Episode 11: An Official Relationship — 5,000 Core English Words

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Chapter eleven. Making it official.

Three months have passed. It is a cold Saturday in January, and tonight was a special occasion: the first night of Emma's musical. Ryan sat in the second row with a programme in his hand. Now the show is over, and he is waiting by the stage door with flowers.

Listen to how he tells her what he thought, and how two people talk honestly about what they are to each other.

Ryan: Hello, star. These are for you.

Emma: Ryan! They're beautiful. You didn't have to.

Ryan: I wanted to. You were wonderful. I'm not just saying that. You managed to impress everyone. The lady next to me cried twice.

Emma: Really? I made a mistake in the second song. I came in too early, and the musician at the piano had to rescue me.

Ryan: Nobody knew. I didn't know, and I was watching you very closely.

Emma: And the smoke! Did you see the smoke? The machine broke, and it went everywhere. I couldn't see the villagers behind me.

Ryan: I thought it was artistic. It was the highlight of the night.

Emma: You are a very loyal audience. What was your favorite part, your sincere answer?

Ryan: When you climbed on the table and nearly fell. Your face was so funny. The whole room loved you.

Emma: That wasn't acting. I was really afraid. I'm thrilled that it's over, and tomorrow we do it again.

Ryan: Are you hungry? Or do you have to go to the party with the others?

Emma: The troop will gather at a bar, but I'd rather walk with you. I can join them shortly.

Ryan: Then let's walk. Here, take my arm. The ground is icy.

Emma: Can I tell you something embarrassing?

Ryan: Always.

Emma: When I was a girl, I dreamed about nights like this. I gave shows in the garden for my aunt and my cousin. I charged them ten cents. I was highly successful.

Ryan: I believe it. My boyhood dream was less artistic. I wanted to be a truck driver.

Emma: What happened?

Ryan: My dad let me sit in a real truck, and I broke a tooth on the door. That was the end of my career.

Emma: Poor little Ryan. You have my sympathy.

Ryan: Thank you. It was a major wound. I still don't trust trucks.

Emma: You know, my aunt came tonight. She drove four hours from the southern part of the state. She's eager to meet you.

Ryan: Tonight? Now I'm nervous. What did you tell her about me?

Emma: Various things. That you're kind, that you lose at football, and that you often burn bread.

Ryan: All true. And what was her response?

Emma: She said, "He sounds like a good one. Don't argue with him about small things." That's her advice for everything. She was my first teacher.

Ryan: She's rightly famous in my mind already. Is she the one with the dance school?

Emma: Yes. She established it thirty years ago. She is childless, but she likes to say she has two hundred daughters.

Ryan: Emma, can I ask you something specific?

Emma: Of course.

Ryan: We've seen each other every week since October. Tuesday lunches, Friday dinners, Sunday walks. I've met your friends. You've met Simon's new baby.

Emma: That's true.

Ryan: So what are we? When I talk about you at work, I don't know what to call you. I say "my friend Emma," and it sounds false.

Emma: What do you want to call me?

Ryan: I want to call you my girlfriend. I'm not seeing anyone else, and I don't want to. I know it's a little old-fashioned to ask. But will you be my girlfriend?

Emma: Ryan.

Ryan: If it's too fast, tell me. I can accept whatever you say. I just had to know where this is going.

Emma: Too fast? I thought I already was your girlfriend. I've been telling people since November.

Ryan: You have?

Emma: My mother knows. My father knows. My cousin's little girl, who is like a niece to me, drew a picture of you. You have a tiny head and very long legs.

Ryan: I'm so embarrassed. I was afraid to ask.

Emma: Don't be. You could never embarrass me. It's sweet. So, to be clear: yes. Let's make it official. I'm your girlfriend, and you're mine. You belong with me.

Ryan: That's the best thing I've heard this year.

Emma: The year is only three weeks old.

Ryan: Then it's the best thing I'll hear in February, too.

Emma: You know what this means. There are subsequent steps. You have to come to my cousin's wedding. As my boyfriend. In a suit.

Ryan: I did expect that. I'll arrange it. I'll even get my good shoes repaired.

Emma: And I'd like to meet your parents. And your grandfather, if he likes actresses.

Ryan: My grandfather is no longer with us. It's an unfortunate thing, because in the past he loved the theater. But my grandmother will love you. She has a tradition: every new person in the family gets a hand-made scarf. It's unlikely to be a color you like.

Emma: I'll wear it with pride. Is your family close?

Ryan: Very. We have faith in each other. We're not a royal family, we don't live in a brick castle, and nobody is rich. But nobody is an enemy, either.

Emma: That's all I need. Come on. Let's go to the party and announce it.

Ryan: Announce it? In front of the whole cast?

Emma: They're actors, dear. They will most likely sing. Just smile and take the corrections kindly. The director has a strong personality, and tonight he's my lover in the play.

Ryan: Then I'll shake his hand very hard.

Emma: Surprise him. Be nice. Out you come, into the cold. Tonight is a good night.

That is the end of chapter eleven. The show was a success, and so was the question. Ryan and Emma are now, officially, a couple.

Keep these with you: "You were wonderful." "Where is this going?" "I'm not seeing anyone else." "Let's make it official."

In the next chapter, work has been hard for both of them, and they decide to escape to the mountains for a weekend.

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