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Authors: Walter Mosley
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6
made it through the first grade.
7
He had a girl who he bragged on, name of Charlene Lorraine.
8
Charlene liked the cowardly Jackson for some crazy reason and let 9
him share her bed now and then. She liked him but didn’t respect or 10
fear or care about him in any way. I gave her twenty dollars only two 11
weeks after the day Raymond Alexander and John F. Kennedy were 12
shot. She gave me Jackson’s number without even asking why.
13
“I ain’t seen him but one time, Easy,” the buxom Miss Lorraine 14
told me. “I think he must have some other girlfriend somewhere.”
15
“So you’re jealous?” I asked her.
16
“Jealous?” she exclaimed. “That’d be like bein’ jealous if some-17
body else petted your little dog. He’s cute and all, but it ain’t like he 18
no real man or nuthin’.”
19
Charlene let her arms hang back making her bosom protrude 20
even farther. She looked me up and down but I didn’t bite. Not that 21
I wouldn’t have minded being reeled up into her bed, but I had Bon-22
nie by that time and other women were not a main concern on my 23
mind.
24
“John gimme your number,” I lied.
25
“Where he get it?”
26
“I didn’t need to know that, Jackson. What I need is a line on a 27
few people you might have come across in your petty crimes.”
28
“What people?”
29
“I want you to ask around about Aldridge Brown, Brawly Brown, 30 S
and dude name of Strong run with a group called the Urban Revo-31 R
lutionary Party or the First Men.”
6 2
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B A D B O Y B R AW LY B R O W N
“Which one?” Jackson asked. “Urban Party or First Men?”
1
“They go by both names.”
2
“If I do that, you gonna let me slide on the piggy-bank money?”
3
“If you do that, I’ll connect you with an honest job so you can 4
pay Jesus back from your first month’s salary.”
5
“What was them names again?” he asked.
6
I told him.
7
“Okay. I could do that. Yeah. Why’ont you call me tomorrow 8
afternoon. I should have whatever I can get by then.”
9
“Why don’t you call me, Blue?”
10
“Well, you know . . .”
11
“No. What?”
12
“Jesus might answer.”
13
That was Jackson. He lived his whole life among murderers, 14
muggers, and thieves but he was afraid of a sixteen-year-old boy who 15
was even smaller than him.
16
“All right, Jackson. I’ll call you tomorrow at two. You better be 17
there.”
18
“I ain’t got nowhere else to be, Easy,” he said. “Nowhere at all.”
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
S 30
R 31
6 3
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1
2
10 / THE TENEMENT ISOLDA MOORE was staying in was nothing like her house. The unpainted wooden
3
stairs that led to her third-floor hideaway felt soggy under my weight.
4
The hallway was misshapen. The floor was warped and sagging, the 5
ceiling slumped. The hallway started out wide but it narrowed as I 6
neared Isolda’s door.
7
The photographs of her on the bureau mirror, even the secret 8
ones of her in the bikini, had not done Miss Moore justice. She was 9
lovely at first sight even though she was off balance from having 10
yanked the wedged door free. She was a light brown woman in a 11
polka-dot blue and white dress. The hemline reached just below her 12
knees, revealing shapely legs. Isolda wore no bra and didn’t seem to 13
be missing it. Her big eyes were close together and almond shaped.
14 S
Her lips were poised in the permanent expectation of a kiss.
15 R
“Yes?” she asked nervously.
6 4
REAL PAGES
12374_i-vi_1-314_r4sw.qxd 4/18/2002 2:00 PM Page 65
B A D B O Y B R AW LY B R O W N
“Isolda Moore?” I said. She hesitated, so I went on. “My name is 1
Easy Rawlins. John and Alva wanted me to come over and ask you a 2
few things about Brawly.”
3
While I spoke, my eyes cataloged her attributes.
4
The worry
made it through the first grade.
7
He had a girl who he bragged on, name of Charlene Lorraine.
