Poniżej zamieszczam niepublikowany nigdzie wcześniej fragment prologu pierwszej części z serii Qwerty'ego, czyli "Qwerty: Historia", w którym poznajemy rodziców głównego bohatera... (dla tych, którzy czytali nie będzie to zaskoczeniem, co zaś do reszty - myślę, że zdardzenie tylu informacji nie zespuje wam zabawy... :-) Na razie istnieje jedynie wersja angielska, ale dla uczących się języka może się przydać (zamieszczam też krótki słowniczek wpleciony w tekst; być może będzie użyteczny). Wkrótce kompletny prolog po polsku. Póki co - życzę miłej lektury!
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The door was hard to miss – it was a grand one, with mahogany frame and a heavy, metal handle.
mahogany - mahoniowy
The window next to it also inevitably drew the eye to itself – big, engraved letters formed a decorative sign: “Norton Bookstore”. But that was not the main feature of the display – the colourful books were arranged in a fancy pyramid, together with flowers and wooden furniture. It was inviting; all one wanted when looking at it was to sit in an armchair and read ferociously. It brought to mind a fireplace and a glass of warm tea. Maybe a pipe. The store was one of those old-fashion, traditional places – rare last stand in the civilised world, promoting paper rather than screen.
engraved - wyryty (np. w szkle)
a display - wystawa
to arrange - ustawiać, aranżować
ferociously - zaciekle
a pipe - fajka
rare - rzadki
It warmed your heart, it really did.
It was almost half past five, though, and a pretty woman with black hair and deep, brown eyes flipped the sign on the door; it now said “closed”.
‘Another day, huh?’ She heard and turned around with a smile. A man with dark hair containing plenty of silver streaks, and eyes equally deep and even darker than hers, came closer, wrapping his arms around her waist.
to wrap one's arms around somebody - objąć kogoś
‘Another day,’ she replied, returning the affection. ‘Together.’
‘A blessed day, then,’ he said, kissing her on the cheek.
‘Yes,’ she agreed, but then she stopped smiling, like she remembered something sad.
‘Hey, what is it?’ He asked, picking up on it immediately.
immediately - natychmiast
‘Oh, I don’t know, Will… I… I’ve been feeling a little down lately. I don’t know why…’
‘Yeah, I think I know what you mean,’ he replied slowly. ‘Something’s been bothering me, too…’
to reply - odpowiadać
to be bothered by something - martwić się czymś
‘Really? What is it?’
‘I…,’ the man paused, narrowing his eyes, like he was trying to recall a terribly important formula. ‘Oh, you know what? Why bother?’ He asked, relaxing. ‘The weather’s good, maybe we should go out. You know, for dinner? Just you and I, lost in London, like we used to be when we were young…,’ he laughed a little, holding her tighter.
to narrow - zwężać, tu: przymykać
to recall - przypominać sobie
to laugh - śmiać się
She giggled like a little girl.
to giggle - chichotać
‘Oh, I remember. We were so broke then…’
to be broke - być spłukanym, nie mieć pieniędzy
‘We’re alright now… We run a profitable bookstore in central London, which surprises even me. I think we can afford a dinner and a bottle of French wine. What do you say, beautiful?’
profitable - przynoszący zyski, zyskowny
‘I say yes,’ she grinned and they kissed briefly. ‘Ready to go, then?’
‘Sure, I’ll just grab my ja –,’ the man didn’t finish, because the door opened, despite the “closed” sign, and an elderly, grey-haired gentleman appeared on the doorstep.
to appear - pojawiać się
His lips were stretched in a polite smile, but a careful observer would discover that his steel-grey eyes remained cold.
careful - ostrożny, uważny
to discover - odkrywać
steel-grey - stalowo-szare
‘Hello, Liz. Will,’ the old man gave a short nod to the owner and moved some distance towards the couple. They almost involuntarily took a step back but then stood their ground, when they remembered to. ‘I see that you’ve closed down for the day. Perfect. I was wondering if we could have a little chat…’
to stand one's ground - postawić na swoim, tu: nie cofnąć się, nie stchórzyć
‘We were just about to go out…,’ replied Liz, already knowing it was a losing battle.
