Boy selling Water Bottles

In a city, a boy named Bob was selling water bottles on the road. He would stand at the crossroads and show water bottles to any vehicle that stopped at the red light and try to sell them. Some would buy it, some would refuse.

By evening, all his bottles were sold, only two bottles were left with him. He was still roaming around among the vehicles to sell the bottles. It was night. Just then a big shiny car came and stopped.

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Bob ran to the car. A decent lady was sitting in the car. She took the bottle from Bob and gave him the money. But since he did not have change, Bob kept running here and there to find change for five hundred rupees, but he could not find the money.

Meanwhile, the light turns green and the car starts moving. Bob runs behind the car, but the car quickly leaves. Bob stands there holding the five hundred rupee note in his hand.

Just then Kallan, who sells goods with him, comes to him –

Kallan: Why, today you have hit the jackpot. Come on, throw a party, at least give me a cup of tea.

Bob: Only twenty rupees are mine in this, the rest I had to return. If I ever see this vehicle again, I will return it.

Kallan: Are you crazy? Someone returns the money and the people you are thinking of returning it to will not even remember.

But Bob does not agree, he puts the remaining bottle of water in his thermocol box and starts walking towards home.

On reaching home, he sees that his mother Ramavati had also returned from work. Ramavati used to work as a domestic help.

Bob: Mother, today a vehicle driver gave me a five hundred rupee note, before I could return the money, the vehicle left.

Ramavati: No problem son. If you ever see that vehicle again, return it.

Time was passing like this. Bob used to sell water bottles all day long.

One day he saw the same car and ran towards it.

Woman: No son, I don’t want water today.

Bob: Madam, I am not talking about water. That day your money was left. Take this, your four hundred and eighty rupees.

Woman: Which money?

Bob: That day you had bought a bottle of water. By the time I went to get the change, your car had left.

Saying this, Bob quickly took out the money from his pocket and gave it to her.

Woman: Driver park the car on the side. Son, let’s go to the side and talk.

Getting off the car, the woman asked Bob –

Woman: Son, if you wanted, you could have kept this money. What was the need to return it?

Bob: Madam, we earn our living from our hard work. In this, only twenty rupees were mine, I took that.

Woman: Now I am giving you this money, keep it.

Bob: No, I cannot take this. Mother has forbidden me.

Olivia was thinking after listening to Bob. Despite working hard all day in such heat, this boy is so honest.

Olivia: Son, where do you live?

Bob: You can see some slums behind the road ahead, we live there.

Olivia tried to give him money many times but Bob did not take the money. Then Olivia sat in her car and left.

There was a sense of satisfaction on Bob’s face. He told the whole thing to his mother. His mother was very happy to hear this.

Since then, whenever Olivia passed by there, she would take two or three water bottles from Bob so that she could help him.

Time was passing like this.

After a few days, when Olivia passed by there, she did not see Bob anywhere.

When Bob was not seen for many days, Olivia called Kallan with a gesture.

Kallan: Madam, do you need water?

Olivia: Where is Bob? I cannot see him.

Kallan: Something very bad happened to him. His mother died. After his death, the local goons took over his slum and drove him away.

Olivia: But where will we find him now?

Kallan: I don’t know, those people beat him up a lot, maybe he is in a hospital or he may have died.

On hearing this, Olivia’s eyes became moist. She left all her work and started looking for Bob. But he was nowhere to be found. Kallan’s words were going around in her mind – “Maybe he is dead”.

Many months passed like this, but there was no trace of Bob. Olivia considered it a game of fate and remained patient. But Bob’s honesty still shook her. Such a wrong should not have happened to such an honest child.

One day Olivia was going somewhere. Then she saw a child sitting on the side of the road and begging – one of his legs was cut off. A broken crutch was kept nearby. At first Olivia ignored it, but on looking carefully she found that it was Bob.

She quickly stopped the car and went to him. Seeing her, Bob started crying.

Olivia: Son, how did all this happen and why are you begging?

Bob: Madam, honesty went away with your mother. My slum was occupied. I had to pay the price of opposing them by sacrificing my leg. Now I have nothing. That is why I am begging.

Olivia’s eyes also became moist.

Olivia: Who says honesty went away with your mother. Because of the honesty that your mother taught you, you came to return my money. That is why I was able to remember you, otherwise there are hundreds of children roaming around here. Whom I do not know. Because of your honesty, I have been searching for you for many months.

On hearing her words, Bob was just crying. The smiling child now looked disappointed and disheartened with life.

Olivia took him to her house. Not only kept him in her house but also got a leg made for him. Now Bob could also walk like other children. She had made Bob her son. Now he went to school.