The vehicle veers in close to the mailbox. He leans out the window and puts the mail in the box, then pulls forward. I think I’m too late, and I sprint a little harder. But he is not leaving; he is getting out to retrieve a newspaper from the back of his ute. He pushes it into my mailbox, and looks up to see me panting to a stop. His expression is suspicious, as if my exertion can only mean trouble.

I breathe hard, and say, ‘Hey, Grant, is it? Dave.’ He is young, maybe twenty-five — tall, pale, and slim with a light-brown goatee kind of arrangement on his chin. He is in tracksuit bottoms and a T-shirt that promotes a sports team.

‘Yeah. You got a letter or something you want me to take?’ He doesn’t wait for my response. ‘You’re getting a lot of mail these days.’ His forearms are the dirty green of cheap tattoos.

‘That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.’

‘Well, talk, brother. I’m busy. People are pretty demanding on this run. Always whingeing if I’m late or if I miss one day in a blue moon.’

‘I would prefer if you didn’t tell everyone what I was getting in my mail.’

‘I haven’t. I don’t.’

‘Yes you have. You told Elaine Slade, and Ben Ruder, and other people that I’m getting boxes in my mail.’

‘Oh, that. That was a while ago. Everyone was asking. I just told them you were getting boxes. No big secret. They could have found out for themselves.’

‘Well, I’d ask you not to.’

‘Sure.’ His face tells me this is another ridiculous imposition from another demanding client. He gets back into his ute. He is a busy man. ‘So, if I’m not allowed to share unimportant information, you won’t want to know your girlfriend is home?’

‘My girlfriend?’

‘You think no one knows? You think you can keep secrets out here? Like your cheap-shit gadgets in boxes from China?’

He drives off, mouthing a disbelieving ‘Fuck’ or maybe ‘Fuckwit’.

On face value, you’d have to say he doesn’t know about the money. It is good news that Elaine is home. I had wondered if she’d ever return. I stride out towards the house, keen to talk to her, wondering how I might protect her.