The First Paycheck

Arash worked at a small café every weekend for four weeks. On Friday, his boss gave him an envelope. It was his first paycheck. Inside was $140. He counted it twice.

Arash bekerja di sebuah kafe kecil setiap akhir pekan selama empat minggu. Pada hari Jumat, bosnya memberinya sebuah amplop. Itu gaji pertamanya. Isinya $140. Ia menghitungnya dua kali.

He walked home slowly and thought about it. The café was busy, and his feet hurt every night.

Ia berjalan pulang dengan pelan sambil memikirkannya. Kafe itu ramai, dan kakinya sakit setiap malam.

First, he wanted new headphones. His old ones only worked on the left side. He saw a good pair in a shop window for $130. They were on sale this week.

Pertama, ia ingin membeli headphone baru. Headphone lamanya hanya berfungsi di sisi kiri. Ia melihat sepasang yang bagus di etalase toko seharga $130. Harganya sedang diskon minggu ini.

Second, he wanted to take his parents to dinner. They always paid for everything. They paid for his phone, his bus card and his school books. His father worked late three nights a week. His mother walked to work to save money.

Kedua, ia ingin mengajak orang tuanya makan malam. Mereka selalu membayar semuanya. Mereka membayar ponselnya, kartu busnya, dan buku-buku sekolahnya. Ayahnya bekerja lembur tiga malam seminggu. Ibunya berjalan kaki ke tempat kerja untuk menghemat uang.

A dinner for three at the little restaurant cost about $110. It had red lamps on every table. He could not buy both things.

Makan malam untuk bertiga di restoran kecil itu harganya sekitar $110. Di setiap mejanya ada lampu merah. Ia tidak bisa membeli keduanya.

At home, he put the money on his desk. He looked at it for ten minutes.

Di rumah, ia menaruh uang itu di mejanya. Ia memandanginya selama sepuluh menit.

"The headphones will not go away," he said to himself. "But Dad is tired. And this is my first paycheck."

"Headphone itu tidak akan hilang," katanya pada dirinya sendiri. "Tapi Ayah lelah. Dan ini gaji pertamaku."

On Saturday, he called the restaurant. He asked for a table for three at seven.

Pada hari Sabtu, ia menelepon restoran. Ia memesan meja untuk tiga orang pukul tujuh.

At the end of the dinner, the waiter brought the bill. Arash's father reached for it.

Di akhir makan malam, pelayan membawa tagihan. Ayah Arash mengulurkan tangan untuk mengambilnya.

"Not tonight, Dad," Arash said, and he opened his envelope.

"Jangan malam ini, Yah," kata Arash, dan ia membuka amplopnya.