Dok svakim korakom Ivan osjeti hladni dah zimskog vjetra, veselo zvono nad vratima kafića najavi njegov dolazak.

As each step brought Ivan the cold breath of the winter wind, the cheerful bell above the café door announced his arrival.

Kafić, smješten uz Dubrovnikove impozantne zidine, bio je oaza topline i ugodnosti.

The café, nestled next to Dubrovnik's imposing walls, was an oasis of warmth and comfort.

U zraku se širio miris svježe pripremljene kave i domaćih kolača.

The air was filled with the aroma of freshly made coffee and homemade cakes.

Na policama su stajali kroasani i štrukli, kao da čekaju da ih netko izabere.

On the shelves stood croissants and štrukli, as if waiting to be chosen by someone.

Ivan, inače točan poput satnog mehanizma, dolazio je svaki dan u isto vrijeme, točno u osam.

Ivan, as punctual as clockwork, arrived every day at the same time, precisely at eight.

Sjeo bi kraj velikog prozora i promatrao kako sunčeve zrake ljube zidine.

He would sit by the big window and watch as the sun's rays kissed the walls.

Marina, brbljava konobarica, uvijek je bila spremna na šalu.

Marina, the chatty waitress, was always ready for a joke.

"Dobro jutro, Ivane!

"Good morning, Ivan!

Jesi li spreman za svoju savršenu kavu?

Are you ready for your perfect coffee?"

""Uvijek, Marina.

"Always, Marina.

Molim te, bijela kava, dva šećera, bez pjene," odgovorio bi Ivan s osmijehom koji je sugerirao strpljenje iz ljubaznosti.

Please, white coffee, two sugars, no foam," Ivan would reply with a smile that suggested patience out of courtesy.

No, bilo je to daleko od svakodnevne stvarnosti.

Yet, it was far from everyday reality.

Svakog jutra nešto bi pošlo po zlu.

Every morning something would go wrong.

Jedan dan nestalo bi šećera, drugi dan bi umjesto bijele kave dobio crni espresso s duplom pjenom.

One day, there would be no sugar; another day, instead of white coffee, he would get a black espresso with double foam.

Marina bi se ispričavala, ali čini se da je kaos jednostavno način na koji je kava u kafiću radila.

Marina would apologize, but it seemed that chaos was simply the way coffee functioned in the café.

Ivan, koji nikad nije volio nered, jednog je jutra odlučio: "Marina, danas ćemo zajedno napraviti kavu!

Ivan, who never liked disorder, one morning decided: "Marina, today we're going to make the coffee together!"

" Iznenađena, ali oduševljena, Marina prihvati njegov prijedlog.

Surprised but delighted, Marina accepted his proposal.

Dok su se zajedno motali oko aparata, Ivan je naučio nešto o improvizaciji, a Marina je pazila na točan omjer sastojaka.

As they fumbled together around the machine, Ivan learned something about improvisation, and Marina kept an eye on the exact proportions of ingredients.

Konačno, savršena bijela kava stajala je pred Ivanom kao nagrada za njihov timski rad.

Finally, the perfect white coffee stood before Ivan as a reward for their teamwork.

Baš kad je Ivan posegnuo za šalicom, Luka, šaljivdžija koji bi često svratio na svoju jutarnju dozu kofeina, slučajno ju prevrne prolazeći.

Just as Ivan reached for the cup, Luka, the jokester who often came by for his morning caffeine fix, accidentally knocked it over as he passed.

Kava se prolije po stolu, baš kao i svaki put do sada.

The coffee spilled over the table, just like every time before.

Umjesto da se naljuti, Ivan se nasmije.

Instead of getting angry, Ivan laughed.

Prepoznao je da je tog dana, na neobičan način, doživio nešto dragocjeno.

He realized that on that day, in an unusual way, he experienced something precious.

"Nema veze, Luka," reče kroz smijeh, "Mogli bismo reći da si ti naš tjedni iznenadni trenutak.

"No worries, Luka," he said with a laugh, "We could say you're our weekly surprise moment."

"Marina se nasmije, Luki je bilo pomalo neugodno, ali i on se nasmije.

Marina laughed, Luka felt a bit embarrassed, but he laughed too.

Ivan je shvatio da je ponekad bolje pustiti stvari da teku svojim tijekom.

Ivan realized that sometimes it's better to let things take their course.

Nered kafića postao je dio njegove jutarnje rutine, a prijateljstvo s Marinom i Lukom njegova svakodnevna radost.

The café's chaos became part of his morning routine, and his friendship with Marina and Luka his daily joy.

I tako su zimsko jutro i smijeh postali dio neobičnog rituala kojeg je Ivan počeo cijeniti više od savršeno pripremljene kave.

And so, the winter morning and laughter became part of an unusual ritual that Ivan began to appreciate more than a perfectly made coffee.