The Canceled Reservation

Miguel arrived at the restaurant fifteen minutes early, proud of himself for once for not running late. He gave his name at the host stand, expecting the usual nod toward a table. Instead, the host frowned and scrolled through a screen for a long, uncomfortable moment.

米格尔比约定时间早到了十五分钟，难得没有迟到，他为此有点得意。他在迎宾台报了名字，满以为会像往常那样得到一个指向餐桌的点头。可是，迎宾员皱起了眉头，对着屏幕往下翻了很久，那段时间让人很不自在。

"I'm not seeing a reservation under that name," Camila said. "Could it be under someone else's?"

“我没看到这个名字的预订。”卡米拉说，“会不会订在别人名下？”

It wasn't. Miguel had booked the table himself, three weeks earlier, for his parents' anniversary dinner. He checked his phone and found the confirmation email, complete with a time and a reservation number. He showed it to Camila, who studied it carefully.

不是。米格尔是三周前亲自订的这张桌子，为的是父母的结婚纪念日晚餐。他查看手机，找到了确认邮件，上面有时间，还有预订号。他把它拿给卡米拉看，她仔细地看了一遍。

"This is strange," she said. "It looks like our system dropped a batch of bookings during an update on Tuesday. I'm sorry, this must have been one of them."

“真奇怪。”她说，“看起来是我们的系统在周二更新时丢了一批预订。对不起，这个应该就是其中之一。”

Miguel's parents were due to arrive in ten minutes, and the restaurant, predictably, looked completely full. He felt a flash of frustration, then made himself breathe and think instead of react. Getting upset wouldn't put a table back on the floor.

米格尔的父母十分钟后就到，而餐厅看上去果然座无虚席。他一阵恼火，随即强迫自己深呼吸，先想办法，不要先发作。生气并不能让桌子重新回到大厅里。

"Is there anything you can do?" he asked, keeping his voice even. "It doesn't have to be the same table, just something."

“您有什么办法吗？”他问，语气保持平稳，“不一定要是原来那张桌子，有个位子就行。”

Camila disappeared into the back for a few minutes. When she returned, she explained that a four-top by the window had a reservation for eight. The party, though, had just called to say they were running very late. "I can seat you there for now," she said, "and if they arrive, we'll move you to something else immediately."

卡米拉进了后厨，几分钟后才回来。她解释说，靠窗有一张四人桌，被一个八人的团订走了。不过，那一桌刚来电话说要晚很多才到。“我可以先让您坐那里。”她说，“如果他们到了，我们马上给您换到别的位子。”

It wasn't a permanent solution, but it was a real one, and Miguel accepted gratefully. He also asked whether the restaurant could comp a round of drinks, given the mix-up. Camila agreed without hesitation, clearly eager to make things right.

这不是长久之计，却是个实实在在的办法，米格尔感激地接受了。他还问餐厅能不能因为这次差错送一轮饮料。卡米拉毫不犹豫地答应了，显然很想把事情补救好。

His parents walked in exactly on time, and Miguel met them at the door before they could notice anything unusual. He guided them straight to the window table, already set with water glasses and a small candle.

他的父母正好准时到了，米格尔在门口迎住他们，不让他们察觉任何异样。他领着他们径直走向那张靠窗的桌子，桌上已经摆好了水杯和一支小蜡烛。

Halfway through the appetizers, Camila quietly returned to let them know the original party wasn't coming after all. The table was theirs for the rest of the night. Miguel raised his glass to his parents. He decided the story of the missing reservation made for a better dinner conversation than a smooth one ever would have.

开胃菜吃到一半，卡米拉悄悄走过来告诉他们，原来的那一桌客人不来了。这张桌子整晚都是他们的了。米格尔向父母举起酒杯。他觉得，丢了预订的这段经历，比一顿一帆风顺的晚餐更值得拿来聊。