fered and immediately I was sorry. I didn’t have a single S 27
paper dollar to my name. I probably didn’t have enough R 28
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Walter Mosley
1
in change to cover a dinner at Dinelli’s, and my only 2
credit card had been canceled more than a year before.
3
“That would be nice,” Narciss Gully said.
4
She turned back to her work, and I jumped up to go to 5
the kitchen.
6
“Be right back,” I promised.
7
Ricky was cradling the phone with both hands against 8
his face. His voice was low, and I knew that he must have 9
been getting somewhere with Bethany Baptiste. Bethany 10
was a heavyset young woman who liked food, dancing, 11
and men. She could never get enough of any one of them, 12
and we all loved her for it.
13
She’d been married once but that didn’t take. Bethany 14
married Lawrence Crelde, but she was in love with 15
Clarance, who was already married. Whenever Clarance 16
called, Bethany came running, and one day when she got 17
back, Lawrence was gone. Bethany wasn’t upset about los-18
ing her husband, but she was devastated when Clarance 19
refused to leave his own wife for her.
20
Ever since then Bethany was alone. She’d go out with 21
this man or that for a few days or weeks, but something 22
always got in the way. Right now it looked like Ricky was 23
going to be her date. At any other time I would have sat 24
back and waited for him to finish with his line, but right 25
then I had my own troubles.
26
“Ricky,” I said.
27 S
He waved at me to go away.
28 R
“Ricky,” I said a little louder.
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The Man in My Basement
Again he waved.
1
“Get off the phone, man. I have to talk to you.”
2
