We just happened into each other at Curry’s bar a while 26
back. He explained to me that he worked for multi-S 27
national corporations, helping them to acquire wealth all R 28
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1
over the world. I was interested and he said that not that 2
many people showed real interest in what he did. He 3
agreed to teach me, to tell me what he knows.”
4
“It doesn’t sound good,” she said. “It sounds like what 5
all those American businesses do when they go to other 6
countries and exploit labor or just steal. They say that 7
Nigeria is one of the richest African countries, but most 8
of the people there live in poverty. They say that’s because 9
of the oil companies.”
10
“That might be, Narciss,” I said in earnest. “But stand-11
ing on the outside quoting Engels and Marx isn’t going to 12
help. Sayin’
I want is to find out, to get in there and see for myself. Be-14
cause you know they aren’t going to stop doing what 15
they’re doing just because we whisper something against 16
them at night on the phone. I mean, I put gas in my tank, 17
don’t I? That’s what voting is to big business, you know.
18
It’s not a secret ballot; it’s a purchase. If you buy from 19
him, that’s your vote of confidence.”
20
I was making it up as I went, but it sounded right. It 21
sounded true. Snatches of classroom dialogues and dime 22
novels, even some things my uncle Brent had said, came 23
together in a lie that was fast becoming my life.
24
“Being true doesn’t make something right, you know,”
25
Narciss argued. “Some things are wrong. Just because you 26
know how to get some slave labor doesn’t make it okay.”
27 S
“I know that,” I said, more as a musical beat than any 28 R
conviction. “I know. But if your hands are clean and
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The Man in My Basement
people are still dying, then how can you say that you did 1
better than me?”
2
“I don’t know,” she said after a short pause. “But I don’t 3
want to talk about it anymore. I . . . I have to go.”
4
