I couldn't believe this was happening... This was hands down the worst week of my life. I lost the keys to my apartment, the power went out in the city, I had to sleep on a park bench, and now there's a water shortage? All I can think to say is what the hell is wrong with this city? Either I brought the bad luck to this place, or out of all the places I choose to move to I pick the shittiest one. Either way it doesn't matter all I know is that I need to find water, and fast. Everyone seems to have gone nuts like deranged rabid dogs or something. If I'm lucky I can find water and someone to help me find my keys. I'm sure there's someone who will be compassionate enough to help me even though I probably look and smell like in inside of a trash can that contains spoiled milk.
I start walking in the direction of the Exxon Gas station hoping that they'll have water bottles left. I walk into the store and to the back aisle where they keep the gallon jugs, and packs of 6 to 12 water bottles. To my surprise there's only a one gallon jug left on the aisle as it looks like a barren wasteland, plastic wrappers littered the floor. There are even bite marks left on one of the shelves which gave me a strange sense of nostalga. I swallow laughter as I picture what must have happened here earlier. I imagine people clawing each other like the middle aged soccer mom's did in the mall back in my hometown on Black Friday that my mom forced me to go with her every year. I shudder at the memory and reach for the bottle as I see someone else reaching for it too.
I look up to see a man in a navy blue work suit, he's tall around 6 feet if I had to guess. He flashes a bright white smile and then apologizes saying I can have the water bottle. I'm almost lost in his beautiful smile, and have to think fast because now I've waited way too long to respond to him, so I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, "Oh no it's fine why don't we split the cost and share it." To which he responds,"Are you sure? If you want then thanks!" So we walk up to the cash register side by side my hands are shaking, like they do when I get really nervous. I don't know why I was freaking out so much it's like I was in middle school again and didn't have the capacity to even speak to a boy. I'm a grown woman this shouldn't be so hard, but I am sleep deprived, so I'll blame it on that.
He takes the gallon jug from my hand and then pays for it even though I told him we could split the cost, but I didn't complain free water right? We leave the store and he tells me we should go check out Rainbow River. He had been to two more stores before this and was pretty sure we got the last bottled water in the city. On the way I tell him my situation, about losing my keys, and sleeping on the park bench. He chuckles a little, but then tries to hold back his laughter. I tell him it's fine, and begin hysterically laughing which quickly turns into tears. So I am standing front of a man I barley know crying my eyes out, and I'm sure he feels uncomfortable, but I can't stop. I'm still laughing but tears are flowing down my face. He starts to laugh and doesn't seem to mind my tears. He apologizes for laughing and hands me the ascot out of his navy blue suit to use as a tissue. I realized then that I had yet to even get his name so I introduce myself, and he tells me his name, "Hal South."
