The Message at 7:30 — Easy English Story

Transcript

Introduction

A: Hello, and welcome to Recursio Easy English Stories. Today’s story is called “The Message at 7:30.”

A: This is a B1 story about a message that didn’t arrive on time.

A: Listen for these phrases: I’m on my way, running late, Hold on, Did you get my message?, Sorry for the late reply, and sort it out.

A: After the story, we’ll go through all the useful phrases and practice them together.

A: You can practice today’s phrases in Recursio — the link is in the description.

A: Let’s begin. It’s Tuesday evening, and Maya is still at work.

A quick message

A: Maya looked at the clock on her computer. It said seven eighteen.

A: Her bag was already on her shoulder. Her jacket was already on.

A: She was meeting her friend Daniel at seven thirty, at a small restaurant near the river.

A: It was Daniel’s last week in the city. On Sunday he was moving to another country, for a new job.

A: So this dinner was important. Maya had promised him she would be there.

A: But her manager had come to her desk just before seven with one more question. And then another one.

B: I should go. I’m meeting someone at seven thirty.

A: And every time, he said, “One more minute,” and every time she sat down again, because it was easier than saying no.

A: Maya opened Daniel’s last message. It said, “See you at seven thirty. I got our usual table.”

A: She typed, “I’m still at work,” but she didn’t send it. Surely she would leave in another minute.

A: Then another minute passed. The clock changed to seven twenty-five.

A: Her phone rang. It was her sister. Maya looked at the manager, still talking.

B: Hi — sorry, I can’t talk now. Let me call you back.

A: Now it was almost seven thirty, and the restaurant was twenty minutes away.

A: Maya walked fast to the subway station. At the bottom of the stairs, already underground, she took out her phone and texted Daniel.

B: I’m on my way. On the subway now. See you soon!

A: To text someone means to send them a short message on your phone.

A: I’m on my way means that I’ve started my trip and I’m coming now.

A: She pressed send, put the phone in her pocket, and got on the train.

A: The doors closed behind her.

A: Maya sat down and breathed out. She knew she would be late, but Daniel would understand. Her message explained everything.

A: Across from her, a man was reading. Next to him, two students were laughing about something on a screen.

A: Maya closed her eyes for one stop. She thought about what she wanted to say to Daniel tonight.

A: They had worked together for four years. They had eaten lunch together almost every day.

A: And now he was going, and she still hadn’t told him that she would miss him.

A: Then the train stopped. Not at a station — in the tunnel, between two stations.

A: The lights became dim. A voice made an announcement, but nobody could hear the words.

A: Maya took out her phone. No signal. Not one bar.

A: She thought: it’s fine. I pressed send before the train moved. It probably went through.

A: She looked at the dark window. She could see her own worried face in the glass.

A: A child asked his mother when the train would move again. The mother said, “Soon,” but she didn’t sound sure.

A: Maya looked at the time. Seven forty. Then seven forty-five.

A: The train sat in the dark for twenty minutes.

A: But there had been no signal on the platform or in the tunnel. Her message had never left her phone.

A: It sat there, on the screen, with a small gray circle next to it. Not sent.

The empty chair

A: At the restaurant, Daniel was already at the table. He arrived at seven twenty, early, like always.

A: He ordered a glass of water and looked at the door.

A: At seven thirty, the door opened, and a family came in. Not Maya.

A: At seven forty, he checked his phone. Nothing.

A: He said it quietly, to himself.

C: She’s probably on the train.

A: And he smiled a little.

A: At seven forty-five, the waiter came to the table and asked if he was ready to order.

C: I’m waiting for a friend. She’s running late, I think.

A: To run late means to arrive later than the time you agreed.

C: Could we wait five more minutes?

A: The waiter said, “Of course. Take your time,” and left him alone with the empty chair.

A: Five minutes later, Maya was still not there.

A: Daniel called her number. It went straight to voicemail.

A: He tried again. Straight to voicemail.

A: Now he felt something cold in his stomach. Not anger. Something worse.

A: He looked around the restaurant. Every other table had two people, or four, or six.

A: He thought: maybe she forgot. Maybe this dinner wasn’t important to her.

A: And then a smaller, quieter thought: maybe I was the only one who thought we were close friends.

A: He was leaving on Sunday. He didn’t want their last evening to be an empty chair.

C: Hi, it’s me. I’m at the restaurant, at our table. Call me when you get this.

A: He left that message on her voicemail and put the phone face down on the table.

Sorting it out

A: At eight o’clock, Maya came up the stairs from the subway.

A: Her phone found a signal again and started vibrating in her hand.

A: One missed call. Two missed calls. A voicemail.

A: And her own message from seven thirty, still sitting there. Not sent.

A: Her face went hot. She pressed send again, and this time it went.

A: Then she wrote one more line, with shaking hands.

B: Sorry for the late reply. My message didn’t go through. Calling you now.

A: She called Daniel immediately. He answered after one ring.

C: Maya?

B: Hold on — I’m coming up the stairs, I can’t hear you.

B: Okay. Can you hear me now?

C: Yes. I can hear you.

B: Daniel, I’m so sorry. Did you get my message?

C: No. I didn’t get anything.

B: I sent it at seven thirty. But I was in the subway, and it didn’t send. I’ve just seen it now.

C: Oh.

A: One word, and Maya could hear everything in it.

B: I’m two streets away. I’m on my way, I promise. Two minutes.

C: Okay. I’m here.

A: Maya walked fast, and then she ran a little, and her bag hit her side with every step.

A: When she came into the restaurant, Daniel was standing up at the table.

B: I’m so sorry. I know how that looked.

