What is it?” Andre looked at both of us through the rearview mirror.

“Tidak tahu” saya bingung “ada apa, Lauren? Kamu pipis? Sakit perut? Pusing? Lapar? Mual?”

“I don’t know” I was totally confused “what is it, Lauren? Do you pee? Having stomachache? Dizzy? Hungry? Nausea?”

“Coba kamu gendong dia” Andre menepikan mobil yang kami tumpangi.

“Try to hold her” Andre pulled our car.

Saya mengangkat Lauren dari kursi bayinya. Saya gendong dia. Eh, dia jadi anteng.

I took Lauren off her baby seat. I hold her. What do you know, it calmed her.

“Jadi kamu pengen di gendong?” saya tertawa “waduh, kamu tuh berat, tahu. Pegal dong saya”

“So you want to be hold?” I laughed “gosh, you are heavy, don’t you know that? My arms are tired for holding you”

“Pindah ke depan saja deh kalau gitu” Andre membuka pintu depan “ini ada kain gendongan biar aman”

“Sit here by my side” Andre opened the front door “put this cloth on her to make it safer”

Jadilah saya menggendong Lauren sementara kami berdua duduk di sisi Andre. Dan sepanjang jalan dia tidak rewel. Justru dia kelihatan senang. Apalagi ketika dia mendengar lagu Phil Collins ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’.

So I held Lauren while we sat next to Andre. And she was not fussy. She looked happy. Especially when she heard Phil Collins’s song ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’.

Andre tertawa melihat Lauren melonjak-lonjak, mengeluarkan suara-suara lucu, menggoyang-goyangkan tangannya.

Andre laughed when he saw Lauren jumped up and down, made funny voices, waved her hands.

“Dia suka lagu ini” saya nyengir.

“She likes this song” I grinned.

Dan Andre pun menyanyikan lagu itu keras-keras. Membuat Lauren tertawa. Saya jadi ikut tertawa. Akhirnya kami bertiga menyanyikan lagu itu. Ya, Lauren tentu menyanyikan dalam versi bahasa bayinya… hehe.

And Andre sang that song loudly. It made Lauren laughed. This made me laughed. Well, we ended up singing that song. All the three of us. Well, Lauren sang it in her baby’s version of course… lol.

Kami mampir ke supermarket untuk membeli beberapa barang. Pulangnya pun masih sempat berhenti untuk beli makanan jadi.

We stopped by at the supermarket to buy some things. On the way home we made a stop to buy some beverages.

Terlalu sibuk dengan Lauren membuat saya tidak langsung menyadari bahwa kami jadi bahan perhatian dimana pun kami bertiga berada.

Pretty occupied with Lauren made me unaware that where ever we went, the three of us drew people’s attention.

Saya baru sadar sewaktu seorang ibu yang berpapasan dengan kami, berhenti sejenak untuk menegur dengan ramah.

I was made to aware when a lady who passed us, stopped to greet us warmly.

“Lucu betul anaknya” ibu itu mengelus pipi Lauren “anaknya, bu?” dia melirik ke arah Andre yang tersenyum lebar.

“You have a cute kid” the lady caressed Lauren’s cheek “your kid?” she glanced at Andre who smiled broadly.

“Oh ya.. ya” jawab saya tergagap.

“Oh yes.. yes” I kind of stuttered.

“Apa katanya tadi?” bisik Andre.

“What did she say?” Andre wishpered.

“Dia kira Lauren anak kita” saya tertawa geli.

“She thought Lauren is our daughter” I laughed.

Andre ikut tertawa. Tapi beberapa saat kemudian “yah, Lauren memang menjadi tanggung jawab kita untuk 2-3 hari mendatang jadi kita berdua bisa di anggap sebagai orangtuanya”

Andre laughed. But a moment later “yeah, Lauren is put under our charge for the next 2-3 days so we both can be considered as her parents”

“Untuk sementara waktu” saya mengingatkannya.

“Temporary” I remind him.

“Ok, untuk sementara waktu” Andre kembali memperlihatkan keengganan yang membuat saya terheran-heran. Seakan dia berharap kami memang benar-benar orangtua Lauren.

“Okay, temporary” Andre showed that same reluctance again that made me wonder. It was as if he really wished we were Lauren’s parents.

Tapi teguran ibu tadi membuat saya baru menyadari bahwa kami bertiga memang kelihatan seperti satu keluarga. Terbukti ada ibu lain yang menanyakan hal yang sama tapi kali ini kelihatannya ibu ini bisa berbahasa Inggris dengan cukup baik sehingga Andre yang menjawab tegurannya.

But that lady's remarked made me realized that the three of us looked like a family. Another lady made the same remark but she spoke English quite good so it was Andre who replied to her. 

