On Friday Mimi cleaned the studio squeaky clean and today legs crossed, cigarette between her teeth and coffee in front of her she studies her husband eating his breakfast, eggs and bacon. She even smiles at him from time to time and her gaze wanders from his plate to his greased chin. Suddenly flushed, he nearly chokes when he spots a little Gucci-branded button at the bottom of the plate. As it happens, it was rattling around in the tub of their vacuum cleaner after at the office, Gina had been recently whining that she has lost it. Eat it with bread too darling, to get your fill, his wife sweetly urges.
Vlad Mușat
Tough day at work, my girlfriend left me a month ago and I still have to stretch 150 RON for two more weeks. Today, the weather is on the losers' side the sun is out. I went to the neighbourhood store and bought myself a fresh bread, salami and mustard. I sat down on a park bench and began to eat heartily. After eating half a loaf, I smiled. Yes, I'm happy, the taste reminded me of high school, of the time when I had my whole life ahead of me.
Monica Ciurea
All around, trenches, trenches, and them, the bustling mob, stretched hissing through their teeth sacred wafers, prosphora and holy covenants. Their chests are freezing in their coats, their feet stumble in their mud-scorched boots, left and right as if they felt the urge to piss on their mother, their father and their whole system of pricks. Say, Lie boy, has your wife given birth? You got a boy? Good for you, you lucky lad, your ration's increased. Give him an extra half he's got another mouth to feed starting today. Yeah right. Get lost all of you, we're out of bread.
(Translated by Adela Neacșu / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year I / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)
Versiunea în română a acestui text se poate citi aici, în rubrica Ficțiuni Reale.