Living in Hope

and he rushed outside with a look of determination on his face. He collected a bucket of drinking water and a glass on the way out, then bought a piece of ice from a nearby stall and cooled the water with it. Then he made straight for a cinema queue where people were standing in a line, sweating, waiting to buy their tickets. He started walking up and down the line shouting, ‘Water! Cold Water!’ and soon attracted the crowd’s attention. Gratefully, people began to buy his glasses of cold water. Some kind souls even paid him more than he asked for. With part of his earnings, he bought more ice, and went back and sold more glasses of cold water. He kept this up indefatigably until the queues had disappeared. By this time, he had managed to earn rupees fifteen, with which he went home triumphantly to his mother. From that time onwards he started selling something or the other every day. During the day, he worked hard at school and in the evening, he would go out and do his best to make money. He kept this up for ten long years, somehow managing to study while he met the household expenses. Now he has completed his education. Although he is employed on a monthly salary of Rs. 950/-, he is still continuing with his side business in the evening and owing to his hard-earned money, has now even been