September 2, 1965
Jocie Brooke here reporting from Hollyhill, Kentucky. Don’t have much time. School has started. Sigh! Oh, I don’t suppose it’s all bad. I get to see my friends and Leigh helped me buy some new clothes. I wore one of the new skirts today. It’s a-line and a neat color of green and it doesn’t look half bad.
Now if I could get my hair to do something besides lay flat on my head. Straight hair is the pits. All the other girls have these cute little curling rolls around the bottom of their hair. Mine is straight. I roll it and it just looks like I forgot to brush it. I spray it and it looks like rope strands or something. Wes tells me to let it be straight and be glad about it. He says straight hair is all the rage on Jupiter. I told him I don’t go to school on Jupiter. But I think I’d probably be more popular there.
I don’t let Dad hear me say something like that. He says popularity is over-rated. That the only one I should worry about being popular with is the Lord. And that I’d better remember that and not do things I shouldn’t just because other kids are doing them. I’m not about to do that. You know, stuff like sneaking around smoking or skipping school. I just want my hair to have those cute flipped up curls or I’ll take curls under. But guess I’ll have to settle for straight and apply for Jupiter schools.
Did you ever worry about how your hair looked when you went to school? Or about wearing the right clothes? Did you sometimes feel like you were the only girl in school who looked gorky?
Oh, I did write a couple more pages about Bailey and Lucinda. I didn’t have time to write much. I was too busy trying to make my hair curl. But here they are.
Bailey’s Bug by Jocie Brooke
(The story continues. Remember, the rest of what I’ve already written is up there under “pages” on the tabs. Hope you understood that. I sure didn’t.)
decided she’d gone to sleep on the branch above him. Cats could sleep anywhere.
to wake her when she made a funny hiss. Not mad. Kind of tired sounding. “If
you’re determined to go even though it is dumb and you don’t have any chance of
ever finding Reid and there won’t be any food and you’ll end up wandering
around forever and starving or reduced to eating carcasses on the road.”
Lucinda shivered and set the bush to shaking.
going.” Bailey tried to block out the part about no food. Carcasses on the road
might not be too awful. Might not.
there was a long, worrisome silence. Lucinda had to be thinking about her
window seat and sunshine. Then all at once she leaped out of the bush and
landed on all four feet right in front of his nose. He couldn’t keep from
jumping a little.
much as I hate the thought of going with you, I can’t let you go off half
cocked with nothing more than a bug in your ear for help. Heaven help me but I’m
going to have to go too.”
hopped up and down, setting the bush to shuddering. He had his tongue out to
give her a happy dog lick, but she swiped at his nose with her paw. She didn’t
pull in her claws.
you dare. I don’t do dog slobber. Never forget that!” She made the funny little
hissing sigh again. “I’m only going with you so that when you get lost, I can
lead you back to the Robinsons.”
won’t get lost. Dogs don’t, you know.”
acted as if she didn’t hear him. “I’ll purr and rub Mrs. Robinson’s legs, and
you can do that stupid dance of yours with your tongue hanging out that people
seem to like. Heaven only knows why.”
won’t get lost.” Bailey panted happily, but he was careful not to let his
tongue drip on Lucinda. “Thank you for coming with me.”
growl in her voice. “Never met one who wasn’t more trouble than he was
worth. Well, come on. Let’s get this foolishness over with.”
started out from under the bush and jumped when the leash rattled. He gave the
nasty thing a leery look. “What about the leash? I don’t want it to go with us.”
(To be continued)