Jesensko listje je šuštelo na dvorišču, ko je Jure stopil pred domačijo, ki je bila njegovo zatočišče zadnja leta mladosti.

Autumn leaves rustled in the yard as Jure stepped in front of the home that had been his refuge in the last years of his youth.

Ko je odprl vrata, ga je ovil vonj po pečeni puranji in bučni piti.

As he opened the door, the aroma of roasted turkey and pumpkin pie enveloped him.

V topli, nekoliko natrpani dnevni sobi so bile majhne garsijske krožnike razporejene po mizi.

In the warm, somewhat cramped living room, small hors d'oeuvre plates were arranged across the table.

Jure se je počutil nelagodno.

Jure felt uneasy.

Ni ga bilo doma že vrsto let.

He hadn’t been home for many years.

Maja, njegova starejša sestra, je hitela po kuhinji in poskušala umiriti napeto ozračje.

Maja, his older sister, was bustling around the kitchen, trying to calm the tense atmosphere.

Vedela je, da družinski zbori niso več to, kar so včasih bili.

She knew that family gatherings were no longer what they used to be.

Dejansko so v preteklih letih postali kraj nerazrešenih sporov in prikrite zamere.

In fact, in recent years, they had become a place for unresolved disputes and hidden resentments.

Jure se je vsedel k mizi in opazoval, kako starši izmenjujeta napet pogled.

Jure sat down at the table and watched his parents exchange tense glances.

Oba sta bila tiha, obrnjena drug od drugega, medtem ko je Maja še naprej poskušala dvigniti vzdušje s svojimi prijaznimi besedami.

Both were silent, turned away from each other, while Maja continued trying to lighten the mood with her kind words.

"Kako ti uspeva na fakulteti, Jure?" je navidezno brezskrbno vprašala, a Jure je čutil težo njenega vprašanja.

"How’s everything going at university, Jure?" she asked seemingly casually, but Jure felt the weight of her question.

"V redu gre," je odgovoril Jure, ne da bi se podrobneje spuščal.

"It’s going okay," Jure answered, without going into detail.

Njegov pogled je zdrsnil po mizi.

His gaze drifted across the table.

Bil je utrujen od pretvarjanja in skrivalnic.

He was tired of pretending and playing hide-and-seek.

Čutil je dodatno težo pričakovanj staršev, ki sta ga želela usmeriti na svojo strožjo pot.

He felt the additional weight of his parents' expectations, who wanted to steer him onto their stricter path.

Maja je čutila tiste stare napetosti.

Maja sensed those old tensions.

Leta je poskušala vzdrževati mir v družini, a zdaj je bila utrujena in želela je, da vsaj za enkrat vse pride na čisto.

For years, she had tried to maintain peace in the family, but now she was tired and wanted everything to come out into the open at least once.

Vedela je, da Jure v sebi nosi veliko stvari neizrečenih besed.

She knew that Jure carried many unspoken words within him.

"Čeprav je naša družinska srečanja pogosto preplavljena z napetostjo," je začela Maja, "morda je čas, da končno spregovorimo o tem, kar nas resnično teži."

"Even though our family gatherings are often flooded with tension," Maja began, "maybe it’s time to finally talk about what’s really bothering us."

Jure je globoko vdihnil.

Jure took a deep breath.

Vedel je, da je prišel trenutek, da odpre srce.

He knew the moment had come to open his heart.

"Vem, da nisem bil tu toliko kot bi moral biti.

"I know I haven’t been here as much as I should have been.

Ampak čutim, da so med nami ostale stvari, ki jih nismo razrešili.

But I feel that there are things left unresolved between us.

Rad bi razčistil preteklost."

I’d like to clear the past."

Starši so utihnili.

His parents fell silent.

Dnevna soba, sicer prežeta z okusom prazničnega vzdušja, je bila zdaj skoraj brez zvoka, razen tiktakanja stenske ure.

The living room, otherwise pervaded with a festive atmosphere, was now nearly silent, except for the ticking of the wall clock.

Jure je nadaljeval: "Spomnim se, da sem bil prisiljen prevzemati odgovornosti, ki jih nisem zmogel.

Jure continued: "I remember being forced to take on responsibilities I couldn’t handle.

To me je oddaljilo od vas."

It drove me away from you."

Maja ga je podpirala z jasnimi očmi, medtem ko so se starši spogledovali, prvič zares brez maske.

Maja supported him with clear eyes, while the parents looked at each other, truly unmasked for the first time.

Tišina je postajala težja, a počasi so začeli odgovarjati.

The silence grew heavier, but slowly they began to respond.

Očitki in čustva, dolgo prikriti, so končno prihajali na plano.

Accusations and emotions, long concealed, finally came to the surface.

Počasi so začeli razumevati drug drugega bolje, odkrivati bolečine in skrbi, ki so jih priganjale narazen.

Slowly, they began to understand each other better, uncovering the pains and worries that had driven them apart.

Spominjanje na pretekle napake, tudi z izgubljeno povezanostjo.

Reminiscing about past mistakes, even with the lost connection.

Ko so obiskali pretekle zamere, se je zdelo, da se soba rahlo razjasnjuje.

As they revisited past grudges, the room seemed to lighten slightly.

Jure je spoznal, da samo s soočanjem lahko zdravi, medtem ko je Maja dojela, da lahko mir včasih pomeni pustiti konfliktu prostor, da se razgrne za resnično razumevanje.

Jure realized that only by confronting could he heal, while Maja understood that peace sometimes means giving conflict space to unfold for genuine understanding.

Praznični večer so končali s rahlim občutkom lahkotnosti.

They ended the festive evening with a faint feeling of lightness.

Nov način sporazumevanja se je vzpostavil.

A new way of communicating had been established.

Družina, čeprav ni popolna, je naredila prvi korak k boljši prihodnosti.

The family, though not perfect, had taken the first step toward a better future.

Odprli so bili srca in očitna resnica je bila, da so si vsi želeli bližine, ki je bila skoraj izgubljena.

Hearts were opened, and the obvious truth emerged that everyone desired the closeness that was almost lost.

Kljub napetemu začetku se je dan končal z obljubo, nov kamenček v temeljih obnovljenih družinskih vezi.

Despite the tense beginning, the day ended with a promise, a new stone in the foundation of renewed family bonds.