“The border guard one?”
“That’s the one.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. But there will be others, right? You’ll find—” When I let out a sharp laugh, he cuts himself off. “No?”
“April’s got days left before she runs out of insulin. I need to find almost a hundred dollars before then. Anything less is a death sentence.”
His eyes about burst out of his head. “One hundred bucks?”
“Yep.”
“How’re you supposed to—how isanyonesupposed to do that?”
“Well, getting a job would have helped.”
“But nowhere is going to pay you that kind of money other than… Kayla, I’m sorry. I amsosorry.” At that, he pulls a cigarette out of his pocket. “Maybe I can talk to Bill again.”
“Who’s—”
“Minister of Homeland Security and all that other stuff. He’s a reasonable guy. I don’t know why—”
“The letter said it was because of my demerits.”
“That’s bullshit,” he says, striking a match aggressively. “You’ve only got one. I’ll talk to Bill and—”
“Two. I’ve got two, Sid.”
The match goes out as he stares at me, dumbfounded. “What?”
“I got a second one.”
“How did you… Why didn’t you tell me about this?!”
“I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
“It’s a demerit! Of course it’s a big deal.”
“Well, I didn’t know! How was I supposed to know?”
“It’s in the word.Demerit!That’s a bad word!”
Despite the situation, I can’t help laughing. “You are such a goody-two shoes.”
“Yeah, it’s hilarious. So funny!” Sid shouts. “Now would you like to tell me what you did to get yourself written up again?”
“I… may have told Tom to fuck off.”
For a beat, Sid stares at me, like he’s in awe of what a shitshow I’ve created in so little time. Then, the shock abates, and he lets out the deepest, sincerest belly laugh I’ve ever heard. It’s so loud, it’s vaguely terrifying, like all Sid’s big emotions. I’ve met quieter moose. But a grin spreads across my face all the same.
“Wow. At least you spent it on something good.”
“Did he do this kind of shit to you when you were in immigration?” I ask.
“Yeah—well… no, actually. I was well behaved. James got written up once because, like you, he hasn’t got a clue when to shut his mouth.”
“Rude.”
“Rude, but true. Tom likes me. Even stuck his neck out for me a few times. But it took a few years before he was willing to do that. It was like with you. I had to prove myself before he would trust me.”
