Water
It’s the precious commodity most people in the West take for granted. The privations of life in the morning consist of nothing more a longer line than usual at Starbucks, a lost newspaper or an aggressive driver on the freeway. Elsewhere, life can be different, and often is. I woke up early following a rather fitful sleep, and after debating the matter for several minutes, decided to get up and start the day with a nice hot shower. Turned the knobs, and nothing happened. I gave it a few moments, completed the rest of my ablutions and tried again. Nothing. And so strode stinking into town for a coffee, wearing yesterday’s socks. When I came back, the house man was watering the plants with the garden hose. I asked him if, indeed, the water had returned. He replied with one of those Mumbai head shakes that means yes. Minutes later, as I sat down at my laptop to begin work, he brought me a cold bottle of water. He smiled and yes, the irony was unmistakable.
