The Catcher in the Rye

by J.D.Salinger


Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

O piscu i delu

The Catcher in the Rye 

Chapter 10 


    10     10
    Bilo je još prilično rano. Nisam baš siguran koliko je bilo sati, ali nije bilo preterano kasno. Ako nešto mrzim, to je da idem u krevet kada nisam čak ni umoran.     IT WAS still pretty early. I'm not sure what time it was, but it wasn't too late. The one thing I hate to do is go to bed when I'm not even tired.
    Zato sam otvorio kofere i izvadio čistu košulju, a onda otišao u kupatilo, umio se i presvukao. Šta sam mislio da uradim - mislio sam da siđem i vidim šta se kog đavola dešava u Lavanda-salonu. Imali su neki noćni klub, Lavanda-salon, u tom hotelu.     So I opened my suitcases and took out a clean shirt, and then I went in the bathroom and washed and changed my shirt. What I thought I'd do, I thought I'd go downstairs and see what the hell was going on in the Lavender Room. They had this night club, the Lavender Room, in the hotel.
    Dok sam presvlačio košulju, bio sam veoma blizu da ipak zovnem moju mlađu sestru, Febu. Baš mi se razgovaralo s njom. S nekim ko je pametan i sve. Ali nisam smeo da rizikujem i zovem je, zato što je još dete pa sigurno nije bila budna, a kamoli negde blizu telefona.     While I was changing my shirt, I damn near gave my kid sister Phoebe a buzz, though. I certainly felt like talking to her on the phone. Somebody with sense and all. But I couldn't take a chance on giving her a buzz, because she was only a little kid and she wouldn't have been up, let alone anywhere near the phone.
    Mislio sam da možda spustim slušalicu ako se javi neko od roditelja, ali ni to ne bi vredelo. Znali bi da sam ja. Majka uvek zna kad ja zovem. Ona je vidovita. U svakom slučaju, uopšte mi ne bi smetalo da sam malo popričao sa Febom.     I thought of maybe hanging up if my parents answered, but that wouldn't've worked, either. They'd know it was me. My mother always knows it's me. She's psychic. But I certainly wouldn't have minded shooting the crap with old Phoebe for a while.
    Trebalo bi da je vidite. Tako lepo i bistro dete nikad u životu niste videli. A ona je zaista bistra. Mislim, uvek je imala sve petice u školi.     You should see her. You never saw a little kid so pretty and smart in your whole life. She's really smart. I mean she's had all A's ever since she started school.
    U suštini, ja sam jedini glupak u porodici. Moj brat D.B. je pisac i sve, a moj brat Eli, onaj što je umro, o kome sam vam pričao, bio je stvarno genije. Ja sam jedini glupak, najozbiljnije. Ali trebalo bi da vidite Febu.     As a matter of fact, I'm the only dumb one in the family. My brother D.B.'s a writer and all, and my brother Allie, the one that died, that I told you about, was a wizard. I'm the only really dumb one. But you ought to see old Phoebe.
    Ima onako crvenu kosu, pomalo kao što je bila Elijeva, koja joj je leti sasvim kratka. Leti, ona je zagladi iza ušiju. Ima lepe, male uši. Zimi joj kosa bude prilično duga.     She has this sort of red hair, a little bit like Allie's was, that's very short in the summertime. In the summertime, she sticks it behind her ears. She has nice, pretty little ears. In the wintertime, it's pretty long, though.
    Majka joj ponekad uplete kike, a ponekad ne. Ima baš lepu kosu. Sad joj je deset godina.     Sometimes my mother braids it and sometimes she doesn't. It's really nice, though. She's only ten.
    Prilično je mršava, kao i ja, ali onako lepo mršava. Kao neko ko je stvoren za rolšue. Posmatrao sam je jednom kroz prozor kad je prelazila Petu aveniju, išla je u park, i baš je takva, stvorena za rolšue. Dopala bi vam se.     She's quite skinny, like me, but nice skinny. Roller-skate skinny. I watched her once from the window when she was crossing over Fifth Avenue to go to the park, and that's what she is, roller-skate skinny. You'd like her.
    Mislim, ako Febi kažeš nešto, ona tačno zna o čemu govoriš. Možeš čak svuda da je vodiš. Ako je, recimo, povedeš na neki bezvezan film, ona zna da je bezvezan. Ako je povedeš na neki solidan film, ona zna da je to solidan film.     I mean if you tell old Phoebe something, she knows exactly what the hell you're talking about. I mean you can even take her anywhere with you. If you take her to a lousy movie, for instance, she knows it's a lousy movie. If you take her to a pretty good movie, she knows it's a pretty good movie.
