Part 3 - How the Day was Saved (by a drowning fly)

 “Glass, china, and reputation are easily cracked, and never well mended.” – Poor Richard

When tested against all other vendors, the water from our system is the safest to drink. And at 25 cents for 20 liters (approx. 5 gallons), it is by far the most affordable. Money earned goes back into maintaining the system, and nobody makes a profit. Though these are facts, they are easily trumped by stubborn ignorance, which puts our reputation in peril. The reputation of Agua Muisne is something to be guarded with constant vigilance, especially in small towns where gossip is the only thing that travels quickly. A simple scare story could deal a significant blow to public health. In one instance, the day was saved by a drowning fly:

During lunch one day, I overheard a lady from the nearby town of Cabo San Francisco saying Agua Muisne produced unclean water. Having just visited that town and finding our system there free of all problems, I was curious to discover her reasoning. She said she had stored the water in a bottle for a number of weeks, and larvae began to grow inside. Now she doesn’t buy the water anymore, and nobody else should either. I explained that by size alone, eggs of insects cannot pass our filters because they are much larger than bacteria, which do not pass. But this was not sufficient - doubt lingered and the rumor was not squashed. I desperately searched for a different explanation, but was discouraged to find none. As my head dropped, I looked down to see a fly, struggling to swim in my delicious soup. Ah ha!

 “Mira, Senora, hay una mosca en mi sopa. Does this mean our chef made a bad soup? Your larvae did not come from the water, just as this fly was not born from the soup. Comprende? Where did you get that bottle?”

“Ahh… Si, tiene razon.”