GABRIEL: It is good to have found this place in the middle of the

GABRIEL: It is good to have found this place in the middle
of the road. I am very hungry.
LUIS: Yes, I knew it in my last trip. The food is very
tasty and plentiful, and what’s more, it is not expensive.
What about this table?
GABRIEL: It’s good. Actually, I don’t care about the
table. I need to eat right now.
LUIS: Well, sit down.
Gabriel, what will you ask for?
GABRIEL: You have told me so much about the breaded pork
steaks that your mother makes, that you have tempted me,
so I will ask just that, served with Russian salad.
LUIS: Okay, but don’t expect them to be as nice as those
my mom prepares.
GABRIEL: And you Luis, already know what will you ask for?
LUIS: No. I am going to read the menu. Let’s see...
Baked chicken with potatoes ... No, I don’t like it.
Barbecue... No, it will be very heavy to digest, and I
have to continue driving.
Spaghetti with Bolognese sauce... Yes, I love it! I want
that.
GABRIEL: What is Bolognese?
LUIS: It’s a sauce made with tomato, onion, garlic and
much minced meat. It’s my favourite to serve with pasta.
And to drink, I thought about natural orange juice, but it
doesn’t go with pasta, so I will just drink coke with ice.
And, what will you drink?
GABRIEL: Beer. A three quarters litre bottle.
LUIS: Don’t you think it is too much, Gabriel?
GABRIEL: You are driving. Let me drink in peace.
LUIS: Hey, it’s okay!
I just remember that when you were a child your parents
had accustomed you to drink milk with the lunch.
You’ve changed so much!
GABRIEL: Yes, but what you don’t know is that when I was
fourteen I began to steal the beer of my dad, jaja.
Here comes the waiter.
Well, spaghetti Bolognese for my friend, and a breaded
pork steak with Russian salad for me.
To drink, a coke with ice and a three quarters litre
bottle of beer.
WAITER: All right.
LUIS: What did your boss tell you when you asked him for
five free days to do this trip?
GABRIEL: I have no boss, I work freelance.
I’m web site designer, and I work directly with my
clients. With some of them I work online, so I’ve never
seen them personally.
LUIS: It’s lucky to have no boss who is watching you all
the time.
GABRIEL: Yes, it has many advantages, but to work without
a boss, you have to be very aware of your
responsibilities.
The fact of not having a boss watching you does not mean
that you can do whatever you want. Your own conscience
must control you. And, in the beginning, it’s not so easy
to achieve that, since you take advantage of your labour
freedom badly, and sometimes you are late at work, or maybe
you go out earlier, just because you want it. That reduces
your performance, and customers can notice it.
LUIS: Of course. I don’t like to have bosses, but if I
wouldn’t have them, I think I would spend all day drinking
coffee in my office.
However, I imagine that it has more pros than cons.
GABRIEL: Sure Luis, but it depends on the personality of
each one. Otherwise, everybody would work freelance, don’t
you think so?
For example, I have the advantage to have no boss
controlling me, but, on the other hand, my salary depends
entirely on the amount of work that I have in the month.
So I never know how much money I will get the following
month.
I mean, you can never plan you life in economical terms,
at least the early years.
I learned to take it easy, but if you are not used to work
freelance, the economical uncertainty can make you crazy.
Perhaps I have an average salary similar to yours, but yet
I cannot start any major purchase, because I never know if
I will collect the following month the same money as the
current one. Do you understand?
LUIS: Yes, you are right. I hadn’t thought about it.
GABRIEL: Also, work independence must be definitive.
If today I had to find work again as an employee, it would
be somewhat like returning to live at my parent’s home. I
would feel I have failed.
LUIS: I understand.
My job is completely different. I have the economical
security you don’t have, at the expense of supporting the
whole day my boss giving me orders.
GABRIEL: Enjoy the benefits and try not to worry about
your boss.
Hey, how long it’s taking the food!
LUIS: It’s true, how strange. Now I'm feeling sleepy. I
think I will take a nap in the car after lunch, and
continue the travel afterwards.
GABRIEL: Luis, don’t you like to travel at night?
LUIS: I love it, but I have not good eyesight and the
roads are very dark. So that I only accept to travel at
night if I have not to drive.
GABRIEL: If you want, we can return at night, if you let
me drive.
LUIS: Mmm, we’ll see. Don't get me wrong, but I’m a little
jealous about my car. I have never let someone else drive
it.
GABRIEL: I understand.
Think about it. If you want, just tell me.
LUIS: Moreover, you drink alcohol.
GABRIEL: Yes Luis, but I do not do it when I drive.
LUIS: Mmm, all right, I accept. We will return at night
and you will drive.
GABRIEL: Excellent! I love to drive at night.
LUIS: It will be the first time I travel as passenger in
my own car, so you better drive very carefully, Gabriel.
GABRIEL: Don’t worry, I haven’t had traffic penalties for
years. It just happened when I was a teenager; in weekends
I stole the beer to my father and I took his car by night,
while he slept.
Hey, nice, here comes the food!
LUIS: Jaja. Don’t expect I speak while I have lunch, I'm
starving.
GABRIEL: No problem. I am hungry too.
LUIS: Better, so we don’t delay much, as we are already
delayed, and I still need to sleep some minutes before to
continue with the travel.
GABRIEL: All right, let’s eat.