Padam’s lip curled.

“You no rent paying here. This rent-free zone for you, Maxyman! Free parking!” he said with an affectionate slap on the shoulder.

But there was no way Max was going to bludge off these people –

“Well, that’s it then Padam.”

“That’s it?”

“Time to say good-bye mate.”

“Good-bye?” Padam said, perplexed.

“Well… I can’t stay here if you won’t let me pay my way.”

“No, no, no! You staying here! Don’t worry – we pay police… little protection money – not rent. It’s good – police looking out for us – keeping safe.”

“O.K. – protection money – that’ll do,” Max said, keen to hand over some of the fat wad and get on with it. “Listen Padam – I don’t care how much you pay. I don’t need to know what it’s for. Or who it goes to? Really – I don’t care. I do care but… only for interest, not …”

“You want to pay interest?”

Padam beamed.

“You wanting to give money away and pay interest!”

Max laughed –

“Listen, Padam. I need to know how much you think is a fair thing for me to pay to stay here. Just to help out while I’m here. Just a bit of an assist, that’s all – surely that’s not such a big…”

Max realized that he had decided – without ever really deciding – to go ahead and give life on the slab a try.

“Just to help everyone, you know?”

Whatever the economics of it, he knew they needed money.

“Maybe… what you think… one hundred rupees one night?” Padam asked hopefully.

“One dollar?”

“Yes – one night one dollar.”

In that instant it was a done deal – Max reached for the wad, peeled off a note and handed it over.

“That’s for three months.”

He peeled off another –

“And I’ll need you to buy me a few things.”

And another –

“And that’s… let’s just call that insurance.”

Padam looked at the three hundred dollar notes in wonder.

“What kind of things?”

“Well, for starters – I’ll need a couple of those lunghi’s.”

“Ah… you wanting lunghis – for washing.”

“Exactly.”