The Last Drop – Episode 3

It was early in the morning. Sun’s rays were pouring in through the small kitchen window of the house. Sindhu was packing tiffin for her three children before she leaves for work. All three were sitting on the floor drinking milk from a single glass in turn.

After packing the tiffin boxes with chapatis and vegetable curry from a ready to eat packet, she breaks a tablet roughly into three parts with her knife and wraps it in small papers. She handed each of them one packet and said,

“Keep it safely and eat it after completing your tiffin.”

The elder boy yelled,

” I want more. It’s not enough.”

The second one echoed the same.

“Me too.”

The oldest of them was a girl who quietly packed her tiffin box and tablet in her bag.

Sindhu felt agitated.

“Say thanks to God that you are getting this much. There are people who can’t even afford a single Aquatab and are dying of thirst. I’m working hard to earn enough to buy this. It’s too difficult. Stop demanding and go to school. You will get late.”

“And don’t drink any water…it will make you sick”

Sindhu scolded them but her heart was crying. She never had thought such a day would come when there would be no water to drink! She did multiple jobs to buy the packed ‘waterless’ food. She couldn’t think of how one cooked food without water but it seems some factories were doing it. The world was seeing some great technological progress after fully exhausting drinking water. Maybe they were repenting or maybe it was the only way out for survival.

She worked hard to earn more. But still she found it tough to meet the food and water needs of her family. Her children were always unhappy. The tablet Aquatabs was priced decently but the demand was very high. The idea was to chew one tablet when one felt thirsty and it would work exactly like real water. But the problem was that the thirst always remained unquenched in the mind.

All the three children went to school with a dissatisfied look on their faces.

************************************

Mr Lalwani’s face was glowing in the light of the candle kept on the table in front of him. But his inner happiness also contributed to this aura. He sat in a private table in a posh restaurant in the city. A man in his late fifties, he had a huge frame with a protruding belly and thinning hair. He had a round puffy face with years of experience in dealing with people etched on it. He wore a well fitted grey Armani suit and black Gucci shoes. A gold Rolex watch adorned his hands and he smelled of some expensive perfume. But the best thing to be noted about him was that he owned the restaurant, and many more like it.

He was bubbling with enthusiasm when he spoke to the lady sitting on the other side of the candle.

“So we finally found time”

“Yes we did”

The lady spoke flashing her pearly white teeth. She was a real beauty with ivory skin and jet black hair falling loosely on her dainty shoulders. She wore a sea green chiffon saree and minimal diamond jewellery. She was in her early thirties.

“You know how it is…my movie is slated to release next week… I have a hectic schedule these days.”

She sounded apologetic.

“Oh I know…thank you for taking out time to meet me.”

“Anything for you darling”, she said batting her mascara laden eyelids.

Mr. Lalwani flushed.

“I have something for you.”

She immediately closed her eyes and said waving her manicured fingers in the most stylish way

“Oh no, not again… I know you are a diamond moghul and what not..but you have already loaded me with so many gifts… I won’t accept anymore”

Mr. Lalwani gave a short laugh and said with a mischievous grin.

“You just wait…this time it’s different…you are going to get bowled over.”

He gestured with his hands to the waiter standing in the far corner and waited.

The waiter came with a tiny cane basket decorated with a bow on top. In it lay a small bottle wrapped in silk.

Maya eyed it in confusion. Mr. Lalwani had already gifted her gold, diamond, cars and bungalows. What could this be? Some age old expensive wine?

The waiter opened the bottle and poured its contents into a glass and left.

Mr. Lalwani took the glass and offered it to Maya.

Maya’s huge doe eyes became even huger and she protested,

“What is this?”

“Water”, Mr. Lalwani replied calmly, still holding the glass to her.

“What! I don’t drink any water. It’s strictly forbidden. Water available is highly impure. Everyone has been asked to have only Aquatabs. Why on earth are you giving water to me?”

“I know everything. But this glass I’m offering to you has the purest crystal clear water. Very rare and…”

“…and very costly”, Maya completed his sentence.

Mr. Lalwani tapped the table with his fingers and said, “I have invested in the water industry and touchwood it’s going pretty well…You are sitting with the future water baron Maya.”

He laughed heartily and his rotund belly shook with him.

Maya asked with concern.

“Water industry? But where is water? It’s over, isn’t it?”

Mr Lalwani grinned.

“It’s there…it’s there …maybe the last of it… One needs to know where to find it…”
“They say if you search you can find God also, then why not water!”

Mr.Lalwani laughed at his own joke.

Maya was still doubtful.

“But who buys it? It must cost them a fortune. And for what? This small bottle can’t quench the thirst of many for that price.”

“There are people Maya..who make fortunes and can spend fortunes!”

“But you don’t worry. You are the lucky one sweetheart. Just enjoy!”

Maya took the glass from him and saw the crystal clear liquid for some time. She remembered the astrologer telling her poor mother, when Maya was just a kid,

“This girl will have everything in life except a family. But only if she uses her beauty wisely.”

Maya took a sip from the glass. It tasted like heaven on earth.

Mr. Lalwani looked super impressed with himself.

She wanted to tell her dead mother that she had chosen wisely indeed.

To be continued…