“Thank you, that does explain some things, I’m sorry if I offended your friend before.” Sophie rarely felt bad about her quick tongue, only if it really was inappropriate. But she was a little taken aback when again when Peter enjoyed his private chuckle again.

“John was an incredible writer, in many ways I admired him, but he was no friend. As a boss he worked us hard, late and more often than not, rejected what we wrote.” Sophie’s sudden sympathy for the man was temporarily returned to surprise.

“Oh, well, suddenly I don’t feel so bad. You said ‘successful writer’? What did he write exactly?”

“Oh lots of things, a couple of books, but you probably won’t have heard of them. But for the last few years he’s been the head writer and executive producer of the drama series ‘Graduates’. You heard of it?”

“Are you kidding? Quick witted university students? Lots of cute boys? I practically live by it.” Sophie had discovered the show a couple of years ago when it was in its second season.  She had been reasonably obsessed with it ever since. “You’re a writer for the show too?”

“Yes, well, kind of. John had his favourites, and usually uses them to help write the show, but the occasional episode he sometimes requires a couple of extra writers, or researchers.”

“And that’s you?”

“That was me, since John died the show ended.”

“Ended? But the last season ended in a cliff hanger, has the last season already been written?”

“John had written a pilot script for the season and a couple of episode ideas, but the studio didn’t approve it.” Sophie recalled the end of the last season as John spoke. The show itself was centred on two best friends who had both attended the same high school, but then went on to different colleges, both boys had separate courses, friends, and each had their own girlfriend. But once a week they got together for an hour on their local radio station on which they had their own show. There was a lot of comedy in it, especially since the ‘radio show’ was a comedic one, but it was a drama due to the often seriousness of the issues both boys faced. The last season they both going into their final year of studies, one of them was planning to leave the country at the end of their education, and due to a lot of ethical infringements the ‘radio show’ was threatening to be cancelled. “John had some great ideas that would have made for great television the network just didn’t think it was appropriate.”

“Was he depressed after that happened?” Sophie asked this as she suddenly realised she hadn’t learnt how her ‘father’ had died.

“He fought with the studio for a month, but he was looking more and more tired every day.”

“Is that how he died?”

“Maybe…. That or the truck that hit him.”