‘I see. However, I’ve brought a bottle of wine. 1986, red. You won’t say no to an old man, will you?’
‘I guess… I guess we can order,’ said Will uncertainly, squeezing Liz’s hand. ‘Please, come on in,’ he pointed towards the back of the store.
to order - tu: zamówić (jedzenie)
All three of them walked through the door, which led to the staircase. Above the store there was an apartment where they lived; they let their guest in to a classically decorated living room, with wooden floors and flooded with books. They lay on every possible surface, except a coffee table, sofa and bits of floor.
‘I’ll get the glasses, then, shall I?’ Liz asked, already walking towards the kitchen.
‘Thank you, dear,’ said the man, still smiling. ‘That’s very kind of you.’
‘I’ll order,’ said Will. ‘What would you fancy tonight, Tom?’
‘Actually, there is no need. I already took the liberty of placing an order for all of us. I hope a delicious slow-roast lamb is a suitable choice?’
to take the liberty to do something - pozwolić sobie na zrobienie czegoś
a lamb - baranina
suitable - odpowiedni
‘Yes… Yes, why not,’ said Will, looking at Liz, who was now coming back with three glasses.
‘Would you mind bringing another one, dear? There will be one more person joining us tonight, I hope this is not a problem,’ said Tom.
‘No, of course not,’ said Liz and, like in a dream, she walked back to the kitchen, grabbing one more glass and returning to the living room.
to grab - złapać
‘Ah, and there she is,’ stated the man called Tom, turning to the door. An old lady entered; her grey hair pulled into a tight bun. She wore an elegant blouse and a long skirt, complemented by a cashmere, beige cardigan. She used to be a very handsome woman back in her day, and the remains of her beauty were still visible, despite her wrinkled face. Grey eyes pierced all present with a sharp look, like a sword.
tight - ciasny
a bun - kok
wrinkled - pomarszczony
sharp - ostry
a sword - miecz
‘Good evening to you, darlings,’ she said kindly. Liz tried to smile in response, and Will mumbled something; for some reason, they huddled on the sofa, in the corner, away from their visitors. ‘Lovely to see you both,’ she added, stepping in and exchanging a quick look with a man. ‘In good health,’ she added. It was a random comment, nothing more, but they shivered slightly, anyway.
to huddle - stłoczyć się, tu: siąść blisko siebie
random - przypadkowy
to shiver - drżeć
‘I’m glad you could join us,’ said Tom, addressing his friend. ‘Would you mind taking care of dinner while I’m having a little conversation with my favourite couple? You don’t mind, do you?’ The last question was addressed to the hosts.
to take care of something - zatroszczyć się o coś
a host - gospodarz
They both shook their heads, to let him know they didn’t mind.
‘Splendid. So, how have you been, you two?’ He asked, while his elderly companion moved to the dining room. ‘Anything troubling you recently?’
splendid - wspaniale
elderly - starszy
recently - ostatnio
‘No,’ said Will. ‘Not at all.’
‘Business going well?’
‘Surprisingly well, I’d say, thank you’ Will laughed weakly, as if forcing himself to hold this casual conversation, keeping a light tone. ‘We’re even thinking of expanding…’
‘Oh?’ The man raised his eyebrows with a well-mannered curiosity. ‘Are you? Well, I would advise against it. Your project is going well, why change it?’
eyebrows - brwi
curiosity - ciekawość
to advise - doradzać
to change - zmieniać
‘Yes… Yes, I guess so…,’ said Will nervously.
‘Good,’ the guest nodded approvingly. ‘And how about you, Liz? Things going well?’
‘I can’t complain,’ Liz replied with a forced grimace that had nothing to do with cheerfulness.
to complain - narzekać
forced - wymuszony
cheerfulness - radość
‘Wonderful, wonderful. Oh, I think dinner’s ready,’ Tom smiled, looking towards the dining room. The elderly woman was standing there, signalling them to come in.
They moved to the table, Liz grabbing the glasses. It was now set: plates with rich, steaming food, cutlery… They owned them, but she didn’t see the woman using their kitchen… Also, she had no takeaway bags with her when she came in, yet the food was definitely there.
