I go back to the same offy to stack up. The skinny geek is there, and as soon as he sees me he shakes his head in warning. I notice a Guard talking on her phone in the corner, and I back out, sitting on the same wall as yesterday. As soon as she leaves, I hoist my skirt up even higher, bite down hard on my lips, pinch my cheeks, and go back in. ‘That was a close one,’ I say laughing.

‘You’d better go. The Guards are everywhere. Clamping down on underage drinking.’

‘You’d think they’d have better things to be doing with their time, like catching the real criminals.’

‘It’s weird all right. They’re crawling all over this place these days. She wanted to see my ID, make sure I wasn’t underage.’

‘And you’re not?’

He shakes his head.

‘Me neither.’

‘I can’t take your word for it, I have to see ID. I could lose my job and be fined, or imprisoned, or both.’

I decide to play along with his little game. I run outside, looking up and down the street. ‘The coast is clear.’

‘See that?’ the guy says, pointing at a camera lens.

I nod. ‘Those things don’t record sound, and I can show you something from my wallet with my back to the camera. That way you’re covered. The quality is shit.’

‘Nope, I said no.’

‘Oh did you? I’m sorry, I hadn’t heard you.’

‘Look, you’d better go before the boss walks in.’

‘I really could make it worth your while you know …’

‘What’s that, young lady? Are you trying to bribe one of my employees?’ A guy in his forties, slim, buffed, manicured nails, flashes of silver-fish in his hair, walks in. The young guy looks apologetically at the man, who I take to be the boss. He smiles broadly at me.

I bend one knee, try on a smile, and lean into my hip. ‘Have you got a job?’

‘That depends, what kind of a job?’

‘Any.’

‘How old are you?’

‘Eighteen.’

‘ID?’

‘No, I’ve already told your man here that I don’t carry ID.’

‘Well, you should.’

‘Do I look like I’m too young?’

The man tells the young pimply guy, whose name is Tommy, to go out back and close the door after him, then he turns to me. ‘I can’t have you working here. The Guards come in regularly asking my kids for their ID. Where do you live?’

‘Nowhere, right now.’

‘Fight at home?’

‘You could say that.’

Shit, I wonder if he knows Mother, but even if he did, he couldn’t have any idea I was her daughter. Still, the mention of ‘home’ so close to that house, is making everything speedy inside. My leg starts to jangle.

He stares at my spastic jerky leg. ‘Where you staying tonight?’