“Ever, I need you to run an errand for me.”

  It was late in the day. The mini-rush of teens who finished school and wanted to get a hit of sweet, cold sugar came and went.

  “Sure,” Ever said. He finished filling up the dispenser on the top of the ice cream displays with a stack of new serviettes and came around. “What do you need?”

  “Two things actually.” He held three one-hundred dollar notes taut in his hands, flicking the end with a snap. “Take these notes to the bank and exchange them for coins. We need a float for tomorrow morning.”

  “OK then.”

  “Second thing, I noticed you’re still carrying that tote around. Could you please go and deposit all your cash? It’s not safe bringing it around like this. I’m going to be paying you directly into your bank account weekly from now on, so let me know what it is when you get back.”

  Ever was going to ask why it wasn’t safe and tell him that he didn’t have a bank account but swallowed the thought at the last second. As sick as Taylor got of his seemingly inane questions, he at least felt comfortable asking her.

  “You’ve already added my phone number, yeah?” Logan asked. “Just give me a call if you have any issues.” He jiggled his large smartphone between his thumb and finger next to his passive face.

  —--

  “Hello there, how can I help you today?”

  The bank teller didn’t have a single hair of her severe bun out of place. She stood behind a thick, transparent screen with holes in a circular pattern in the middle of it.

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  “Hi,” Ever said. He opened his tote bag, pulling out the hundreds at the top of the pile of cash. “Could I please have these in coins?”

  “What denominations would you like?”

  Ever froze. Taylor had always looked after the float. How much did they need of each piece?

  “Never mind, there’s a sticky note here.” The woman peeled off the yellow note, nodding as she read. Next, she popped open a metal case, counting out the coins, putting them in bags before sliding them all back in a pile through the hole in the screen. “Is there anything else I can help you with?” Her eyes flickered to the bulging tote bag Ever held with both hands.

  “I need to open a bank account and put all my pay in.”

  A tiny smile creased the woman’s thin lips. “Not a problem, may I see some ID?”

  “ID?” Ever echoed.

  Her eyes flicked up to him. “Identification.”

  “Oh.” With one hand holding the tote bag steady, his other dove in, fishing for the driver's licence. There it was. He slid it to the teller who held it up, looked at it then at Ever, then once more at the ID before sliding it back to him.

  “How much do you have?”

  “I’m not sure, I just put it all in here," Ever said jiggling the bag. He tried pressing it through the screen, realizing with a sinking feeling that it wasn't going to fit. He spent the next couple minutes shoving through piles of notes haphazardly to the teller. Her face stayed remarkably still, like this wasn’t the most bizarre thing she’d seen today.

  She already had the note counter handy and had started stacking matching notes. Ever watched in awe as it whirred and displayed the count on a little, digital screen.

  “OK, your total is $9,450. If you're going to be accessing this money regularly, might I suggest an Everyday Account?” Ever was grateful that she caught on that he was pretty new to the idea of banking. She set up his account, even helping him download the app on his phone. “Your bank card will be sent to your address.”

  “Actually, could you send it to my workplace please?”

  “Certainly.” She updated a note on her screen. “Will that be all today?”

  “Yes,” Ever said, carrying the much lighter and emptier tote bag. He glanced at her name badge. “Thank you, Amanda!"