‘How much will it be?’ They were already putting their jackets and shoes on – it was already decided. But they didn’t have much money.

‘I think we should take the cookbook,’ Greta said. ‘So we don’t buy more of anything than we need.’

Everyone agreed. It was genius. They all turned out their pockets and wallets. Between them they had about eight dollars and there was seven in the jar for flat expenses, like toilet paper. They convinced themselves it would be enough, but they had no idea.

‘If we get there and it’s not enough we’ll just get what we can – the things that’ll keep – and then get more tomorrow.’ No one wanted to ask how they would have more money tomorrow, because the quiche was the most exciting thing that had happened in ages. Peggy and Greta were thinking if it wasn’t enough they could probably find someone to sleep with for money tomorrow after work to get the money for the rest of the quiche ingredients.

The night was big. Big sky. Everything was built low around where they lived and the sky was always so big. There were no hills to box them in until the huge hills way in the distance, which seemed to make the sky even bigger. Peggy and Greta always walked with their hands in their pockets. Dell swung her arms a bit more, but they all walked with their heads down. It was dark. Someone honked as they sped past. None of them looked up. The walk was flat and Dell was carrying a backpack to put all the stuff in and the book. They needed 1 large onion – chopped, 2 garlic cloves, 1 Tbsp butter, 3 eggs, ¾ tsp salt, 1 cup milk, ½ cup self-raising flour, 2 cooked potatoes, 1 cup of drained cooked asparagus or spinach, or mushrooms or broccoli, and 1 cup of grated Tasty cheese. They had none of it. Dell was stealing tea and coffee from her work, and milk powder and sugar in sachets from the café at the mall. Sometimes she didn’t have time for a cup of coffee at work so it seemed fine to take it home – the cup of coffee she didn’t have at work.

‘We’ve got the butter,’ Greta said suddenly. Into the silence of them walking and the dark of the night and the big, big sky. The others nodded.

‘It’s only a tablespoon of butter.’

The store was bright compared with outside. Did they need a trolley, or maybe a basket? Everything was cheaper than they thought it would be and in the end they had enough money for a new flan dish ‘with a solid (not push-out) base’ and they still had most of their money.

‘Cooking is cheap,’ Dell said.