“It’s not that…” The thick accent of his best friend threw Andrzej off guard. It wasn’t bad, but it was so specific that he thinks she will never hide her roots. Which isn’t bad, it doesn’t even sound grating or unpleasant, but it was surprising. He liked it personally; it didn’t make understanding her that much harder, to his knowledge, because she spoke clearly, calmly, and patiently, but it was just distinct enough to sound nice. He had been working with Eliza for years now, starting their careers in the same company – straight out of college, and they bonded. English just never really came up. He wasn’t particularly good at it, but he knew that she was “Sir, you’ve got to understand, it is not our responsibility to take care of order tracking.” He noted that she spoke softly, even despite the customer’s constant yelling and threats that he normally handled. There was a spark of admiration in his eyes as he watched her converse with the very angry man. Some representative for a company came here of his own will, considering he and Eliza are the ones usually handling this company and this is not the person they usually spoke with. It seems he will be filling out paperwork for the next hour or so, just so the proper representative knows. That digression aside, he really was amazed at his friend. Andrzej realized, very quickly, his inability to handle the situation. If not for her, he’d be trying to play charades with the representative, who, much to his surprise, had not known a lick of polish. How did he get by in a country where it was the only ‘official’ language? Andrzej had no idea, but considering his temperament, he may just not be from around here. He listened to the argument go on, understanding very little of their talk. He can speak fluent German, but English just slips past him. “I will call the number given as soon as I have your answer, Sir. My apologies for the issue once again.” It was around ten minutes later when the customer had been, thankfully, pacified by his friend’s soft tone and sweet words. Eliza turned to him with a smile, letting out a very tired and exasperated sigh. “Chyba nie wróci, tak myślę” She’d say, using the moment when no one was around to lean on the counter with a groan. “Nie mam nawet pojęcia o czym mówiliście” Andrzej said with amusement, a soft smile hidden under a decent amount of empathy. “Ale dzięki Bogu że tu byłaś” He added, giving her a pat on the back. “Wiesz… mogę ci pomóc” Eliza straightened her posture, head tilted at her friend. “Z Angielskim– Wiem że firma nie ma żadnych warsztatów w najbliższym czasie ale mam jeszcze książki z liceum… No, i doświadczenie w robieniu ludziom korki” The man raised a brow at the proposition, though seemingly in thought as he pondered the offer “Nie jestem specialnie… dobry- Języki nigdy nie wychodziły mi jakoś specialnie” He cringed, looking to the side with embarrassment, avoiding her eyes. His friend looked at him with pity but also with her usual kindness. “To pomogę! Widzisz – angielski jest istotny w świecie w którym żyjemy, a ja mam kilka wolnych wieczorów. Załatw nam jakieś przekąski a ja nauczę cię podstaw. Kto wie, może uda mi się zachęcić cię do jakiś kursów!” The woman grinned, hand outstreched to her companion. Andrzej hesitated, letting out a defeated exhale after a moment, followed by a playful smile as he took the offered hand. “Deal. Piątek?” “Piątek”
Artykuł opublikowany w ramach konkursu pisarskiego „Język w biznesie i życiu”
Autor: Sonia Borawska