My First Best Friend

 At the beginning of my book, _Once There Was a Girl: A Memoir, I share my experiences with my first best friend. As I was growing up in the now-defunct Florida Housing Projects, like any child, I wanted friends, especially those who lived nearby. And along came, Robert. Robert and I spent a lot of time playing outside in the dirt. And when it rained, we played in the mud (that is if Mama permitted me. 
I spent many hours playing and having fun with Robert. And then one day, Robert disappeared. It was during the time when white people started to move out of the Florida Housing Projects. Sadly, I never saw Robert again. 
"A man who has friends must show himself friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24, NKJV)