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you.”
     
    “Sorry. You know I’m just messing with you. Seriously, are you afraid or something?”
     
    “What would I have to be afraid of?”
     
    “I don’t know. You tell me. You’re the one all wrapped up but not giving him any. Oh, I can’t wait to see this white boy. He must be something. You sitting here blushing. He got your nose wide open.”
     
    “I’m leaving.”
     
    Crystal carried on as if she hadn’t heard me. Her eyes got wider as she wiped away tears of laughter. She placed one hand on my leg to stop me from rising. “Oh, I know what you’re scared of. Have you never seen a white one?”
     
    “A white what?”
     
    “You know, a white one. Dick, Johnson, Penis, Co—“
     
    “What? Yes. No. Yes.”
     
    I thought Crystal would roll off the couch she was laughing so hard.
     
    “What the hell has gotten into you?” I asked, trying to remain straight-faced and annoyed.
     
    “Nothing. And apparently nothing’s getting into you either.”
     
    “Oh, you got jokes. Is your candy laced with something?”
     
    "Well, which is it? Have you seen one or not?"
     
    "Not in person, but I'm sure I have."
     
    "Like in a porno?"
     
    "No!"
     
    "What? Do you have all-black porn or something?”
     
    "I don't own any porn."
     
    This was too much for Crystal.  She bent over, head to her knees, in a laugh so deep it was silent. Her little bee antennae fell off as she tried to catch her breath. “Oh, lawd. What am I going to do with you, Chloe? Here, before Bri gets back, let me lend you some of mine. I have all kinds.”
     
    “That’s it. I’m leaving. Tell Brianna I said goodbye.” I was half-smiling, half-scowling as I playfully slapped her several times about the legs. I stood to leave, grabbing my jacket as I did. “I’ll have you know that I am not afraid, or at least I wasn’t. Now you’ve given me a complex. Happy now?”
     
    Her laughter could still be heard as I walked to the elevator. I decided to take a taxi home. The later it got the more freaks seemed to roam on Halloween. I’d had enough for one evening.
     
    With my head resting against the back of the seat of the taxi, I stared up into the starless sky. Orange streetlights whizzed by as the taxi headed downtown. I thought about what Crystal had said and realized my parting shot was only half in jest. Before our conversation I’d told myself that Patrick and I not having sex yet was kind of sweet—romantic, even. We’d only been officially dating, or whatever it was, for a few weeks. If I hadn’t already lived with him and the situation was more traditional, I probably wouldn’t have slept with him this soon. Soon, but not this soon—no matter what color he was.
     
    Now I wondered if maybe deep down there was some apprehension about having sex with a white guy. What could I possibly have to worry about? Sex was sex. Right? Everyone’s parts worked the same way. Thoughts of parts led my mind down the path of stereotypes. What were the first sexual stereotypes one thought of when it came to white men? Small penises. I’d never seen Patrick’s… or any other white man’s for that matter, but during the times when one thing was trying to lead to another I’d felt it and it certainly didn’t seem like we were going to have any problems.
     
    I wondered if Patrick worried about such things. What were some of the stereotypes about black women when it came to sex? Oh, yeah. I laughed on the inside less the cab driver think me a crazy woman. We were supposed to be insatiable freaks. Did Patrick expect me to know all kinds of tricks? No longer able to hold it in, I laughed loudly. The taxi driver gave me a bemused look and asked, “Everything okay back there?” 
     
    “Just perfect.”
     
    As the taxi pulled in front of our building I wondered if maybe I shouldn’t have taken Crystal up on her offer. I laughed even louder as I paid the driver, so caught up in thoughts of penis, porn, and stereotypes that I