The Interview That Wasn't Recorded
A free B1-level English story for language learners, readable online in 5 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Jalen realizes after an hour that he never recorded his podcast interview with a retired baker.
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Jalen leans back in his chair and smiles at Wanda across the little table. For an hour, she has been telling him about forty years in her bakery on Mill Street. She has described the winter when the ovens broke. She has told him about the bride who came in for a cake at six in the morning.
"That's wonderful," Jalen says. "I think that's everything I need. Thank you so much for your time."
He reaches for his recorder to switch it off. The red light is not on. He presses the button, then presses it again. The screen says, Ready to record. Jalen's stomach drops. In sixty minutes, he has not recorded a single word.
He thinks about pretending that everything is fine. He could write down what he remembers and say the quotes are from memory. But the real stories would be gone, and Wanda deserves better. He takes a deep breath.
"Wanda, I have to tell you something embarrassing. I forgot to press record. Nothing was saved."
Her eyebrows rise, and for a second he is sure she will be angry. Instead, she laughs, a big, warm laugh that fills the room. "Oh, dear. Thirty years ago I did the same thing with a camera. Half of my daughter's first birthday was a picture of the floor."
"I'm so sorry," Jalen says. "Would you be willing to do it again? I promise I'll check the light this time."
"Of course. But I should warn you, I don't remember what I said before."
"That's fine. I will ask different questions."
This time, the red light glows, and Jalen checks it twice. Because Wanda has no script to follow, she wanders into new territory. She tells him about the night the whole street lost power. That night, she says, she baked bread by candlelight for the neighbors. She tells him about the old man who came every morning for one roll and never once spoke.
When they finish, Jalen listens to the first minute of the recording just to be safe. Then he looks at her. "That was better than the first time."
"Then you should forget to record more often," Wanda says. She reaches for the last cookie on the plate.
