Adaptation of the Latin American Folk Tale
In a town in Latin America, in a large house with a garden, lived a lonely man who only liked the company of his old servant.
The servant had been in his service for many years and took care of all the chores so that the home was always clean and tidy. Every morning she would get up before dawn to make the beds, dust, and have breakfast ready first thing in the morning. There was no one more professional, helpful and polite than him, and for that, the lord of the house respected and appreciated him very much.
One day this man, who ran a company and was always very busy, came home very upset.
– I’m so mad! All morning in work meetings and it has not served any purpose. I am surrounded by lazy people who do not have two fingers of a forehead!
The servant, who had confidence with him, tried to take iron out of the matter so that he would calm down.
– Rest assured that you will see how the problem is not so serious and has a solution. I hate that he comes back from the office so disgusted. He has turned so red that it looks like he is going to explode!
But he was still fuming, waving his hands and yelling like a riot.
– I can not, I can not! On top of that, I haven’t eaten for six hours and I’m starving! Serve me the food right now or else I’m going to pass out!
The servant nodded and hurried off into the kitchen. Two minutes later he returned to the dining room with a large bowl of soup in his hands.
– Here is a delicious vegetable soup, your favorite. Go ahead, take it, you’ll see how good it suits you.
The gentleman sat down at the table, tied a polka dot napkin around his neck, and dipped his spoon into the soup. As soon as he tried it …
– Yuck, how disgusting soup! This is inedible! It does not have a pinch of salt and on top of it it is ice cold!
It was the last straw; He got up and, in a fit of fury, grabbed the plate and threw it out the window.
At first the servant did not know what to think or what to do, but he immediately reacted; In silence he approached the table, took the bread, the wine, the napkin, the cutlery and the tablecloth, and also threw them out the window with so much desire that they crossed half the garden.
The lord’s screams echoed through the house.
– But what are you doing, useless ?! How dare you throw away my belongings Who do you think you are?
The servant, without losing his calm, looked him in the eye and replied:
– Excuse me, sir, but I didn’t mean to do anything wrong. As you threw the soup out the window I assumed you wanted to have dinner in the garden, so I just did the same as you: I have thrown everything you need to enjoy your meal under the trees. Outside you have the bread, wine, napkin, cutlery and tablecloth at your disposal.
The master felt very ashamed because he knew that his servant and old friend only wanted to show him how ugly his behavior had been.
– I’m sorry, I’m very sorry … Because of my nerves I have behaved like an irrational, rude and arrogant being. I hope you know how to forgive me.
The servant smirked and came over to give him a hug. An unpleasant situation never arose between them and they continued to respect each other for the rest of their lives.
