London's Calling  

Episode 31

 Francesca is back in England, after spending Xmas and New Year with Paul and her family in Italy. At the moment she is staying with a friend of Paul's, called Alessandro, in London. After the drama with Delaney Systems last year, she has to find a new job and a place to live in London. She had thought she would be staying in London with Paul, who was supposed to come back to London with her, but he didn't turn up for the flight, and now she is unsure what is going on. Every time he has telephoned the line has gone dead, she is suspicious about this. However the telephone has just rung and it's for her!! Of course it must be Paul, no-one else knows where she is!!!

Francesca: Hello, hello,

Alessandro: So, what did Paul have to say, when is he coming back?

Francesca: Well, I don't even know if it WAS Paul, the line went dead again!!! Can you believe it???

Sam: Again!! that's impossible!! It was definitely a man, but he didn't say who it was, and the line wasn't so good so I couldn't tell if it was Paul or not, I think that maybe we should get the telephone checked out, maybe there is a fault on the line or something!!

Alessandro: yeah, maybe you're right, I'll call the phone company first thing on Monday, and get it checked out.

Sam: well if it was Paul, and I'm sure it was, as no-one else knows you're here yet, so he'll call back, have no fear,

Alessandro: yeah Francesca, Sam's right, he'll call back and if he can't get through, like I said before, you can email him from my PC. (changing the subject) So come on, what will we do tonight then girls? Sam: well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm feeling pretty hungry, will we get a take away?

Alessandro: excellent idea!! I'm starving, and my stomach won't stop rumbling, what do you think Francesca, d'y fancy a take out?

Francesca:(ride).. Erm Ale, what are we eating? Take out? Take away? What is it?

Alessandro: well we have to decide what type yet, but take away or take out is… usually when you see take out or take away signs they mean that whatever food the place sells you can, like ……..is take away pizza.

Francesca: ah I see Sam: usually if no-one wants to cook, then we just say we'll get a take out, then we choose whether to get Chinese, pizza or Indian, so what d'yer fancy?

Francesca: er sorry guys but what do you mean by "whadyer fancy?"

Sam: sorry that's my fault Francesca, if I speak slower it's "what do you fancy? "

Alessandro: yeah, it's just that the English speak really fast and eat the letters, basically in Italian it means ……

Francesca: ah I see, so to speak good English I have to eat the letters too?

Sam: (laughing) well, perhaps it would be better to eat a take away first, and then you can practice!! Anyway when we go flat hunting you'll have plenty of opportunity to hear everyone shortening their words. Especially in London they have a real problem with "H" they drop it at every opportunity,

Alessandro: don't panic Francesca you'll probably end up picking up an accent while you're here and go home a real cockney.

Francesca: oh my god, what's a cockney?

Sam: It's a person who is from London, actually it's a person who was born in the east end of London. Although they say that to be a real cockney you have to be born within the sound of the Bow Bells, that's a church. It's a very poor area and the people have a distinct accent which a few years ago became cool, and very in vogue lets say, and everyone was imitating it, even Madonna is starting to sound cockney, now that she's moved to London.

Francesca: But is it really so easy to come dire prendere un accentò in inglese …to pick up ecco to pick up an accent?

Alessandro: Yeah, I've got some friends who live in Manchester and they've picked up the Mancunian accent which is the accent from Manchester, as well as some who've lived in Liverpool and Newcastle

Sam: yeah it's really funny actually to hear an Italian speaking English with a Geordie or Liverpudlian accent, you'll have to meet my friend Fabio, he spent 5 years in Newcastle and he's got a fab Geordie accent

Alessandro: Yeah, why don't we invite him round one night, or we can go down the pub to meet him, you'd like him Francesca, he's a top bloke.

Francesca: mama mia quanti nuovi espressioni, fab accent, allora fami pensare accent è ovvio è accento, quindi fab dovrebbe esser una forma corte di fabulous quindi un accento favoloso, ma questo "top bloke" non ho il minimo di idea… Alessandro what does top bloke mean?

Alessandro: allora bloke è tipo oppure tizio e ed molto familiare colloquial diccono qui, e top in questo senso vuol dire un bravo? ragazzo su cui si può contare, molto affidabile

Sam: yeah Francesca, he's a really good laugh

Alessandro: that expression got me confused the first few times I heard it, a really good laugh doesn't mean that he …ti dico in Italiano è più facile, non vuol dire che lui ha una a risata multo buono ma che lui è molto divertente, molto spirtoso.

