Span-ese and Cell Phones

(Little bit of background for you: Besides yer' standard taxi cabs, many people also register their personal vehicles as taxis so that they may make more money through a second job as a driver. Rather than having a metered rate, you negotiate the fare with the driver before climbing in.)
Well, the first cab to pull up was a private driver. Usually we would shoo these away, but with our new-found power of knowing our numbers (up to 99), we decided to try negotiating. I showed the driver the destination, and asked him how much it would be. He said one number, which I initially translated as 60. I told him 50, and he agreed. I proudly climbed into the taxi with Zach, mentally patting myself on the back for being so capable. This feeling lasted for two blocks, when I began recalling what number the driver had said. Oh no! I thought, a fuzzy memory of him saying "s--shi." Had he said si shi? I was now pretty sure he had. And I instantly thought, upon hearing the first "s" sound, "seis," which is 6 in Spanish. With "seis" unconsciously rolling around my mind, I translated what he said as 60, instead of 40. I sat there in the cab, my sense of pride lost and replaced with the embarrassment of talking the driver UP instead of down. Oy vey! However, I did not lament after what happened next...

Shortly after stepping out of the cab at our destination, Zach's face fell. "I forgot my cell phone!"
"Where?"
"In the cab!"
The cab was out of sight. Zach quickly grabbed my cell phone out of my purse, and called his number again and again. Our friends (who had followed in another cab) showed up to our distressed faces craning left and right looking to see if the driver was anywhere to be seen. After three tense, long minutes we saw a familiar black Hyundai, and the driver smiling and waving at us on the other side of the street. Our driver's smile melted away the tension, and the busy intersection suddenly felt more friendly. Thankfully, there was enough of a break in traffic to allow me to dash across and retrieve the cell phone which our cab driver had heard ringing, and turned around to return it to us.
After a lovely day of not losing a cell phone, seeing the Museum, tasting Changyu wines, and walking along the shore, I can just chuckle at myself now. Just got to keep working on those numbers, I guess! And thanks a million to our driver today!