February 19

I talked to Rosie this morning and she prayed for me. I feel a lot better now. I had to dress up in black for Ellington's funeral-won't it be sad if I'm the only one there? I'm writing this at the little sandwich shop down the street from the office. I'm on lunch break, and I won't be back at the office 'till after the funeral. I'm getting paid for my time at the funeral, though, because I'm to write an article on it. What I'm going to write about though, I'm sure I don't know. I'll be replacing Kat's social columns, since she refuses to go. It's the biggest social function happening this week besides some party or something...I normally don't read her columns. I'm reading them right now, though, to see how she writes and what she writes about.

Oh, wonderful. She writes about clothes. I can do that. It's one of the things that I can actually do.

(Later)

The funeral was...interesting. I wrote a "perfectly phenomenal" article...but Kat reserves the right to edit as she sees fit. Hah! She'll probably add her own expertise so that it sounds just like her and no one will notice that it's not her. Oh well. Obituaries appear to be my specialty in life.

Anyway...oh yes, the funeral. It was mostly old people. By eavesdropping and socialized (maybe I have a talent for it. The old ladies thought I was "perfectly charming" and "sweet") I found out that most of them were Ellen's friends and came for her-not for old Eleazar Ellington himself. There were a couple younger people who either had bored expressions or sour bitter expressions. I found out that those people were family-ones that were required by social decree to attend-although it seemed like there were no social edicts demanding even false emotion. Perhaps Eleazar Ellington is simply an exception to the rule?

I did notice, however, that Ellen did not hire any mourners-as some rumors had hinted towards. Kat will probably edit out that part of my article. She was shocked how quickly I wrote up the blurb. But I write best when I still have all my fresh impressions and haven't processed them yet.

Ellen looked very seemly in her widow's clothing and was not faking her emotion-either that or she is one of the world's best actors. I personally don't think that she was, because she was softly sobbing the entire time. Someone had emitted the part of the ceremony in which people usually come up and say nice things about the deceased-very tactful on their part, I'm sure.

I waited until after the ceremony, during the reception, to speak to Ellen. I said I sympathized with her loss...and all the other proper things to say. She had a strange look in her eyes, though. As though she was confused, scared, and had something vitally important to say to me. But she simply murmured thank

My phone just rang here at the office. It was Ellen. She said she had something she needed to discuss with me. She asked if I could meet her at her house in twenty minutes. I explained that I had an editorial meeting in an hour. So I'm going over there for dinner. I wonder what she wants?