“ The most simple things can bring the most happiness.”

-          Izabella Scorupco –

“ Kejadian yang sangat sederhana bisa memberikan kebahagiaan yang sangat besar.”

-          Izabella Scorupco –

A Simple Gesture

Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden.

Suatu hari Mark sedang berjalan pulang ke rumah dari sekolah ketika ia menyadari seorang anak lelaki didepannya terjatuh dan menjatuhkan semua buku yang dibawanya, bersamaan dengan dua sweater, topi baseball, sarung tangan, dan sebuah alat rekaman kecil. Mark berlutut dan menolong anak itu mengambil barang-barang yang dijatuhkannya. Ketika mereka berjalan bersama, Mark membantu anak itu membawa barang-barangnya.

As they walked Mark discovered the boy’s name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball and history, and that he was having lots of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend. They arrived at Bill’s home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then Mark went home. They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, and then both graduated from junior high school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.

Selama dalam perjalanan, Mark mengetahui bahwa nama anak itu adalah Bill, ia penggemar video games, baseball, dan sejarah, dan ia mempunyai kendala di beberapa mata pelajaran dan sudah berpisah dengan kekasihnya. Mereka tiba di rumah Bill dan Mark diundang untuk minum Coca Cola dan menonton televisi. Mereka melewati sore hari dengan gembira sambil tertawa dan berbincang-bincang, kemudian Mark pulang. Mereka berlanjut saling bertemu di dekat sekolah, makan siang bersama beberapa kali, dan mereka berdua lulus SMP bersama. Mereka akhirnya sekolah di SMU yang sama dimana mereka saling berkomunikasi selama beberapa tahun. Akhirnya masa-masa kelulusan tiba dan 3 minggu sebelum kelulusan, Bill mengajak Mark untuk berbicara sebentar.

Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. “Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?” asked Bill. “You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn’t want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mothers sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more, you saved my life.”

Bill mengenang hari dimana mereka bertemu untuk pertama kalinya beberapa tahun lalu. “Apa kamu pernah berpikir kenapa aku membawa begitu banyak barang saat itu?” tanya Bill. “Begini, aku membersihkan lokerku karena aku tidak mau meninggalkan masalah untuk siapapun. Aku sudah menyimpan beberapa pil tidur milik ibuku dan aku pulang untuk bunuh diri. Namun setelah kita menghabiskan waktu bersama dengan berbicara dan tertawa, aku sadar bahwa jika aku bunuh diri, aku akan kehilangan waktu-waktu menyenangkan seperti itu dan seterusnya. Jadi, kau mengerti, Mark, ketika kamu mengambil buku-buku itu, kamu melakukan hal yang lebih, kamu menyelamatkan hidupku.”