[ WP ] Write a day in the life of somebody living in a future where water is scarce so every person is limited to 5 minutes of showering a day .

They had made the credits out of gold. 
 
 It was so we would appreciate the value of what we were holding I guess. 
 
 In the beginning, there was a rebate if you installed one of the little meters in your home. It fitted snugly next to the handle in the shower and flashed different colors on the display panel. The people that chose to have them installed, they were the smart ones. National mandates rolled through the country calling for one in every home. They were sleeker this time, with a lot more cords, and had a print scanner and sensor on them, instead of just a token receptacle encased by the frosted panel with pretty lights. People were told they were better, because they did n't waste a single drop of water. As you entered the sealed shower unit the sensor detected your movement and preheated the water to a generally pleasant temperature. Pressing your finger to the print scanner enabled the meter to deliver a tailored water temperature, specific to your preferences, you could even have music if that ’ s what you had programmed the unit to deliver on the presentation of your finger. 
 
 It was easy in the beginning to acquire a few extra tokens here and there. They were given in the place of overtime pay sometimes, or as thank you gifts for friends or colleagues, and of course if you really wanted to treat someone in your life, there were always an extra few to be brought. Some families shared their tokens and sold the excess, and there were always buyers. These families had taken the rebate and installed the first meters. The second meters allowed only one person in the shower at a time, they also refused multiple tokens from the same finger print scan. It was to stop the selling of tokens, to enable every citizen to have their fair share of water, and to avoid unhygienic habits. Showering became less of a pleasurable experience and more of an event that was utilized, nothing more. 
 
 I ’ d helped my cousin move towns, worked an entire weeks ’ worth of overtime and brought a large amount of True Scout cookies from the neighbors ’ kid this month. It had been worth it. I weighed the flat little credits in my hand 8. I had saved two myself, working so late I had n't got around to showering before my next credit allocation had been available. Three were from my cousin, two were from the neighbor kids ’ mom as a thank you for buying all the cookies, and the last token was mine for today. My neighborhood was okay, not overly well kept or flash, but decent enough. The owners of these houses had been quick to take up the rebates early on and did as little inspecting and maintenance as possible. I had my little penguin shower mp3 on a shuffle through “ Classic Hits ”, the nice smelling shampoo my mom had given me in a pack for Christmas and 40 minutes of water to myself. 
 
 I locked the bathroom door and shrugged out of my robe. The meter did not react to my presence, it did nothing until I inserted my first token, my token from today. The lights begin to flash, and I quickly turned up my mp3 so I could hear it over the water, I turned the handle and the water came out freeing. The one downside of not having the fancy, newer meters. I loved each little icicle as it smashed against my skin, it slowly warmed but I was happy and in no hurry. I had 39 minutes of gold on the window ledge and nowhere to be for once. “ Baby you ’ re a FIREWORK! ” I sung into the shampoo bottle, easing an ache out of my back and shoulders. 

