Diary January 6, 1960: I Am Considering Dropping Kathy

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Kathy Kos was my first friend. I met her on the playground of Washington Street Elementary School on the first day of fourth grade. She had RED shoes!! and two long dark braids--which she knew how to braid herself! I thought she was amazing and interesting. She had moved from Ware, Massachusetts (where? Ware! where?...) where her mother--and aunts--had worked in the shoe factory, the main or possibly only industry there. Hence the red shoes. Mrs. Kos had rows of spiked heels in colors to match every dress. Kathy was a latchkey kid and braided her own hair because she had to. But she was instantly my best friend, and we were inseparable until we chose different high schools. Or at least, I remembered that we were inseparable. This diary reveals some feelings and actions I apparently blocked for forty years.