At first, Pedro was baffled. Why was Lola handing him a leaf? She looked up at him, her eyes full of calm determination, waiting for his response. He hesitated, but then she nudged the leaf forward with her nose, adding a small bark that seemed to say, “Go on, take it.”
A ripple of laughter ran through the students nearby. “She’s paying with a leaf!” one of them exclaimed, snapping photos. In that moment, realization dawned on Pedro—Lola had seen people pay with thin, green paper bills, and in her clever mind, a leaf must be the same thing. She was only doing what she thought everyone else did.
Pedro played along, accepting the leaf as though it were a treasure, and rewarded Lola with her favorite sausage. The students cheered, clapping and laughing as Lola trotted off, tail high, sausage in her mouth. She settled under the old tree, savoring her prize as if it was the finest meal in the world.
It wasn’t long before Lola’s little ritual became a daily event. Every morning at exactly eleven, she’d appear at the shop with a fresh leaf held between her teeth. She’d sit at the end of the lunch line, patient and proper, waiting her turn while students glanced at her with growing amusement.
Word spread quickly. Soon, students were timing their breaks just to watch the “dog who pays for her sausage.” The spectacle turned lunch hour into a show—phones appeared as soon as Lola joined the queue, ready to record her now-famous exchange. Some students even brought extra leaves, offering them to Lola as if helping her remember her “money.” But she never forgot—her steps were steady, her routine perfect.
Pedro found himself looking forward to that moment every day. The simple act of accepting her leaf—sometimes curled, sometimes golden in autumn, always carefully chosen—felt like the highlight of his morning.