C: I thought you forgot.

B: I didn’t forget. I was thinking about it all day.

A: They stood there for a second, and then Daniel laughed, and the cold feeling went away.

C: Sit down. You’re here now.

A: They sat down, and Maya showed him her phone — the message, the gray circle, the time. Seven thirty.

C: The subway. Of course.

B: I should have checked. I just put it in my pocket and ran.

C: Next time, look at the screen before you run.

B: Next time I’ll text you when I get out of the subway.

C: Deal.

A: The waiter came back, and this time there were two people at the table.

C: Sorry we kept the table so long. Her train stopped, and her message didn’t go through.

A: The waiter smiled and said it happened all the time, especially on the subway.

A: For a moment, neither Maya nor Daniel opened the menu.

B: I really thought you would leave before I got here.

C: I almost did. But I wanted to wait a little longer.

B: Thank you for waiting.

C: Next time, call me before you go underground.

B: Next time, I’ll leave work on time.

C: That sounds even less likely.

A: Maya laughed. The evening finally felt normal again.

A: They ordered. Daniel had the fish, and Maya had the pasta, because she always had the pasta.

B: So. Sunday. What time is your flight?

C: Six in the morning. I have to leave the apartment at three.

B: Three! That’s not a morning. That’s still night.

C: I know. I’ve decided not to sleep at all.

B: That’s a terrible plan.

C: It’s my only plan.

A: Maya laughed, and then she asked the question she had wanted to ask all evening.

B: Are you scared?

A: Daniel put down his fork and thought about it for a moment.

C: A little. Mostly on Monday morning. That’s when it becomes real.

C: I don’t know anyone there. Not one person.

B: You didn’t know anyone here either, four years ago.

C: That’s true. I sat next to you and asked where the coffee machine was.

B: And I gave you the wrong answer.

A: Daniel laughed. It was an old joke between them, and it still worked.

B: Listen. I have to say one thing, and then we can talk about normal things again.

C: Okay.

B: I’m going to miss you. That’s all. That’s the whole speech.

A: Daniel looked at the table for a moment.

C: Good speech. Short.

A: And then they did talk about normal things again — the fish, the rain, a movie they both started and never finished.

A: At the end of the evening, they stood outside on the street, near the river.

C: I’m glad we sorted it out.

A: To sort something out means to fix a problem or help two people understand each other.

B: Me too. Text me when you land on Sunday.

C: I will. And you’ll reply?

B: Within one hour. I promise.

C: Within two. Let’s be realistic.

A: Maya laughed, and they said goodbye.

A: On Sunday evening, at nine o’clock, her phone made a small sound.

A: It was Daniel. Two words: “Landed. Raining.”

A: Maya had promised to reply quickly, and she did. It took her eleven seconds.

A: This time, she checked the screen twice before she put the phone away.

Phrase review

A: Now let’s go through the useful phrases from the story, one by one.

A: And if you’d like to remember them afterwards, you can save them in Recursio, and it will bring them back before you forget.

A: First: to text someone. It means to send someone a short message on the phone.

A: In the story, Maya texted Daniel from the stairs. “I texted her this morning.” “Text me when you get home.”

A: Next: I’m on my way. It means: I’ve started, and I’m coming to you now.

A: Maya wrote it in her message, and she said it again on the phone. “I’m on my way, I promise.”

A: Next: to run late. It means to arrive later than the time you agreed.

A: Daniel told the waiter, “She’s running late.” You can also say, “Sorry, I’m running late this morning.”

A: Next: Hold on. It means: please wait a moment. It’s short, and very common on the phone.

A: Maya said, “Hold on — I’m coming up the stairs.” You can also say, “Hold on, I’m looking for my keys.”

A: Next: Did you get my message? We ask this when we’re not sure our message arrived.

A: Maya asked Daniel exactly that. It’s friendly — it doesn’t sound angry.

A: Next: to reply. It means to answer a message, an email, or a letter.

A: Daniel asked, “And you’ll reply?” You can say, “I’ll reply tonight,” or, “She hasn’t replied yet.”

A: Next: Sorry for the late reply. We say it when we answer much later than we should.

A: Maya wrote it when she came out of the subway. You can write the same line in an email: “Sorry for the late reply — it’s been a busy week.”

A: Next: Let me call you back. It means: I can’t talk right now, but I’ll call you soon.

A: Maya said it to her sister at the office. You can say it at work too: “I’m in a meeting — let me call you back.”

A: And last: to sort it out. It means to fix a problem or help two people understand each other.

A: Daniel said, “I’m glad we sorted it out.” You can say, “Don’t worry, we’ll sort it out.”

Mini recall

A: Now a short recall. I’ll describe the situation, you say the phrase. Then I’ll give you the answer.

A: You’re walking to your friend, and you want to say you’ve already started. What do you say?

A: I’m on my way.

A: You’ll arrive later than you agreed. How do you say it?

A: I’m running late.

A: You’re not sure your message arrived. What do you ask?

A: Did you get my message?

A: You answer an email three days late. What do you write first?

A: Sorry for the late reply.

A: You can’t talk right now, but you’ll phone the person soon. What do you say?

A: Let me call you back.

A: The problem is fixed, and both people understand what happened. How do you say it?

A: We sorted it out.

Outro

A: That was “The Message at 7:30.”

A: Today’s phrases were: to text someone. I’m on my way. To run late. Hold on.

A: Did you get my message? To reply. Sorry for the late reply. Let me call you back. And to sort it out.

A: If you’d like to review these phrases and remember them, open the link below and practice them in Recursio.

A: Thank you for listening. And check your screen before you run for the train.

A: See you in the next story.