A stranger slipped in during the rush—Miki noticed him because it was late for out-of-towners, who mostly came mid-afternoon. He was maybe mid-twenties, lean and fit-looking, with messy orange hair, pale skin, a snub nose and crinkles at the corners of his eyes. She saw him nod at Shane and Max, who were waiting for their Saturday night family pack. Max offered him a lolly, which was unusual—the boy generally held tight to his sweets. While she was measuring out chips and dipping fish in batter, Miki heard the stranger ask for a burger with the lot but no pineapple, and she had the meat patty on the hotplate before Kurt had even handed her the order. She was proud of her efficiency and liked being organised. But it was often boring in the shop. Five long days a week cooking and cleaning. Only one day out of here, when she and Kurt went up to the forest on Mondays. Tuesdays sitting around while he went to Hobart. No one to talk to.

As she cooked and wrapped and delivered orders, Miki noticed the way the men looked slantwise at the red-headed stranger and sidled away from him. Even in the busy shop he seemed lonely. She knew how that felt, so she made his burger with special care and slid a Freddo Frog into the bag before putting it on the counter. Hopefully the chocolate wouldn’t melt. It would be a nice surprise when he opened his meal.

At eight-thirty, after the last customer had been served, Kurt locked the front door and started counting the money. This was Miki’s signal to clean up. She turned off the fryers and fume hoods, covered the salads and slid them into the fridges, mopped the floors, wiped the counter, and restocked the drinks from crates in the kitchen. Then she made steak sandwiches for dinner, and they sat at one of the shop tables to eat.

This was their usual Saturday night routine. After their meal they would go to the tip. The garbage wouldn’t wait till Thursday; they needed bin-space for tomorrow when the Sunday tourists flocked into town.

While Kurt carted the rubbish out and tossed it on the back of the ute, Miki collected the meat scraps she’d saved during the day and put them in a plastic bag. Then she changed into overalls and slipped the bag into her pocket.