Episode 7: Finding the Car and Ryan's Confession — 5,000 Core English Words

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Chapter seven. Finding the car.

It is ten o'clock. Ryan and Emma leave The Sage Garden and walk to the parking garage by the train station. Ryan has offered to drive her home, but there is one small problem. He does not remember where he parked.

Listen to how they look for the car, pay at the machine, talk about travel, and how Ryan finally says what he is thinking.

Emma: So, which way is your car?

Ryan: Just give me a second. I think I parked on level two. Or level three.

Emma: You don't remember?

Ryan: I was nervous when I arrived. I remember a blue sign and a bicycle. That's all.

Emma: Do you have your parking ticket? Sometimes the level is printed on the back.

Ryan: Good idea. Let me check. It says, entered at six fifty. Nothing more.

Emma: Okay. Let's stay calm. What does it look like?

Ryan: It's a small grey car. Like every other car in this country.

Emma: Then let's go up level by level. You pick the east side, I'll take the west.

Ryan: Is it safe to walk around here alone? It's a bit dark.

Emma: Ryan, I teach thirteen-year-olds. Nothing can frighten me. Besides, look at that armed guard over there. He looks friendly.

Ryan: I don't think he's armed. I think that's a flashlight.

Emma: Yeah. You're right. Now, press the button on your key and watch for the lights.

Ryan: Nothing here. Wait, did you hear something? Around the bend?

Emma: There! Level three, next to the stairs. Next to a bike, not a bicycle. Somebody's motorcycle. You parked beside a biker.

Ryan: I knew there were two wheels. That's my car. What a joy.

Emma: Don't you have to pay before we leave?

Ryan: Yes. The checkout machine is by the elevator. Come with me.

The screen says: please insert your ticket. Ryan pushes it in. The machine replies: three hours and ten minutes. Your total is nine dollars. Payment by card only.

Ryan: Cards only. Of course. At the restaurant it was cash only.

Emma: The world has a sense of humor. Do you want me to get this one?

Ryan: No, no. I have my card. There. It says, please take your ticket. You have fifteen minutes to exit.

Emma: And what happens if we lose the ticket now?

Ryan: Then we pay for the whole day. So I'm putting it in my shoe.

Emma: Please don't.

Ryan: In my pocket, then. After you.

Emma: Thank you for driving me. The bus stops running at ten, and I didn't want to take a taxi.

Ryan: It's no trouble. Where do you live?

Emma: North of the river, near the museum. Just go down this road and turn left at the station.

Ryan: Got it. Simon said you used to travel a lot.

Emma: I did. Before I got this job, I took a year off and went away. I flew to London in June with one bag, and the plane landed without it. My luggage went on a different flight.

Ryan: What did you do?

Emma: I bought a toothbrush and some underwear, and I waited. It was a shock, but also kind of fun. It arrived three days later.

Ryan: And then?

Emma: Then I went everywhere by train. I stood on a hundred platforms. I took the tube in London, a boat to a small island in Greece, and a very old bus through the mountains. I paid for everything in euros, and I had zero plan.

Ryan: Where did you stay? In hotels?

Emma: No. Temporary accommodation. Cheap rooms, sofas, one tent. Once I worked as a guide for international visitors, and they gave me a bed.

Ryan: That's surprising. You seem so organized.

Emma: I am now. The situation changed when my money ran out. What about you? Do you take vacations?

Ryan: Not really. I go to my parents' house on holiday weekends. I've had a passport for five years, and I've used it once.

Emma: Ryan, that's sad. Unless you really love your parents.

Ryan: I do. But I'd like to see more. Last year I wanted to cycle two hundred kilometers along the coast. Then I looked at my old boots and my older bike, and I stayed home.

Emma: Do you regret it?

Ryan: A little. Everybody needs something to look forward to, and at present I have nothing.

Emma: This is my street. You can stop here, by the tree with the swing.

Ryan: Here? Okay.

Emma: Thank you for tonight. I had a really good time.

Ryan: Me too. Emma, can I tell you something?

Emma: Sure.

Ryan: I'm not good at this. I'm not an actor. I can't say something clever at the right time. But I have to say it now, at the completion of the best evening I've had in a long time.

Emma: Go on.

Ryan: I'd really like to see you again. I've been thinking it since the soup. When you looked downward at that wrong plate and just smiled, I thought, I want to know her.

Emma: That's a very nice thing to hear.

Ryan: You don't have to answer now. I just wanted to be honest.

Emma: I'd like to see you again too. I'm free next weekend. You can visit my part of town, and I'll book a table somewhere with no surprises.

Ryan: I'd like that. A lot.

Emma: Good night, Ryan. Drive safe. And remember where you park.

Ryan: Good night, Emma. I'll write it on my hand.

That is the end of chapter seven. They found the car on level three, paid at the machine, and Ryan said what he was feeling.

Keep these with you: "Which level did you park on?" "Please insert your ticket." "I had a really good time." "I'd really like to see you again."

In the next chapter, Ryan realizes that he forgot something important. He does not have her phone number.

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