Sunny California

What a bummer, David thought as he read the news. The California governor was warning again that water was running low in the state. Well maybe if they’d stopped wasting it this wouldn’t be a problem.

Shaking his head at the ridiculous news, he turned on the shower. He increased the heat and looked back at his phone to read further. According to the article, California was on the verge of one of the greatest crises in its history. Millions of people were about to lose water. Just as had happened in Nevada and a few other states. David knew better though. They always figured it out one way or the other. This was the United States after all. It wasn’t as if they couldn’t just steal the water from somewhere else. It wouldn’t be the first time the nation robbed the natural resources from an unsuspecting group.

He stepped into the steaming shower and flinched at first when the heat hit him. Then relaxed as he grew used to it. The foggy air cleaned his nostrils and made each breath fresh as well as full. It hit him like a summer’s sun rays. The warmth tickled his body as he thought more about the news.

David didn’t know what they thought was going to happen. After all, weren’t they the ones selling the water to mega-corporations? If there was a drought as well as limited drinking water, why would you sell it to the rich? Greed, of course, what other reason could there be? It was a damn shame he had to grow up in such an evil and corrupt country. If he didn’t know better the whole world was going to shatter apart from the damage this country had done. Already the polar ice capes fell away and Australia was constantly ablaze. He’d read somewhere that the first signs of global warming would be the constant fires in that subsection of the world. So why would it surprise anyone that the water was almost gone? Certainly didn’t shock David.

What did shock David, was that he’d forgotten to turn his music on. He’d spent so long having mental shower arguments that it slipped his mind. Stepping out and letting the water drip onto the mat, he grabbed his phone. The music began blaring and he jumped back into the water while singing along. He even used the shampoo bottle for a microphone.

All the while his mind kept coming back to that article. It was just ridiculous. The piss poor job the politicians were doing was mind-boggling. It surprised him that they’d yet to just elect a monkey or a dog for these positions. They’d do just as good if not a better job at it. How did the California government just lose track of the water? Where was it even going? They really had no care or consideration for the people that lived in their state. It was such a shame.

Then David laughed realizing he’d just been standing in the water. He’d forgotten to clean his body and got to it. Letting the soap foam up as he rubbed the bar over his body. Wiping away all the grime felt great. Even if he didn’t really need to shower every day. He worked from home so the only filth he worked through was his own. It was a lucky thing he didn’t work a dirtier job. Then he’d shower three times a day just to wipe away the dirt. It was hard to understand how those men did those nasty jobs. And with no appreciation from the government. A crying shame.

The last remnants of the soap fell away and David began to prepare his razor. He needed to shave after all. And over twenty minutes into his shower he needed to hurry. It was best he started to save water.

But, before he could begin clearing away the unwanted hairs, the water stopped. It fell away drip by drip until nothing. He stared at the faucet and began to grow angry. Had his roommate shut the water off on him? How dare he? David understood they were in a drought but who was James to shut the water off?

David quickly dried off his body, threw his pajamas on, and stormed out of the bathroom. He lived in a two-bedroom apartment with a good friend of his. As he rushed out, he made his way straight to James’ room. When he entered, slamming the door wide, James was sleeping in his bed. Or at least had been. He looked over at his roommate and startled him. His eyes stared in horror as he readied himself to be killed.

“Did you turn the water off on me?” David asked between his frustrated breathing.

“No,” James responded while sitting up. “I was taking a nap.”

“Well someone did,” David replied.

“Maybe it was just a quick shut-off,” James said and got out of bed. He walked into his bathroom and tried the sink. Nothing. “Odd.”

David shook his head in anger and rushed to the kitchen. Nothing there as well. James followed him in and they exchanged perplexed glances.

That was when he remembered the article. Maybe California had implemented a rule where they shut the water off in the middle of the day. It was obnoxious but not unreasonable. Especially if it would save them water. So he went on his phone to try and find more information.

“What does it say?” James asked.

“Nothing yet,” David replied. “I’m going to call the water treatment plant. See if they can give me the times the water will be off.”

David then googled the number and dialed it. It rang three times before an automated system picked up the phone.

Hello, this is an automated response to the California Water Crisis. If your water has been shut off, it will likely not turn on for weeks. Because of the drought, reserves are all drying up. If your water has not turned off, we ask that you limit the amount you are using. Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience.

“They can’t just do that!” David yelled, once more flustered with the government. “It’s their job to fix the issue. ‘Limit your water use’, how ridiculous.”

James stared off into nothing as he processed what the phone had said. Then he looked at David. “If the water is out for weeks what are we going to drink?”

“I guess we’ll just run to the store and grab bottled water.”

“Okay.”

After both of them were dressed they stepped out of the apartment. Already the chaos of no water was beginning to spread throughout the neighborhood. David and James saw this first hand as their good friends shoved them into the door to get past them. David shouted a curse at him and then looked around. Everywhere he looked people were rushing to their cars. A sense of urgency filled him and he too began sprinting to the car.

They both got in and sped out of the complex. Traffic wasn’t an improvement as vehicles blew red lights, people sprinted across the middle of the street, and hundreds of cars attempted to squeeze into grocery store parking lots. Sirens blared as medical vehicles rushed to car crashes, police cars chased criminals, and fire trucks rushed to help them both. All the while a beating sun glared in the sky. Any other time and this would be perfect weather for sunny California. Another ninety-degree day in a barren wasteland that was once paradise. All the water left was what had been placed in a little plastic bottle.

David got fed up eventually with the traffic and pulled his car to the side of the road. They both leaped out of the car and raced to the store. Thousands of people, worse than a Black Friday sales event, tried to rush into the store. The two of them pushed and crammed, attempting to get at least one case of water. Sweat and stink radiated from all the bodies around them in the hot arid atmosphere. All to stumble into the drink aisle and find that all the water had been taken. There was nothing left. Even the sodas had been cleared away. It was almost an exact replica of the toilet paper crisis, except water was essential to life, and irreplaceable.

“What do we do now?” James asked, breathing hard as bits of sweat traveled down his face.

“The government will find water,” David said, though he wasn’t sure if he believed it. Water didn’t just grow out of the ground. “They have to. I’m sure support will come soon.”

But as the chaos continued through the grocery store and all of the city, help was nowhere to be found.