The Smell of Coffee: A Short Story

Un choque generacional con cafeína de por medio.

Bandera USA
Molly Malcolm

Speaker (American accent)

Actualizado a

Coffee

Escucha este articulo

Glossary Imprimir

Glossary

+ promptly: sin demora + fair-trade: comercio justo + to grind: moler + hearing aid: audífono + to shriek: aullar + to refill: rellenar + to mind: importar + wafer: oblea + to snap apart: partir en dos + to breath in: inspirar + beans: granos (de café) + to cling: aferrarse + to retain: conservar + sat very still: quedarse quieto sentado + nephew: sobrino + to nod: señalar con la cabeza + to raise: levantar + eyebrows: cejas + to shrug: encogerse de hombros + thumb: pulgares + to ease oneself: acomodarse + edge: borde + ear stud: pendiente de botón + selfish: egoísta + entitlement: privilegio, superioridad + how dare...?: ¿cómo se atreve...? + lad: chaval + will he be long?: ¿se quedará mucho tiempo? + to be off: irse + to glance up: levantar la vista + contempt: desprecio + sip: sorbo + to reach for: estirarse para alcanzar + to tear open: abrir rompiendo + wrapper: envoltorio + to snap off: partir + bites: mordiscos + to gulp: engullir + to spill: derramar + saucer: platillo + napkin: servilleta + to lick: lamer + to be lost for words: quedarse sin palabras + distress: angustia + to dab up: secar + to scowl: fruncir el ceño + to swallow: tragar + for good measure: por si acaso + to seize: agarrar + chunk: trozo + to spurt: chorrear + cheek: mejilla + bloodstain: mancha de sangre + to hurry: apresurarse + backward glance: mirada atrás + last-ever: última para siempre + purse: monedero

As usual, Mrs. Stevens arrived at Pedro’s promptly + promptly: sin demora  at eleven for her morning coffee. ‘Fair-trade + fair-trade: comercio justo  coffee ground + to grind: moler  in-house’, according to the sign. Mrs. Stevens had no interest in the fairness of trade, and the noise of the grinder made her hearing aid + hearing aid: audífono  shriek + to shriek: aullar  in protest. But the café was only a short walk from home and the coffee was cheap and included free refills + to refill: rellenar , which she thought was certainly fair. 

Mrs. Stevens always brought her own biscuits; it saved money and the owner didn’t seem to mind + to mind: importar . Her favourite was a popular brand with four fingers of chocolate wafer + wafer: oblea . She enjoyed snapping it apart + to snap apart: partir en dos , finger by finger, to eat with her coffee. From her table, just to the side of the front window, Mrs. Stevens could remain almost invisible while observing people on the street outside. She liked to guess what was in their shopping bags and how much they had spent. 

Mrs. Stevens breathed in + to breath in: inspirar  the smell of coffee. Her husband, Ted, had liked to grind his own beans + beans: granos (de café) . The strong aroma had clung + to cling: aferrarse  to his clothes and skin. It was one of the few memories she retained + to retain: conservar  of him. When she had first passed Pedro’s, not long after Ted’s death, and smelt the familiar aroma, she had started to cry. Later, when she felt strong enough, she started to come here for her morning coffee. It got her out of the house and, she discovered, if she sat very still + sat very still: quedarse quieto sentado , Ted would sometimes join her. That was four years ago. Since then she had been arriving at the same time each day, watching the shoppers outside her window, thinking the same thoughts, or so it sometimes seemed to her, and waiting for Ted. She always sat in the same place so that he would know where to find her. It was a great shock therefore on this occasion to find that her table ­—their table— was occupied by a young stranger of perhaps seventeen or eighteen years of age.

“Morning. Mrs. Stevens,” said Pedro, whose real name was Michael Smith. “My nephew + nephew: sobrino , Gavin,” he said, nodding + to nod: señalar con la cabeza  towards the young man seated opposite her in Ted’s chair. “We’re a bit busy, hope you don’t mind? He won’t give you any trouble.” 

The young man raised + to raise: levantar  his eyebrows + eyebrows: cejas  briefly, shrugged + to shrug: encogerse de hombros , and then returned to his mobile phone, his thumb + thumb: pulgares  tapping secret messages to unseen friends. Mrs. Stevens said nothing, but she did mind. Very much. She continued to stand, not sure what to do next. Finally she eased herself + to ease oneself: acomodarse  onto the edge + edge: borde  of her seat. She studied the young man, taking in his long blonde hair, tattoos and ear stud + ear stud: pendiente de botón . It was enough to confirm her worst suspicions. The lost generation, she thought, full of selfish + selfish: egoísta  demands and their own entitlement + entitlement: privilegio, superioridad . How dare + how dare...?: ¿cómo se atreve...?  Smith let him sit there? What if Ted arrived now and found his seat taken?

