Money Boy by Paul Yee

much noise as I can.
    My family never thought much of Chinatown. The first time we came here, I was surprised at how big this district was, full of Chinese restaurants, Chinese stores and Chinese people. I thought, if people want to do Chinese business and buy Chinese groceries, then they should stay in China!
    I walk back to Church Street, to Rainbow Sushi. The empty pop can that I kick along the wet sidewalk makes a hollow clatter. I wonder if Chen needs any workers. I’ll do any dog-fart job he throws at me: wash dishes, clean the washrooms, wipe down the walk-in cooler. And I hope he doesn’t care about a SIN card.
    Too bad the handwritten sign on the door says the place is closed every Thursday. Why did Chen choose Thursday? Most restaurants close on Mondays or Tuesdays, the slowest days of the week.
    At the main library, I see that some of the public computers aren’t being used. No line-ups! Great! Going on line will stop me thinking about my stomach.
    The clerk asks for a library card.
    â€œI lost my wallet.” That makes me sound stupid, so I add, “It was stolen.”
    â€œYou want a replacement card?”
    â€œCan I get it right away?”
    â€œDo you have ID?”
    â€œI lost my wallet!” Do adults do this to everyone, or just to immigrant kids like me?
    â€œWell, then sign in as a visitor,” she says. “You get half an hour on the machine. There are no extensions. There are no exceptions. If you need more time, you’ll have to come back tomorrow.”
    Yes, sir!
    My machine is cold, and I have to try several times before it connects to the server. I can’t wait to get onto Rebel State . If I won the debate over the war strategy, I could be leading an army!
    First I Google Lawrence’s name. His face and his little star tattoo are stuck on my mind. But he’s not on Facebook. Other people have the same name and a Toronto location on LinkedIn. I guess it’s true that Toronto has more Chinese than any other Canadian city. But why is Lawrence hooked up with someone like Chen? I Google Rainbow Sushi in English and in Chinese. No photos of Lawrence. The restaurant doesn’t have a website.
    On Rebel State , my team gives me the latest news. Rebel Command wants us to destroy a fortified signal tower. It receives messages from the ships at sea and sends them inland. This must mean that the guerrilla strategy won. When I check Tally, my Honor is at the same level as before. Rebel Command hasn’t deducted anything. Maybe Rebel Command knows that I was right to stand up for the local people. Maybe Rebel Command has been too busy to punish me.
    We head up the hill with grappling hooks and ropes. The enemy has laid land traps that we step around or disable. It feels good to be back in action, to have a mission.
    Monkey, Long Range and Scholar start climbing. They are halfway up the walls when the tower doors fly open. Attack Wolves charge out. They have always had night sight.
    The three of us on the ground fall back. Our friends on the walls are helpless as enemy archers take aim. We shouldn’t have sent Long Range up the wall. Now we don’t have a sharp shooter on our side.
    The screen goes black. My half hour is over.
    I slam my fingers against the keyboard. No! The team will accuse me of abandoning them.
    I glance at the service counter. My clerk has been replaced by a fellow with long frizzy hair. Maybe the first clerk’s shift ended. If I move quickly, maybe I can log back onto the game.
    I race around to the entrance and dash to the service counter.
    â€œCan visitors use the computers here?” I ask. “I’m from out of town.”
    The clerk nods and looks for a password for me. Right at that moment, the female clerk returns.
    â€œAll finished?” She smiles at me.
    â€œHe wants visitor time,” says the male clerk, puzzled. The two workers exchange a glance.
    â€œI told you the rules.” The female clerk