    D.B. i ja smo je vodili da gleda onaj francuski film Pekareva žena, sa Remijem. Oduševio je. Ali najviše voli 39 stepenica, sa Robertom Donatom.     D.B. and I took her to see this French movie, The Baker's Wife, with Raimu in it. It killed her. Her favorite is The 39 Steps, though, with Robert Donat.
    Zna čitav taj prokleti film napamet, jer sam je vodio jedno deset puta da ga vidi.     She knows the whole goddam movie by heart, because I've taken her to see it about ten times.
    Kada stari Donat dolazi u onu seosku kuću u Škotskoj, recimo, onda kad beži od policije i svih, Feba zna glasno da kaže, usred bioskopa - baš kad i onaj Škot u filmu kaže isto: "Jedete li haringe?" Zna sve dijaloge napamet.     When old Donat comes up to this Scotch farmhouse, for instance, when he's running away from the cops and all, Phoebe'll say right out loud in the movie―right when the Scotch guy in the picture says it―"Can you eat the herring?" She knows all the talk by heart.
    A kad onaj profesor u filmu, koji je u stvari nemački špijun, isturi mali prst na kojem nedostaje deo, da ga pokaže Robertu Donatu, Feba ga uvek preduhitri - isturi svoj mali prst u mraku ispred mene, baš pred mojim licem. Stvarno je divna.Dopala bi vam se.     And when this professor in the picture, that's really a German spy, sticks up his little finger with part of the middle joint missing, to show Robert Donat, old Phoebe beats him to it―she holds up her little finger at me in the dark, right in front of my face. She's all right. You'd like her.
    Jedini je problem što je ponekad previše osećajna. Veoma je emocionalna za svoj uzrast. Najozbiljnije. Šta još radi - stalno piše knjige.     The only trouble is, she's a little too affectionate sometimes. She's very emotional, for a child. She really is. Something else she does, she writes books all the time.
    Samo, nikad ih ne završava. Sve su o nekoj devojčici po imenu Hejzel Vederfild - osim što Feba izgovara njeno ime 'Hezl'. Stara Hezl Vederfild je devojčica detektiv. Ona je kao siroče, ali se njen otac stalno pojavljuje.     Only, she doesn't finish them. They're all about some kid named Hazel Weatherfield―only old Phoebe spells it "Hazle." Old Hazle Weatherfield is a girl detective. She's supposed to be an orphan, but her old man keeps showing up.
    On je uvek "visoki privlačni džentlmen star oko 20 godina". Stvarno je kraljica.     Her old man's always a "tall attractive gentleman about 20 years of age." That kills me. Old Phoebe.
    Kladim se u sve na svetu da bi vam se dopala. Bila je bistra još kao sasvim malo dete. Kad je bila sasvim mala, ja i Eli smo je često vodili u park, osobito nedeljom.     I swear to God you'd like her. She was smart even when she was a very tiny little kid. When she was a very tiny little kid, I and Allie used to take her to the park with us, especially on Sundays.
    Eli je imao malu jedrilicu s kojom je voleo da se zeza nedeljom, pa smo obično vodili i Febu. Imala je bele rukavice i išla između nas, kao prava dama i sve. Kada bismo Eli i ja vodili neki razgovor, o bilo čemu, Feba je slušala.     Allie had this sailboat he used to like to fool around with on Sundays, and we used to take old Phoebe with us. She'd wear white gloves and walk right between us, like a lady and all. And when Allie and I were having some conversation about things in general, old Phoebe'd be listening.
    Ponekad bismo zaboravili da je tu, jer je bila još tako mala, ali ona bi nas uvek podsetila. Gurnula bi malo Elija ili mene i govorila: "Ko? Ko je to rekao? Dobi ili dama?" Mi bismo joj onda govorili ko je to rekao, a ona bi rekla: "Aha", i samo nastavila da sluša i sve.     Sometimes you'd forget she was around, because she was such a little kid, but she'd let you know. She'd interrupt you all the time. She'd give Allie or I a push or something, and say, " Who? Who said that? Bobby or the lady?" And we'd tell her who said it, and she'd say, "Oh," and go right on listening and all.
    I Elija je obarala. Mislim, i on je mnogo voleo. Ona sada ima deset godina i nije više tako mala, ali i dalje svakog oduševljava - svakog ko ima nešto u glavi, mislim. Sve u svemu, ona je bila neko s kim biste uvek rado popričali telefonom.     She killed Allie, too. I mean he liked her, too. She's ten now, and not such a tiny little kid any more, but she still kills e​v​e​r​y​b​o​d​y​―​e​v​e​r​y​b​o​d​y​ with any sense, anyway. Anyway, she was somebody you always felt like talking to on the phone.
