They arrived at an unimpressive vehicle, amongst a selection of unimpressive vehicles. Mr Wong had stopped in front of the unimpressive vehicle. It was truly the dullest, most anonymous car Mr Smith had ever seen. Ever thought so too. Perfect.

‘You want to hear it? Please take a seat, inside, sit down in it.’

He sat in the car and was handed the keys, and an invitation to turn over the engine. Twice he had to turn the key and on the second attempt the tired old horses came to life, resenting every second. They had nothing left in them that could be defined as horsepower.

‘It works, see, you want me to come with you, we drive. Around?’

Mr Wong circled his hand.

Mr Smith seriously thought about this, and was not sure he was prepared to accept the effort of social proximity that the drive would demand.

‘OK.’

Was Mr Smith’s reticent response.

Mr Wong climbed in beside him. Conversation, or rather lack of it, was not something that bothered Mr Wong one bit. They exited across a metal ramp, strips of metal with gaps, usually in place to prevent cows from crossing, who knows, with a judder and a shudder. And then the car was on the open road. Back onto the big straight Roman Caesar road, over the hill the other way into a less residential area. Open her up, let her go.

All the tired horses in the sun, watch this old car run.

Just a noisy chug, the exhausted exhaust had a hole and he could sense that fumes would be clouding out of it. But it went forward through all the gears. Automatic transmission. He tried reverse, and then thought he should show dissatisfaction at this awful car that was just perfect.

They returned the car to the cow-proof parking area.

‘OK, few problems, I’ll give you seventeen-fifty.’

Said with the toughest of voices.

‘The price is nineteen-hundred dollars, you don’t want it, you don’t take it. It has a few problems, that why nineteen-hundred dollars.’

That was it for Mr Smith, he was out of ruthless bargaining technique. For the second time in the space of an hour he felt his money-dealing skills were poor to say the least. He had no ruthlessness. No killer instinct. Well, wait a second, that was questionable, most certainly up for debate. In relation to Ever at least.

‘OK. I’ll take it.’