Fluent Fiction - Serbian: Laughter & Rakija: A Tavern Tale
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Story Transcript:

Sr: U malenom gradskom trgu, kafana "Kod Stare Lipa" bila je puna smeha i razgovora.
En: In the small town square, the tavern "Kod Stare Lipa" was filled with laughter and chatter.

Sr: U kafani je radila Milica, devojka sa osmehom sunčanijim od jula.
En: Milica, a girl with a smile brighter than July, worked in the tavern.

Sr: Milica je bila nova konobarica u kafani, a njene plave oči su se sjajile od uzbuđenja i malo treme na goste.
En: She was a new waitress there, and her blue eyes sparkled with excitement and a hint of nervousness around the guests.

Sr: Tog popodneva, Milica je nosila punu tacnu rakija čvrstim, ali nervoznim koracima prema drvenim stolovima ispunjenim redovnim mušterijama.
En: That afternoon, Milica walked towards the wooden tables filled with regular customers, carrying a full tray of rakija with steady but nervous steps.

Sr: Između tih mušterija, sedeo je i Nikola, čovek s bradom gušćom od šume i smejanjem glasnijim od groma.
En: Among those customers sat Nikola, a man with a beard thicker than a forest and a laugh louder than thunder.

Sr: Nikola je, kao i obično, pričao vic svojim prijateljima. Zanešen svojom pričom, mahnuo je rukom u vazduh baš u trenutku kad je Milica prolazila pored.
En: Nikola was, as usual, telling jokes to his friends. Lost in his story, he waved his hand in the air just as Milica passed by.

Sr: "Opa, pazite se!", viknu Milica, ali bilo je kasno.
En: "Watch out!," shouted Milica, but it was too late.

Sr: Tacna sa šotovima je poletela iz Milicinih ruku kao jato ptica iznenadjenih grmljavinom. Rakija je prštala na sve strane, a posebno na Nikolino plavo odelo, natapajući ga mirisom jakog pića.
En: The tray of shots flew out of Milica's hands like a flock of birds startled by thunder. Rakija splashed everywhere, especially on Nikola's blue suit, drenching it in the strong scent of the alcohol.

Sr: "Moje najbolje odelo!" uzviknu Nikola, dok su ostali gosti zastali i posmatrali scenu.
En: "My best suit!" exclaimed Nikola, as the other guests stopped and watched.

Sr: Milica je osetila da joj je lice gorelo od stida. "Izvini, nije bilo namerno," izgovori, posmatrajući tlo kao da traži neko skrovište.
En: Milica felt her face burning with shame. "I'm sorry, it was not intentional," she said, looking at the ground as if searching for a hiding place.

Sr: Nikola je gledao u mokro odelo, a zatim se zagledao u Milicu. Njegov izraz lica se promenio, a brada mu se zarila kad je izbio glasan smeh odjekivao kafanom.
En: Nikola looked at his wet suit, then at Milica. His expression changed, and his beard shook as a loud laughter echoed throughout the tavern.

Sr: "Nema veze, dešava se!" rekao je Nikola i podigao prazan čašu sa stola. "Hajde, natoči još jedan, ali ovaj put neka ostane u čaši!"
En: "It's okay, accidents happen!" said Nikola, raising an empty glass from the table. "Come on, pour another one, but this time let it stay in the glass!"

Sr: Milica je odahnula i brzo se vratila po nove čaše rakije, ovaj put sa dodatnom pažnjom. Gosti su aplaudirali kada je uspešno poslužila Nikolu, a "Kod Stare Lipa" ponovo je zavibrirala veseljem.
En: Milica breathed a sigh of relief and quickly returned with new rakija glasses, this time with extra care. The guests applauded as she successfully served Nikola, and "Kod Stare Lipa" was once again filled with joy.

Sr: Baš kad je mislila da je sve u redu, vlasnik kafane prilazi Milici. Pogledao je u nju, a onda prešao pogledom na razliveno piće po podu.
En: Just when she thought everything was okay, the owner of the tavern approached Milica. He looked at her, then glanced at the spilled drink on the floor.

Sr: Milica se već pripremala na grdnju, ali vlasnik je umesto toga rekao: "Milice, svima se može desiti, ali idući put, neka bude samo vica koliko i rakije."
En: Milica was already preparing for a scolding, but instead, the owner said, "Milica, it can happen to anyone, but next time, let there be only as much spillage as there are jokes."

Sr: I tako, ta večer u kafani "Kod Stare Lipa" nije samo prošla u znaku smeha i druženja, već i kao podsetnik da su greške samo deo pečat života, lekcije koje nas podučavaju strpljenju i humoru.
En: And so, that evening at "Kod Stare Lipa" passed not only in laughter and socializing, but also as a reminder that mistakes are just a part of the stamp of life, lessons that teach us patience and humor.

Sr: Milica i Nikola su ostali prijatelji, a priča o razlitim šotovima rakije postala je deo lokalne legende.
En: Milica and Nikola remained friends, and the story of the spilled shots of rakija became part of local legend.

Sr: A kafana, ta kafana je ostala mesto gde ne očekujete samo piće, već i prijatnu priču koja će vas ugrejati srcu, baš kao i čašica jake rakije.
En: And the tavern, that tavern remained a place where you don't just expect a drink, but also a pleasant story to warm your heart, just like a shot of strong rakija.


Vocabulary Words:

• town: grad
• square: trg
• tavern: kafana
• laughter: smeh
• chatter: razgovor
• waitress: konobarica
• blue: plava
• sparkled: sjajile
• excitement: uzbuđenje
• nervousness: tremu
• customers: mušterije
• beard: brada
• thicker: gušća
• forest: šuma
• laugh: smejanje
• jokes: vic
• wave: mahnuti
• shouted: viknuo
• tray: tacna
• shots: šotovi
• flew: poletele
• startled: iznenadjenih
• splashed: prštala
• drenching: natapajući
• scent: miris
• alcohol: piće
• exclaimed: uzviknuo
• guests: gosti
• burning: gorelo