The people that took offense ... they’re the ones with the problem, Eve. You’re a good friend. You were there for me when my accident happened and...you’ve been here for me since. Anybody that doesn’t think you’re a pretty awesome friend is stupid. Any guy that would break up with a girl as staunchly loyal as you because you didn’t stroke his ego, needs to get his priorities straight. You can’t really appreciate loyalty until you’ve had someone cheat on you.”She sat, turned toward me and looked. You think I don’t notice how you hurry to jump out of my car if you see anyone black, or how you flinch every time you use words you think are ‘ghetto’? How you let go off my hand when we’re out before forcing yourself to take it again? At first I thought it was a race thing…that you were ashamed of my race…then I realised that I was right…it is a race thing. Only you aren’t ashamed of my race, you’re ashamed of yours. Not only that, you’re ashamed of how you are. I love you, poor, rich, black. Saroya leaned over to grab a manila folder.I dropped my head just a bit, to perchance to get a glimpse up her skirt."Several fathers didn't take necessary precautions at his outing and their partners became pregnant." Saroya flipped the folder open. Pictures slid out, cluttering her empty desk. I stood to examine the photos. One showed the cheerleader who'd leaped from her chair and whose breasts bounced under her shirt. Her face was sad in the photo, as if she'd just lost a dear pet. The. No one could take her place in my heart; it had been torn out when she died.Things have been odd lately. I would be puttering around, doing minor maintenance stuff, and have to go to the head. So, I'd put down whatever tool I was using, or whatever small item I was working on, to go take care of business. When I returned, the tool or item was several feet away from where I'd left it. Sometimes, something would totally disappear, only to reappear somewhere else later that day, or the next.