“Appa, stay there. I’m coming.” Kavya arrived with her laptop and a mobile hotspot. She didn’t join the queue. Instead, she sat on a concrete bench under a wilting neem tree and accessed the CMWSSB Consumer Portal again. But this time, she didn’t go to the payment page. She went to the Grievance Redressal System .

Raghunathan stood behind her, arms crossed, sceptical. She navigated to the payment page. This time, she used the , which had been updated just last month with a newer, cleaner interface. She selected "Bill Payment" , entered the consumer number, and the correct amount appeared: ₹8,450.

His heart performed a small, arrhythmic jump. He rushed to the front gate. And there it was, pinned under a stone: an official notice from Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB). His connection was scheduled for disconnection within 48 hours due to .

Kavya entered it. The page refreshed. A name appeared: S. Raghunathan, 4/12, South Mada Street, Mylapore. Then a number: Outstanding Amount: ₹8,450.

The wheel spun. And spun. And spun.

“But I paid! Every month! To your own clerk! A short man with a mole on his cheek.”