Fluent Fiction - Croatian: Spilled Espresso Blooms Into Romance
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Story Transcript:

Hr: Sunce je tek nadvladalo trnovite krovove Zagreba kad se dogodila zgoda koja će Ivana i Mariu zauvijek povezati.
En: The sun had just begun to conquer the thorny roofs of Zagreb when an incident occurred that would forever connect Ivan and Maria.

Hr: Ivan, mladić živahnog duha i osmijeha koji se rijetko gasio, ulazio je u uspavanu kavanu na Trgu bana Jelačića.
En: Ivan, a young man with a lively spirit and a smile that rarely faded, entered a sleepy café on Ban Jelačić Square.

Hr: Nije ni slutio kako će jedan neoprezan pokret promijeniti njegov dan.
En: He had no idea that one careless movement would change his day.

Hr: Maria, djevojka s očima boje kestena i osmijehom koji bi otopio sva ledena srca, bila je Sto metara dalje, u modnoj boutiqueu gdje je radila.
En: Maria, a girl with chestnut-colored eyes and a smile that could melt all icy hearts, was a hundred meters away, working in a fashion boutique.

Hr: Danas je bilo posebno jutro; očekivao ju je veliki događaj - modna revija na kojoj je trebala nositi savršenu bijelu haljinu, bijelu poput prvog snijega koji prekrije Gornji Grad.
En: That morning was especially important; she was expecting a big event - a fashion show where she was supposed to wear the perfect white dress, as white as the first snow that covers the Upper Town.

Hr: Ivan, nesvjestan svega, naručio je svoje jutarnje gorivo – snažan crni espresso.
En: Unaware of everything, Ivan ordered his morning fuel - a strong black espresso.

Hr: Dok je gledao kako jutro buja i ljudi žure svojim poslovima, nije primijetio Mariu kako ulazi u kavanu, pozivana mirisom svježe pečenog kruha i kave.
En: As he watched the morning come to life and people hurrying about their business, he didn't notice Maria entering the café, beckoned by the scent of freshly baked bread and coffee.

Hr: Maria je sjela za susjedni stol, a njihovi su se pogledi tek na trenutak sreli.
En: Maria sat at the neighboring table, and their eyes met for just a moment.

Hr: Bila je to ona vrsta pogleda u kojoj se sakriju tisuće nenapisanih priča.
En: It was the kind of glance in which thousands of unwritten stories were hidden.

Hr: Ali, sudbina je već pisala njihovu.
En: But destiny was already writing theirs.

Hr: Dok je Ivan žustro mahnuo rukom pozdravljajući starog prijatelja, iz ruke mu je ispala šalica.
En: As Ivan enthusiastically waved his hand in greeting to an old friend, the cup slipped from his hand.

Hr: Vrijeme je kao da je zastalo.
En: Time seemed to stand still.

Hr: Ivan je gledao u sporoj pokretu, kako kava, kao crna rijeka, leti prema Mariji, koja je s nevjericom promatrala nadolazeću katastrofu.
En: In slow motion, Ivan watched as the coffee, like a black river, flew toward Maria, who was incredulously observing the oncoming disaster.

Hr: Graciozna bijela haljina samo je tren kasnije dobila nove, tamne ukrase.
En: The graceful white dress gained new dark embellishments only a moment later.

Hr: Mjesto tišine obuzeo je kaos.
En: A place of silence was overtaken by chaos.

Hr: Ivan je, potaknut iznenadnim valom panike i kajanja, skočio prema Mariji s nespretnim "Oprosti!"
En: Prompted by a sudden wave of panic and remorse, Ivan clumsily jumped towards Maria saying "I'm sorry!"

Hr: Maria je izgledala izgubljeno dok je gledala svoj odraz u izlogu, brišući tragove kave s haljine.
En: Maria looked lost as she gazed at her reflection in the shop window, wiping traces of coffee from her dress.

Hr: Ali kao što to biva u pričama poput ove, nesretni događaji često prethode nečemu izvanrednom.
En: But as often happens in stories like this, unfortunate events often precede something extraordinary.

Hr: Ivan, čiji su se obrazi crvenjeli od srama, ponudio je svoju pomoć. "Idemo, možda možemo nešto učiniti. Imam prijatelja koji ima čistionicu odmah ovdje." Rekao je on.
En: Blushing with embarrassment, Ivan offered his help. "Let's go, maybe we can do something. I have a friend who owns a dry cleaner's right here," he said.

Hr: Čistionica "Čisto i Sjajno" bila je njihovo spasenje.
En: The dry cleaner "Clean and Bright" was their salvation.

Hr: Vlasnik, stari znanac obitelji Ivanove, bez riječi je prihvatio izazov. U nekoliko kratkih sati, haljina je bila kao nova, a njihovo malo čudo razlog za započinjanje nove priče.
En: The owner, an old family acquaintance of Ivan's, accepted the challenge without a word. In just a few short hours, the dress was good as new, and their little miracle was the reason to start a new story.

Hr: Maria, sada mirna i s haljinom besprijekornom kao što je i bila kad je posljednji puta visila u izlogu, ponudila je Ivanu zahvalan osmijeh.
En: Maria, now calm with a dress as immaculate as it was when it last hung in the shop window, offered Ivan a grateful smile.

Hr: Trenutak, koji se mogao pretvoriti u katastrofu, pretvorio se u trenutak kada su dvoje stranaca postali prijatelji.
En: The moment that could have turned into a disaster became the moment when two strangers became friends.

Hr: Modna revija prošla je u sveopćem divljenju. Maria je blistala na pozornici, a Ivan je bio ondje, u prvom redu, plješćući najglasnije.
En: The fashion show passed amid general admiration. Maria shone on the stage, and Ivan was there in the front row, applauding the loudest.

Hr: Priča o bijeloj haljini i nespretnom susretu dvoje mladih ljudi postala je omiljena anegdota koju su pričali svaki put kada su se sreli u istoj onoj kavani, sada već kao stari prijatelji.
En: The story of the white dress and the awkward encounter of the two young people became a favorite anecdote they told every time they met in that same café, now as old friends.

Hr: Tako su Ivan i Maria, spojeni jednim slučajnim proljevanjem kave, pronašli sreću u nesreći i zajedništvo u različitosti svakog novog dana u Zagrebu.
En: Through one accidental coffee spill, Ivan and Maria found happiness in misfortune and togetherness in the diversity of each new day in Zagreb.


Vocabulary Words:

• conquer: nadvladati
• thorny: trnovit
• incident: zgoda
• connect: povezati
• lively: živahno
• spirit: duh
• rarely: rijetko
• faded: gasio se
• sleepy: uspavan
• café: kavana
• beckoned: pozivan
• scent: miris
• boutique: boutiqueu
• important: važan
• event: događaj
• fashion show: modna revija
• perfect: savršen
• dress: haljina
• chestnut-colored: boje kestena
• meters: metara
• working: radeći
• supposed: trebala
• snow: snijeg
• covers: prekrije
• unaware: nesvjestan
• fuel: gorivo
• espresso: espresso
• morning: jutro
• hurrying: žureći
• people: ljudi