‘The woman needed it to finish onboarding for a new job,’ I replied.

‘Such a small obstacle.’

‘Not small to her.’

Exactly.

The woman had spent nearly two weeks trying to solve it herself.

The fee was not enormous, but her last paycheck had gone to rent and a prescription.

She couldn’t collect her new wages until she could prove her identity.

The amount was less than one of our office lunches, yet it stood between her and the start of stable work.