Gaye was gone when I arrived this morning. She left a note on my computer thanking me for my time and saying she planned to move to California. Charlie and Faren agreed she was too much like Addie, too opinionated and too prone to telling tall tales about herself, some of which she mixed up when telling them to Charlie. I was surprised to learn she claimed to be about thirty. I would have put her around twenty-one. Maybe it was another story. Maybe she was, as Charlie said, just another confused mid-westerner.

Charlie was in a jovial mood. This afternoon he interviewed another job prospect, Bo, whose resume I’d already noticed on his desk. She’s a tall, husky, attractive woman with short punky hair and slightly pointed cheekbones. She seemed intelligent and down to earth when I talked to her. Charlie and Shelly conducted most of the interview. I could see them when I came out, sitting on the porch and talking in the sun.

I stayed a little late to put in People & Publishing and asked Charlie about Bo. He seemed doubtful, not about her qualifications but about her willingness to take the job.

“Addie” was an almost legendary employee who predated me, remembered mainly for the fireworks when she left. I never met her, but I heard about her, and even saw her interviewed briefly on the news once, and yes, judging from that and a few photos I found in the files, Gaye did look a bit like her. I still don’t know whether Addie was extraordinarily competent or just extraordinarily aggressive. Maybe both? I just know that the animus from Charlie after she departed was unshakeable, and whenever he uttered her name I could hear thunder in the background.

June 10, Friday

Gaye makes me nervous. She’s irritable. Don’t know how long she’s going to last.

I ran out pages for paste-up until 8:15. Tomorrow I may go by to run out some patches.

June 11, Saturday

Beautiful day. I got to Oakland at about 2:00. Didn’t see Gaye’s car so I thought she might have left but she showed up later. I spent most of my time in the back, running out patches and fixing page 38 (Charlie wanted a bit of poetry from Pournelle’s eulogy added to the first page.) Shelly was there doing paste-up.

After Gaye arrived, she came into the back, possibly because both Shelly and Charlie were not inclined to talk with her. I learned she didn’t like the works of LeGuin, but loved Heinlein, that she wrote poetry but didn’t read very much of it. (She’d never heard of Randall Jarrell). She seemed desperate to do something. After I’d run out of corrections, Charlie gave me some typing to do. (Gaye offered to do it but Charlie said “no” very firmly.) As I put it in she sat behind me and pointed out mistakes and typos.

Disillusionment with Charlie has set in early. Gaye complained that he’s brusque, that he never compliments or thanks anyone. This is either the result of her staying two nights there or Charlie deciding she won’t do. A pity, since she seems bright and enthusiastic, but too opinionated and outspoken to work with Charlie.