Wednesday, January 31, 1945

Went to the Detachment Dance with Jimmie - later to the mess for coffee with him where we met Leo and the boys. F/Lt John Parker was waiting at the club for me all evening but of course I had no way of knowing that until I got home and found very disapproving superiors - J. and I must be very careful to avoid being talked about as "going together." Separation for any reason is unthinkable. We are building up a scheme of diverting people from the main issue, which we call the Red Herring Dept. Red Herrings are other dates, other apparent interests which might lead people to think I'm not very interested in Jimmie, and vice-versa. We just move around in a daze as it is - look at each other and smile - can't believe we're so much alike, but know it's true. Except for MUSIC. Those slender, childish fingers with their sensitive pads are so highly skilled and so perfectly obedient to a volatile mind, it fills me with awe.