Alain was having less luck than Rona in finding a job. It might've been because he wasn't really trying: if it was up to him he wouldn't get one at all, but his parents were starting to wonder out loud when he might pay them back some of the money they'd loaned him over the years. If he could just keep them at bay until uni exams started, he'd be able to get them off his back by claiming that study was more important. Right now, though, they wondered what he was doing with his time. When he explained to them that he'd been managing a band, they asked him how much that paid, and he wasn't able to give them an answer.

Now that he thought back to that moment, it didn't seem like such a bad question. Why wasn't he getting paid by the band? He'd been providing services! He could invoice Mal and the guys. Add on ten percent for G.S.T.

It seemed like such a good idea to him, and such a reasonable one, that he rang Mal immediately to share it.

"I don't know if the guys are gonna like that so much . . ." Mal said.

It wasn't an answer Alain was much interested in: he didn't really care if they liked it or not. "Why the hell not?" he asked. "Are they cheap? Or are they just trying to rip me off?"

"Well . . ." Mal had some difficulty with this topic of conversation; he didn't want to upset Alain, but he didn't want separate himself from his bandmates, either. But Alain had to be told. "You haven't really done anything for us, Alain" Mal said. "That's what the guys reckon" he added as a hasty afterthought.

"Haven't done much?" Alain spluttered in disbelief. "Dude, fuck! I got you on the radio!"

"Yeah, and that was awesome, but it's just, since then what've you done? I mean we haven't had a gig in months."

"I thought you were working on new material."

"What? No! Well, yeah, but nothing major. Who told you that?"

"I thought I heard one of you guys say it. Maybe Eric?"

"I don't think so" said Mal with some confusion.

"Man, dude, I totally thought I heard someone say that! I mean, I wanted to stay out of you guys' way! I don't wanna interrupt the creative process."

"There's no creative process going on!"

"Well I know that now."

"So does that mean you're gonna find us some gigs now?"

"Are you gonna pay me?" Alain asked.

"Are you gonna do something to get paid for?"

"If you pay me for it."

"We'll pay you if you get us a gig" Mal said, then instantly wished that he hadn't. He grabbed the 'phone with both hands, as if he could shake the words back out of it.

But he couldn't. "How much?" Alain asked eagerly.

"I'll talk to Eric and Steve" Mal said, annoyed at himself and dreading the conversation with his bandmates.

"Awesome! You better get on that, man" Alain said. "Don't be a stranger!"