    Ali stvarno sam se bojao da će se javiti neko od roditelja, jer bi onda otkrili da sam u Njujorku i da sam izbačen iz Pensija i sve ostalo. Zato sam samo obukao košulju, sredio se i spustio liftom u foaje da vidim šta se dešava. Osim nekoliko tipova koji su ličili na makroe i nekoliko plavuša koje su ličile na kurve, foaje je bio uglavnom prazan.     But I was too afraid my parents would answer, and then they'd find out I was in New York and kicked out of Pencey and all. So I just finished putting on my shirt. Then I got all ready and went down in the elevator to the lobby to see what was going on. Except for a few pimpy-looking guys, and a few whory-looking blondes, the lobby was pretty empty.
    Ali čula se svirka orkestra iz Lavanda-salona, pa sam ušao tamo. Nije bila preterana gužva, ali svejedno su mi dali najgori sto - skroz pozadi. Trebalo je gurnuti šefu sale neki dolar pod nos. Ljudi moji, u Njujorku novac bukvalno govori - najozbiljnije.     But you could hear the band playing in the Lavender Room, and so I went in there. It wasn't very crowded, but they gave me a lousy table anyway―way in the back. I should've waved a buck under the head-waiter's nose. In New York, boy, money really talks―I'm not kidding.
    Orkestar im je bio kriminalan. Badi Singer. Bleh muzika, ali kulovski treštava, bez finesa. Osim toga, bilo je vrlo malo gostiju mojih godina.     The band was putrid. Buddy Singer. Very brassy, but not good brassy―corny brassy. Also, there were very few people around my age in the place.
    U suštini, niko nije bio mojih godina. Uglavnom neki matorci razmetljivog izgleda sa svojim ženskama. Osim za stolom odmah pored mog. Za stolom pored mog sedele su neke tri devojke. Imale su po tridesetak godina.     In fact, nobody was around my age. They were mostly old, show-offy-looking guys with their dates. Except at the table right next to me. At the table right next to me, there were these three girls around thirty or so.
    Sve tri su bile prilično ružnjikave, i sve su imale šešire po kojima si znao da u stvari nisu iz Njujorka, ali jedna od njih, plavuša, nije bila tako loša. Zgodna je bila, ta plavuša, pa sam počeo malo da je merkam, ali baš tada je prišao kelner da primi porudžbinu.     The whole three of them were pretty ugly, and they all had on the kind of hats that you knew they didn't really live in New York, but one of them, the blonde one, wasn't too bad. She was sort of cute, the blonde one, and I started giving her the old eye a little bit, but just then the waiter came up for my order.
    Naručio sam viski sa sodom i rekao mu da ih ne meša - rekao sam to najbrže moguće jer, ako nešto muljaš i zamuckuješ, odmah pomisle da nisi napunio dvadeset jednu i neće da te usluže alkoholnim pićem.     I ordered a Scotch and soda, and told him not to mix it―I said it fast as hell, because if you hem and haw, they think you're under twenty-one and won't sell you any intoxicating liquor.
    Ali svejedno sam imao problema s njim. "Žao mi je, gospodine", rekao je, "ali imate li neki dokaz o svojim godinama? Vozačku dozvolu, možda?" Uputio sam mu maksimalno hladan pogled, kao da me grdno uvredio, i upitao ga: "Zar ja izgledam kao neko ko još nema dvadeset i jednu?"     I had trouble with him anyway, though. "I'm sorry, sir," he said, "but do you have some verification of your age? Your driver's license, perhaps?" I gave him this very cold stare, like he'd insulted the hell out of me, and asked him, "Do I look like I'm under twenty-one?"

    "Žao mi je, gospodine, ali mi imamo svoja..."     "I'm sorry, sir, but we have our―"
    "Dobro, dobro", rekoh. Dođavola s tim, rešio sam. "Donesite mi koka-kolu." Okrenuo se da ode, ali sam ga pozvao natrag. "Zar ne možete da dodate malo ruma ili nešto?" pitao sam.     "Okay, okay," I said. I figured the hell with it. "Bring me a Coke." He started to go away, but I called him back. "Can'tcha stick a little rum in it or something?" I asked him.
    Pitao sam ga krajnje uljudno i sve. "Ne mogu da sedim mrtav trezan u ovako kulovskom mestu. Zar ne možete da dodate malo ruma ili nešto?"     I asked him very nicely and all. "I can't sit in a corny place like this cold sober. Can'tcha stick a little rum in it or something?"
