What happened was this. She came between us, and when I say between, I mean she actually stood between you and me, planted herself at shortstop in our seamless double play. We had to talk over and around her. She hated it when we mentioned the old apartment under the whorehouse on Benevolent Street or when we laughed about the group acid trips at 315 Thayer and especially when we mindmelded without any talk at all. Because she wasn’t there and it was a crime that you hadn’t met her yet. She wanted you with no past and that meant the axe for me. Old buddy, I saw that shining blade in the middle distance. It was headed right for my neck, and like any self-respecting Baryard critter, I bolted.