W:Excuse me, could you tell me when the next train to Manchester leaves?
M:Sure, well, it’s three now. The next train to Manchester leaves in two hours. But you can take a train to Leeds which leaves in fifteen minutes and then get off at Manchester because it stops at Manchester on the way.
W:So, you are going to the Smiths’ again this weekend?
M:Yes, but I can’t make up my mind whether to go by road or rail. The train is generally less an effort, but it’s a terrible walk from the nearest station to the village.
W:Can you read it, please? My hands are wet with all this washing.
M:Well, OK. Dear Sally and John, Thanks for your letter. It was good to hear from you. Just a short note in reply. I was happy to hear that you two will be in town in January. I think that’s the first time you will have come to visit us after your marriage. Please do call me when you arrive so that I can pick you up at the station. And then we may have dinner together in town. In case you don’t have my phone number, it’s 780-7842. I look forward to meeting you soon. Yours, Tom.
W:Fine, thank you, a bit too busy, though. You know, I’m trying to put everything in order in my new flat.
M:Oh, I see. Well, I was wondering if you’d like to go to a concert tomorrow night. I think it will be good. And if I remember correctly, you did say you like country music.
W:Yes, that’s right. I do. It’s nice of you to ask, Bob. But I don’t think I can. Margaret has already asked me to see a friend. And then we’ll go to the theatre together. In fact she’s getting the tickets this evening.
M:Oh, well. Never mind. What about next weekend? This concert is still on then, I think, if you’re free next Saturday.
W:Oh, I’d like to very much. But what time exactly?
M:It starts at 7:30, I think.
W:Good, that’ll be fine. The tennis match will be over by 5 o’clock, I’m sure.
M:Good, I’ll call you again when I get the tickets.
W:Excuse me. But I think you made a wrong turn. You were supposed to turn left on Wilson Boulevard.
M:Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t you say 1323 Wilson?
W:No, 3023. It’s OK though. You don’t have to take me there. I can walk from here.
M:Why don’t I just make a U-turn at the corner?
W:Well, you shouldn’t make a U-turn there. It’s a one-way street. See the sign up ahead?
M:Well, maybe if I turn left here, I can come down the next street.
W:You can’t do that either during rush hour. Really though, don’t go to any trouble. Sometimes one can wait 30 minutes for a taxi. So I’m happy to get this close.
M:30 minutes? I’ve been riding around all day looking for passengers.
M:Hello, Lucy. This is John. Look, could you do me a favor? I’ve tried to phone my wife six times and I can’t get through. The line is busy all the time. Could you possibly go next door and give her a message?
W:Sure. What do you want to tell Mary?
M:Could you just say I’ve run into an old friend and I’m staying with him, and not at a hotel. I’ll give her a ring later.
What happened to me that day is just unbelievable. The first things to go wrong was that all the parking space was taken. So I had to park on the grass and hoped that I would not get a parking ticket. When I got to the admission office, there was already a long line of students waiting. By the time it was my turn, two of the courses I needed were filled. I had to go back to my advisor and make up a whole new time table. Although I did sign up for all my courses, I missed lunch. The next thing to go wrong was that the bookstore had sold out one of the textbooks required. As I was leaving, I wondered what else could possibly happen. Then I saw a policeman standing beside my car and writing out a ticket.