Transcript

EXTRACT ONE [LEAH]: Did your food delivery turn up all right? You said the app had changed half the order. [TOM]: Most of it was fine. The strange one was the coffee. I'd chosen 'no substitutes', but that setting hadn't saved after the app updated. They brought a more expensive brand. The bread was odd too: one loaf became three small ones, and I had nowhere to put them, so I gave one to the neighbour and froze another. [LEAH]: At least the coffee wasn't useless. Did they charge the higher price, and will you use delivery again? [TOM]: No, they charged the original price, so I can't really complain. I'll probably keep ordering the heavy stuff, but if I need one particular ingredient for dinner, I'll pick it up myself. I still had to walk to the shop for fresh herbs this time. I've changed the substitution setting again and taken a screenshot, just in case it disappears. The driver was helpful about it, and I don't mind a sensible replacement; I just want the setting to stay where I put it. EXTRACT TWO [MIA]: How did the driving practice with your dad go? You both looked very serious when you left. [SAM]: We were serious for about five minutes. Then he told me to turn left after we'd already passed the road, and we ended up by the football ground. He knows the town so well that he forgets I need directions before the junction, not during it. [MIA]: Did you argue? [SAM]: A bit. I was staring at every parked car because I was worried someone would open a door, and he kept saying, 'Look further ahead.' He was right, actually. Once I lifted my eyes, I stopped making those tiny corrections with the steering wheel. [MIA]: So will you practise with him again? [SAM]: Yes, but outside town next time. There's a quiet road near my aunt's house with a couple of roundabouts and hardly any traffic on Sunday morning. I can work on changing gear without him giving me a running commentary. My instructor's lesson is on Tuesday, and I'd like to arrive feeling calmer rather than having another family argument in the car. I hadn't driven that route before. I don't think either of us needs another argument at a roundabout. EXTRACT THREE [NINA]: You made it to the hotel in the end, then. I saw your message from the station. [OMAR]: Just. The last train was delayed, so I arrived after reception had closed. The hotel had sent a code for the key box, but the message was from an old booking and the code didn't work. I stood outside in the rain trying it three times before I noticed the date. [NINA]: Oh no. How did you get in? [OMAR]: There was a phone number on the door. The owner answered straight away, even though it was nearly midnight, and gave me the new code. She'd sent it that afternoon, but it had gone into my spam folder. Once I was inside, everything was fine. She'd even left a sandwich in the room because the cafés would be shut. [NINA]: Would you stay there again? [OMAR]: Definitely. I'd just call earlier if my train was running late instead of trusting the booking messages. The owner said it happens quite often with the automatic emails. Anyway, the room was quiet, breakfast was good, and the station was only five minutes away in daylight. It felt a lot further when I was dragging a suitcase through the rain. I wouldn't rely on an old message again.