The Man in My Basement

22

“What kind of job?”

23

“Driving a taxi. I could hook you up there.”

24

I looked at Clarance, feeling like I had just come awake 25

again. His act of kindness felt like the gentle nudge my 26

mother used to give me when I was too tired to get up the 27 S

first time she called.

28 R

“I got money,” I said.

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The Man in My Basement

“How’d you get that?”

1

“Cat introduced me to Narciss Gully. She has an an-2

tique business. She specializes in quilts, but she’s helping 3

me sell the stuff that was in my cellar. It’s a lotta money.”

4

“How much?”

5

“Enough for the mortgage and a couple’a years or so.”

6

Clarance didn’t have much money. He worked hard at 7

the taxi business, and his wife, Mona, was a nurse at the 8

hospital in Southampton. Their families had nothing to 9

give them. They spent everything on their kids. And so 10

when Clarance still had concern on his face for my di-11

lemma, I understood that he was a real friend. We’d 12

known each other for thirty-three years, my whole life, 13

and that was the first moment that I knew he really cared 14

for me.

15

“I got to go, Mr. Mayhew,” I said.

16

“You just got here. Stay for a while. Maybe we could go 17

pick up Cat after work and go to some bars.”

18

“No,” I said. “But thank you. Thank you. And I’m 19

sorry if I ever made you mad, man. You know I was just 20

jealous. See ya.”

21

I stood up from the iron chair and walked out past the 22

teenager on the front porch. I glanced at her and realized 23

that she was thumbing through the naked photographs in 24

the Playgirl magazine that got her suspended.

25

“Bye, Thalia.”