Patricia laughed bitterly. “What I said was, ‘You’re going to go far, because you’re the type of black person white people like.’ ” I wasn’t sure what to say to that. “She didn’t tell you that part?” “No.” “I guess she wouldn’t have. Anyway, I’ve always felt bad about it. My radical period—but that’s no excuse.” “I think Charlie might have wondered if she should’ve stuck it out, gone into academia after all,” I said. “I wish I could’ve relieved her mind about that.” There was a silence, in which I thought that we had gotten deeper into this conversation than either of us had expected, and were
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