I may have mentioned that RQS grew up in Brooklyn before gentrification started. Neighborhoods that had been segregated by race were now segregated by economic status. Although RQS is mixed race, she grew up identifying as Black. (My family on my mother's side became whiter and whiter as we assimilated into American society. That might be the only thing I might respect my maternal grandfather for doing when he arrived in America over 100 years ago.)
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Today, RQS and I were scheduled to meet one of her friends at her apartment in Crown Heights. Like Bed-Stuy, both of these Brooklyn neighborhoods were classic ghettos (in the modern US sense) a generation ago. Now both neighborhoods are being transformed from "The Hood" (with all of its crime) to a up and coming "Neighborhood" with all of the problems of gentrification. RQS's friend bought into her apartment building before gentrification, and will likely see it increase in value as poor people get squeezed out of the area.
Around 2:30 pm, we took an Uber across Brooklyn to reach RQS's friend, IS. They have known each other for decades, and I was a little nervous about meeting someone new. So, I ended up being extremely talkative. Yet, this wasn't a problem - I made a good impression on IS. While there, I fixed a problem IS had with her entertainment system before IS cooked dinner for us. And then we feasted. We chatted until 10 pm, and then Ubered home for the night.
Although my original plans were to drive home that night, I decided to stay the night and drive home the next day. This was a good move, as both RQS and I were exhausted, and only sleep was on our minds when we got home.
PS: I feel that it will be safe to tell IS about Marian. We'll see what happens in the future.
