María lleva una hora esperando

Story

María lleva una hora esperando. Su cita con el médico era a las tres, pero ya son las cuatro y sigue sentada en la misma silla. La sala está llena de gente, y todos esperan desde hace mucho tiempo. Hace una hora que María mira el reloj cada dos minutos.

María has been waiting for an hour. Her appointment with the doctor was at three, but it is already four and she is still sitting in the same chair. The room is full of people, and everyone has been waiting for a long time. For an hour now María has been looking at the clock every two minutes.

María está nerviosa. Tiene una llamada muy importante con su jefe a las cinco, y no quiere perder ese momento. "¿Por qué no me llaman?", piensa. Mira el teléfono otra vez. No hay nada nuevo. Sigue esperando.

María is nervous. She has a very important call with her boss at five, and she does not want to miss that moment. "Why aren't they calling me?", she thinks. She looks at her phone again. There is nothing new. She keeps on waiting.

Hace dos semanas que María quiere ver al médico. No está enferma, pero desde hace días siente algo en la cabeza y quiere estar tranquila. "Hoy es importante para mi salud", piensa. "Por eso sigo aquí, sentada en esta silla, y no me voy."

For two weeks now María has wanted to see the doctor. She is not ill, but for days she has been feeling something in her head and she wants to put her mind at rest. "Today is important for my health," she thinks. "That is why I am still here, sitting in this chair, and I am not leaving."

Para no pensar en el tiempo, María empieza a leer un libro. Lee un rato, pero no puede. Sus ojos siguen mirando la puerta. ¿Cuándo va a salir alguien y decir su nombre? Lleva ya media hora con el libro en la mano.

To stop thinking about the time, María starts to read a book. She reads for a while, but she cannot. Her eyes keep looking at the door. When is someone going to come out and say her name? She has now had the book in her hand for half an hour.

Una mujer al lado de ella también está cansada. "Yo llevo aquí desde la una", dice. "Desde hace tres horas nadie me deja salir de este asiento." María le dice que sí con la cabeza. No está sola: todos esperan.

A woman next to her is also tired. "I have been here since one," she says. "For three hours now nobody lets me leave this seat." María nods to her. She is not alone: everyone is waiting.

Mientras esperan, las dos hablan un poco. La mujer cuenta que viene a este médico desde hace muchos años y que siempre es así: hay que esperar. "Pero es un buen médico", dice. "Por eso volvemos." María escucha y se queda más tranquila. El reloj sigue pasando, minuto a minuto, y ya son casi las cinco.

While they wait, the two of them talk a little. The woman says she has been coming to this doctor for many years and that it is always like this: you have to wait. "But he is a good doctor," she says. "That is why we keep coming back." María listens and feels calmer. The clock keeps ticking on, minute by minute, and it is now almost five.

Por fin, la puerta se abre. Un médico mira sus papeles y dice: "¿María?". Ella va a la puerta muy feliz. "¡Sí, soy yo!". Ya no está triste. Entra, y antes de pasar piensa que, esta vez, todo va a ir bien.

At last, the door opens. A doctor looks at his papers and says: "María?". She goes to the door, very happy. "Yes, that's me!". She is no longer sad. She goes in, and before she goes through she thinks that, this time, everything is going to go well.