Story 1 (Part 1/2) A funny thing happened to me when I was out with my friends about a year ago. I had gone to Moscow on business, and while there stopped to visit a friend of mine, whom I had not seen for quite a while. Upon my arrival, I rented a car and made my way to the office. While driving from the airport, I called Alex and we arranged to meet at a Chinese restaurant nearby. We had a drink and chatted about old times for what must have been an hour. I was all set to say goodbye, when he asked me where I was staying. I told him that I had not yet had time to give it a thought and he invited me to stay at his apartment. Anyway, I needed a place to stay for a few days. So I agreed. He lived in a nice condominium overlooking the water. The large complex of twenty 42-storey blocks was situated on about ten acres of land near a beautiful artificial lake, hidden from the busy streets of downtown by a small grove of trees and a long narrow lane. The apartment was a small two-bedroom unit on the top floor of a tall grey building at number 21, with high French windows and a wide sun terrace from which you could see the full sweep of the city’s skyline. Separated from the main room was a cozy living room, with a double sofa bed for guests. I dropped my duffel bag off at the room and went out on my errands. As I was exiting, Alex called me back and said, “There’s a party tonight. John and Zoe will be there — you know them. You can come along if you like.” There seemed to be no reason to refuse, so I told him that I would call him when I was ready. -- The task was to write a story beginning with the words “A funny thing happened to me when I was out with my friends...” Sorry, it is a bit long. I am not sure about the usage of some words, so I would appreciate it if you could correct me. Thank you :)