Gordon eyeballed the Queen, whose resemblance to his own mother was so strong, he was surprised at not having noted it before. The similarity in mid-century marcelled curls and worldview set off a chain reaction of Norma Grimes-voiced reproaches in his head. You are the world’s worst actor, Gordon. I can see through you a mile away. Everyone around here takes you for a man of peace, too good for this world; you and I know better, my son.

He sometimes wondered how long he could keep it up. Why not take Dog’s cheeks in his hands, lock eyes, draw him close as if for a kiss, and then drive his forehead, with such force that it lifted his feet off the ground, into the juicy sun-creamed bridge of Dog’s nose? Was it better to be thought of as too good to be that bad?

Behind Gordon’s back, the water boiled. Dog smacked his lips and uttered empty murmurs of anticipation.

On the other hand, Gordon thought, maybe he should be grateful. He wouldn’t be here in The Lodge if not for Dog. Funny, funny old world. Any funnier he might stop crying.

He pocketed the five-dollar note.

‘I’m going downstairs to clean up.’ He nodded to the sugar on the shelf. ‘You know where everything is.’

KELLY

Kelly

Gordon didn’t go downstairs to clean up. He continued through the basement, descended the wooden stairs, crossed the beach and walked behind the surf life saving club to the Beach Cafe, which was, like most of Bluebird’s profitable enterprises, beneficially owned by his absentee stepmother-in-law.

The conversation with Dog had given him a neuralgia that could only be remedied by espresso. Gordon scored his drug of choice from Paolo, one of a pair of lecherous Italians who sublet the hole in the surf club wall from Leonie.

‘Cash!’ Paolo exclaimed at the sight of Dog’s five-dollar note. ‘Old school!’

Fuck off, Gordon said, or thought he said. The next person to say ‘old school’ when he produced cash would get a fist in the gob. Or they would if Gordon did that kind of thing instead of what he actually did with his fist, which was drive it into his pocket.