Bad Boy Brawly Brown (25 page)

think he said a single word. All those early years as a mute had given 6

him a close kinship with silence. Silence and patience at being un-7

derstood.

8

After the children were in bed Bonnie made me a drink, a con-9

coction made from a scoop of ice cream, vanilla flavoring, milk, 10

eggs, nutmeg, and honey. In the old days I would have added a shot 11

of bourbon to top it off.

12

We sat in the living room listening to the late news. There was a 13

story about a Negro named Henry Strong who died instantaneously S 14

from a gunshot wound to the head in the early-morning hours. He R 15

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lived at the Colorado Hotel on Cherry and was a native of Oakland, 2

California.

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“Do you want me to leave, Easy?”

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“What?”

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“Do you want me to move out of your house?” Bonnie asked.

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“What are you talkin’ about, Shay?”

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“You haven’t even touched me since you came in.” She was 8

close to tears.

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I moved over to the couch and put my arm around her.

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“I was just . . . just . . . I was just preoccupied,” I said.

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She shook off my arm and shifted away from me.

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“We haven’t known each other very long, Easy. I know that when 13

you helped me that your friend got killed. . . .”

14

“No one’s even sure that he’s dead,” I said. “And even if he is, 15

that was between me and Raymond. We been livin’ up near the front 16

lines ever since we were children. It ain’t nobody’s fault the way we 17

lived. You didn’t ask him for nuthin’ and you weren’t there when the 18

shit went down. You were there for me, though. You been there for 19

the kids.”

20

“You needed somebody to love you, Easy. You were hurting and 21

you were kind, too. But just because you’re grateful doesn’t mean 22

you want me. I will leave if that’s what’s best. I will.”

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“That’s not what I want. No.”

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Bonnie’s face was like the drawing of a black goddess from some 25

Polynesian myth. The eyes slanted upward, her full lips perfectly 26

shaped. Those lips parted and for a moment I forgot the hunger in 27

my lungs and the pain of Raymond’s death. Even the trouble I’d bur-28

rowed down into didn’t seem like much.

29

“I been doin’ somethin’,” I said.

30 S

“What?”

31 R

I told her about John and Alva, about Brawly and the First Men.

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I told her about Aldridge and Henry Strong but refrained from let-1

ting on that I was at both murder scenes.

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“It sounds too dangerous, Easy,” she said after I was done.

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“Like when you were in trouble,” I said.

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She kissed me and I kissed her, and then she kissed me again. I’d 5

had an erection ever since her lips parted.

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L
ATER THAT NIGHT
we were in the bed, still kissing. Cigarettes 9

must have something to do with sex somehow, because my de-10

sire for tobacco was completely gone for an hour and a half. All I 11

needed was my baby. I could have taken that on the radio.

12

“So you’re upset because of the police and the political group?”

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Bonnie asked me between smooches.

14

I think she was looking for a way to talk me out of helping John.

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“No,” I said. “I’m upset because I haven’t had a cigarette since 16

early this morning.”

17

“Why don’t you have one then?”

18

“Because this is some serious business. I might have to move fast 19

and I know from the stairs at Sojourner Truth that I don’t have much 20

of a wind. I couldn’t trot around this block if I wanted to.”

21

“You’re a full-grown man, Easy,” she whispered into my armpit.

22

“A man shouldn’t have to run.”

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“Maybe there’s some white man somewhere think he don’t have 24

to skip out now and then, but a black man anywhere in this United 25

States better be able to run a mile and then another one.”

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“I don’t want you out there running after trouble,” Bonnie com-27

plained.

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“Then you don’t have to worry about me. I’m the runnin’-away 29

kind.”

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“That’s not true,” she said. “I wish it was, but it’s not.”

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“You really wish that I was a coward?”

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“I love the man,” she said. “Not the man who saved me, but the 3

one who cared that I was okay.”

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I looked into her eyes but her heart was too vast for me to com-5

prehend.

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W
HEN THE PHONE RANG
I was deep in a dreamless sleep. I heard it jangling but there didn’t seem to be any reason to an-10

swer. My left foot was hanging out of the bed, feeling a slight chill, 11

and my right thigh was pressed against Bonnie’s butt, warm as toast.

12

Everything was right with the world.

13

“Easy. Easy.”

14

“Hm.”

15

“Easy.”

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“Yeah, babe?”

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“It’s the phone. A woman named Tina.”

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I remembered the ringing. It seemed like many years ago. The 19

only thing that mattered was my cold foot and warm thigh.

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“Easy.”

21

And then I was awake, craving cigarettes and aware of the danger 22

I’d crossed over into.

23

“Hello,” I said.

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“Mr. Rawlins?”

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“Uh-huh.”

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“This is Tina Montes. We met the other night at the First Men.”

27

“I remember. Your people pulled a gun on me and threw me out 28

of the car.”

29

I could feel Bonnie stiffen against my leg.

30 S

“I didn’t want that. Conrad and Mr. Strong get kinda rough 31 R

sometimes.”

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“What can I do for you, Miss Montes?”

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“Miss Latour said that I could trust you.”

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“You sure can do that,” I said. “On one condition, that is.”

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“What’s that?”