Francesca: ah.. (Sigh) quanto è difficile questa lingua inglese, ma devo dire che sto imparando davvero tante cose sta sera… Well it would be really nice to meet this friend of yours Sam,

Sam: I'll give him a ring tomorrow and see when he's free, anyway back to the subject of food, what kind of take away will we get, I'm famished, (looks at Francesca) sorry that's another way of saying hungry oh Francesca we must be making you feel knackered,

Francesca: (laughs) I don't know, what does feel Knackered mean?

Sam: oh sorry again it's just another way of saying really tired like exhausted,

Francesca: ah Knackered e un altro modo di dire distrutta, esausta, well just a little, but I have to get used to being in England again, it's good practice for me, but it does make me a bit er.. knackered,

Sam: Well after dinner, if you want to speak in Italian with Ale feel free, I have to go to bed early, as tomorrow I'm babysitting for a friend, and I'm going to need all the energy I can get, otherwise it'll be me who's knackered tomorrow

Francesca: umm Sam deve fare la babysitter domani quindi va a letto presto, ma anche io sono exhausted quindi vado a letto presto pure io!! Ma mi piace quella frase "feel free" come portrebbe direlo in italiano, "feel free" suona molto bello ., .ah si si direbbe…. farlo tranquillamente oppure sentiti libera di farlo, pero mi piace di più in inglese, feel free….

Alessandro: anyway I've heard that new Indian place down the road make a lamb rogan that's out of this world, so what d'you girls think of an Indian tonight?

Sam: lamb rogan gets my vote, what about you, Francesca, do you like Indian food?

Francesca: yeah I do actually I haven't eaten it very often but I like spicy foods, mmm spicy, speziatoso, piccanteumm.. solo il pensiero di mangiare indiano ancora mi come si dice in inglese, mi fa venire l'acquolina in bocca, ah si it makes my mouth water oh I'm fine with Indian too and especially (laughs) if it's meant to be out of this world!!! Se questo take away è davvero dell' altro mondo Alessandro: great, coz I've been dying for an excuse to try this take away for myself, so what will I order?

Sam: I'll have lamb rogan josh with Pilau rice what about you Francesca?

Francesca: ..er I'm not sure I can never remember the names of the food, they are very strange sounding, what do you recommend?

Alessandro: well I'd say if you like lamb to get lamb rogan which is lamb curry in a spicy tomato sauce, it's heaven, especially if the lamb's tender it just melts in your mouth, or chicken marsala which is chicken in a creamy sauce, it's a milder curry, cioè delicato, we tend to stay clear of beef with mad cows disease about…

Sam: yeah "better safe than sorry" not that we can do much about it now but we avoid eating it anyway

Francesca: if it melts in your mouth, scelgo l'agnello, poi come dicono loro, è meglio non mangiare beef, con la mucca pazza, mad cow's disease,! I'll have the lamb rogan too, it sounds lovely

Alessandro: ok then, I'll call the order through straightaway, they should deliver it within half an hour, Back in a sec (goes to phone the order)

Sam: right then I'll set the table, Francesca, would you like a cold beer with your curry or would you prefer wine?

Francesca: set the table,…set the table ….oh it's the same for me, what are you having?

Sam: well Ale always has lager, which is what people usually have with curry, but I don't like lager or beer, so I'll have water

Francesca: I can't believe you don't like beer it's impossible, all English people like beer,

Sam: (laughing) well we're not all alcoholics you know

Francesca: (laughs ) of course not, well I guess I'll have a.. er.. Sam is the lager the clear coloured beer?

Sam: yeah, lager is clear and beer is dark, oh god do you have the same problem ale had, he was always calling lager, blonde beer it used to make the barman at the pub laugh so much

Alessandro: what made the barman laugh so much?

Sam: oh nothing

Alessandro: umm not sure I believe you, Is she taking the mickey out of me again??

Francesca: taking the mickey?…. no no she's not, she was talking about something else, honest, Sam. So what did they say?

Alessandro: well it's excellent news, they said it'll be here in half an hour. Francesca: great I'm starving!! The door bell rings

Sam: Wow that was quick! Surely it can't be the take away???

To be continued.