“A watched pot never brews,” I said.
“Yeah it will,” Hawk said.
“You know Bobby Nevins?” I said.
“Yeah.”
“He ever train you?”
“Some,” he said.
“That how you know the kid?”
“Un huh.”
The pot had filled slowly.
“Tole you it would brew,” Hawk said.
“Jeez,” I said. “I was sure I was right.”
Hawk took it from the machine and poured us two cups of coffee.
“You are a domestic fool,” I said when Hawk handed me a cup.
“Ancestors were house slaves,” Hawk said. “It’s in the genes.”
“So how well you know Robinson Nevins?” I said.
“Bobby come closer to bringing me up,” Hawk said, “than anyone else.”
“So you’ve known Robinson all your life.”
“Yes.”
“Well?”
“No, not so much. He was around some.”
“But he came to you when he got in trouble,” I said.
Hawk shook his head.
“Bobby did,” Hawk said.
“He’s still alive?”
“Yeah. Eighty-two now, still healthy, still hangs out at the gym looking for young fighters.”
“So Robinson was born to him late.”
“Yes, only kid. Got divorced when Robinson was pretty small. Wasn’t a good divorce. Don’t know where Robinson’s mother is now.”
“Kid close to his father?”
“Bobby loves that kid,” Hawk said. “Kid grew up mostly with his mother. But Bobby paid the bills and saw the kid when he could and when the kid got to be a professor Bobby was walking around talking like the kid had just become heavyweight champ. You know, I don’t know if Bobby ever even went to school. I’m not sure how much Bobby can read.”
“How about Robinson. He close to Bobby?”
“I think he’s a little embarrassed by his father,” Hawk said. “He’s close to his mamma and his mamma never had much good to say about Bobby.”
I nodded.
“What do you know about his problems?” I said.
“Just what he told you.”
“What do you think?”
“‘Bout the tenure or the suicide or what?”
“Any of the above,” I said.
“Don’t know shit about tenure,” Hawk said. “Kid who died, Prentice Lamont, was a very gay guy. I pretty sure Robinson knew him. Don’t know if Robinson is gay or not.”
“How gay?” I said.
“Activist. Ran a little flier service that outed people.”
“How nice,” I said. “What’s the rumor about him and Robinson?”
“That they had a big affair and Robinson broke it off and the kid killed himself.”
“Love unrequited?”
“That’s the rumor,” Hawk said.
“Bobby Nevins know this rumor?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s he say?”
