at the general store

My neighbourhood in North Central Mumbai is crowded. Most people have lived here for at least three generations and shop-keepers know many of their customers since childhood days. The owner of the small 'general store' opposite my building sells bindis, bangles, greeting cards, and nowadays, the 'charge' for mobile phones. He always took the money after the 'charge' sms was received by me, so I was surprised when, one day, he asked me for the cash in advance. Then he told me why: another customer, long known to him, asked him to charge her mobile for a large amount (anything more than 1000 rupees is a large amount hereabout).He did. But she said she wasn't paying because she'd 'won' some talk time from the company. She showed him an sms which indicated that she was one of the lucky few who had been randomly selected for such-n-such scheme. Naively, she had approached him; he had trustingly, as always, provided the service. They tried to call the number, without success. Finally a police complaint was lodged. The cops told him he wasn't the first to get thus cheated. When people behind the bench ask for an advance, there's always a story.... just ask for it.