After a while Alain managed to block out Mal's complaining. It was a constant noise, but he ignored it. He supposed this must be what having a kid was like - god, why would anyone want that? Eventually Mal stopped complaining about the length they were walking - and started complaining instead about Alain's recent poor performance as the TerrorFractal's manager. "I mean, it's the middle of summer, dude! If you can't find us a gig now, when can you?"

Fortunately for Alain, by the time Mal voiced this concern they'd reached Brunswick Street and Alain was able to distract him. "Hey, you wanna go get a coffee?"

"But . . ." Mal pointed in a vaguely eastwards direction. They were almost at the Napier now. Oh, stuff it. "Yeah, sure, okay."

They walked up the road a little way: the traffic was heavy so they had to walk towards a pedestrian crossing anyway. They passed a number of cafés, Brunswick Street being Brunswick Street, and when he sensed Mal was about to start complaining again Alain said: "How about this one?"

"Sure, okay." Mal went to push the door open, but just as he was about to do so he glanced in through the window to see how crowded the café was. "Oh, shit, dude . . ." He tapped Alain excitedly on the shoulder.

"All right, all right, I'm paying attention. What?" Alain looked to where Mal was pointing; Mal was ducking and weaving by the window, trying to get a better look and to not be spotted at the same time. Alain focussed his attention on the interior of the café. "Oh!" he said, as if he'd been pinched. "Is that . . . Is that Hannah and her chick?"

"Yeah, man. Fully!"

Alain grinned. "Lesbians! In their natural habitat!" He looked briefly at Mal. "Let's stay out here a bit, see what's happening."

"Yeah . . ." Mal narrowed his eyes, trying to see more clearly. "Is … Is Janine crying?"

"Who's Janine?"

"Look!" Mal pointed; his finger smudged the glass. The people sitting at the table on the other side of the glass looked at them both uncertainly out of the corners of their eyes.

Alain leaned towards the window, shading his eyes with his hands. "Whoa" he said. "Dude."

"What d'you reckon's going on?"

Alain shrugged. "Hannah probably wanted a threesome. Chick probably wasn't into it."

"Do you reckon?"

Alain laughed. "Dude, they're lesbians! What the fuck do I know about it?"