    "Jako mi je žao, gospodine..." rekao je i zbrisao mi. Nisam mu, ipak, zamerio zbog toga. Izgubio bi posao kad bi ga uhvatili da prodaje piće maloletnicima. Ja sam prokleti maloletnik.     "I'm very sorry, sir ... " he said, and beat it on me. I didn't hold it against him, though. They lose their jobs if they get caught selling to a minor. I'm a goddam minor.
    Ponovo sam počeo da merkam one tri veštice za susednim stolom. To jest, plavušu. Druge dve nisu bile za gledanje. Nisam to radio napadno. Samo sam ih pogledao, onako ležerno i sve.     I started giving the three witches at the next table the eye again. That is, the blonde one. The other two were strictly from hunger. I didn't do it crudely, though. I just gave all three of them this very cool glance and all.
    Ali šta su uradile, sve tri kad sam to učinio - počele su da se kikoću kao moronke. Verovatno su mislile da sam još suviše mlad da odvajam nekog.     What they did, though, the three of them, when I did it, they started giggling like morons. They probably thought I was too young to give anybody the once-over.
    To me stvarno iznerviralo - nisam valjda hteo da se ženim njima ili nešto. Trebalo je da ih ignorišem posle takve reakcije, ali problem je bio što mi se baš igralo. Mnogo volim da igram ponekad, a tada me baš spopalo.     That annoyed hell out of me―you'd've thought I wanted to marry them or something. I should've given them the freeze, after they did that, but the trouble was, I really felt like dancing. I'm very fond of dancing, sometimes, and that was one of the times.
    I tako sam se najednom kao nagnuo ka njima i rekao: "Da li je neka od vas raspoložena za igru?" Nisam ih pitao napadno ili nešto. Vrlo uglađeno, u suštini.     So all of a sudden, I sort of leaned over and said, "Would any of you girls care to dance?" I didn't ask them crudely or anything. Very suave, in fact.
    Ali đavo da ga nosi, pomislile su da je i to stvar za paniku. Opet su počele da se kikoću. Bez zezanja, bile su prave pravcate moronke, sve tri.     But God damn it, they thought that was a panic, too. They started giggling some more. I'm not kidding, they were three real morons.
    "Hajde", rekao sam. "Igraću po jednom sa svakom od vas. Važi? Šta kažete na to? Hajde!" Stvarno mi se igralo.     "C'mon," I said. "I'll dance with you one at a time. All right? How 'bout it? C'mon!" I really felt like dancing.
    Na kraju, plavuša je ustala da igra sa mnom, jer je bilo očigledno da se njoj obraćam, pa smo otišli na prostor za igru. Ona dva gabora samo što nisu dobila histeričan napad.     Finally, the blonde one got up to dance with me, because you could tell I was really talking to her, and we walked out to the dance floor. The other two grools nearly had hysterics when we did.
    Mora da sam bio žešće zagoreo kad sam uopšte krenuo da se natežem s njima.     I certainly must've been very hard up to even bother with any of them.
    Ali vredelo je. Plavuša je zaista umela da igra.     But it was worth it. The blonde was some dancer.
    Bila je jedna od najboljih s kojima sam ikad igrao. Bez zezanja, neke od tih patoloških glupača mogu stvarno da obeznane čoveka na prostoru za igru.     She was one of the best dancers I ever danced with. I'm not kidding, some of these very stupid girls can really knock you out on a dance floor.
    Uzmite neku stvarno pametnu devojku - ta će stalno pokušavati da ona vodi naokolo, ili će toliko loše igrati, da je najbolje da samo ostaneš za stolom i jednostavno se napiješ s njom.     You take a really smart girl, and half the time she's trying to lead you around the dance floor, or else she's such a lousy dancer, the best thing to do is stay at the table and just get drunk with her.
    "Baš lepo igraš", rekao sam plavuši. "Trebalo bi da odeš u profesionalke. Ozbiljno. Igrao sam jednom s nekom balerinom, ali ti duplo bolje igraš od nje. Jesi li ikad čula za Marka i Mirandu?"     "You really can dance," I told the blonde one. "You oughta be a pro. I mean it. I danced with a pro once, and you're twice as good as she was. Did you ever hear of Marco and Miranda?"
    "Šta?" rekla je. Uopšte me nije slušala. Samo je blenula naokolo.     "What?" she said. She wasn't even listening to me. She was looking all around the place.
    "Pitam da li si ikad čula za Marka i Mirandu?"     "I said did you ever hear of Marco and Miranda?"
    "Ne znam. Nisam. Ne znam."     "I don't know. No. I don't know."
