Lost opportunity

I think i may have just missed a job opportunity... It happened like this:

I'm checking my e-mail just now and there's a message from Per, one of the professors at the linguistics department. He says he needs an interpreter who can do italian-english-italian simultaneous translations for all day tomorrow. There's this cook who's arriving from down there, and they need to communicate with him. Someone told Per i speak italian, so if i get the msg today could i please give him a call at such and such number, no matter the hour? I'd be paid, of course...

It's 11:00 pm, sunday night... Am excited about the possibility, but the message was sent in the morning. What if the guy's in bed already? Anyways, i decide to call. He sounds glad i did, but tells me they've already found someone else. Nevertheless, it's good to have my number, he says, in case the other person doesn't show up. He asks about my italian and i honestly admit i'm no native speaker, but that i know i can manage. "Do you know much about cooking, then?", he says.

I don't intend to, but burst out laughing. I mean, in the past two months i haven't used the kitchen for anything other than boiling water, defrosting pizza, and cooking rømme graut (once)! With this thought in my mind, i giggle stupidly for a few seconds longer; silence on the other side. I finally catch my breath: "Well, i can identify ingredients. Don't ask me to put them together, though...".

"Hmmmm, good. Keep your phone with you tomorrow, and we'll give you a call you if we need you, ok? Thanks for answering to my message."

"Thank you for the chance", i say, and we hang up.

Somehow i don't think they'll call me. Seemed like in order to translate cooking, you need to be a cook yourself. Either that, or to sound a little less hysterical on the phone.