beside the passport masks that I had standing there.
15
Many nights I would imagine some Senegalese or Con-16
golese sailor on a Portuguese ship, carrying his mask to a 17
new land. A black man, infinitely darker than me, with 18
bright whites in his eyes, making his way to a world his 19
people had never even imagined. And when he saw 20
America, he jumped ship. The white people feared him as 21
the devil, so he probably took on a Shinnecock bride. He 22
came out to just about where I was now and built a life 23
that most people never even suspected.
24
Between my make-believe ancestors and the women who 25
loved my shadow, I was happy. Drinking and masturbating 26
and feeding my prisoner three times a day. Wearing my fa-S 27
ther’s clothes (sometimes even using his name) and preR 28
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Walter Mosley
1
tending that I was a summering lawyer or stockbroker. Life 2
meant nothing, but I was having a good time.
3
And then, two days before Anniston Bennet had agreed 4
to leave, I went down to serve his dinner.
5
“Will you let me have a whiskey?” he asked mildly.
6
“Sure,” I said. I was feeling flush and generous. Why 7
not give the convict a snort?
8
I went to the house and returned with a bottle and a glass.
9
“I don’t really want to drink alone,” he said. “Here, you 10
use the clean glass. I’ve got one from lunch.”
11
I poured the whiskey for both of us and then sat on the 12
large trunk used to deliver his books.
13
“It’s pretty odd being locked up down here,” he said.
14
“It’s great for reading. You can really concentrate if there’s 15
no phone or messages or radio. I mean, I don’t even know 16
what’s gone on in the world for almost two weeks. But 17
I know about the Renaissance as if it happened this morn-18
ing.”
19
He was the same man who came to my door two 20
months before. Friendly and humble in his gestures. He 21
