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.

Vlak je krenuo iz Madrida u šest ujutro. Polovica sjedala bila je prazna. Elena je odabrala mjesto pokraj prozora i gledala kako grad nestaje, a pojavljuju se suha, otvorena polja.

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.

Naspram nje sjela je žena. Bila je starija — možda šezdeset godina, možda i više — i imala je malu torbu sa sendvičem zamotanim u foliju. Uskoro joj je zazvonio telefon. Odgovorila je tiho, ali vlak je također bio vrlo tih.

"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."

"Ne, još joj nisam rekla," šapnula je žena. "Reći ću, ali ne danas. Danas je samo želim vidjeti." Kratka pauza. "Ona ne zna da sam bolesna. Molim te, nemoj ni ti reći."

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 je pogledala kroz prozor i pretvarala se da ne čuje. Ali nije mogla prestati slušati. Žena je razgovarala još nekoliko minuta, zatim je prekinula poziv i polako pojela svoj sendvič.

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."

Kada je vlak stigao u Granadu, žena je ustala i pogledala Elenu. "Idem vidjeti svoju unuku," rekla je, kao da objašnjava nešto što je Elena već pitala. "Nisam je vidjela godinu dana. Sretan put."

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

Elena ju je gledala kako hoda peronom i nestaje u gomili ljudi.