[originaltext]W: Hi, Peter. I just wondered if you fancied coming out for a cof

W: Hi, Peter. I just wondered if you fancied coming out for a coffee.
M: Oh, I was just writing a letter.
W: Writing a letter! Is your phone out of order?
M: No —well, not exactly a letter. Ben’s applied for a job at a children’s summer camp, and they’ve asked me for a character reference. He must have put me down as one of his referees.
W: Oh dear —you’re not going to tell them the truth, are you?
M: What do you mean?
W: Well, he’s a self-important show-off.
M: Oh, come on, he’s not that bad —I mean, kids love him. He’s always entertaining his little brother’s friends with his magic tricks and silly jokes.
W: Oh yes, he’s great with children —but he’s a big kid himself, isn’t he?
M: Yes, I suppose he is a bit immature.
W: Also, he hates taking orders from anybody. Do you remember that job he had last summer in a restaurant? He ended up throwing a bucket of water over the chef when she asked him to wash the kitchen floor.
M: Oh no, don’t remind me. He won’t do anything he doesn’t enjoy, will he? Mind you, he did run that restaurant single-handed when the chef and two of the waiters were off sick with food poisoning.
W: That’s true. He’s good at a crisis. But having said that, he’s good at causing a crisis as well —I mean, you know the food poisoning was his fault, don’t you?
M: Oh, yes —oh dear, this isn’t helping. OK. Let’s go out for a coffee.