But how bad could it be? He couldn’t hurt anybody in 14
my basement. He was just little so I knew he couldn’t hurt 15
me. Unless he had a gun. But I could lock the doors while 16
he was down there. Of course a man with a gun could get 17
through a door, or a window.
18
But why would he need to pay me money? Why not 19
just shoot me in the breakfast nook?
20
21
I couldn’t believe that Bennet had any designs on my 22
welfare. I decided to get drunk and stop worrying about 23
things I couldn’t change.
24
to be a roar to make it all the way down into the kitchen 26
from my parents’ room on the third floor. That was the 27 S
deal I usually made with Clarance. He could come to my 28 R
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The Man in My Basement
house with one of his girlfriends. They’d stay on the third 1
floor and I’d sleep downstairs in my father’s den. But it 2
was the first time that Ricky had asked for the deal.
3
I never imagined that Bethany, who spoke in a small 4
high voice, could get the volume to disturb me downstairs.
5
That’s when I remembered being a child. Now and 6
then my parents wanted to be alone,
7
They’d go into their room and tell me to go play. But all I 8
wanted was to play with them and talk to them. After 9
they sent me away from the door a few times, I’d wander 10
down to the pantry with my toy soldiers and guns. I was 11
happy then because there was a vent that let me hear my 12
parents’ soft murmuring voices while I played soldier.
13
“That’s it, baby,” Bethany said. She might have been 14
talking to me, her voice was so clear. “Right there. Right 15
there. Right there.”
16
Ricky was saying something, and she replied with a 17
whole drawerful of yeses.
18
I hadn’t masturbated in three days because of the alco-19
hol. By the time I got around to that, I was too dizzy to 20
do anything. Bethany was telling Ricky where to move 21
and when he got it right she let go with a strained roar.
