There was a time when friendships were simple. When the earth beneath my feet was warm and hardbaked, when dust coated my legs as I ran—fast, free, wild. We climbed trees with scraped knees, chased each other along the walls, played football until the sun sank low. There was no difference between us then. No categories, no question of who belonged where. I arm-wrestled my friends and won. I ran just as fast, climbed just as high. We were a pack, and I was part of it. A brothe