    "Eto, oni su plesački par, ona je igračica. Ali nije bogzna šta, u suštini. Radi sve ono što treba da se radi dok igra, ali ipak nije bogzna šta. Znaš li kada neka devojka neviđeno igra?"     "Well, they're dancers, she's a dancer. She's not too hot, though. She does everything she's supposed to, but she's not so hot anyway. You know when a girl's really a terrific dancer?"
    "Šta to?" rekla je. Uopšte me nije slušala. Misli su joj lutale na sve strane.     "Wudga say?" she said. She wasn't listening to me, even. Her mind was wandering all over the place.
    "Pitao sam da li znaš kada neka devojka neviđeno igra?"     "I said do you know when a girl's really a terrific dancer?"
    "A."     "Uh-uh."
    "Eto - sada mi je ruka na tvojim leđima. Ako mi se učini da nema ničega pod rukom - ni dupeta, ni nogu, ni stopala, ničega - onda devojka zaista neviđeno igra."     "Well―where I have my hand on your back. If I think there isn't anything underneath my hand―no can, no legs, no feet, no anything―then the girl's really a terrific dancer."
    Uopšte me nije slušala. Zato sam je malo ignorisao. Samo smo igrali.     She wasn't listening, though. So I ignored her for a while. We just danced.
    Ljudi moji, kako je ta glupača igrala. Badi Singer i njegov kulovski orkestar svirali su "Samo jednu od onih stvari" i čak ni oni nisu uspavali sasvim da je upropaste. Baš dobra pesma.     God, could that dopey girl dance. Buddy Singer and his stinking band was playing "Just One of Those Things" and even they couldn't ruin it entirely. It's a swell song.
    Nisam izvodio nikakve kerefeke dok smo igrali - mrzim tipove koji se tako eksponiraju u igri - ali poprilično sam je vodio naokolo, a ona me sve vreme pratila. Smešno je što sam mislio da i ona uživa u tome, sve dok najednom nije izvalila nešto.     I didn't try any trick stuff while we danced―I hate a guy that does a lot of show-off tricky stuff on the dance floor―but I was moving her around plenty, and she stayed with me. The funny thing is, I thought she was enjoying it, too, till all of a sudden she came out with this very dumb remark.
    "Ja i moje prijateljice videle smo sinoć Pitera Lorea", rekla je. "Filmskog glumca.     "I and my girl friends saw Peter Lorre last night," she said. "The movie actor.
    Baš njega. Kupovao je novine. Sladak je."     In person. He was buyin' a newspaper. He's cute."
    "Srećna si ti", rekao sam joj. "Stvarno si srećna. Znaš li to?" E jeste bila moronka.     "You're lucky," I told her. "You're really lucky. You know that?" She was really a moron.

    Ali kakva igračica. Nisam mogao da se suzdržim da je ne poljubim u sam vrh njene prazne glave - znate već - baš u razdeljak i sve. Naljutila se kad sam to uradio.     But what a dancer. I could hardly stop myself from sort of giving her a kiss on the top of her dopey head―you know―right where the part is, and all. She got sore when I did it.
    "Ej! Šta to treba da nači?"     "Hey! What's the idea?"
    "Ništa. Ne znači ništa. Baš lepo igraš", rekoh. "Imam mlađu sestru koja je tek u četvrtom osnovne. Igraš otprilike kao ona, a ona igra prokleto bolje od svih živih i mrtvih."     "Nothing. No idea. You really can dance," I said. "I have a kid sister that's only in the goddam fourth grade. You're about as good as she is, and she can dance better than anybody living or dead."
    "Pripazi kako se izražavaš, molim te."     "Watch your language, if you don't mind."
    Kakva dama, ljudi moji. Prava pravcata kraljica, kunem se.     What a lady, boy. A queen, for Chrissake.
    "Odakle ste vi devojke?" upitao sam je.     "Where you girls from?" I asked her.
    Nije mi odgovorila. Valjda je bila zauzeta osmatranjem neće li se odnekud pojaviti stari Piter Lore.     She didn't answer me, though. She was busy looking around for old Peter Lorre to show up, I guess.
    "Odakle ste vi devojke?" ponovo je upitah.     "Where you girls from?" I asked her again.
    "Šta?" rekla je.     "What?" she said.
    "Odakle ste vi devojke? Ne moraš da odgovoriš ako ti nije do toga. Ne bih voleo da se naprežeš."     "Where you girls from? Don't answer if you don't feel like it. I don't want you to strain yourself."
    "Iz Sietla", rekla je, kao da mi time čini stravičnu uslugu.     "Seattle, Washington," she said. She was doing me a big favor to tell me.