‘And let’s not forget about this,’ said the elderly gentleman, producing a fine bottle from… Will could not exactly tell from where, but he must have had it somewhere around his person. ‘It is exquisite, truly,’ he added, pouring a little liquid into the glasses. Neither Liz nor Will saw him opening it. He didn’t ask for a corkscrew, either.
exquisite - wyśmienity
to pour - nalewać
a liquid - płyn
neither... nor - ani... ani
It didn’t matter, though. They ate dinner together, speaking of the weather, London traffic and their bookstore. They were done in twenty minutes and with their stomachs full the atmosphere seemed a lot more relaxed.
a stomach - brzuch
full - pełny
to seem - wydawać się
‘I’m glad you’re content, I really am,’ said Tom, reaching for his glass and lifting it slightly, to toast. ‘To your little bookstore. You’ve turned it into a great place, indeed.’
indeed - zaiste
‘Well, thanks, Tom,’ replied Liz. ‘I’m happy you think so. What do you think of our new window display?’
‘Oh, it’s magnificent, dear. Isn’t it magnificent?’ Tom asked his companion.
‘I love it, darling,’ said the elderly woman. ‘And I love what you’ve done with the place. It seems so homely.’
‘Well, we practically live there,’ joked Will, pointing around.
They all had a bit of a laugh.
‘Oh, I’ve almost forgotten,’ Tom put down the glass and reached into his pocket, producing a folded photograph. He spread it on the table and slid it, using his index finger, towards the couple. ‘I was going to ask… Do you know this boy?’
folded - poskładany, złożony
index finger - palec wskazujący
They both looked at the picture. It showed a black-haired child, 11 or 12 years old, slim and rather tall for his age, with big, brown eyes and thick eyebrows framing them. He was standing on the grass, with his hands in his pockets, looking at a bike next to him.
slim - szczupły
thick - gruby (o rzeczy, nie o osobie)
grass - trawa
a bike - rower
‘No,’ Will shook his head. ‘Why? Who is he?’
‘Oh, no one important, really. But he did go missing some time ago. Parents are my friends and they are desperate to find him, see. Last time he was seen here, in Covent Garden. I thought I’d ask, just in case. You haven’t seen him, have you?’
to go missing - zaginąć
desperate - zdesperowany, zrozpaczony
‘No, sorry,’ said Will, shaking his head.
‘Liz? How about you, dear?’ Tom kept asking.
‘No, I’m so sorry. Poor family… Although…’
‘Yes?’ Once again, the elderly man exchanged a look with his associate, but Will and Liz didn’t notice, still staring at the photo.
to exchange - wymieniać
to stare - patrzeć, wgapiać się
‘We-ell. He seems familiar… Like… I don’t know. Like I’ve seen him on TV or…,’ Liz hesitated. ‘Like I knew him once…,’ she trembled and grabbed Will’s hand in hers, under the table.
familiar - znajomy
Tom sighed.
to sigh - wzdychać
‘Wrong answer, Liz. Very wrong answer. I think it’s time for you to have a little chat with my friend. In the other room, perhaps?’ The man’s tone was still mannerly, but Liz noticed it had a screeching quality to it, like rusty hinges.
a chat - rozmowa, pogawędka
to notice - zauważać
screeching - skrzeczący, zgrzytający
rusty - zardzewiały
hinges - zawiasy
‘I… I don’t want to talk to her,’ she replied quickly, cringing.
‘Oh, but it’s just a little chat,’ said the lady. ‘Come on, darling, we’ll talk. Woman to woman.’
‘I… I’d prefer not to,’ Liz opposed, but she already knew what the outcome would be.
an outcome - rezultat
‘Oh… OK. Will?’
‘Your husband will stay with me, alright?’ Tom asked. ‘I shall talk to him separately, man to man, if you don’t mind.’
Will nodded, although somehow unwillingly, his eyes following his wife, now entering the living room.
‘So, Will,’ started Tom, taking another sip of his drink. ‘I’ll tell you all you need to know. It won’t take long. Then we can all have our dessert…’
"Qwerty: Historia" - KLIK
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