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putting yourself down. You’re a very capable young fellow and you were doing well in Miltons. This was just a bit of bad luck and you’ll rise above it no problem. Just give it a week or two.’
    ‘Not much sign of a lot of work out there though.’
    ‘There’s always something. Did you ever think of selling cars? I was in City Auto today to see Kevin, the fellow that owns the place. Thinking of getting a new car. He was asking me if I wanted a job, heard Milton’s was gone. Told him I was fixed up. Good bloke Kevin, Welsh fellow but he’s here years, bit hooky but all right really.’
    Tom perked up. ‘I might drop in to him on Monday. I used to sell cars for a while a few years ago, when it was harder. You had to tell some serious porkies then, a lot of the cars were dodgy enough. Not like now, they’re all fairly reliable.’
    ‘Tell him you were talking to me. I play golf with him on Sunday mornings usually, there’s six of us that play together on and off, know them for years. I’ll mention it to him Sunday if you like.’
    Tom raised his pint. ‘Here’s to a life after Milton. Maybe he did us a favour; maybe we’ll make our fortunes in cars and real estate.’
    Walter smiled sadly. ‘Or maybe not, but we’ll give it a good try anyway, son.’

    Tom tapped on the door of the portocabin; City Auto didn’t spend a fortune on facilities, stock had priority around here. Kevin stood up and gave him a welcome handshake.
    ‘Walter tells me you are the best around, apart from himself of course. So do you think you can sell cars?’
    Tom immediately felt that he was meeting a fellow salesman, someone who liked to sell.
    ‘Not a problem. Did it before, can do it again. If you can sell washing machines to some of the old bitches around here, you can sell a few cars to the local young lads.’
    Kevin laughed. ‘It’s not that easy, but if you’re a good enough salesman to start with, I can make you a car expert in a few hours. Just a matter of sounding like you know what you’re talking about, whether you do or not.’
    Tom was enjoying the exchange. ‘Same as washing machines so.’
    Kevin slid a thick book across the desk. ‘That’s the bible, every make, every model, every year. You need to know it by heart where it refers to any car in the yard, no point in looking it up when you are in the middle of a sale. You need it in your head.’
    He pointed to the yard and the serried ranks of cars. ‘Let’s go for a bit of a walk, see what you know. If you’re as sharp as I hear you are, you’ll pick it all up fast.’
    They strolled around the gravelled area where the cars were lined up for sale, each with the price displayed in big vinyl letters in the windscreen. The front row had roof banners that had the usual clichéd descriptions, car-of-the-week, reduced-for-quick-sale, low-mileage.
    Tom had seen it all before. ‘Everything is negotiable I suppose?’
    Kevin laughed. ‘Of course, but only top prices get top commissions. If you want to give away my money, it will cost you.’
    Tom thought it might be time to talk about earnings. ‘How much of my wages would be commission then?’
    Kevin looked surprised. ‘Didn’t Walter tell you? All of it. We don’t do basic here, you’ll be self employed; if you don’t sell anything, you don’t earn anything. I’m not running a fucking charity. That’s fair enough isn’t it?’
    It wasn’t what Tom was expecting.
    ‘On the other hand, you can make some serious money of you’re as good as I hear you are. I’ll pay a hundred and fifty a car for full price, a hundred for the coded price, and unless you want to pay me money you won’t sell below that.’
    Tom was dubious. ‘Doesn’t sound like a lot. I expected a basic to be honest, you know, for being here to keep the place open when it’s quiet and all that.’
    Kevin was showing some impatience. ‘Look, that’s how I do business; it’s not up for discussion. But look, the last guy was making