"Goodnight Raf," the other boy said."Goodnight Raf," the other boy said. "'night Grant," Rafael replied as he settled down.He wasn't sleepy that night and his eyes were only half closed. He lay awake, his mind still on his imaginary dog and on the parents that would adopt him and take him away to a real home. He sighed quietly. He'd been at Centerville for five years and he had yet to be adopted. He was already at the age where it was nearly impossible. Most of the boys, almost always the white boys, were adopted within the first year or two. Inside, Rafael knew that it was just a matter of time before his best friend was adopted. It made him sad, ashamed of his brown skin, his soft dark hair and nearly black eyes. He wanted to be blond and blue-eyed like Grant. As he lay awake he heard noises in the dorm. Every night there were noises after lights out. He knew what happened as boys changed beds, sharing the night, their fears, and testing their emerging desires until late at night. Once lights were out, Mr. Edwards never came around again until it was time to get up. He could hear the creaking of a bed in the next room, a steady tapping of the frame against the bed. Sex was still a mystery to the nine-year- old boy, something that frightened him because it happened in the dark and he didn't understand what it was all about. Instinctively Rafael placed his thumb in his mouth and began to suck gently. "Hey! You still awake over there?" Grant whispered. Guiltily Rafael took his thumb away. "Uh huh... I can't go to sleep," Rafael said. "Me neither. Those guys next door are making a racket." "Yeah! I know," Rafael answered. There was a long silence, broken only by the squeaking noise coming through the partition wall between the two bedrooms. "You think it's Sam and Leroy?" "I guess, I think it's next door." Grant said quietly, sitting up slightly and supporting his head on his arm. |