“Manis betul. Anaknya ya?”

“She is so cute. Is she your daughter?"

“Ya, ini istri dan anak saya” jawaban Andre nyaris membuat saya ngakak. Untung saja tidak dan muka saya tetap kelihatan biasa.

“Yes, this is my wife and daughter” Andre’s reply almost made me bursted into laughter. Luckily I could hold it and it did not show on my face either.

Barulah setelah kami sudah agak jauh, saya mencubitnya.

I pinched him after we walked quite far from the lady.

“Kenapa?” Andre tertawa “memangnya ada yang mau protes kalau saya bilang kamu istri saya dan Lauren anak kita?”

“What?” Andre laughed “would anyone object if I said you are my wife and Lauren is our daughter?”

“Iya, emaknya”

“Yes, her mother”

“Ah, Shirley tidak akan keberatan”

“Nah, Shirley wouldn’t mind”

Sudah dua hari ini kami bertiga menjadi seperti satu keluarga. Mengurusi Lauren memang tidak terlalu sulit. Andre sudah berpengalaman dan instruksi tertulis dari Shirley memudahkan kami untuk merawat dan mengasuh Lauren. Untungnya juga anak itu bukan tipe anak yang sulit.

It is been two days that the three of us pretended to be a family. Taking care Lauren is not hard. Andre has the experience and Shirley’s written instruction makes it easy for us to take care Lauren. Luckily she is also an easy going child.

Sekarang saya selalu menantikan dengan tidak sabar jam pulang kantor. Saya tahu Andre dan Lauren sudah menunggu saya. Gembira betul rasanya melihat mereka berdua. Apalagi setelah dua hari bersama-sama dengan kami, tampaknya Lauren tidak hanya sudah lebih mengenali kami tapi juga menjalin keakraban dengan kami berdua. 

I have become eagerly waiting for office hour to end. I know Andre and Lauren are waiting for me. I am so happy to see them both. And after two days with us it seems Lauren is not only has known us better but she has also make a bonding with us.

“Saya bakal merindukan dia” bisik saya sambil menatap Lauren yang sudah pulas “untuknya semua ini mungkin seperti liburan tapi tidak buat saya”

“I’m sure gonna miss her” I whispered as I stared at Lauren who was asleep “for her this might be just like a day’s out but it is not for me”

“Ternyata menyenangkan punya anak ya?” Andre memeluk dan mencium saya.

“So it is fun to have a child, right?” Andre hugged and kissed me.

“Ya, kalau dia tetap manis seperti ini. Tapi tunggulah sampai dia sakit, rewel, bertengkar dengan teman di sekolah, menjadi remaja”

“Yes, if she remains as sweet as today. But wait until she fell ill, fussy, have a fight with her friend in school, becoming a teenager”

“Kamu sangat optimis”

“You are so optimistic”

“Saya bicara tentang fakta”

“I am just being realistic”

Kami berdua terdiam sejenak. Menatap Lauren. Begitu tenang. Begitu damai.

We both went into silence. Staring at Lauren. So calm. So peacefully.

“Kalau begitu kenapa kita tidak punya anak saja?” tanya Andre “katakanlah saya gila, tapi saya sungguh-sungguh ingin kita punya anak”

“So why don’t we have a child?” asked Andre “call me crazy but I have been thinking for us to have a child”

“Lauren bikin kamu berpikir begitu”

“Lauren’s presence makes you have that thought”

“Saya sudah lama memikirkannya. Lauren tidak ada kaitannya dengan pikiran itu”

“I have been thinking about it for some time. Lauren has nothing to do with it”

Saya diam saja. Dulu sekali, lama berselang, bertahun-tahun yang lalu… saya pernah menginginkan dan memimpikan punya anak. Tapi tidak lagi.

I said nothing. I used to have that wish, long time ago, many years ago… I wanted and even dreamt of having a child. But not anymore.

“Ubahlah pendapatmu” kami berdua bertatapan.

“Change your mind” we stared at each other.

“Saya sayang kamu” saya menciumnya “tapi sampai detik ini pun saya belum punya keinginan untuk menikahi kamu atau memiliki anak dari kamu”

“I love you” I kissed him “but up to this very point I have no desire to marry you or have your child”

“Suatu hari nanti” Andre menatap saya penuh harap “tidak lama lagi”

“One day” Andre stared at me intensely “soon”

Saya biarkan dia memeluk dan mencium saya. Yah, mungkin satu hari nanti, tidak perlu lama-lama, saya akan berubah pikiran. Saya menatap Lauren.

I let him hugged and kissed me. Yeah, maybe one day, soon, I may change my mind. I stared at Lauren.