The Smell of Cinnamon

Marta lived alone in a small apartment. Her new neighbor, Doña Pilar, was an old woman. They saw each other in the elevator sometimes, but they did not talk.

Marta bodde ensam i en liten lägenhet. Hennes nya granne, Doña Pilar, var en gammal kvinna. De såg varandra i hissen ibland, men de pratade inte.

One Sunday morning, Marta opened her front door to go for a walk. There was a small plate on the floor. On the plate was a piece of cake. The cake smelled like cinnamon and oranges.

En söndagsmorgon öppnade Marta ytterdörren för att gå ut och promenera. Det låg en liten tallrik på golvet. På tallriken låg en bit tårta. Tårtan doftade kanel och apelsin.

There was a note. "It is my grandmother's recipe. I made too much. Welcome to the building. — Pilar."

Det låg en lapp där också. "Det är min mormors recept. Jag bakade för mycket. Välkommen till huset. — Pilar."

Marta ate the cake at her kitchen table. It was the best cake she had eaten in a long time. She did not know how to thank Pilar. She did not bake. She did not have a recipe from her grandmother.

Marta åt tårtan vid köksbordet. Det var den godaste tårta hon hade ätit på länge. Hon visste inte hur hon skulle tacka Pilar. Hon bakade inte själv. Hon hade inget recept från sin mormor.

Finally, she wrote a card. "Thank you. The cake was wonderful. If you ever need help with shopping, please knock." She left the card under Pilar's door. Now they had something to start with.

Till slut skrev hon ett kort. "Tack så mycket. Tårtan var underbar. Om du någon gång behöver hjälp med handlingen, bara knacka på." Hon lade kortet under Pilars dörr. Nu hade de något att börja med.