The Train to Granada

The train left Madrid at six in the morning. Half the seats were empty. Elena chose a window seat and watched the city give way to dry, open fields.

Toget forlod Madrid klokken seks om morgenen. Halvdelen af sæderne stod tomme. Elena valgte en vinduesplads og så byen forsvinde og blive til tørre, åbne marker.

A woman sat across from her. She was older — maybe sixty, maybe more — and she had a small bag with a sandwich wrapped in foil. Soon her phone rang. She answered quietly, but the train was very quiet too.

En kvinde sad overfor hende. Hun var ældre — måske tres, måske mere — og hun havde en lille taske med en sandwich pakket ind i sølvpapir. Snart ringede hendes telefon. Hun svarede stille, men toget var også meget stille.

"No, I haven't told her yet," the woman whispered. "I will, but not today. Today I just want to see her." A pause. "She doesn't know I'm sick. Please, don't tell her either."

"Nej, jeg har ikke fortalt hende det endnu," hviskede kvinden. "Det skal jeg nok, men ikke i dag. I dag vil jeg bare se hende." En pause. "Hun ved ikke, at jeg er syg. Vær sød ikke at fortælle hende det."

Elena looked out the window and pretended not to hear. But she could not stop listening. The woman talked for a few minutes more, then hung up and ate her sandwich slowly.

Elena kiggede ud af vinduet og lod som om hun ikke hørte det. Men hun kunne ikke lade være med at lytte. Kvinden talte i et par minutter mere, så lagde hun på og spiste langsomt sin sandwich.

When the train arrived in Granada, the woman stood up and looked at Elena. "I'm going to see my granddaughter," she said, as if explaining something Elena had already asked. "I haven't seen her in a year. Have a good trip."

Da toget ankom til Granada, rejste kvinden sig og så på Elena. "Jeg skal besøge mit barnebarn," sagde hun, som om hun forklarede noget, Elena allerede havde spurgt om. "Jeg har ikke set hende i et år. Hav en god rejse."

Elena watched her walk down the platform and disappear into the crowd.

Elena så hende gå ned ad perronen og forsvinde i mængden.