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De
There was a guy standing on the patio.
A black guy. But not one of the help. No, a cool-looking young guy in pleated slacks, a dark silky shirt open to his chest, a chain, the guy slim, about De
The guy said, "I saw you dive," and De
"You did? Where was it, Florida?"
"No, man, right here. Just a while ago. I gave you a ten."
With the smile and De
"Yes, it was."
"Tomorrow night it'll be lit up."
"The way I'd have to be, go off that thing, lit with some kind of substance." He said it nice and easy, his tone pleasant. "I've been noticing the signs in there, `De
"I've been at it a while."
"Well, I hope you stay with it."
De
"Mean when you dove? No, I was in my suite."
De
"Yeah, as I'm getting dressed I happen to look out, see you up on the ladder, the two redneck dudes out there watching, I thought, Hey, maybe we go
De
"Yeah, looking up like they talking to you."
De
"You waited till they left. Man, I don't blame you. Dangerous occupation, you don't do it for free."
The guy wasn't exactly smiling-it was in his tone of voice, mild, sociable, giving De
He waited for Robert to pick up on it, mention he saw them around or coming out of the hotel.
No, what he said was, "You did perform for Chickasaw Charlie."
And the two guys, De
He said, "Yeah, well, Charlie's a good guy. You try your arm over there?"
"I threw some," Robert said. "But I think that radar machine the man has favors him. You know what I'm saying? Except I don't see how he'd work it. You know, set the speed up for when he throws. So I give him the benefit, say fine, this old man can still hum it in-till I study what he might be doing."
"You're staying here a while?"
"Haven't decided how long. Came down from Detroit."
"Try your luck, huh?"
"We got casinos in Detroit. No, you have to have a good reason to come to Mississippi, and losing my money ain't one of 'em."
He let that hang, but De
"Uh-huh, he told me. Went in and struck out the side."
"Well, listen," De
They shook hands and he walked off, reached the door to go inside and heard Robert behind him, Robert saying, "I meant to ask you, you don't stay at the hotel, do you?"
De
Robert said, "I thought you might be staying in town. You ever run into a man name Kirkbride?"
"I've only been here a week."
"Walter Kirkbride. Man has a business over in Corinth, makes these mobile homes aren't mobile. They called manufactured homes, come in pieces and you put 'em together on your lot, where you want. There's one called the Vicksburg has like slave quarters in back, where you keep your lawn mower and shit. There's one, a log cabin-I know it ain't called the Lincoln Log, this man Kirkbride's all the way Southron." Robert telling this to De
De
"I forgot to mention, he's putting up like a trailer park of these homes near Tunica he calls Southern Living Village. For people work at the casinos. Kirkbride stays in one he uses for his office."
"You want to see him about work?"
Robert said, "I look like I drive nails, do manual fuckin labor?"
With a different tone, sounding like a touchy black guy who believes he's been disrespected, and it rubbed De
Outside on the curb De
He got a good look at the guy now in his pale yellow slacks and silky shirt that was dark brown and had a design in it that looked Chinese, the shirt open to his chest, the gold chain… the guy giving him kind of a sly look now saying, "So you come alive, the real De
"We out there talking I feel you hanging back. I'm thinking, a man that puts his ass on the line every time he goes off, why's he worried about me, what I saw? Ask was it from my window. Did I get a good look at the ones watching you."
"I never asked you that."
"It's what you meant, what you wanted to know. How much did I see of what was going on. One thing I did wonder about-the man that was working for you all day? I see him finish up. I go in the bathroom, take a quick shower, I come out he's gone. Now those redneck dudes by the tank are talking to you. I'm thinking, what happened to your helper? He didn't want to see you dive?"
De
Robert shook his head. "Never saw him before."
"Then why're you asking about him?"
"I thought it was fu
"You don't do manual labor," De
It brought Robert's smile back, Robert taking his time before saying, "You think I'm the man, huh? Not some local deputy dog, you think I might be a fed, like some narc sniffing around. Hey, come on, I'm not looking into your business. I saw you dive, man, I respect you." He said, "Listen, I bet I've been in your shoes a few times. You know what I'm saying? I think we both had our nerves rubbed a little. You ask me am I looking for work and I jump on it, 'cause I don't seek employment. Any given time I got my own agenda. Like I ask if you know this man Kirkbride."
De
"You want to get a drink?"
"I'm going home," De
"What's wrong?"
"I'm suppose to take Charlie's car. He forgot to give me the keys."
"You going home, I'll drive you."
"My truck's over there," De