El mes pasado os dejé un extracto del primer capítulo de mi nuevo libro 'Aethelflaed and the Missing Trophy'. Este mes seguimos con el segundo capítulo. "Su amiga - Natalia – ha conseguido que Aethelflaed trabaje en el restaurante de sus padres".
(El libro se vende en forma digital o en papel a 2,99 €. El primer libro 'Aethelflaed and the Missing Trophy' se vende a solo 0,99 €. Visita amazon.es y busca 'jonathanolliffe' o 'profesornativo gratis'.
Had a furious King Henry II known what was going to happen when he publicly denounced Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, he would have held his tongue.
“Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?” he supposedly spat out in 1170, enraged to see his authority undermined by the church. Becket had refused to crown his son King of England. Hearing these words, four knights slipped out and galloped down to Canterbury, seat of Thomas Becket, the head of the Church of England.
The rest is History. The four knights entered the cathedral and cut open Becket's skull, leaving him in a pool of blood on the floor of the Cathedral. The shock waves were felt across medieval Europe. The king himself had to do penance23 at the scene
of the murder, and from that day for centuries pilgrims flocked to Canterbury.
Canterbury has now been overrun by a modern form of pilgrim, known as the tourist. Just a couple of hours from London, it is small enough to visit in one day, yet charming enough to be etched24 in memory forever.
From the station Aethelflaed had to walk through the park, under the city walls, and into the pedestrian centre, which was as always bustling with shoppers and sightseers. From the hill outside the city the cathedral can be clearly seen rising out of the city, dwarfing the houses around. Yet in the city itself it is hidden down narrow side streets. Aethelflaed ignored the ant-like procession of tourists and hurried straight down the whole length of the high street.
Most tourists stop at Westgate, either to stroll through the gardens or to take a Venetian-style punt25 along the river. Others simply see the cars beyond the tower and turn back. A few are drawn to a garish26 corner restaurant opposite the tower, painted in yellow, green and red. This was 'Café de los Amigos'. Aethelflaed made a mental note. It had taken her just over a quarter of an hour on foot, and fifteen minutes by train. Some days Natalia could give her a lift27, but not always.
It was still early, and no more than a couple of tables were occupied. Natalia's mum was in the dining area, and came forward to greet her with a warm open smile. Her name was Nieves, 'Snows' in English, which Aethelflaed found quite strange. She wondered whether there were also people in Spain called 'Rains' or 'Cloudy'.
Although she had been living in England for a few decades, Nieves' accent was just as marked as it had been on the first day. She rasped her 'h's, rolled her 'r's, cleaned her 'o's and painfully vocalised every consonant, vowel and syllable. It seemed as much of an effort for her to speak as it was for Aethelflaed to listen.
“Aethelflaed!” Nieves beamed. “If you go to the kitchen, Natalia is going to explain you that you must make28.”
“Thank you for this opportunity, Ms...Nieves.” Aethelflaed never knew how to address Natalia's mother. Although Natalia swore her parents were married, they had different surnames. Was she Mrs. Oliveira or Ms. Castro? Her insistence on Aethelflaed using
her first name was a godsend29, as it sorted out her dilemma.
“You know it's a trial, don't you Ethel?” said Natalia as she tied Aethelflaed’s apron around her waist. “If you show them what you're made of in the next few days, they'll take you on. You have to prove you're worth it though.”
“I'll show them and I'll show you, Natalia. Breathe easy and tell me what I have to do.”
“Tip one: you have to be quick but never stressed. The diners have to see that you've got everything under control.”
“OK. Tip two?”
“You'll always get some twits who make your life difficult. That's what they come in for. They give you a huge list of instructions and complain about everything.”
“So what do I do? Do I stick chilli powder in their drinks?”
“You put a curse30 on their food, and smile!”
“No problem. I can do that. What else?”
“Don't waste trips. You're going to be walking to and fro all evening. Look around and pick up plates on your way back. And make a mental check of every table you're serving. It's easy to forget one.”
“Right. Is that it?”
“The most important thing is to make a note of all the orders as soon as you hear them, because then somebody else is going to ask you for something and you'll
forget. Have a look at the menu and ask me any questions you have, 'cos there'll be things you need to explain to the diners. Things will start getting busy in half an hour.”
Aethelflaed sat and looked at the menu.
23 A punishment that you inflict on yourself as a show of repentance for something you have done wrong.
24 When you write or draw something in stone.
25 Boat that is moved by pushing a pole into the riverbed.
26 With lots of bright and conflicting colours.
27 If somebody 'gives you a lift', they take you somewhere in their car. 'Can you give me a lift to the station?'
28 Four very common mistakes with Spanish speakers. (1) With a conditional (If you go to...) you should use 'will', not 'going to' (2)Do not use an object with 'explain'. (3) Use 'what' not 'that' (4) There is a confusion between 'Make' and 'Do' – full exercise in'Understanding Language'. The sentence should be: 'Natalia will explain what you must do.'
29 Godsend = Something or someone which is perfect, a great help
30 When you call on a supernatural power to do harm to someone
