¡Diga!

This old Spanish phone is actually on sale at www.ebay.es

“¿Dónde tengo que ir para recoger el talonario para la gente de tercera edad?”

“Creo que usted se ha equivocado de número.”

“¿Me podría usted ayudar?  Tengo más años que la cuesta de Álcala.”

“Hay que llamar a 0-1-0.”

“Tengo que marcar 1-0-0 ahora?”

“0-1-0.  Hay que colgar el teléfono y volver a marcar 0-1-0.”

“Aaaah, vale.  ¿Y qué más?”

“Solo hay que colgar y marcar 0-1-0 y una persona de la Comunidad de Madrid le va a poder ayudar a usted.”

“Vale.  Solo marco 1-0-0.”

“0-1-0.”

“1-0-0. Vale”

This went on for another 3 minutes.

“Es 0-1-0.”  ¿Tiene usted para apuntar?” (I could hear him shuffling around looking for a pen)

“Tengo bolígrafo.”

“Anote, 0-1-0.”

“0-1-0.  ¿Cree usted que me van a poder ayudar?”

“Sí, señor.”

“Muchas gracias, muy amable.”

The gist of the conversation is that a very old man called our office yesterday and asked where he could pick up his social security checks.  I told him he dialed the wrong number but after he told me he was older than the hill of Álcala, I told him to call 0-1-0, a 24 hour hotline dedicated to help residents of Madrid.  I basically had to tell the old man the three-digit phone number about 50 times.  I wonder if he was able to dial it in the end?  I wonder if he was able to get his social security checks?

I have learned to have more patience as the years go by.  (Really, I have more patience now than I did last year!).