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not,” said Greg. “Do you know what that is, Tanya?”
    “A whale,” Tanya replied.
    “Not just any whale. That’s a humpback whale.”
    “A humpback? Sounds deformed,” said Tanya.
    “Not at all, quite the opposite. Humpbacks are the most beautiful, playful creatures on this earth, and you found it. I mean, a whale in the Thames is amazing enough, but a humpback. People pay money to see them.”
    “Is there a reward, then?” Tanya asked hopefully.
    “Tanya, if you knew how rare that creature was, you’d know you’ve already had your reward,” Roger said.
    “Well done,” said Greg, “You’ve made our day. Now which way was it heading?”
    “That way.” Tanya pointed upstream.
    “If you’ll forgive us we’ve got to go. We’ve got to alert the Port of London and try to find it before it gets in any trouble. Well done, Tanya, you’ve done brilliantly.” Greg climbed back over the wall, followed by Roger. A second later and the engine squealed into life.
    Tanya ran over to where they had climbed down. Looking over the wall, she saw Greg untying the boat and Roger talking into the radio frantically. The noise of the engine meant Tanya had to shout.
    “What should I do?” she asked.
    “Nothing,” said Greg shouting back, “you’ve done the most important bit. Now it’s up to us. Try taking some Alka Seltzer, it’s great for hangovers.” He waved.
    Tanya waved back. She expected the boat to take off throwing spray everywhere like something out of a bad action movie, but instead, Roger throttled back on the engine so it was idling and the boat crept forward barely making a ripple. Roger was still on the radio while he steered and Greg was at the front scanning the surface for any signs of the humpback.
    Tanya wanted to get in the boat and go with them. They were having an adventure. An adventure that was happening, not in some odd place on the other side of the world like you see on TV, but right here on her doorstep. And nothing ever happened around here. If it did, Tanya never seemed to be part it. She always felt destined to be on the fringes of everything. Born for one purpose: to be a loser. For once she was at the centre of something, something big, and you couldn’t get bigger than a whale.
    It was her discovery and hers alone. But she was already feeling excluded. Shut out of the party before it had even started. It was like being turned away from a club because you had no ID, which she had been on numerous occasions. But this was a million times worse. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But Tanya wasn’t content with once. She wanted more. And that experience was now swimming off down the Thames while she was stuck here on the embankment, reeking of alcohol. Surely that couldn’t be the end of it?
    She felt sick, but not from the drink. Was this wonderful event just going to be a blip in her life, never to be repeated? She’d only just seen it but now she wondered if it had happened at all.

Chapter 5
    Tanya began the long walk back home. The adrenalin rush of seeing a real living breathing whale had been replaced by an anger that made her weary and irritable. When she reached the walkway of her block of flats, she saw her father marching towards her.
    She forgot her bitterness and ran towards him, something that she hadn’t done since she was seven.
    “Dad, you’ll never guess what I saw.”
    “Where have you been?” he demanded. His fury looked unquenchable, making the thick veins on his neck bulge against his DIY Tattoos.
    “Dad, I saw a whale.”
    “I said where have you been? Answer me, girl.”
    “Out with Lena.”
    “You’ve been drinking.”
    “Yeah, so what?”
    “You shouldn’t be drinking at your age.”
    “Right, so it’s all right for you to pass out on the sofa.”
    “Your mother would be ashamed of you.”
    “Well, she’s not here is she – you made sure of that, didn’t you.”
    A slap came out of nowhere. Tanya was used to it and didn’t