The Four A.M. Bakery

The alarm rang at a quarter past three, and Grigor almost threw his phone across the room. It was his first summer job. He had already decided that nobody should be awake at this hour. His mother had left toast on the table. He ate it standing up, still half asleep, and cycled through the empty streets.

Alarm berbunyi pukul tiga lewat lima belas, dan Grigor hampir melempar ponselnya ke seberang kamar. Ini pekerjaan musim panas pertamanya. Ia sudah memutuskan bahwa tidak seorang pun seharusnya terjaga pada jam seperti ini. Ibunya meninggalkan roti panggang di meja. Ia memakannya sambil berdiri, masih setengah tidur, lalu mengayuh sepeda menyusuri jalan-jalan yang sepi.

The bakery smelled of warm butter and yeast. The lights were on in the back. The head baker was a tall woman with flour up to her elbows. She looked at him once and said, "Wash your hands. Apron is on the hook." Then she turned back to her dough. That was the whole welcome.

Toko roti itu berbau mentega hangat dan ragi. Lampu di bagian belakang menyala. Kepala pembuat roti adalah seorang perempuan jangkung dengan tepung sampai ke siku. Ia menatap Grigor sekali dan berkata, "Cuci tanganmu. Celemek ada di gantungan." Lalu ia kembali ke adonannya. Itulah seluruh sambutannya.

The first week went badly. On Monday, Grigor forgot to set the timer and burned a whole tray of rolls. They came out of the oven as black as coal. On Wednesday, he dropped a bag of flour. A white cloud covered the floor, the shelves and one very surprised radio. The head baker said nothing. She just handed him a broom.

Minggu pertama berjalan buruk. Pada hari Senin, Grigor lupa mengatur pengatur waktu dan membakar satu loyang penuh roti kecil. Roti-roti itu keluar dari oven sehitam arang. Pada hari Rabu, ia menjatuhkan sekantong tepung. Awan putih menyelimuti lantai, rak-rak, dan sebuah radio yang sangat terkejut. Kepala pembuat roti tidak berkata apa-apa. Ia hanya menyerahkan sapu.

He was sure she wanted to fire him. The other bakers talked and joked while they worked, but she hardly spoke at all. When she did, it was short: "Colder water." "Fold, don't push." "Again." Grigor kept thinking that he might quit by Friday if nothing improved.

Ia yakin perempuan itu ingin memecatnya. Para pembuat roti lain mengobrol dan bercanda sambil bekerja, tetapi perempuan itu hampir tidak bicara sama sekali. Kalaupun bicara, singkat saja: "Air yang lebih dingin." "Lipat, jangan dorong." "Ulangi." Grigor terus berpikir bahwa ia mungkin akan berhenti pada hari Jumat kalau tidak ada yang membaik.

Still, he came back every morning. He cleaned the tables before anyone asked him to. He watched her hands. She turned the dough a quarter turn and pressed it with the heel of her palm. At home, he practiced with bread dough in the kitchen, and his little sister ate the mistakes.

Meski begitu, ia datang kembali setiap pagi. Ia membersihkan meja-meja sebelum ada yang menyuruhnya. Ia memperhatikan tangan perempuan itu. Perempuan itu memutar adonan seperempat putaran dan menekannya dengan pangkal telapak tangan. Di rumah, ia berlatih dengan adonan roti di dapur, dan adik perempuannya yang kecil memakan hasil kesalahannya.

On Friday, the bakers were busy with a big order for a wedding. The head baker pointed at a huge bowl of dough and then at the long table. "You," she said. "Shape these. Alone."

Pada hari Jumat, para pembuat roti sibuk dengan pesanan besar untuk sebuah pernikahan. Kepala pembuat roti menunjuk sebuah mangkuk besar berisi adonan, lalu meja panjang. "Kamu," katanya. "Bentuk semua ini. Sendirian."

Grigor's stomach dropped. "All of them? There must be forty loaves."

Perut Grigor serasa jatuh. "Semuanya? Pasti ada empat puluh roti."

"Forty loaves," she said, and she walked away.

"Empat puluh roti," katanya, lalu ia berjalan pergi.

He worked for an hour without looking up. His loaves were not perfect, but they were round, tight and even. When he finished, the head baker walked slowly along the table and checked each one. At the end, she picked up the last loaf, turned it over in her hands, and nodded once.

Ia bekerja selama satu jam tanpa mengangkat kepala. Roti-rotinya tidak sempurna, tetapi bulat, padat, dan rata. Ketika ia selesai, kepala pembuat roti berjalan pelan di sepanjang meja dan memeriksa setiap roti. Di ujung, ia mengambil roti terakhir, membaliknya di tangannya, dan mengangguk sekali.

"Same time on Monday," she said. Then she gave him a small piece of warm bread from the first tray. "Eat. You have earned it."

"Jam yang sama hari Senin," katanya. Lalu ia memberi Grigor sepotong kecil roti hangat dari loyang pertama. "Makanlah. Kamu pantas mendapatkannya."