4

“You can trust me if you don’t lie to me.”

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“Okay.”

6

“What time is it?”

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“One,” she said.

8

“In the morning?” I said with a sigh. “Tell Liselle to get the par-9

lor ready. I’ll be over in less than an hour.”

10

I put down the phone and sat up in one motion.

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Bonnie didn’t say anything until I was dressed and ready to leave.

12

“Easy?”

13

“Yeah, babe?”

14

She stood up all naked and womanly. From her purse she took a 15

Camel cigarette. She always carried a pack because she sometimes 16

smoked with her girlfriends. She lit the cigarette, took a drag, and 17

then put it between my lips.

18

She kissed my cheek and said, “You need to be calm out there, 19

Mr. Rawlins. Give up smoking some other time.”

20

“Aren’t you upset about some woman calling me in the middle 21

of the night?”

22

“No,” she said. “You wouldn’t give our number to some bird you 23

took a fancy to. You wouldn’t hurt me like that. I am worried about 24

someone pulling a gun on you, though.”

25

“He wasn’t serious,” I said. “Just tryin’ to show me who was boss.”

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27
/ LISELLE MET ME
at the front door. She looked even older late at night. The flesh under her eyes 3

hung down and her shoulders did, too.

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But, weak and tired as she was, she grilled me before allowing 5

me to set foot past the threshold.

6

“I don’t want you worrying her now, Easy,” Liselle said. “You 7

know that girl has enough problems. And I don’t want you bringing 8

her down just because you wanna help that broodin’ Brawly boy.”

9

“You know Brawly?” I asked.

10

“He been here. Yes, he has.”

11

“What do you know about him?”

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“Just that he’s sullen and childish. Start talkin’ to anybody like 13

they supposed to care how he feels. Told me that he liked me ’cause 14 S

I wasn’t cold like his mother. I told him that it’s much easier for 15 R

a stranger to be nice than a mother who got to listen to a boy’s
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boasting he’s a man while she washin’ the shit stains outta his 1

drawers.”

2

I laughed. “What he say to that?”

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“Just frowned an’ never even said hello to me again.”

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“I won’t hurt Tina,” I said. “I promise you that.”

5

Liselle held my gaze with her drooping, watery eyes for a good 6

five seconds before leading me into the old-fashioned parlor, where 7

Tina was seated on a straight-backed walnut chair.

8

The young radical was wearing baggy blue slacks and a coral-9

colored top that was also loose-fitting. Tina had a small nose and 10

medium brown skin. She was pretty because she was twenty, more or 11

less. By thirty she’d be no more than handsome, and by forty she’d be 12

considered plain.

13

But right then she held the strong attraction of vulnerability. She 14

looked up at Liselle and me like some condemned prisoner hoping 15

for a reprieve but expecting the worst.

16

“Here he is, baby,” Liselle said. “But if you don’t want to talk no 17

more, just stand up and come in to me. Just come in to me.”

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“Thank you, Miss Latour,” Tina said.

19

Liselle walked into her small apartment, leaving her door slightly 20

ajar. I waited a moment before walking over and pushing the door 21

closed. Then I came back to the chair across from Christina Montes.

22

“How are you doing?” I asked.

23

“Okay. But you know three of our brothers are still in jail. One’s 24

in the hospital.”

25

“Why’d the cops break in on you like that?”

26

“I don’t know,” she said. “Thanks for helping me get away.”

27

“No problem.”

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“Conrad shouldn’t have put that gun in your face. Xavier says it’s 29

because people think he looks white that he always feels he has to S 30

prove himself.”

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“I’m not worried about him,” I said. “Liselle told you that I’m 2

tryin’ t’help Brawly, right?”

3

“You told us that you were lookin’ for him in the car the other 4

night.”

5

“Yeah, I forgot. Well, she told you that I’m all right, I guess.”

6

“She said that you could help people out if they’re in trouble but 7

that I should be careful because you move with dangerous people.”

8

“I can’t argue about that,” I said. “But you put me to shame.”

9

“What do you mean by that?”

10

“You got Conrad and Brawly stackin’ up guns with Brawly’s girl-11

friend —”

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“Clarissa?” Tina was really surprised.

13

“No, the white one, BobbiAnne.”

14

“You got that wrong, Mr. Rawlins. Clarissa is Brawly’s girl,” Tina 15

said. “He loves her.”

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“I don’t know what the word is that he does to BobbiAnne, but 17

she’s his girl, too,” I said with a great deal of authority in my voice.

18

“I don’t know anything about that or any guns, either. All I know 19

is that Henry Strong is dead and I’m scared, scared for Xavier and the 20

others.”

21

“What about Aldridge Brown?” I asked.

22

“What about him?”

23

“Did you know him?”

24

“Sure I know him. He’s Brawly’s father. A couple of times he 25

bought us dinner at Egbert’s Coffee Shop.”

26

“So Aldridge was in the Party, too?” I asked.

27

“No. Really I don’t think he cared about politics. But he had a 28

lot of trouble with Brawly when Brawly was a boy, and they were 29

tryin’ to make up for it.”

30 S

“Do you think whoever killed Strong killed Brawly’s father?”

31 R

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