February was a cute month full of Babu’s sass and shut downs.  I’ve been in the habit of transcribing across the table from her as she eats breakfast and sometimes it is just too much to read what she has written at 20 years old and look up and see her ever so innocent 99 year old face.  She puts up marvelously with my cackles of uncontrollable and random laughter.

So, as we know, last month ended with Babu on team Jakey.

She begins Feb by writing:

The indescribable feeling about Jakey hasn’t left me yet and once in a while when I remember something, I get a poignant stab like a shot of something – in other words a thrill.

But, whether she is on his team or not and, as you may have guessed it, that wavers all over the place through out this month, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other dates and other boys.

She has one date this month with Johnny and wonders between him and Jakey.  Max Stadnicki and Babu go on a date towards the end of the month.  It was a date that was made a while ahead of time and I wonder if she would have otherwise gone.  She runs into Depathy and she turns him down for a date.  After the one date with Johnny this month she turns him down for another.  Twice.

So, actually, there are only two dates she goes on that are not with Jakey.  Granted, he is taking up much of her time, so what else can she do?

And here are the ups and downs with Jakey.  She has a “heavenly night” where they go to the movies and come home and kiss in the living room but two days later she writes:

Jakey didn’t look so good to me in the daytime. He was at the pond but without skates. Gave me a little horse and jockey. However, Johnny’s kiss is awfully tame compared to his; but I think, Johnny thinks much more of me.

Not knowing, or at least not fully trusting Jake’s intentions are holding her back.

A few days later they have another date and another round of kisses, at “The Paddock” where they are with friends for supper.  You can tell she doesn’t like his public display but two days later, he leans over the banister as she is walking into her house and “kisses her swell.”  For all her fussing and weighing options, the kisses keep coming.  Two days after yet another date and yet another round of kisses she seems to think he has had enough of her:

Wonder if Jakey will ask me for another date. Usually he’s up Thursday but not tonight. Maybe he’s had enough. Could be! I can’t figure out how well I like him so I’m not bothering just drifting.

Just drifting into his arms, more like!

 

And no, I have not forgotten that Valentine’s Day happens in the month of February.  Three boys remember as well, and one forgets:

Dying to see if I got any Valentines. Three! But nary a one from Jakey. Johnny Lech’s told of love, John Dudeck’s of Friendship, and Ernie Depathy’s of attention.

Well!

 

In other news, you know besides boys, there has been some bad blood in the office.  Babu writes:

Office conditions, I find, are not so pleasant lately, so I guess I’ll keep silent and not say much.

This will continue to be a problem for her and it makes works slightly unbearable for her.

Jeanette gets married this month!  And, well, this ties back into boys.  Babu goes to the wedding service and sits in church with an old flame:  Drobe.  I was happy to see his name in these pages again.  Perhaps struck by the moment, he asks her to marry him and claims he isn’t joking.  Is this the first time he asks?  I can no longer keep track.  Babu answers:

Jeanette became Mrs. Prezybuyla today. I had the day off so went to the wedding. Sat with Drobe and everyone thought I was his girl. He asked me to marry him as we walked home, and he said he was serious. I only hummed a song. What could I say?

Also, their play is postponed until after Lent.  I wonder if it will really go off or not.

I do wonder about my readers sometimes.  Hello every one!  I wonder because, I must have attracted quite a few romantics that are happy to read about Babu’s dating ups and downs, yet I know things are going to change.  (Only in some ways.  Babu to this day is still a romantic, sweet person.)  Eventually, she is going to get married and settle down.  I’m guessing her pages will become less and less about love, and more about other things.  We are now very close to the date of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the beginning of WWII.  I have to imagine the tone of these passages are going to change.  I’m scared and thrilled, eager and reluctant to read about those years.

And then she becomes a mother, eventually of four.  Those passages I’m sure are to be very different as well.  Will she upkeep her exacting habit of recording every single day?  Is that possible with the busy life of a mother?

By the end of all of this, I’m sure I’ll have a motley crew of readers.  Romantics, history buffs, parents perhaps surprised to find something written so long ago that they can still completely relate to?

Right now it’s 1939.  I’m relieved to feel like there is still no end in sight to this project.  I’m relieved that it’s taking so very long and that I still have so much to look forward to.  It seems like the end to these books will never come, and I know that is not the same for…other things.  I’m grateful.  I really have so much to feel grateful about.