    "Ti si veoma zabavan sagovornik", rekoh. "Jesi li svesna toga?"     "You're a very good conversationalist," I told her. "You know that?"
    "Šta?"     "What?"
    Odustao sam. To je ionako bilo nepojmljivo za nju. "Jesi li raspoložena za malo svinga ako zasviraju nešto brzo? Ništa napadno, nikakvo skakanje ili nešto. Onako lepo i opušteno, mislim.     I let it drop. It was over her head, anyway. "Do you feel like jitterbugging a little bit, if they play a fast one? Not corny jitterbug, not jump or anything―just nice and easy.
    Svi će da se vrate na svoja mesta kad zasviraju nešto brzo, pa ćemo imati dovoljno mesta. Važi?"     Everybody'll all sit down when they play a fast one, except the old guys and the fat guys, and we'll have plenty of room. Okay?"
    "Svejedno mi je", rekla je. "Ej - koliko ti, u stvari, imaš godina?"     "It's immaterial to me," she said. "Hey―how old are you, anyhow?"
    To me je, ne znam zašto, iznerviralo. "Isuse. Nemoj sad da kvariš", rekoh. "Tek sam napunio dvanaest, ali prokleto sam velik za svoje godine."     That annoyed me, for some reason. "Oh, Christ. Don't spoil it," I said. "I'm twelve, for Chrissake. I'm big for my age."
    "Slušaj. Lepo sam ti rekla da ne volim takvo izražavanje", kazala je. "Ako nastaviš s takvim izražavanjem, mogu i da se vratim mojim prijateljicama, znaš."     "Listen. I toleja about that. I don't like that type language," she said. "If you're gonna use that type language, I can go sit down with my girl friends, you know."
    Izvinjavao sam se kao sumanut jer je orkestar počeo da svira nešto brzo. Počela je da svinguje sa mnom - ali onako lepo i opušteno, ništa napadno. Stvarno je bila dobra. Trebalo je samo da je dodirneš.     I apologized like a madman, because the band was starting a fast one. She started jitterbugging with me―but just very nice and easy, not corny. She was really good. All you had to do was touch her.
    A kad bi izvodila okret, njeno slatko malo dupence tako je lepo vrckalo i sve. Stvarno me bacala u nesvest. Bio sam već upola zaljubljen u nju kad smo se vratili za sto.     And when she turned around, her pretty little butt twitched so nice and all. She knocked me out. I mean it. I was half in love with her by the time we sat down.
    Tako je to s devojkama. Svaki put kad urade nešto lepo, čak i kad nisu neke lepotice, ili su čak onako priglupe, već se zaljubiš u njih, i onda više ne znaš gde se nalaziš. Devojke. Isuse. Mogu totalno da slude čoveka. Najozbiljnije.     That's the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty, even if they're not much to look at, or even if they're sort of stupid, you fall half in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are. Girls. Jesus Christ. They can drive you crazy. They really can.
    Nisu me pozvale da sednem za njihov sto - uglavnom zato što su bile suviše neuke za tako nešto - ali sam ipak seo. Plavuša s kojom sam igrao zvala se Bernis nešto - Krabs ili Krebs.     They didn't invite me to sit down at their table―mostly because they were too ignorant―but I sat down anyway. The blonde I'd been dancing with's name was Bernice something―Crabs or Krebs.
    One dve ružne zvale su se Marti i Lavern. Rekao sam im da se zovem Džim Stil, tek onako, iz zezanja.     The two ugly ones' names were Marty and Laverne. I told them my name was Jim Steele, just for the hell of it.
    Onda sam pokušao da ih navedem na neki malo inteligentniji razgovor, ali bilo je bukvalno nemoguće. Trebalo bi da im uvrćeš ruke ili nešto. Teško je bilo reći koja je najgluplja od njih.     Then I tried to get them in a little intelligent conversation, but it was practically impossible. You had to twist their arms. You could hardly tell which was the stupidest of the three of them.
    A sve tri su samo blenule naokolo, kao da će svakog trenutka da upadne čitav čopor filmskih zvezda. Verovatno su mislile kako filmske zvezde, kad god se nađu u Njujorku, samo vise u tom Lavanda-salonu, umesto u Roda-klubu ili El-Maroku ili negde.     And the whole three of them kept looking all around the goddam room, like as if they expected a flock of goddam movie stars to come in any minute. They probably thought movie stars always hung out in the Lavender Room when they came to New York, instead of the Stork Club or El Morocco and all.
    Sve u svemu, trebalo mi je oko pola sata da provalim šta sve tri rade i ostalo tamo u Sietlu. Sve tri su radile u istom osiguravajućem društvu.     Anyway, it took me about a half hour to find out where they all worked and all in Seattle. They all worked in the same insurance office.
