Babu celebrates her 17th birthday!  Her mother gives her a beautiful compact and her friend gives her a slip – with lace!

Babu is up to more shenanigans.  The class, and Babu, get answers from another girl for the English test and then she and Sophie use the excuse of the crowd to skip church, and not tell her mother about it.  In an unrelated instance, her mother slaps her for “answering her.”  She, Jenete, and Sophie are also spending time with someone – some boys I imagine – she doesn’t wish her mother to know about!  We’ve probably all been there in our teen years – huh, girls?

Miss Short embarrasses her in class and I like this teacher less and less but wonder why she is the only one Babu ever writes about.  It’s not in her journal but Babu remembers her as being overweight and told me that she never got out from behind her desk.

She passes a boy named Robert some candy and their hands meet.

She bickers more with Caveman because he waved to her and she didn’t even notice him.  What’s worse is a girl behind her thought he was waving at her and waved back to Caveman.  The what worse worse is that girl showed up at his house!  I don’t think anyone, not “Caveman”, not Babu, and certainly not this girl who thought she got a wave – know what anyone really thinks about the other!  Babu does show her tenderness through all her callousness by feeling bad for him due to his having caught a cold.

She and the girls are buying their “Spring outfits” and Babu describes them in detail.

Babu is assigned to write a poem for English and she complains to her diary over it.  I believe, that although she lacks the confidence, she is thrilled by the idea.  She puts up a good show, however.

Of course she saw several movies during these three weeks.  She admits to crying during “Imitation of Life” and sleeping during “The Blarney Kiss.”

Cute Babu quotes:

I almost thought Mommy found out that we didn’t go to church because she asked me how I liked the sermon. Maybe she has.

My birthday. As usual as any day.

Teddy said Drobey’s sore cause I don’t smile at him in the morning. Fooey!