Chapter 2 : new friends (strutture: present simple, present continuous; can, like+ing form )
The four young people soon become friends. They work with each other; they go out in a group in the evenings; and they explore London together. Ingrid and Ute are saving (= stanno risparmiando) money to visit Ireland. The girls live in a hostel in Earl’s Court. They go out all the time. Ingrid shows the boys a kiosk in Leicester Square that sells theatre tickets for only £6 instead of £20. The tickets are for shows performed (= messi in scena) that day. The boys see two musicals in this way and a Shakespeare play. Ingrid, Ute and Fabio do not comprehend a word of the Shakespeare play. Maurizio insists he understands and enjoys Hamlet, but he falls asleep in the third act. Ingrid and Ute go to pubs most evenings. London Pubs are all different. One night they go to ’Dirty Dicks’, near Liverpool Street station. The novelty in that pub is that it is very dirty. Cobwebs (= ragnatele) adorn the doors. The girls like ‘The Backpacker’, always full of young forefingers (=ragazzi) at the weekends. Fabio likes playing pool (=bigliardo) in ‘Elbow Room’. One night Ingrid tells him he looks like ‘Paul Newman’ in ‘The Hustler.’“In his time, Paul Newman was the sexiest film star in the world.”
Of course, the kids (=ragazzi) communicate in English. Fabio learns English really quickly and now he can talk to Ingrid. He even tries to think of places to take her. Their best trip is to Hyde Park.
Hyde Park is a vast green space in the very heart (= proprio nel centro) of London. Fabio and Ingrid arrive at the park in the morning and watch the people riding their horses. They take a boat on the Serpentine. Fabio rows (=rema) and Ingrid gives him chocolate ice cream.
Later they walk along the Serpentine. Fabio looks at the couples kissing on the grass. He wants to kiss Ingrid. He tries to take Ingrid’s hand. At that moment Ingrid shouts. “Look, there is the statue of Peter Pan!” Ingrid runs to the sculpture.
The statue is of a small boy. “Oh,” says Fabio. “Peter Pan from the Walt Disney cartoon.”
Ingrid looks annoyed (= seccata) . “No. Peter Pan is an English, children’s story by J. M. Barrie. I like it a lot.”
Ingrid looks lovely and Fabio decides to kiss her. However, he never gets the chance. The girls find a job in Dublin and leave McDonald’s that week.
The boys accompany them to Euston Station. Ingrid and Ute are very excited. Fabio buys a German magazine for Ingrid to read on the train. Ingrid shyly (=timidamente) gives him her picture.
“if you want to write to me…?” she asks.
“Of course….,” Fabio promises her. “Bye.”
Fabio and Maurizio stand and watch the train leave the station.
Two weeks later the boys get their last week’s money from McDonald’s and leave for Manchester.