“The problem is, I have a bad memory and I’m half-black.”
“Huh?”
“I never remember anyone, but they always remember me.”
“Because you stand out.”
“Because I’m the only half-black person they’ve ever met.”
“Maybe it’s because you’re gorgeous.”
“Yeah that’s it.”
“Or maybe they’re like, hey that’s Gregory Hines.”
“No one thinks about Gregory Hines.”
“No one’s thought about Gregory Hines until they see you.”
“And they’re like, there’s that tap dancer from that movie that was on TV twenty years ago.”
“Did you read more about Dallas?”
“Fucking nuts. I guess it was inevitable. Crazy violence without justice causes more crazy violence.”
“I’m the only Jew some people have ever met.”
“That’s different.”
“I know.”
“Remember Mark from that summer program? He grew up in Beverly Hills and got pulled over basically every time he drove home.”
“BMW, right?”
“And my brother when he was leaving our grandparents’ house?”
“That was insane.”
“Our grandfather was a cop for god’s sake.”
“Everyone’s so angry.”
“Everyone’s always been angry.”
“Did you do lights out?”
“I was just about to. Did they practice tonight?”
“This morning before school.”
“Did you turn in the form?”
“Yep. That campus is huge. There’s like 2,000 students… Anyway, you really don’t remember her? She came to that party we had and wouldn’t leave. She had those cool boots.”
“Everyone has cool boots.”
“She was asking me about you.”
“Yeah cuz I’m the only black person she knows.”
“It’s eight-thirty. Can you do lights out?”