Drinking water delivery the last few weeks has been erratic when I used to be able to set a clock by it. The few times I didn’t get my water on a Thursday, the truck would be by the next morning early. So two weeks ago, I wasn’t stressed about being low on water until Friday morning passed. Thankfully, as I was calculating whether I’d make it through the weekend (there’s another delivery on Monday), the truck came in the late evening.

But last week, the truck didn’t come Friday either. I had enough to get me through the weekend and no time to figure out how to get more from a store to my house (truck is currently disabled due to a dead battery).

This morning, I tried the number I had for the delivery driver, but it was disconnected. Just after I did that, the truck went by my house! I ran after it, but by the time I got to the street, it was long gone. So I went to one of my neighbourhood Facebook groups to ask if anyone knew of a shop in the neighbourhood that delivers that brand of water (Cristal — sold by Coca-Cola)

In less than a minute, I got a reply that I needed to call the distributor, Bepensa, because they need to know I’m having a problem. They would then get bottles to me ASAP. The commenter added not only the number to call but that if I needed linguistic help, she could call on my behalf. Wow!

I tried the number and it took me directly to a man who understood my issue. He got my name, address, and request for two 5-gallon jugs, then promised I would have delivery at some point today. I had my water no more than an hour later!

The driver was very contrite and handed me a card with his personal number so that I don’t have to call head office.

This is not the first time I’ve reached out to this group and gotten help. I really try to figure things out on my own so I’m not the gringa constantly using the group as a crutch for things that are researchable, but it’s really great when I reach a dead end. Everyone has been so welcoming and helpful, just like they are in real life. I really love my neighbourhood. 🙂

(Now, to sort out the truck issue. Hopefully my mechanic next door has a battery charger he can lend me, or else I’m going to see about a trickle charger at Autozone. A boost would be doable in that a car could come into the bay next to me and I have super long cables, but then I’d have to go for a long drive and that’s not going to happen. I can’t believe I left my battery charger in Canada. 🙁 🙁 🙁 )