Orlando

Orlando

Orlando became one of my best friends in the 5th grade at Ludington Middle School in Detroit. We shared some similarities, such as being quiet and having a love for goofiness and laughter. There were times when Orlando made me laugh in class, and I just couldn't stop. However, we also had a few differences: I was white, he was black; I was at the top of my class academically, while he was in the middle of the pack. I loved sports, but he didn't participate in any playground activities. Despite these differences, Orlando meant a lot to me because I was shy, and even though I resembled some of the popular white kids at school, I never fit into their clique, which was mostly my fault due to my shyness. The cool white kids were always nice to me, but Orlando and I had a close connection. We spent a lot of time sharing secret jokes and being silly together. 

I remember that he brought the same lunch every day: a jelly sandwich on white bread and a slice of pound cake. I never got to visit Orlando’s house, so I don't know if this lunch choice was due to financial reasons or not. Orlando and I also wrote silly plays together. Sometimes I would get frustrated because it seemed like he copied ideas from cartoons and sitcoms. We even wrote poems about peace, love, and everyone getting along. Later, my father's co-minister, Mr. Lorenzo, was so impressed with our poems that he said he would publish them at his publishing company.

One day, the teachers or administrators thought it would be a good idea to separate us into different classrooms. This was devastating for me because he was my only good friend. I remember crying in the office when they told me about the transfer. I guess my tears did the trick because they canceled the class change. When I returned to class, a big, nosy girl found out what had happened and told everyone that I had cried. The following year, we started off as best friends again, but that nosy, rumor-mongering classmate asked us if we were gay. That question took us both by surprise. "Gay" was a terrible insult in those days. Unfortunately, that rumor broke the camel's back. After it started, we both avoided each other like the plague. We were never as close again, although we did speak briefly in high school.