What Sophie Told Me

A story about conversations, secrets, and what gets lost in the retelling

💬 Highlighted text = reported speech. Notice how the original words are transformed.

I ran into James at the café on Tuesday morning. He was sitting alone, looking a little pale, and he waved me over. He told me he had had an argument with his boss that morning. I was surprised — James never talks about work problems.

He explained that his boss thought he was not working hard enough. According to James, his boss had said that if James didn't improve his results, she would have to reconsider his contract. He looked really stressed when he said this.

I asked him how he felt about it. He replied that he felt betrayed, and that he had been working extra hours every week. He added that no one ever noticed what he did. I felt sorry for him.

Later that afternoon, I saw Clara, a mutual friend. She asked me if I had seen James recently. I told her that I had seen James at the café that morning. She wanted to know how he was, so I explained that he was having problems with his boss and that he seemed quite upset.

Clara sighed and told me that James always took things too seriously. She mentioned that his boss was very demanding, but that she was also fair. She then asked whether James was going to talk to her directly. I honestly didn't know the answer.

That evening, I called James to check on him. He sounded calmer. He told me he had spoken to his boss again that afternoon. He said that she had apologised for being too harsh. James laughed and said that he thought everything would be fine then. I was relieved — and glad I had listened to him that morning.