The water scam

We were walking around downtown when we realized a small girl was following us. Carrying a wide, pink bucket on her head, she walked on the road next to us and only shot occasional glances our way. When we turned onto a side street to get into our car, she got closer, and braver, and waved goodbye. As she waved, her bucket tipped and little plastic bags of water exploded on the concrete. Embarrassed, she bit her lip and tried hard not to cry. Realizing she could get in trouble for breaking the goods she was supposed to sell, we pulled out some money and handed it to her. She took it, looking up at us and smiling slightly.

“Did she just scam us?” someone asked in the car. “If she did, she deserved the cash. That was an excellent performance.”