That’s exactly right, that’s exactly what happens! An article in Medium once asked “Do you have any black friends?” My first reaction was no, followed by a feeling of shame. But then I remembered I have several Black friends. I had just forgotten that they were Black. Obviously when I first knew them, I realized they were Black. But once you have more personal details about them, and a shared history, that becomes a minor fact, easily forgotten. It happened exactly the way you forgot about the physical appearance of your friend. What an eloquently perceptive piece of writing. Thanks for sharing it.