Smith himself brought her coffee to the table. “Bright lad + lad: chaval . Starts university in September,” he remarked. But Mrs. Stevens didn’t really hear his words. His nephew had to leave. Now. It just wasn’t right. 

Will he be long + will he be long?: ¿se quedará mucho tiempo? ?” she asked.

“Long? Oh, here, you mean?” said Smith with a smile. “No, once he’s finished his hot chocolate he’ll be off + to be off: irse , won’t you Gavin?”

The young man glanced up + to glance up: levantar la vista  at his uncle, looked at Mrs. Stevens, said nothing, and returned to tapping his phone. Ten minutes later, he was still there. His contempt + contempt: desprecio  for Mrs. Stevens was clear, she thought. He obviously considered her to be an elderly imbecile. 

Mrs. Stevens was drinking her coffee as slowly as possible but it was starting to get cold. As she took a sip + sip: sorbo  from the cup, the young man reached for + to reach for: estirarse para alcanzar  the chocolate wafer on the table in front of them. He tore open + to tear open: abrir rompiendo  the wrapper + wrapper: envoltorio  and snapped off + to snap off: partir  a finger, which he pushed into his mouth. It was gone in two bites + bites: mordiscos . Shocked, Mrs. Stevens gulped + to gulp: engullir  her coffee, spilling + to spill: derramar  a large amount into the saucer + saucer: platillo . She reached for her napkin + napkin: servilleta  to clean up the mess and watched in horror as another finger of the biscuit —her biscuit— quickly disappeared. The young man licked + to lick: lamer  his fingers. Mrs. Stevens was lost for words + to be lost for words: quedarse sin palabras . She looked around for help but no one seemed to notice her distress + distress: angustia

While she dabbed up + to dab up: secar  the spilled coffee with her paper napkin, the young man reached forward to take a third finger. It was too much. “No!” said Mrs. Stevens, pulling the packet towards her and scowling + to scowl: fruncir el ceño  at the young man. She pulled the remaining two chocolate fingers from the wrapping and swallowed + to swallow: tragar  them one by one, almost whole. For good measure + for good measure: por si acaso , she reached over to the young man’s plate and seized + to seize: agarrar  his doughnut, biting off a large chunk + chunk: trozo  and sending strawberry jam spurting + to spurt: chorrear  across her cheek + cheek: mejilla  like a bloodstain + bloodstain: mancha de sangre . She didn’t wait to see his reaction. Handbag over her arm, she hurried + to hurry: apresurarse  towards the door and exited without so much as a backward glance + backward glance: mirada atrás . The smell of coffee followed her out onto the street. 

It was only then, as she stood outside, breathing hard, that Mrs. Stevens realised she had not yet paid for what might be her last-ever + last-ever: última para siempre  cup of coffee at Pedro’s. With trembling fingers she opened her handbag to find her purse + purse: monedero . And that is when she saw it: the unopened chocolate wafer she had bought earlier in the day to eat with her coffee.

Este contenido es exclusivo para suscriptores.

Últimas horas por solo 1€/mes + Regalo.

Consigue acceso ilimitado a todos los artículos y audios en la web y en la app.

START NOW!

Australia’s Aboriginals: Repairing History
GETTY IMAGES

Culture

Australia’s Aboriginals: Repairing History

La construcción de Australia como nación es inseparable de la opresión a la que fueron sometidos los indígenas de la isla. En los últimos años, el país ha empezado un proceso de reparación histórica para un pueblo que aún padece las consecuencias del colonialismo.

Estela Saldaña

More in Explore

Las mejores frases de San Valentín en inglés
Adobe Stock

World

Las mejores frases de San Valentín en inglés

Happy Valentine's Day! Hemos recopilado las frases de San Valentín en inglés más románticas para dedicar a ese "significant other". ¿Quieres decir a alguien "me gustas" en inglés? ¡Te contamos 12 formas distintas de hacerlo!

Julia Nigmatullina

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

Australia’s Aboriginals: Repairing History
GETTY IMAGES

Culture

Australia’s Aboriginals: Repairing History

La construcción de Australia como nación es inseparable de la opresión a la que fueron sometidos los indígenas de la isla. En los últimos años, el país ha empezado un proceso de reparación histórica para un pueblo que aún padece las consecuencias del colonialismo.

Estela Saldaña