Here's a shorter entry. I'll have the third one up within the week to make up for it.

Thanks!

November 30, 1960

Hello again,

It's Chris' birthday today! I can barely believe he's 18. He came home early today after an exam and I made sure he was left a nice lunch. I hated to work until dinner, but to my own surprise, Miriam made dinner for everyone! She even made a cake. She's really too nice. Is this what having a grandmother is supposed to feel like? Anyway, I gave Chris his birthday present, it wasn't much but I'm so grateful to be able to have a steady job to afford to buy him things. I got him an electric typewriter – just like the one I use at work. It was lightly used, but at least it was in perfect working order. He told me he was going to write his scholarship essays on it and it really made me proud.

It's a little strange that he's so comfortable going as Chris Darling as opposed to Dollanganger, but then again, I've been able to slip into my new last name and date of birth just as easy. I'm not 18 year old Camilla Dollanganger or Lucille Winfield, I'm 21 year old Camilla Darling. I still keep catching myself when writing my name on documents.

I still have to remind Carrie and Cory about that when they do homework. Chris and Cathy are helping them too, when I work late. Carrie is really a voracious reader like her older brother. She finished Charlotte's Web in a weekend and has been begging me to take her to the library this weekend. I think she'd make a great writer one day. She's always making up stories.

It took forever to get Cory to bed tonight though. He's absolutely hooked on Elvis (then again, so is Cathy. She thinks he's dreamy.) His new single came on the radio and he INSISTED on listening to the whole thing even though it was his bedtime. Chris joked and said it was his birthday wish to let his little brother listen to the King. I let him go ahead. You're only 8 once.

It's late. I have to go into the office pretty early tomorrow. Thursdays always feel busy, I think it's because everybody's antsy for Friday and too hopped up on the office coffee to think straight.

I'll write tomorrow, goodnight.

Camilla D.