    Pitao sam ih da li im se tamo sviđa, ali mislite li da je mogao da se dobije neki inteligentan odgovor od te tri glupače? Pomislio sam da su one dve ružne, Marti i Lavern, sestre, ali strašno su se uvredile kad sam ih to pitao.     I asked them if they liked it, but do you think you could get an intelligent answer out of those three dopes? I thought the two ugly ones, Marty and Laverne, were sisters, but they got very insulted when I asked them.
    Lepo se videlo da nijedna od njih ne želi da izgleda kao ona druga, što im se nije moglo zameriti, ali je svejedno bilo komično.     You could tell neither one of them wanted to look like the other one, and you couldn't blame them, but it was very amusing anyway.
    Igrao sam sa svima njima - sa sve tri - redom. Jedna od ružnih, Lavern, nije tako loše igrala, ali je ona druga, Marti, bila katastrofa.     I danced with them all―the whole three of them―one at a time. The one ugly one, Laverne, wasn't too bad a dancer, but the other one, old Marty, was murder.
    Igrati sa starom Marti bilo je kao tegliti Kip Slobode naokolo. Da bih bar malo uživao u tome što je teglim naokolo, morao sam da je malo zafrkavam. Rekao sam joj da sam upravo video Garija Kupera, filmsku zvezdu, na drugoj strani sale.     Old Marty was like dragging the Statue of Liberty around the floor. The only way I could even half enjoy myself dragging her around was if I amused myself a little. So I told her I just saw Gary Cooper, the movie star, on the other side of the floor.

    "Gde?" pitala me - užasno uzbuđena. "Gde?"     "Where?" she asked me―excited as hell. " Where?"
    "Eh, propustila si ga. Samo što je izašao. Zašto nisi gledala kad sam ti rekao?"     "Aw, you just missed him. He just went out. Why didn't you look when I told you?"
    Bukvalno je prestala da igra i počela da se propinje na prste ne bi li ga možda ugledala. "Oh, pusti me!" rekla je.     She practically stopped dancing, and started looking over everybody's heads to see if she could see him. "Oh, shoot!" she said.
    Samo što joj nisam slomio srce - najozbiljnije. Strašno mi je bilo žao što sam je zezao. Neke ljude ne treba zezati, čak ni kad to zaslužuju.     I'd just about broken her heart―I really had. I was sorry as hell I'd kidded her. Some people you shouldn't kid, even if they deserve it.
    Ali evo šta je ispalo smešno u tome. Kad smo se vratili za sto, stara Marti je rekla devojkama da je Gari Kuper upravo izašao. Ljudi moji, stara Lavern i Bernis samo što nisu izvršile samoubistvo kad su to čule.     Here's what was very funny, though. When we got back to the table, old Marty told the other two that Gary Cooper had just gone out. Boy, old Laverne and Bernice nearly committed suicide when they heard that.
    Stravično su se uzbudile, zapitkujući Marti da li ga je videla i sve. Rekla im je da ga je videla samo na trenutak. To me oborilo.     They got all excited and asked Marty if she'd seen him and all. Old Mart said she'd only caught a glimpse of him. That killed me.
    Šank se zatvarao, pa sam na brzinu naručio po dva pića za svaku od njih i još dve koka-kole za sebe. Sto je bio zakrčen čašama.     The bar was closing up for the night, so I bought them all two drinks apiece quick before it closed, and I ordered two more Cokes for myself. The goddam table was lousy with glasses.
    Jedna od onih ružnih, Lavern, stalno me zezala što pijem samo koka-kolu. Imala je istančan smisao za humor. Ona i stara Marti pile su džin sa ledom - usred decembra, Isuse.     The one ugly one, Laverne, kept kidding me because I was only drinking Cokes. She had a sterling sense of humor. She and old Marty were drinking Tom Collinses―in the middle of December, for God's sake.
    Nisu ni znale za bolje. A plavuša, stara Bernis, pila je burbon sa vodom. Propisno ga ljuštila, nema šta. Sve tri su neprestano gledale kad će da se pojave neke filmske zvezde. Jedva da su išta govorile - čak i među sobom.     They didn't know any better. The blonde one, old Bernice, was drinking bourbon and water. She was really putting it away, too. The whole three of them kept looking for movie stars the whole time. They hardly talked―even to each other.
