Something most people never have the benefit of seeing because their vision is too narrow. Most people never see the trap they are in." Mike and I sat there uncertain of his message. He sounded cruel, yet we could sense he was desperately wanting us to know something. With a smile, rich dad said, "Doesn't that 25 cents an hour sound good? Doesn't it make your heart beat a little faster?" I shook my head "no," but it really did. Twenty-five cents an hour would be big bucks to me. "OK, I'll pay you a dollar an hour," rich dad said, with , a sly grin. Now my heart was beginning to race. My brain was screaming, "Take it. Take it." I could not believe what I was hearing. Still, I said nothing. "OK, $2 an hour." My little 9-year-old brain and heart nearly exploded. After all, it was 1956 and being paid $2 an hour would 54 Rich Dad, Poor Dad have made me the richest kid in the world. I couldn't imag- ine earning that kind of money. I wanted to say "yes." I wanted the deal. I could see a new bicycle, new baseball glove, and adoration of my friends when I flashed some cash. On top of that, Jimmy and his rich friends could never call me poor again. But somehow my mouth stayed silent. Maybe my brain had overheated and blown a fuse. But deep down, I badly wanted that $2 an hour. The ice cream had melted and was running down my hand. The ice-cream stick was empty, and under it was a sticky mess of vanilla and chocolate that ants were enjoy- ing. Rich dad was looking at two boys staring back at him, eyes wide open and brains empty. He knew he was test- ing us, and he knew there was a part of our emotions that wanted to take the deal. He knew that each human being has a weak and needy part of their soul that can be bought. And he knew that each human being also had a part of their soul that was strong and filled with a resolve that could never be bought. It was only a question of | which one was stronger. He had tested thousands of souls in his life. He tested souls every time he interviewed someone for a job. "OK, $5 an hour." Suddenly there was a silence from inside me. Something had changed. The offer was too big and had gotten ridicu- lous. Not too many grownups in 1956 made more than $5 an hour. The temptation disappeared, and a calm set in. Slowly I turned to my left to look at Mike. He looked back at me. The part of my soul that was weak and needy was silenced. The part of me that had no price took over. There was a calm and a certainty about money that entered my The Rich Don't Work for Money 55 brain and my soul. I knew Mike had gotten to that point also. "Good," rich dad said softly. "Most people have a price. And they have a price because of human emotions named fear and greed. First, the fear of being without money mo- tivates us to work hard, and then once we get that pay- check, greed or desire starts us thinking about all the wonderful things money can buy. The pattern is then set.