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“That sounds bad, what is it?”
“When you knock on someone’s door and tell them their family member is dead so you can get their reaction, get the scoop; make the headline.”
“Shit.”
“It’s unbearable. They hate you. Sometimes they’re in such a daze, you’re inside on the family sofa drinking their tea before they even realise you’re a vulture. I’ll squeegee windscreens at traffic lights before I do that again. And you?”
He should’ve thought more about that question before he spat it out. “Hard to pick one. So many special times to choose from. A standout is putting my brother in hospital.” Those doll eyes gave nothing away, made him want to explain. “When you can’t read, the fist really is mightier than...well you get what I mean.”
She nodded. “Why did you hit him?”
“He was jigging school.”
“Didn’t you say you were too?”
She had him. “Yeah. But he was bright, a hell of a lot smarter than me. I needed him to do well in school. He didn’t appreciate the sentiment until I beat it into him.”
“Noble of you.”
“That’s me, noble. He went on to become a Rhodes scholar. I’d hit him again if I had to, just maybe not that hard.”
“Geez. Tough neighbourhood.”
One he didn’t need reminding of. “Is it my turn? Your biggest regret?”
“I regret... Actually I don’t regret anything. Not sure there’s much point in regret. You?”
“My brother would say I work too hard.”
“The scholar? What do you say?”
“One day I might regret working too hard.”
She was staring right at him. Her journalist’s probing look. “Favourite movie? Mine is Little Miss Sunshine. I love a quirky comedy.”
“That’s girly of you.”
“Hey, I’m not Lois Lane twenty-four-seven.”
“The Departed.”
“Yeah I can see that. All that intrigue and cop action. Favourite superhero?”
“Spiderman.”
“Why?”
“What’s not to like about a guy in a leotard fighting crime?”
“When you put it like that, but why not Batman or Superman?”
“You really want to talk about Spiderman?”
“I don’t really want to be detained.”
“It’s the leotard. He had a better leotard.”
She shook her head, not buying.