8
Charlene liked the cowardly Jackson for some crazy reason and let 9
him share her bed now and then. She liked him but didn’t respect or 10
fear or care about him in any way. I gave her twenty dollars only two 11
weeks after the day Raymond Alexander and John F. Kennedy were 12
shot. She gave me Jackson’s number without even asking why.
13
“I ain’t seen him but one time, Easy,” the buxom Miss Lorraine 14
told me. “I think he must have some other girlfriend somewhere.”
15
“So you’re jealous?” I asked her.
16
“Jealous?” she exclaimed. “That’d be like bein’ jealous if some-17
body else petted your little dog. He’s cute and all, but it ain’t like he 18
no real man or nuthin’.”
19
Charlene let her arms hang back making her bosom protrude 20
even farther. She looked me up and down but I didn’t bite. Not that 21
I wouldn’t have minded being reeled up into her bed, but I had Bon-22
nie by that time and other women were not a main concern on my 23
mind.
24
“John gimme your number,” I lied.
25
“Where he get it?”
26
“I didn’t need to know that, Jackson. What I need is a line on a 27
few people you might have come across in your petty crimes.”
28
“What people?”
29
“I want you to ask around about Aldridge Brown, Brawly Brown, 30 S
and dude name of Strong run with a group called the Urban Revo-31 R
lutionary Party or the First Men.”
6 2
REAL PAGES
12374_i-vi_1-314_r4sw.qxd 4/18/2002 2:00 PM Page 63
B A D B O Y B R AW LY B R O W N
“Which one?” Jackson asked. “Urban Party or First Men?”
1
“They go by both names.”
2
“If I do that, you gonna let me slide on the piggy-bank money?”
3
“If you do that, I’ll connect you with an honest job so you can 4
pay Jesus back from your first month’s salary.”
5
“What was them names again?” he asked.
6
I told him.
7
“Okay. I could do that. Yeah. Why’ont you call me tomorrow 8
afternoon. I should have whatever I can get by then.”
9
“Why don’t you call me, Blue?”
10
“Well, you know . . .”
11
“No. What?”
12
“Jesus might answer.”
13
That was Jackson. He lived his whole life among murderers, 14
muggers, and thieves but he was afraid of a sixteen-year-old boy who 15
was even smaller than him.
16
“All right, Jackson. I’ll call you tomorrow at two. You better be 17
there.”
18
“I ain’t got nowhere else to be, Easy,” he said. “Nowhere at all.”
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
S 30
R 31
6 3
REAL PAGES
12374_i-vi_1-314_r4sw.qxd 4/18/2002 2:00 PM Page 64
1
2
10 / THE TENEMENT ISOLDA MOORE was staying in was nothing like her house. The unpainted wooden
3
stairs that led to her third-floor hideaway felt soggy under my weight.
4
The hallway was misshapen. The floor was warped and sagging, the 5
ceiling slumped. The hallway started out wide but it narrowed as I 6
neared Isolda’s door.
7
The photographs of her on the bureau mirror, even the secret 8
ones of her in the bikini, had not done Miss Moore justice. She was 9
lovely at first sight even though she was off balance from having 10
yanked the wedged door free. She was a light brown woman in a 11
polka-dot blue and white dress. The hemline reached just below her 12
knees, revealing shapely legs. Isolda wore no bra and didn’t seem to 13
be missing it. Her big eyes were close together and almond shaped.
14 S
Her lips were poised in the permanent expectation of a kiss.
15 R
“Yes?” she asked nervously.
6 4
REAL PAGES
12374_i-vi_1-314_r4sw.qxd 4/18/2002 2:00 PM Page 65
B A D B O Y B R AW LY B R O W N
“Isolda Moore?” I said. She hesitated, so I went on. “My name is 1
Easy Rawlins. John and Alva wanted me to come over and ask you a 2
few things about Brawly.”
3
While I spoke, my eyes cataloged her attributes.
4
The worry
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