24
“Where you get that?”
25
I rose to my feet, holding the bag of money in my right 26
hand.
27 S
“Yeah, you two could stay,” I said. “I’ll even make you 28 R
dinner.”
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The Man in My Basement
¦
¦
¦
1
2
I spent the day taking care of business. I went to the bank 3
in Southampton and gave them four payments on the 4
mortgage, in cash. I paid ahead on the rest of my utilities 5
too. I bought groceries that would last a month or more.
6
That included six quarts of cheap bourbon — I didn’t 7
want to waste any more money on cognac. I also bought 8
paint, paintbrushes, tools, and every kind of cleaning liq-9
uid, brush, and rag. I bought three pairs of jeans, a pair of 10
Timberjack work boots, four checkered flannel shirts, 11
and a new toothbrush. I renewed my subscription to the 12
would want to read it, and bought four CDs of Thelo-14
nious Sphere Monk, whose music was the only thing in 15
the world that Brent and I both loved.
16
I went to the used bookstore in the Harbor and bought 17
fifteen sci-fi hardbacks. Mostly Philip K. Dick and Brian 18
Aldiss. I was digging in for the long haul. This was mainly 19
due to the fear that I’d waste all the money Bennet gave 20
me before I had taken care of business.
21
Brent used to say that money went through my fingers 22
like water down the drain. He wasn’t wrong. The first 23
thing I did when Bennet left was to go out and buy a 24
pure gold ring that I had seen in an antique store in 25
East Hampton. It was a slender thing with a pale green 26
stone for a setting. It was from India, Mrs. Canelli said. It S 27
was a woman’s ring and too small for me, but I wanted it R 28
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Walter Mosley
1
