bor for more than 150 years, a long time but not nearly as 2
long as my folks had been around. But you couldn’t tell 3
them that. Wilson liked to tell people that his family helped 4
to settle the east end of the island.
5
Both sides of my family had lived in that area as early as 6
1742. The Blakeys were indentured servants who earned 7
their freedom. The Dodds were free from the beginning.
8
It was even hinted that they, the Dodds, came straight 9
from Africa at the beginning of the eighteenth century.
10
My parents were both very proud that their ancestors 11
were never slaves. The only time I had ever seen my father 12
get angry was when Clarance’s father once asked him, 13
“How can you be sure that one’a them Blakeys you so 14
proud of wasn’t a slave at one time or other?”
15
It was a lovely ride. The woods were deep and green 16
down that way. There were three or four ponds in walking 17
distance from the side of the road. I decided that I’d go 18
fishing after asking Wilson for a job. I planned to tell him 19
that I could begin working that next Monday. That way I 20
could have a long weekend before going back to a job.
21
A group of eight or nine deer was crossing the road a 22
ways up from me. I came to a stop and so did they. The big 23
female looked at me with hard eyes, trying to glean my in-24
tentions. A sigh escaped my throat. I loved to watch deer 25
watching me. They were so timid and ignorant of every-26
thing but the possible threat. People think that they’re cow-S 27
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Walter Mosley
1
ardly, but I’ve been charged by a male or two. I respected 2
them, because with no defense except for their quick feet, 3
they lived out in the wild with no law or protection.
4
I once saw a group of fifteen or more of them swim-5
ming out to Shelter Island. Their heads just above the 6
water, they looked frightened and desperate out there.
7
Cowards don’t face terror. Cowards live on back roads, 8
behind closed doors, with the TVs blasting out anything 9
to keep the silence and the darkness from intruding.
10
The deer’s caution made them move slower than they 11
would have without my presence. I enjoyed the show.
