At the café on Green Street, nobody is in a hurry.
在格林街的咖啡馆里，没有人匆匆忙忙。
The owner, Sofia, knows the regulars. She knows that Mr Bell takes his coffee black, that the two students share one plate of biscuits, and that the woman with the grey dog always sits near the window.
店主索菲亚认识常客。她知道贝尔先生喝黑咖啡，知道那两个学生合用一盘饼干，也知道那位带着灰狗的女人总是坐在窗边。
This morning a new customer stands at the counter, reading the menu twice.
今天早上，一位新顾客站在柜台前，把菜单看了两遍。
"What do you recommend?" she asks.
“你推荐什么？”她问。
"Try the honey cake," Sofia says. "It is not too sweet."
“试试蜂蜜蛋糕吧，”索菲亚说，“它不会太甜。”
"And the tea?"
“那茶呢？”
"The mint tea is good in winter."
“薄荷茶在冬天很好。”
They talk for a minute about the rain, then about the city, then about nothing at all. Sofia writes the order on a small pad.
他们聊了一分钟雨，然后聊这座城市，接着什么也没聊。索菲亚把订单写在一个小本子上。
The new customer sits down, opens a book, and stays for two hours. When she leaves she says, "I will come back on Thursday."
新顾客坐下来，打开一本书，待了两个小时。离开时她说：“我星期四会再来。”
Sofia smiles. That is how regulars begin.
索菲亚笑了。常客就是这样开始的。