Apprendre l’anglais: On the underground (text 6)

Jillian’s boss at the BBC called her into his office one morning and said, « Jill, would you mind doing something for me?  You know there are some new furniture designs I shall be talking about in the programme this afternoon. They haven’t arrived? I’ve just phoned through to the design office and they’re sending somebody with them. But would you mind going to meet him, to save time? Go to the entrance hall of Baker Street underground station and the young man will be waiting there.

You’ll recognize him because he’ll be carrying a large envelope of designs. Bring them straight back to me in the studio. I’ll be rehearsing the programme by that time.”

Jillian arrives at the Baker Street underground entrance hall and started to watch the crowds going by. But there was no young man carrying a large envelope.

“I knew he wouImage may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.ldn’t be waiting for me,” she said to herself, looking at her watch. “And they’ll be starting to rehearse the programme in a minute. Perhaps I had better get my return ticket while I’m waiting.”

But as she stood at the ticket machine, she saw somebody that made her forget the young man from the design office. Martin, carrying his briefcase, was coming up the escalator towards her. She was going to run to him, when she stopped herself. That young man would be coming any minute, she thought. And what would Martin say if he saw her there with another man? He used to be jealous. She needn’t talk to him now.  She would be seeing him at tea-time and there would be time to explain then. So she turned her back on the escalator and stood still.

Suddenly she realized what was happening. “Why am I hiding from my own husband?” she thought. ”I wonder what I shall be thinking of next.” As she turned round, Martin’s head and shoulders were just disappearing as she went back down the other escalator.

“Now why has he come up one escalator and gone straight down another?” she wondered. “Perhaps he doesn’t want me to see him.”

“Oh damn the young man from the design office,” she said between her teeth. She took a quick look round the entrance hall but nobody was standing waiting. “Martin will be down on the platform waiting for a train,” she thought. “I’ve got time to go down the escalator and have a word with him. Then perhaps the young man will be waiting with his envelope when I come back again.”

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.The two escalators were side by side, and as Jillian was moving down on hers, she watched the people coming up on the other. She was nearly halfway down when she saw Martin coming up again on her left.

“What are you doing here?” he called, as he came closer. Jillian turned round and started running up the stairs while the escalator kept on moving downwards. Martin started running down his escalator as it moved upwards.

“I can’t stop,” Jillian shouted. “I think somebody will be meeting me at the top. And my boss will be getting worried. “She stopped running as she knocked against another passenger, and the escalator carried her downwards again.

“That’s funny,” Martin shouted, waving his briefcase as he disappeared upwards. “I thought somebody would be waiting for me, too.” Just then somebody knocked against him and his briefcase fell out of his hand and started to slide down the division between the two escalators.

Jillian arrived breathless at the bottom, just in time to catch the briefcase. Quickly she jumped onto the other escalator that was going up and found Martin waiting for her at the top. He opened his briefcase anxiously and took out a large envelope.

“Oh good, darling, it’s safe. You know,” he said, looking round, “my boss said somebody would be meeting me there, somebody from the BBC.” And as he spoke, they both realized what had happened. “You’re the girl my boss said would be coming for the designs.”

“And you’re the young man my boss said would be bringing them.”

Jillian looked at her watch as she took the envelope. “Oh dear, he’ll be biting his nails,” she said, “I’d better go straight away. Will you be coming home early, darling?”

“The usual time,” he called, and went towards the down escalator.

“Ah, there you are. I was getting worried,” Jillian’s boss said, as she walked in breathlessly. “Have you got the designs? Was he a nice young man?”

“Oh, super,” she answered coolly. “I shall be seeing a lot of him in the future.

Source: inconnue

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