29The working day ended, more or less but I kept on. After all, I had a date and there wasn't time to go home in between. Fortunately, I kept a change of shirt and shower things, toothbrush and toothpaste in the office, just in case something came along. I realized how useful this was when these book launches kept cropping up and I began accepting invitations. After that it became incessant. I had become more judicious now and only attended a few. Mostly pretty boring affairs except to the author of course. I'd been thrilled with my own but de Groot had done it in style and billed me for half the cost. At least, that's what the royalty statement I received from him indicated. If I had known, I might have chosen the local deli and beer on tap rather than the sumptuous lounge he had chosen.