    Stara Marti je bila pričljivija od druge dve. Stalno je izvaljivala neke idiotarije - toalet je nazivala 'soba za devojčice' i mislila da je bedni oronuli klarinetista Badija Singera stvarno fenomenalan kad je ustao i izveo nekoliko kilavih pasaža.     Old Marty talked more than the other two. She kept saying these very corny, boring things, like calling the can the "little girls' room," and she thought Buddy Singer's poor old beat-up clarinet player was really terrific when he stood up and took a couple of ice-cold hot licks.
    Nazivala je njegov klarinet 'muštikla'. Baš je bila kulovka. Ona druga ružna, Lavern, smatrala je sebe jako duhovitom osobom.     She called his clarinet a "licorice stick." Was she corny. The other ugly one, Laverne, thought she was a very witty type. She kept asking me to call up my father and ask him what he was doing tonight.
    Stalno mi je govorila da telefoniram mome ocu i pitam ga šta radi. Stalno me zapitkivala da li je moj otac izašao te večeri s nekom curom ili ne. Četiri puta me to pitala - neviđeno je bila duhovita.     She kept asking me if my father had a date or not. Four times she asked me that―she was certainly witty.
    Stara Bernis, plavuša, teško da je uopšte progovorila. Svaki put kad bih je pitao nešto, rekla bi: "šta?" To baš može da iznervira ponekad.     Old Bernice, the blonde one, didn't say hardly anything at all. Every time I'd ask her something, she said "What?" That can get on your nerves after a while.
    Odjednom, kad su ispile svoja pića, sve tri su ustale od stola i rekle kako moraju na spavanje. Rekle su kako moraju rano da ustanu da bi videle prvu reviju u mjuzik-holu Radio-sitija. Pokušao sam da ih zadržim još malo, ali nisu htele.     All of a sudden, when they finished their drink, all three of them stood up on me and said they had to get to bed. They said they were going to get up early to see the first show at Radio City Music Hall. I tried to get them to stick around for a while, but they wouldn't.
    I tako smo se pozdravili i sve. Rekao sam im da ću da ih potražim jednom u Sietlu, ako nekad odem tamo, ali sumnjam da će se to ikad desiti. Mislim, da ih potražim tamo.     So we said good-by and all. I told them I'd look them up in Seattle sometime, if I ever got there, but I doubt if I ever will. Look them up, I mean.
    S cigaretama i ostalim, račun je izašao oko trideset dolara. Mislim da je bar trebalo da ponude da plate ono što su popile pre nego što sam se pridružio - ne bih im dozvolio, naravno, ali trebalo je bar da ponude.     With cigarettes and all, the check came to about thirteen bucks. I think they should've at least offered to pay for the drinks they had before I joined them―I wouldn't've let them, naturally, but they should've at least offered.
    Nisam se, ipak, preterano uzbudio zbog toga. Bile su takve ćurke, ništa nisu znale, a nosile su i te žalosne, cirkuske šešire i sve.     I didn't care much, though. They were so ignorant, and they had those sad, fancy hats on and all.
    Deprimiralo me i to sa ustajanjem rano ujutro da bi videle tu reviju u Radio-sitiju.     And that business about getting up early to see the first show at Radio City Music Hall depressed me.
    Ako neko, neka devojka s idiotskim šeširom, recimo, dođe čak u Njujork - iz Sietla, Isuse - i završi ustajući rano ujutro da bi videla prokletu reviju u Radio-sitiju, to stvarno deprimira.     If somebody, some girl in an awful-looking hat, for instance, comes all the way to New York―from Seattle, Washington, for God's sake―and ends up getting up early in the morning to see the goddam first show at Radio City Music Hall, it makes me so depressed I can't stand it.
    Platio bih po sto pića svakoj od njih samo da mi to nisu rekle.     I'd've bought the whole three of them a hundred drinks if only they hadn't told me that.
    Otišao sam iz tog Lavanda-salona ubrzo posle njih. Ionako su zatvarali, a orkestar je davno prestao da svira.     I left the Lavender Room pretty soon after they did. They were closing it up anyway, and the band had quit a long time ago.
    To je, pre svega, bilo jedno od onih mesta u kojima se grozno osećaš osim ako si s nekim ko dobro igra, ili ako kelner dozvoljava da naručuješ prava pića, a ne samo koka-kole. Nema nijednog noćnog kluba na svetu u kojem bi mogao da sediš ako ne možeš da naručiš neko piće i napiješ se.     In the first place, it was one of those places that are very terrible to be in unless you have somebody good to dance with, or unless the waiter lets you buy real drinks instead of just Cokes. There isn't any night club in the world you can sit in for a long time unless you can at least buy some liquor and get drunk.
    Ili ako nisi s nekom devojkom koja te stvarno baca u nesvest.     Or unless you're with some girl that really knocks you out.


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