Fluent Fiction - Croatian: Coffee Stains & Unexpected Rain: A Zagreb Tale
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Story Transcript:

Hr: Jednog sunčanog popodneva u srcu Zagreba, u kafiću na živom Trgu bana Jelačića, Ivan se spremao za susret koji će mu promijeniti život.
En: On a sunny afternoon in the heart of Zagreb, in a cafe on the lively Ban Jelačić Square, Ivan was getting ready for a meeting that would change his life.

Hr: U tom kafiću trebao je na kavu doći Anja, djevojka koju je Ivan poznavao još iz školskih dana, a koja mu se sada vraćala u misli kao najdraža melodija.
En: He was supposed to meet Anja, a girl he had known since his school days, for coffee at that café, and she had been on his mind like a favorite melody.

Hr: Ivan je pogledao svoj odraz u izlogu kafića, popravio kosu i udahnuo duboko.
En: Ivan glanced at his reflection in the cafe's window, fixed his hair, and took a deep breath.

Hr: Vježbao je svoje najbolje priče i šale kako bi impresionirao Anju.
En: He rehearsed his best stories and jokes to impress Anja.

Hr: Naručio je dvije kave, jednu za sebe, a drugu za nju, i odabrao stol koji je po njegovom mišljenju izgledao najugodnije.
En: He ordered two coffees, one for himself and one for her, and chose a table that he thought looked the most comfortable.

Hr: Anja je stigla, lijepa kao i uvijek, nasmiješena, s očima u kojima se moglo utopiti.
En: Anja arrived, looking as beautiful as ever, smiling with eyes you could get lost in.

Hr: Zamahnula je kosom dok je prišla stolu i Ivan se na trenutak osjećao kao da ga je zabila munja.
En: She tossed her hair as she approached the table, and for a moment, Ivan felt like he had been struck by lightning.

Hr: "Dobar dan, Ivan," rekla je toplim glasom, "kako si?
En: "Good day, Ivan," she said in a warm voice, "how are you?"

Hr: ""Dobro," odgovorio je Ivan premda mu je srce poskakivalo kao luda loptica.
En: "Good," Ivan replied, even though his heart was racing like a crazy ball.

Hr: "A ti?
En: "And you?"

Hr: ""Došla sam da vidim hoće li se ovo naše druženje pretvoriti u nešto posebno," rekla je Anja s bljeskom u očima.
En: "I came to see if our meeting will turn into something special," Anja said with a sparkle in her eyes.

Hr: I dok je Ivan želio započeti razgovor koji je pažljivo pripremao, desila se nesreća.
En: Just as Ivan wanted to start the conversation he had carefully prepared, an accident happened.

Hr: Dok je Anjinoj kavi prilazio konobar, jedan muškarac se naglo ustao sa svog stola, sudario se s konobarom i uslijedio je kaos.
En: As the waiter approached with Anja's coffee, a man suddenly stood up from his table, collided with the waiter, and chaos ensued.

Hr: Kava je prsnuo u zrak, kao složeni ples kapljica, i većina ih je završila na Ivanovoj bijeloj košulji.
En: The coffee burst into the air, like a complex dance of droplets, and most of it ended up on Ivan's white shirt.

Hr: Ivanov lice je postalo crveno kao najzrelije trešnje, od smijeha, srama, i prpošne topline koja se širila njegovim prsima.
En: Ivan's face turned as red as the ripest cherries, from a mix of laughter, embarrassment, and a playful warmth spreading through his chest.

Hr: Anja je u prvom trenutku zastala, a zatim prasnula u smijeh, no umjesto podrugljivog, njezin smijeh bio je topao i zarazan.
En: Anja paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, but her laughter was warm and contagious instead of mocking.

Hr: "Pa, Ivan," igrala se Anja ričima dok je tražila salvete, "izgleda da ti je kava stvarno 'po guštu' - obukao si je!
En: "Well, Ivan," Anja joked as she searched for napkins, "it looks like you really 'enjoyed' the coffee - you're wearing it!"

Hr: "Ivan se, između hihotanja i brisanja mrlja, počeo opuštati.
En: Between chuckles and dabbing the stains, Ivan began to relax.

Hr: "Znaš," rekao je, "htio sam ostaviti dojam, ali ne baš ovakav.
En: "You know," he said, "I wanted to make an impression, but not quite like this."

Hr: ""Ostavio si dojam," odgovorila je Anja.
En: "You made an impression," Anja replied.

Hr: "Dojam nekoga tko može usmjeriti pravu katastrofu u nešto lijepo.
En: "The impression of someone who can turn a real disaster into something beautiful."

Hr: "Za Ivanov stol stigla je nova kava, besplatna, kao isprika kafića.
En: A new coffee arrived at Ivan's table, free of charge, as an apology from the cafe.

Hr: Anja i Ivan su nastavili razgovarati, sada već opuštenije i smijeha nije nestajalo.
En: Anja and Ivan continued to talk, now more relaxed, and the laughter didn't fade.

Hr: Sunce je polako krenulo prema svom počivalištu na horizontu, ali njihov razgovor nije znao za svršetak.
En: The sun slowly made its way toward the horizon, but their conversation seemed endless.

Hr: Anja je otkrila da joj je upravo ta nespretnost koju je Ivan pokazao činila ga ljudskijim, i pristupačnijim.
En: Anja revealed that it was precisely the awkwardness Ivan had shown that made him more human and approachable.

Hr: Večer je završila obećanjem novog susreta, ovoga puta negdje gdje nema kave ni mogućnosti sličnih nesreća.
En: The evening ended with a promise of a new meeting, this time somewhere without coffee or the possibility of similar mishaps.

Hr: Prijateljstvo koje je već počelo cvjetati sada je imalo priliku da se izgradi na još čvršćem temelju.
En: The friendship that had already begun to bloom now had the opportunity to be built on an even stronger foundation.

Hr: I dok je Ivan hodao prema kući, s kavom koja se već osušila na njegovoj košulji, nosio je osmijeh koji ni najjači zagrebački vjetar nije mogao obrusiti.
En: As Ivan walked home, with the coffee already dried on his shirt, he wore a smile that not even the strongest Zagreb wind could wipe away.

Hr: Bio je to osmijeh nekoga tko je naučio da ponekad, i kad stvari krenu po zlu, mogu se pretvoriti u nešto potpuno neplanirano, ali također potpuno savršeno.
En: It was the smile of someone who had learned that sometimes, even when things go wrong, they can turn into something completely unplanned, yet perfectly beautiful.


Vocabulary Words:

• afternoon: popodne
• heart: srce
• cafe: kafić
• lively: živ
• meeting: susret
• change: promijeniti
• supposed: trebao
• known: poznavao
• school days: školski dani
• coffee: kava
• mind: misli
• reflection: odraz
• window: izlog
• hair: kosa
• deep breath: dubok udah
• rehearsed: vježbao
• stories: priče
• jokes: šale
• impress: impresionirati
• ordered: naručio
• table: stol
• comfortable: ugodan
• arrived: stigla
• beautiful: lijepa
• smiled: nasmiješena
• approached: prišla
• struck: zabila
• lightning: munja
• voice: glas
• racing: poskakivalo