Shelter in the Downpour

Vonku lialo tak vytrvalo, až balkónové kvetináče plávali v hnedastej kaši.

Outside it poured so relentlessly that the balcony flowerpots floated in a brownish slurry.

V byte sa usadil tlmený šum dažďa, akoby niekto potichu triedil korálky, a všetko spomalil.

In the apartment the muted murmur of the rain settled in, as if someone were quietly sorting beads, and it slowed everything down.

Kým radiátor syčal a kanvica fučala, rozložil som na stôl zošit s receptami po mame a rozmýšľal, čím ten deň „zachrániť“.

While the radiator hissed and the kettle wheezed, I spread my mom's recipe notebook on the table and pondered how to "save" the day.

Do ulíc by ma nedostal ani čert, no doma sa človek začne motkať a vymýšľať hlúposti.

Not even the devil would have dragged me out into the streets, but at home one starts to putter around and think up silly things.

Zavolala suseda, že pri výťahu zase preteká, ale vraj sa to za dážďa jednoducho „patrí“ a netreba sa hneď zblázniť.

The neighbor called to say it was leaking again by the elevator, but she claimed that in the rain that's simply to be expected and there's no need to go crazy.

Tak som postavil panvicu na sporák, cesto sa ťahalo ako žuvačka a o chvíľu rozvoniavali palacinky so slivkovým lekvárom, takým, čo ho varila ešte starká v Banskej Bystrici.

So I set a pan on the stove, the batter stretched like chewing gum, and soon pancakes with plum jam were giving off their aroma, the kind my grandma used to cook in Banská Bystrica.

Dažďové kvapky bubnovali na parapet tak rytmicky, až som si k tomu začal čítať staré listy, ktoré som roky nevedel vyhodiť.

Raindrops drummed on the windowsill so rhythmically that I started reading old letters to the beat, the ones I hadn't been able to throw away for years.

V každom riadku sa zablysli mená, mestá, sľuby, a zdalo sa, že aj tie majú vlastné počasie, raz dusno, raz jasno.

In every line flashed names, cities, promises, and it seemed that they too had their own weather—now stifling, now clear.

Keď sa zrazu na pár minút vyjasnilo, z okna som uvidel mokré štrky na dvore a deti, ktoré si skúšali skákať cez kaluže, no mňa už viac zohriala para nad drezom a teplý vzduch z rúry.

When it suddenly cleared for a few minutes, from the window I saw wet gravel in the yard and children trying to jump over puddles, but I was warmed more by the steam above the sink and the warm air from the oven.

Napokon som si urobil šálku čaju, prehodil deku cez ramená a povedal si, že niektoré dni je lepšie nechať, nech nás prejdú ako vlak, ktorý netreba stíhať.

In the end I made myself a cup of tea, threw a blanket over my shoulders, and told myself that some days are better left to pass us by like a train we don't need to catch.

Pršalo ďalej, ale v tej chvíli sa v byte rozhostil pokoj, čo sa nedá kúpiť, iba vyčkať.

It kept raining, but at that moment a calm settled over the apartment that can't be bought, only waited out.