When you’ve got planned something and it doesn’t happen or work out for some reason you can say that it’s fallen through. In the first, friends Jimmy and Marc meet up for a coffee.
Jimmy: I haven't seen you for ages. How are things? The last time we had a chat you were all excited about buying stuff for the new flat. Have you moved in yet? You’ll have to give me the address.
Marc: I've been keeping a low profile recently. Yes, the last time I saw you I was looking forward to moving into a new place. But the whole thing fell through.
Jimmy: Oh, no! What happened?
Marc: Everything, absolutely everything, went wrong. You know I was getting married at the end of the month. Well, the engagement has fallen through as well. Tony and I have split up.
Jimmy: Dude! I had no idea!
Marc: Neither of us wanted to be the subject of gossip, so we kept the news low key. We decided to just get on with things separately and go our own ways. No big deal, really.
Jimmy: Breaking off your engagement? No big deal? I’m shocked! You don't seem at all upset.
Marc: I'm not. Tony was offered a promotion at work but it meant she had to move to work in the Sydneyoffice. My job is going really well and there was no way I was going to give up my career and move to Australia. So we decided to go our separate ways. We’re still in touch and I'm fine about it all. Now, after all that let me buy you another Capuccino?
Molly is the manager of a bookshop. Today, Rebecca, the regional manager has called in to discuss something with her.
Rebecca: Do you have the sales figures for ‘Mystery at Midnight’?
Molly: It’s selling very well. We sold two hundred and fifty-two copies last week, and six hundred and thirty last month in total. It was only published five weeks ago. It’s currently our top selling fiction title.
Rebecca:Yes, it’s doing well in all our shops. The book signing in two weeks’ time should boost sales even further. This is the first publicity tour J.D. Westgate has done in Asia, even though she’s been a best selling author here for quite some time. The TV adaptations of her books have done wonders for sales. Don't you think it’s time to put up some posters to advertise the book signing?
Molly: Ah. Obviously the publishers have not informed you. I got an email from them three days ago: the Westgate book signings have fallen through. The whole tour has been cancelled. The reason they give is a health problem. But a friend who works in a bookshop in London says she hasn’t cancelled her signings in the UK. And she’s been doing the rounds of all the TV chat shows to publicise ‘Mystery at Midnight’.
Rebecca: It’s the first I’ve heard of this! And we’ve bought two thousand extra copies of the title to sell at the signings. What details did they give?
Molly: They didn’t. Just said that the publicity trip to Asia had fallen through because of health issues.
Rebecca: If the woman’s ill, she’s ill. But it’s odd she hasn't cancelled events in Britain, and odd that the publisher’s office here has said nothing. I’ll give them a call this afternoon and find out what’s happening.