The Wrong Bookshop

Lucas ordered a coffee and sat in the empty corner of the café. He took out his book and tried to read. But the man at the next table was watching him.

Lucas bestilte en kaffe og satte sig i caféens tomme hjørne. Han tog sin bog frem og prøvede at læse. Men manden ved det næste bord iagttog ham.

"That's a very old edition," the man said. Lucas looked up. The man was wearing a heavy jacket, even though the café was warm. "I used to sell books like that one. Around the corner. The shop is gone now."

"Det er en meget gammel udgave," sagde manden. Lucas så op. Manden havde en tyk jakke på, selvom det var varmt i caféen. "Jeg plejede at sælge bøger som den der. Rundt om hjørnet. Butikken findes ikke længere."

"Gone?" Lucas asked. He felt awkward, but he didn't know how to leave the conversation. "What kind of shop?"

"Findes ikke længere?" spurgte Lucas. Han følte sig akavet, men vidste ikke hvordan han skulle forlade samtalen. "Hvad slags butik?"

The man laughed quietly. "Old books. Forty years. Then the building was sold to a bank. The bank closed too, three years ago. Now it's a clothing store." He looked out the window. "Every time I pass by, I forget for one second. I almost go inside."

Manden lo stille. "Gamle bøger. I fyrre år. Så blev bygningen solgt til en bank. Banken lukkede også, for tre år siden. Nu er det en tøjbutik." Han kiggede ud af vinduet. "Hver gang jeg går forbi, glemmer jeg det i et sekund. Jeg er lige ved at gå ind."

Lucas closed his book and listened. The man did not ask for anything. He just wanted to tell someone about a place that used to be there.

Lucas lukkede sin bog og lyttede. Manden bad ikke om noget. Han ville bare fortælle nogen om et sted, der plejede at være der.