The Parcel

Too cold for Mama

Terlalu Dingin untuk Mama

Kofi Mensah was thirty. He came from Ghana, and he lived in Amsterdam. He worked at the reception desk of a big hotel.

Kofi Mensah berumur tiga puluh tahun. Dia berasal dari Ghana, dan dia tinggal di Amsterdam. Dia bekerja di meja resepsionis sebuah hotel besar.

It was a Monday night in January. The hotel was quiet. Outside, it was minus six degrees.

Malam itu hari Senin di bulan Januari. Hotel itu sepi. Di luar, suhunya minus enam derajat.

At eleven o’clock, his phone rang. It was his mother in Accra.

Pada pukul sebelas, teleponnya berdering. Itu ibunya di Accra.

“Kofi! I have my ticket! I arrive on Saturday at ten in the morning.”

“Kofi! Aku punya tiketku! Aku tiba pada hari Sabtu pukul sepuluh pagi.”

“That’s great, Mama. I’ll be at the airport. Then we can walk by the canals.”

“Bagus sekali, Mama. Aku akan ada di bandara. Lalu kita bisa berjalan di dekat kanal-kanal.”

“Is it cold in Amsterdam?”

“Apakah dingin di Amsterdam?”

Kofi looked out of the window. There was snow on the bikes in the street.

Kofi melihat ke luar jendela. Ada salju di atas sepeda-sepeda di jalan.

“A little,” he said.

“Sedikit,” katanya.

“Good. I’m going to bring my nice dresses. And some fish for you. You are too thin in your photos.”

“Bagus. Aku akan membawa gaun-gaun bagusku. Dan ikan untukmu. Kamu terlalu kurus di foto-fotomu.”

After the call, Kofi sat at the desk with his head in his hands. His mother had no winter clothes. She never needed them in Accra.

Setelah telepon itu, Kofi duduk di meja dengan kepala di tangannya. Ibunya tidak punya pakaian musim dingin. Dia tidak pernah membutuhkannya di Accra.

“What’s wrong?” asked Lotte. She worked at reception with him on the night shift.

“Ada apa?” tanya Lotte. Dia bekerja di resepsionis bersama Kofi pada giliran kerja malam.

“My mother is coming on Saturday. She thinks it’s a little cold here.”

“Ibuku akan datang pada hari Sabtu. Dia pikir di sini cuma sedikit dingin.”

Lotte laughed. “A little! It’s minus six. She needs a real winter coat.”

Lotte tertawa. “Sedikit! Suhunya minus enam. Dia butuh mantel musim dingin yang sungguhan.”