The Telephone Odyssey of Teresa and her Three Little Dogs! 🐕🐕🐕

It was the afternoon of Epiphany, one of those afternoons when you can no longer cope with your life after weeks of parties, big meals, and eternal after-dinner conversations. I, sunk in the abyss of the January slope, surrounded by mountains of clothes to be ironed and with a subterranean level of motivation, decided to take a break. We had eaten, and I was in my zen moment: smoking a cigarette and tasting a piece of Vicent nougat (that truffle and orange one that could bring anyone back to life!). 🍫✨ The TV was on in background noise mode and I was thinking that nothing could interrupt that moment of peace… Until my cell phone rings. 📱

I look at the number, don’t recognize it, and pick up:

– MasTorencito, good afternoon, tell me.
– Hello, good afternoon, I’m Teresa, a former customer of yours… Are you Miguel?
– Yes, it’s me, Teresa, how can I help you? Happy New Year. 🎉

The lady’s tone was friendly, one of those people who talk to you as if they have known you all your life. And so began what seemed to be a routine conversation… but no, my friends. This was going to become the call of the year.

– Look, I would like to book a few days for Easter with the dogs.
– Perfect, Teresa. How many would that be?
– Well, just me… and my three little dogs. 🐕🐕🐕

At that moment my brain activated the radar: Three little dogs? That sounds interesting already! But we had to be careful, the logistics were not easy:

– How do you climb stairs? I ask because of the type of room…
– Well… I stand up for myself.

Fatal error! 😅 I already knew what that meant: no way she was going to climb more than one step. I was already imagining the drama on the day of her arrival, with Teresa and her three little dogs staring at the stairs as if they were Everest. So, with the upstairs rooms ruled out, I went to plan B:

– What do you think of the room at the entrance? It is very spacious and has only one step.
– Ah, yes… that sounds good. How much would it be?
– 150 per day with breakfast. 🥐☕

And here began the classic bargaining of reservations:

– What do you mean, 150? Prices have gone up a lot since the last time I was there! Are they still running the same?
– Yes, of course.
– And the dinners?
– No, dinners are no longer given. I’ll explain how it works now…

And there, all of a sudden, he drops the bomb on me:

– Are we still at the big table all together?

Big table? What big table? My brain made a quick trip to the past, and then I understood: the lady had come centuries ago, because since the pandemic, big tables are a Jurassic thing. Intrigued, I asked her:

– How long since you’ve been here?
– A little while.
– Ahhh, well, let me explain. The table changed with the pandemic, we had to separate them… blah blah blah. For what dates more or less?
– It would be 4 or 5 days in April, with Easter. Me and my three dogs. 🐕🐕🐕

Here I was already starting to make mental calculations as I watched, with cartoon eyes, as the bills flew towards my cash register. 💵💵

– How much would it be?
– Depends on the type of room.
– The best.

I give him the price, and his response knocks me out:

– Wow, prices have really gone up since the last time I was there!
– When was the last time you were there?

And here came the crowning moment:

– About 17 years ago. 😱
– Pardon me?

Yes, gentlemen. Seventeen years. The last time this lady came, Spain was probably still in the transition between the peseta and the euro, Nokia 3310s were the top of the line, and I had some hair on my head. She, so calm, continues:

– Yes, the dining room was next to my room.

That’s when my mind went into overdrive. The dining room upstairs? My goodness… If that was in prehistoric times! I bit my tongue to keep from blurting out something like «And how could you not remember the dinosaurs that were passing by back then?», but I opted to be politically correct:

– Ma’am, that was a long, long time ago…
– Well, I don’t think so.
– No, no… If that’s good, it means he took a good memory of us.
– Oh yes, I remember the little brown golden dog… Is she still around?

At this point, nostalgia mixed with surrealism. My dear Manuela… how to explain to her that she is no longer with us without going into uncomfortable territory. I decided to be brief:

– Oh, my Manuela… No, she’s gone.
– Where to?

Where to? 😬 Here I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I opted for diplomacy:

– No, she passed away a couple of years ago.
– Oh, what a shame, she was so nice.

As we continued talking, I noticed that the Energy Drink commercials on TV had already ended, which meant we had been talking for at least 15 minutes. But it was still going on:

– How many people would that be?
– Me and my three bitches.
– Oh, that’s right, you told me that before. 😅

Finally, the end of the negotiation came. She, still outraged by the current prices, throws in her last shot:

– It just seems a bit expensive to me… I remember it was less.
– Normal, ma’am. It’s been more than 15 years, things go up!
– So how much would it be for the five days?
– Well, for being an old customer and for Manuela’s affection… I’ll leave it at 500 eur. with breakfast. Is that OK?
– Thank you very much, can I call you tomorrow to confirm?
– Of course you can! Call me as many times as necessary.

We hung up, and there I was left pondering.

Conclusion:

😂 What patience you have to have in this job! 17 years later, and Teresa still remembers everything as if it were yesterday, even though the world has changed a thousand times since then. Nostalgia, dogs and selective memory are an explosive combination. In the end, beyond the prices, the important thing is that the memory of our dear Manuela and the old big tables are still alive in the hearts of our customers… even though centuries have passed! 🐾❤️

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From MasTorrencito we wish you a good day and may your dogs be with you!!!!

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