November 1963

Hi. It’s me again. I just have to write, there is so much going on.

First, I like being the oldest grade in school. And it’s weird to think that next year we will be in high school and I'll be back at the bottom again.

Netta came home from school with me yesterday. She’s really fun. She says the silliest things and always makes me laugh. She’s helping me like some of my drawings. I thought they were terrible. But she says she likes them. It makes me feel good.

It’s been kind of a sad time lately. President Kennedy was just killed. We were in gym, outside doing our exercises, when someone ran out and told the gym teacher. We didn’t know what was wrong at first. She just started to cry. Then she told us.

Some of the girls just fell to the ground and started crying. I didn’t know what to do. It didn’t seem real until I came home and Mom had the TV on. She never does that. But the news just kept talking about it and they showed some pictures. Creepy.

I called Netta because my mom didn’t want to talk. She just kept telling me to be quiet so she could listen.

Netta made me laugh and forget how sad I felt. She was telling me about how her dog chewed her dad’s slippers and he didn’t get mad. But now his slippers are all chewed up and raggedy and he still wears them all the time.

I really like how she does that, making me laugh, I mean, and I like that she’s becoming my very best friend.