"Please forgive me."
"No, I want to know. Come on,Neely , why ask about Cameron?"
Neely put a few crumbs of the muffin in his mouth and waited. He shrugged and smiled and said, "Okay, I think about her."
"Do you think about Screamer?"
"How could I forget?"
"You went with the bimbo, instant gratification, but in the long run it was a bad choice."
"I was young and stupid, I admit. Sure was fun, though."
"You were the ail-American,Neely, you had your pick of any girl in the school. You dumped Cameron because Screamer was hot to trot. I hated you for it."
"Come on, Nat, really?"
"I hated your guts. Cameron was a close friend from kindergarten, before you came to town. She knew I was different, and she always protected me. I tried to protect her, but she fell for you and that was a huge mistake. Screamer decided she wanted the all-American. The skirts got shorter, blouses tighter, and you were toast. My beloved Cameron got thrown aside."
"Sorry I brought this up."
"Yeah, man, let's talk about something else."
For a long, quiet moment there was nothing to talk about.
"Wait till you see her," Nat said.
"Pretty good, huh?"
"Screamer looks like an aging high-dollar call girl, which she probably is. Cameron is nothing but class."