expensive water
Between Swabian Jura and Black Forest I passed a village where I wanted to refill a my bottle with water. Nothing exiting, did that dozens of times already.
Though this time it got a bit more interesting.
I found a man working on his car and asked him if he could please fill my bottle with water from a tap.
He meant: “Sure thing” and went away with my bottle.
I waitet patiently but after a short time I heard from upstairs a womans loud voice:
Woman: “No, no, no, NO! NOT!”
Man: “What is it? I just want some water.”
W: “When you fetch water I first want to know that! What do you want with the water?”
M: “Downstairs is a man who wants it.”
W: “When there is man he should come upstairs. That’s no good! And you don’t live here, I am paying the rent and this costs money!”
M: “…”
The woman came down, out of the house – a swarthy face with close-set eyes:
“Where do you come from? What do you want with the water? And why did you come into this farmyard? On the main street, there are also houses!”
I: “I am trekking, the water I want to trink and I came here because I saw the man. And because the water costs money here yu have five Cent.
W: “Well, I didn’t mean it so. I just had to ask because there are so much strange people around nowadays.”
I: “Well, I am one of them!”
She went back inside and not long after the man reappeared with my filled bottle.
To make sure I asked: “Is this your girlfriend?” which he affirmed. I smiled compassionate and left.