My Mother’s Dal

Sandwiches

Roti Lapis

Priya lives in London. She is twenty-seven. She is from Mumbai, in India.

Priya tinggal di London. Umurnya dua puluh tujuh tahun. Dia berasal dari Mumbai, di India.

She has a new job in a big office. She has a small apartment with a very small kitchen.

Dia punya pekerjaan baru di kantor yang besar. Dia punya apartemen kecil dengan dapur yang sangat kecil.

Every day at one o’clock, Priya eats a sandwich at her desk. A cheese sandwich. An egg sandwich. A chicken sandwich.

Setiap hari pada pukul satu, Priya makan roti lapis di mejanya. Roti lapis keju. Roti lapis telur. Roti lapis ayam.

“London is great,” she thinks. “But a sandwich every day? I miss home.”

“London sangat bagus,” pikirnya. “Tapi roti lapis setiap hari? Aku rindu rumah.”

In the evening, she calls her mother on video. Her mother’s face is on the phone screen.

Pada malam hari, dia menelepon ibunya lewat video. Wajah ibunya ada di layar ponsel.

“Priya! Are you eating?” asks her mother.

“Priya! Kamu makan?” tanya ibunya.

“Yes, Mum. I eat a sandwich every day.”

“Ya, Ibu. Aku makan roti lapis setiap hari.”

“A sandwich? That is not food. That is bread.”

“Roti lapis? Itu bukan makanan. Itu roti.”

Priya laughs. “It is food in London, Mum.”

Priya tertawa. “Itu makanan di London, Ibu.”

“What do you want for dinner? Tell me.”

“Kamu mau makan malam apa? Beri tahu aku.”

Priya thinks. “Your dal, Mum. I want your dal.”

Priya berpikir. “Dal buatanmu, Ibu. Aku mau dal buatanmu.”

Her mother smiles. “My dal is easy. You can make it.”

Ibunya tersenyum. “Dal buatanku mudah. Kamu bisa membuatnya.”

“Can I?”

“Aku bisa?”