Iznad stola, stari luster bacao je toplo svjetlo na drveni stol prepun hrane.

Above the table, the old chandelier cast a warm light on the wooden table laden with food.

Grosvenor kuća bila je, kao i uvijek, središte obiteljskih okupljanja Ivane i Marka.

The Grosvenor house was, as always, the center of family gatherings for Ivana and Marko.

Iako Dan zahvalnosti nije hrvatska tradicija, Ivana je odlučila da će poslužiti kao prilika za obiteljsko okupljanje, nešto što je naučila cijeniti kroz prijateljice s putovanja.

Although Thanksgiving is not a Croatian tradition, Ivana decided it would serve as an opportunity for a family gathering, something she learned to appreciate from friends during her travels.

Ivana je sjedila na jednoj strani stola, pokušavajući ignorirati nelagodnu tišinu koja je povremeno preplavljala sobu.

Ivana sat on one side of the table, trying to ignore the uncomfortable silence that occasionally filled the room.

S druge strane, Marko je nervozno prevrtao vilicom grašak po tanjuru.

Across from her, Marko nervously pushed peas around on his plate with his fork.

Oduvijek je bio onaj koji je izgovarao što svi misle, no nitko nema hrabrosti reći.

He had always been the one to say what everyone was thinking but lacked the courage to express.

"Pa, Marko," započela je Ivana, "kako ide na poslu?"

"So, Marko," Ivana began, "how is work going?"

Marko je podignuo pogled, nesiguran želi li glumiti ljubaznost ili odgovoriti iskreno.

Marko looked up, unsure whether to feign politeness or respond honestly.

"Ide. Ali to nije ono što je bitno, zar ne? Što je s nama ovdje i sada? Mislim, zašto uvijek izbjegavamo priče o stvarnim problemima?"

"It's going. But that's not what's important, is it? What about us here and now? I mean, why do we always avoid talking about real problems?"

Tišina se uvukla u prostoriju još jednom.

Silence settled in the room once again.

Ivana je osjetila neugodan pritisak u želucu.

Ivana felt an uncomfortable pressure in her stomach.

Gledala je prema prozorima iza stola, gdje su lišće okićeni sa jarkim narančastim i smeđim tonovima tiho padale.

She looked towards the windows behind the table, where leaves adorned with bright orange and brown tones were quietly falling.

Mogla je čuti Markov glas dok je nastavljao: "Zar nitko ne želi riješiti nesuglasice koje imamo?"

She could hear Marko's voice as he continued, "Doesn't anyone want to resolve the disagreements we have?"

Tetka Ana, koja je sjedila do Marka, zakolutala je očima.

Aunt Ana, who sat next to Marko, rolled her eyes.

"Ovde smo da slavimo, a ne da otvaramo stare rane", rekla je tiho, no ton joj je bio oštar.

"We're here to celebrate, not to open old wounds," she said quietly, though her tone was sharp.

Ivana je uzdahnula i odlučila intervenirati.

Ivana sighed and decided to intervene.

"Možda, Marko, ovo nije pravo vrijeme za takve razgovore. Večera, obitelj, osmijehi. Možemo li to nečim zamijeniti? Možda nekom anegdotom iz djetinjstva, nešto zabavno..." pokušala je preusmjeriti razgovor.

"Maybe, Marko, this isn't the right time for such discussions. Dinner, family, smiles. Can we replace it with something else? Maybe a childhood anecdote, something fun..." she attempted to redirect the conversation.

Ali Marko nije popuštao.

But Marko wasn't giving in.

"Ako ne sada, kada? Svaki put kad smo zajedno, sve je površno. Ja želim biti dio nešto stvarnog," inzistirao je.

"If not now, when? Every time we're together, it's all superficial. I want to be part of something real," he insisted.

Svađa se polako zahuktavala, nekoliko glasova se pridružilo.

The argument slowly heated up, with several voices joining in.

Ivana je pokušala umiriti situaciju, ali duhovi prošlosti bili su previše jaki.

Ivana tried to calm the situation, but the ghosts of the past were too strong.

No, dok su emocije ključale, Ivana je shvatila nešto važno: mora biti otvorenija s Markom, pa čak i kad se ne slaže s njim.

Yet, as emotions ran high, Ivana realized something important: she needed to be more open with Marko, even when she disagreed with him.

Nakon dugih rasprava, neka vrsta međusobnog razumijevanja ipak je postignuta.

After long discussions, some sort of mutual understanding was reached.

Obitelj je pobijedila u neslaganju, barem privremeno, i odlučila pokušati razgovarati otvorenije u budućnosti.

The family overcame the disagreement, at least temporarily, and decided to try to talk more openly in the future.

Ivana se smiješila, promatrajući Marka.

Ivana smiled, watching Marko.

Unatoč svemu, to ju je dovelo bliže njemu.

Despite everything, it brought her closer to him.

U kaotičnoj večeri, našla je izgubljeni komad slagalice: snagu da izrazi ono što doista misli.

In the chaotic evening, she found a missing piece of the puzzle: the strength to express what she truly thought.

Marko, pak, shvatio je važnost nježnosti i pravog trenutka u obiteljskim razgovorima.

Marko, on the other hand, realized the importance of gentleness and the right timing in family conversations.

Dok su se svjetla gasila, a lišće i dalje padalo, Ivana je osjetila da su učinili prvi korak prema mirnijoj obiteljskoj budućnosti.

As the lights dimmed and the leaves continued to fall, Ivana felt they had taken the first step towards a more peaceful family future.