Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
1
I was surprised to see a white man walk into Joppy's bar. It's not just that he was white but he wore an off- white linen suit and shirt with a Panama straw hat and bone shoes over flashing white silk socks. His skin was smooth and pale with just a few freckles. One lick of strawberry-blond hair escaped the band of his hat. He stopped in the doorway, filling it with his large frame, and surveyed the room with pale eyes; not a color I'd ever seen in a man's eyes. When he looked at me I felt a thrill of fear, but that went away quickly because I was used to white people by 1948.
I had spent five years with white men, and women, from Africa to Italy, through Paris, and into the Fatherland itself. I ate with them and slept with them, and I killed enough blue-eyed young men to know that they were just as afraid to die as I was.
The white man smiled at me, then he walked to the bar where Joppy was running a filthy rag over the marble top. They shook hands and exchanged greetings like old friends.
The second thing that surprised me was that he made Joppy nervous. Joppy was a tough ex-heavyweight who was comfortable brawling in the ring or in the street, but he ducked his head and smiled at that white man just like a salesman whose luck had gone bad.
I put a dollar down on the bar and made to leave, but before I was off the stool Joppy turned my way and waved me toward them.
'Com'on over here, Easy. This here's somebody I want ya t'meet.'
I could feel those pale eyes on me.
'This here's a ole friend'a mines, Easy. Mr. Albright.'
'You can call me DeWitt, Easy,' the white man said. His grip was strong but slithery, like a snake coiling around my hand.
'Hello,' I said.
'Yeah, Easy,' Joppy went on, bowing and grinning. 'Mr. Albright and me go way back. You know he prob'ly my oldest friend from L.A. Yeah, we go ways back.'
'That's right,' Albright smiled. 'It must've been 1935 when I met Jop. What is it now? Must be thirteen years. That was back before the war, before every farmer, and his brother's wife, wanted to come to L.A.'
Joppy guffawed at the joke; I smiled politely. I was wondering what kind of business Joppy had with that man and, along with that, I wondered what kind of business that man could have with me.
'Where you from, Easy?' Mr. Albright asked.
'Houston.'
'Houston, now that's a nice town. I go down there sometimes, on business.' He smiled for a moment. He had all the time in the world. 'What kind of work you do up here?'
Up close his eyes were the color of robins' eggs; matte and dull.
'He worked at Champion Aircraft up to two days ago,' Joppy said when I didn't answer. 'They laid him off.'
Mr. Albright twisted his pink lips, showing his distaste. 'That's too bad. You know these big companies don't give a damn about you. The budget doesn't balance just right and they let ten family men go. You have a family, Easy?' He had a light drawl like a well-to-do southern gentleman.
'No, just me, that's all,' I said.
'But they don't know that. For all they know you could have ten kids and one on the way but they let you go just the same.'
'That's right!' Joppy shouted. His voice sounded like a regiment of men marching through a gravel pit. 'Them people own them big companies don't never even come in to work, they just get on the telephone to find out how they money is. And you know they better get a good answer or some heads gonna roll.'
Mr. Albright laughed and slapped Joppy on the arm. 'Why don't you get us some drinks, Joppy? I'll have scotch. What's your pleasure, Easy?'
'Usual?' Joppy asked me.
'Sure.'
When Joppy moved away from us Mr. Albright turned to look around the room. He did that every few minutes,
