7
I was halfway to Clarance’s house before I realized that 8
I had not lied to Bennet. It was Tuesday. Clarance always 9
took Tuesdays off and worked the lighter Sunday shift. I 10
got there a little after 10:00. His oldest daughter, Athalia, 11
was sitting on the front porch. She was a big girl, sixteen 12
I believe, and a magnet for boys.
13
“Hi, Mr. Blakey!” she shouted. “Daddy’s havin’ break-14
fast.”
15
Even that small piece of information was delivered 16
across the lawn in an engaging manner. Athalia was what 17
is known as a daddy’s girl. She loved to see men happy.
18
I’ve often thought that Clarance must have sold his soul 19
at some East Hampton crossroads to be blessed in so 20
many ways.
21
“How’s summer school, Thalia?”
22
“They suspended me ’cause I had a dirty magazine,”
23
she said, her smile dimming for a moment.
24
“You in trouble?”
25
“Naw. Momma’s mad but Daddy just laughed.”
26
She was wearing loose shorts and a pink blouse that S 27
didn’t make it down to her navel. She caught my eye and R 28
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Walter Mosley
1
I thought about Anniston Bennet — about how he was 2
as unashamed as a child.
3
“When can you go back?” I asked.
4
“I gotta go Friday. I don’t see why I can’t just have the 5
whole week off.” She was bothered, but nothing kept 6
Athalia down for long. She gave me a big grin and opened 7
the door for me. I went through the small ranch-style 8
house toward the back. There was no one in the dining 9
room. Through the window I could see big Clarance sit-10
ting down to a meal at his cast-iron patio table. He was 11
wearing shorts like his daughter, with a strap undershirt 12
and red thongs. The iron table and chair were painted 13
lime green. Behind him was a child’s rubber pool in the 14
