Ante je stajao ispred stare školske dvorane.

Ante stood in front of the old school gym.

Ista škola gdje je proveo sretne dane kao dijete.

The same school where he spent happy days as a child.

Sada je bila biračko mjesto.

Now it was a polling station.

Izvan dvorane šuštalo je zlatno lišće dok su ljudi ulazili i izlazili, razgovarajući uzbuđeno o lokalnim izborima.

Outside the hall, golden leaves rustled as people entered and exited, talking excitedly about the local elections.

Iako je volio jesen, Ante se osjećao usamljeno.

Although he loved autumn, Ante felt lonely.

Nekoć je ovo mjesto bilo preplavljeno smijehom i prijateljima.

Once, this place was flooded with laughter and friends.

Sada se držao nostalgije, sjetno promatrajući svaki poznati kut.

Now he clung to nostalgia, thoughtfully observing every familiar corner.

Svakodnevni poslovi odvlačili su ga od prijatelja, ali danas je odlučio suočiti se s prošlošću.

Everyday tasks drew him away from friends, but today he decided to face the past.

Želio je ponovno osjetiti pripadnost.

He wanted to feel a sense of belonging once again.

Kad je ušao u dvoranu, osjetio je navalu poznatog mirisa; onaj miris glasova ispunjenih iščekivanjem i refleksijom.

When he entered the hall, he felt a rush of familiar scents; the smell of voices filled with anticipation and reflection.

Dopirao je do njega iz svakog smjera.

It came to him from every direction.

Oni su bili glasovi koji su mu nekada bili jako poznati, a sada su postali strane.

These were voices that were once very familiar to him and had now become foreign.

Pogled mu je pao na Ivana i Jelenu.

His gaze fell on Ivan and Jelena.

Smijali su se.

They were laughing.

Izgledali su sretno.

They looked happy.

Ante je stao, srce mu je ubrzano kucalo.

Ante paused, his heart beating fast.

Je li ih prepoznaju?

Would they recognize him?

Jesu li uopće željni ponovno se družiti?

Were they even eager to reconnect?

Bio je trenutak kad je razmišljao otići, ali nešto u njemu ga je zaustavilo.

There was a moment when he thought about leaving, but something inside him stopped him.

Duboki uzdah.

A deep breath.

Odlučio je.

He decided.

Približio im se, stidljivo ali čvrsto.

He approached them, shy but determined.

"Bok, Ivane, Jelena!" rekao je s osmijehom koji se proširio preko lica.

"Hi, Ivane, Jelena!" he said with a smile spreading across his face.

Okrenuli su se prema njemu.

They turned towards him.

Pogledi su im sjali prepoznavanjem, a osmijesi su im postali još veći.

Their eyes shone with recognition, and their smiles grew even larger.

"Ante!" povikala je Jelena.

"Ante!" exclaimed Jelena.

Ivan ga je prijateljski potapšao po ramenu.

Ivan gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Jesmo te dugo vidjeli!"

"We haven't seen you in a long time!"

Njihova reakcija ispunila je Antu toplinom.

Their reaction filled Ante with warmth.

Razgovarali su dugo, prisjećajući se školskih dana, sitnih nestašluka i lijepih uspomena iz mladosti.

They talked for a long time, reminiscing about school days, small pranks, and beautiful memories from their youth.

Prisjetili su se izleta, utakmica i gluposti zbog kojih su se znali smijati do suza.

They recalled trips, matches, and the silly things that used to make them laugh until they cried.

Dok su glasovi drugih birača postajali tek pozadina njihove vlastite orkestracije smijeha i razgovora, Ante je osjetio promjenu.

As the voices of other voters became just the background to their own orchestration of laughter and conversation, Ante felt a change.

Strah od promjene nestao je u prisutnosti prijateljstva.

The fear of change disappeared in the presence of friendship.

Na kraju su se dogovorili da se nađu idući tjedan, samo oni, daleko od političke gužve, da ožive prijateljstvo koje nikada nije uistinu iščezlo.

In the end, they agreed to meet next week, just the three of them, away from the political bustle, to revive a friendship that had never truly faded.

Dok je odlazio iz dvorane, Ante je osjećao kako mu se srce šire od radosti.

As he left the hall, Ante felt his heart swell with joy.

Zlatno lišće još uvijek je šuštalo pod njegovim nogama, ali sada mu je jesen donosila novi početak.

The golden leaves still rustled under his feet, but now autumn brought him a new beginning.

I s tim je ponovno pronašao svoju pripadnost i optimizam za budućnost.

With that, he had found his sense of belonging once again and optimism for the future.