Cargando...Waitress Yarima Merino didn’t hesitate for a moment. «The important thing now is to follow protocol,» she told herself. She immediately called the head of security to inform him that a customer had left behind a small toiletries bag.
I waited for him to arrive without touching anything, and then we opened the bag together. It contained a lot of money. He immediately contacted the person who was about to leave the hotel at Playa Caleta in Varadero without realizing what he had lost after completing his stay.
According to Yarima, the customer — a project manager in Havana who did not want to reveal his identity — announced the amount of money when he returned. «We insisted on counting each bill until we verified that the $30 000, 400 000 Cuban pesos, and valuable wristwatch were indeed there.»
She recounted how, while the customer counted his money and convinced himself that everything was fine, she exchanged proud glances with María Isabel Carmenate, the secretary of the union office, who was present when the found item was returned to its owner.
Yarima maintains that «there is no reason to take what does not belong to you.» Not even now, amid such a tense economic situation.” No one should keep what does not belong to them.» «I always tell my 13-year-old son that.»
She has worked at Playa Caleta for 17 years and takes pride in being part of a sector that strives to provide the tourism the country needs. Above all, we offer safety to visitors and the certainty that we will do everything in our power to ensure they have a pleasant stay.
Another waitress at the same facility, Maddiolys Herrera Cárdenas, recently returned a wallet containing 140,000 pesos to its owner. This is a common gesture in the tourism industry, says María Isabel, the author of the initiative to donate tips to public health programs. This initiative has spread throughout the country under the name Mi Aporte a la Vida (My Contribution to Life).
