“Well, I’m in perfect health,” insisted Jack.

Kallio sighed heavily, and then said, “Well, I really hate to have to be the one to tell you this … but I’m afraid that it looks as though we’ll have to let you onto the dole.   At least for now.   But we’ll keep a close eye on you, so you’d better at least pretend to look around for work.”

“I won’t be pretending,” insisted Jack.   “I don’t intend to stay on the dole a second longer than I have to.”

“None of this staying up to watch the late, late, late movie, then sleeping in till mid arvo,” warned Kallio.   “We’ll have one of our blokes down there knocking on your door, every other morning, between nine and ten.   So watch your step!”

“All right,” said Jack, relieved that the interrogation was finally over.   ‘God, I hope I get a job quickly!’ thought Jack.   So I don’t have to go through this kind of third degree every week for the next eight years!’

“Here,” called Helen Kallio As Jack turned to leave.   She handed over two forms and said, “Fill in the white one now and leave it here.   Fill in the green, one at home and bring it back in with you in a fortnight’s time.”   She sniggered, and then added, “If you haven’t found work by then.”

12.

Mid October 1977

Early Morning

Christ stood beside the Greek foreman, just inside the canning and bottle capping section of the factory.

Along one wall, just inside the large double doors, stood the foreman’s office.   The double-glazed walls of the office shut out most of the factory noise, yet allowed the foreman to keep an eye on the workers, without having to step outside.   The remainder of the large building was covered almost from wall to wall with machinery, with barely room enough to move between the machines.   Chris thought, ‘I can just picture Lou Costello trying to squeeze through the few centimetres between two of the machines in a hurry.   Abbott and Costello meet The Mangler, would be a good name for the movie.’