“I just want to get together. It’s not a date. It’s lunch.”
S 27
“Okay. One-thirty tomorrow.”
R 28
3rd Pass Pages
ManInMyBasemnt_HCtext3P.qxd 10/24/03 8:16 PM Page 180
Walter Mosley
1
“See ya then.”
2
“Okay. Bye.”
3
4
5
“Good morning, Mr. Bennet,” I said at 6:45.
6
I snapped on the light and he jerked up from his mat-7
tress on the floor.
8
“Good morning.”
9
I shoved the cold cereal and fruit under the door and 10
sat on the trunk.
11
“Here’s the deal,” I said.
12
Bennet sat in his red chair and ran his hand down 13
across his face until he was clasping his throat.
14
“Go on,” he said.
15
“Everything is a privilege. Food is a privilege and so is 16
water and light and the books to read. If you want me to 17
be the warden of your life, then that’s just what I’ll be.”
18
“How do I earn these privileges?” Bennet asked. He was 19
very serious.
20
“I will ask you questions. And you will answer them. If 21
you refuse or I don’t like your answers, then a privilege 22
will be taken away. If I don’t like your attitude, I will sus-23
pend privileges. If you lie, the same thing.”
24
“But how will you know if I’m lying?”
25
“You will have to prove it to me.”
26
For some reason that answer made Bennet flinch.
27 S
“And what are my rights?” he asked.
