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the seat. More two-dollar coins. Four dollars.
    â€˜How much do we need?’ she asked, not looking at me.
    â€˜A hundred.’
    She shook her head going through the glove box.
    I checked in my jeans pockets. Bingo. Cash. Lots of it in my left pocket. Fives. Four scrunched up five-dollar notes. ‘Fuck, fuck, shit.’
    The Territory drove off.
    I went round to the driver’s side, feeling in my back pocket. More money. A lovely orange twenty.
    â€˜A dollar fifty,’ said Robin holding it out to me.
    â€˜When I go inside, start the car,’ I whispered.
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜Start the car.’
    I turned and he was standing behind me, waiting.
    â€˜Ah, my man,’ I said and stepped past him to go to the boot again. I shoved the money in my pocket. Robin didn’t slide across the seat. She didn’t start the car. She sat with her back to us, holding the feather flowers.
    The petrol guy came a few more steps after me.
    I tried to smile.
    He smiled too. He smiled a bad smile that said you are so fucked, Zac. He came back to the boot letting his smile lick the air all around us.
    I thought that I could still do it. Kick the boot and he thinks what the hell as it starts to come open and I dive in and bring up the rifle and say, cool and calm, ‘So who’s smiling now, monkey man?’
    But he put his hand on the boot.
    â€˜All we’ve got’s about sixty dollars.’ I reached back into my pocket and brought out the twenty and ten and the fives and the coins. ‘Sixty-two, something.’
    â€˜Is that right?’
    I took off the hat and held it out to him.
    He took it and said, ‘Well what we gunna do then, mate?’
    I grabbed the Snickers from the dash and pulled the cigarettes out of my pocket.
    He took them but shook his head.
    Robin was holding out the flowers. She still wasn’t looking at me.
    â€˜Sorry Rob.’ I grabbed them and held them out to him.
    â€˜For me? You shouldn’t have. It’s still not enough, is it?’
    â€˜Um, we could maybe siphon out some petrol.’
    He shook his head slowly. ‘I don’t buy used petrol.’
    â€˜Comic books! You like comic books?’
    â€˜No, I’m a grown-up. I like your sunglasses.’
    â€˜They’re Wayfarers!’
    â€˜Where’d you get them? Hawaii?’
    â€˜They’re Wayfarers! They’re worth over two hundred bucks.’
    â€˜No. I’d say they’re worth about five dollars forty.’
    â€˜Excuse me. Do you know Bill Mays?’ said Robin to the guy.
    He turned and looked at her but still not friendly. ‘Yeah, I know him.’
    â€˜He’s my father.’
    â€˜So?’
    â€˜So I’m sure he’d be glad to hear he owes you five dollars forty.’
    â€˜Your father already owes everybody round here something or other.’
    Robin’s jaw tightened a moment, but she went on as tough as before. ‘Then five dollars forty isn’t going to make much difference, is it?’
    The guy seemed like he was about to keep arguing, but then thought of something. He nodded to her and squeezed my shoulder. ‘You’re one lucky Hawaiian. Having someone big and strong to look after you.’
    I shrugged off his hand and pushed past him to get in the driver’s seat.
    He said, ‘Your mother was a good lady. I was sorry to hear about ... Sorry for your loss.’
    Robin nodded. ‘Yeah.’ Then she said, ‘Let’s go, Zac.’
    I took off but couldn’t get any traction. There was no spray of gravel and no burning rubber.

    ***
    I didn’t say anything. I drove into the modern outskirts of Kalgoorlie, which resembled the outskirts of Midland leading out of Perth. It was a sprawl that lasted for only six long blocks. Then we were in the wide streets of the city centre. There was a Dome and Asian takeaway in amongst the big hundred-year-old hotels with Skimpy Barmaid signs. Lots of