“Retired” Ex-parking Attendant Honoured by Spanish Community in Touching Local Ceremony!

Click the piece below and read the first installment.

In latest fake news —

No sooner had our friend, “Robin Royal”(an Alias), landed in Spain, than he set out on his next adventure.

Deck Chair Vendor

We first fast-forward two years, the entire village of Cadaqués, Spain came out to honour “Robin” as one of its own. Mayor Josep Parellade, in his celebratory speech, offered a glowing review of “Robin”.

When asked why his family had picked Cadaqués all those generations ago, “Robin” joked that it was a town known to have run contraband for years.

“And if its good enough for thieves, Salvador Dali and Picasso … its good enough for us”, he said.

Meanwhile at Bristol Zoo, still struggling from the effects of Covid lock down, a note arrived postmarked “Madrid, Spain”. It contained an anonymous donation. The card which had a deck chair scene on the front, contained two cashiers cheques:

Here’s a couple of “monkeys”** to buy that Western Gorilla the zoo needs!

-it was for £100 000 K.

The note on the second cheque read:

Use as required!

-It was for a cool £500 000 K.

A rumour quickly gathered momentum, that the anonymous donor was a Spanish “Royal” and family member to Queen Elizabeth.

Back to “Robin’s arrival in Spain :-

“Deck Chairs, Deck Chairs … get your Deck Chairs while there’s sunshine!”, “Robin” shouted.

In Cadaqués, you need a license and vendor sign to rent out deck chairs. They’re obtainable from the local Spanish Municipality at the Provincial Capital in Girona.

But the municipality have not given out any licenses for decades.

Consequently, our “Robin” arrived from Bristol, and put up his own sign, he put on his lucky Bristol Zoo, parking-attendant-high-“viz”-jacket, and started renting out deck chairs. It seemed the right thing to do, despite not having a license.

His sign did not look at all like the other signs up and down the entire coast line either. “Robin” had a cunning reason for that too … he had searched the local library archives, for a much older version of the same sign, and used that design instead.

He started by renting out just a few chairs, in the off-season … and now, a few years later, it has grown to 300-chairs.

The local police thought he had always been selling deck chairs.

After all, he had shown them an old photograph of a man selling deck chairs -PAPA ROYAL, allegedly “Robin’s” father, standing in the same spot “Robin” was standing in right now selling deck chairs.

What more proof do you need!?

The Policia Locale officer, said Robin also had the oldest sign he’d ever seen on the entire coast line, and was duly convinced that “Robin’s” family must have been the ORIGINAL deck chair vendors, as only they had that very old sign.

“Robin” had no idea who the man in the photograph was. He had found it while rummaging around in an old pawn shop in the village. He immediately knew the exact spot the photograph was taken, the moment he laid eyes on it. So he purchased it for 10 cents. “Robin” immediately hatched a plan.

That 10 cent photo turned out to be the second best investment of his life!

For 10 cents, “Robin” had acquired an incredible pedigree and history with an unalienable right to rent out deck chairs … he had photographic proof of his “father” selling deck chairs, decades earlier.

This was irrefutable family lineage.

After a very successful two year trading period, the local municipal council, and particularly Mayor Josep Parellade unanimously voted for “Robin” to stop paying the required monthly traders fee.

This was the cause for the celebration mentioned earlier.

It was decided that “Robin’s” family had paid enough and done enough in the community. His “patch” would be his forever. The Mayor remarked —

“Three generations of Deck Chair Vendors had seen to that.”

During the ceremony, both “Robin” and “Mrs Royal” looked positively gobsmacked. People assumed it was as a result of the generous gesture from the Council. It wasn’t — they had “hoodwinked” the entire council with one photograph and an illegally made sign. How brilliant was that!

Had the residents of Cadaqués looked closely at the man in the photograph, they would have seen very little resemblance to “Robin”.

“Robin’s” generosity was becoming legendary, and his saying -“Leave a little kindness wherever you go!” was being considered as the new City Slogan. He often bought the local children ice creams from Mr. Helado, the local ice cream man.

Now new SHACKS were totally forbidden on the beachfront. It was a Municipal Decree!

“Robin” however had a brand new shack.

With electricity as well — to power the fridges that kept the bottled water and Cola’s he sold to his customers cold.

Mrs Vanquish Watts, the local hairdresser, could not fathom why her electricity account had suddenly gone up. It was a mystery.

He had recently built the shack … bit-by-bit, starting on a quiet off-season long weekend … Everybody was none the wiser … and a few weeks later, like a freckle on a nose, kissed by the sun, one minute it wasn’t there, and the next … it was.

“You’ve got to protect the shack from the harsh Spanish sun”, “Robin” stated to anybody who cared to listen, while he diligently painted it.

Some of the older locals with little to do, came out to socialize, and to help paint and drink a bit of vino supplied by a grateful “Robin” of course.

They were soon drunkenly reminiscing about the day, as boys, they remembered this old wooden shack being built. “It seemed like yesterday”, they all agreed.

In truth, it literally was.

Meanwhile in Bristol, another anonymous cheque had arrived. Marion, originally from Nottingham, had just clocked-in and was making herself a steaming mug of builders BREW, which she took to her desk and began opening the mail.

“No WAY!” Marion yelled. “He has only gone and sent us another one …!”

Marion held up another deck chair card and a cashiers cheque for a staggering £100 000 K. She immediately stood up as fast as she could —and went to “erupt” the confidential news to the zoo director,

“OUR SPANISH “ROYAL” DONOR HAS STRUCK AGAIN” …, she bellowed.

The entire zoo heard, even “Molecular”, the mole rat at the far end of the zoo heard, and as you know, they are pretty deaf.

Meanwhile back in sunny Spain, “Mrs Royal”, asked “Robin” — “Why do you persist in sending the zoo those enormous cheques?”.

He looked up from his Empanadas, smiled and quietly said:

Its not from me, its from a Spanish “Royal” … those zoo animals are the reason we are “cashed up” today my love. Always remember, “Leave a little kindness wherever you go!”.

**a monkey is £500 pounds sterling in Cockney.