With finals done, Eleanor needs something to do to justify her staying in L.A. over the summer. Her parents are still upset about her moving to the west coast & still insist they expect her to come back when she graduates. Through the school, she's arranged an interview with Mercedes Arthag, the Beverly Hills art gallery owner, who is looking for an intern. Mercedes made an appointment to meet her for lunch at the Marrakesh Lounge. Since Eleanor gets out to Beverly Hills early, she has an espresso in the cafe.

After she quoted Blake's 'Tyger' to Justin, Eleanor had been wanting to read more of the poet's work, so she brought a copy of 'The Marriage of Heaven & Hell' with her. But she finds it hard to concentrate on days like these, after she & Justin have played their games, all the little aches bother her most when she tries to sit still, all the sore places scream for her to get up, move around.

Then she has a drink while she waits for Mercedes at the lounge. The place is crawling with Hollywood industry types, with photographers on hand to take pictures of anyone who's 'Somebody'.

Mercedes shows up finally: Eleanor loathes her immediately. She's boastful & vain, and far too concerned about money & status. Very nouveau riche....it will be hell on earth to take orders from a woman like this. But it's either work for a woman like Mercedes, or go back home. Her parents won't let her stay in L.A. if she's not doing something related to her education, and until she turns 25 and gets her money, she can't afford to do it herself.

Finally, she gets to sample the fabulous buffet. It's too bad, she thinks, about Justin's phobia about food he didn't cook himself, she'd really love to take him here.

Eleanor hates doing it, but she does the fakey-smiley L.A. thing for Mercedes, talks a lot of bullshit about contemporary art & drops names like crazy. Mercedes is starting a new art magazine, she's calling it 'Arthag on the Art Scene'*

*Note: Big up to my former college roomate Kristi Q, who created a paper cut out cartoon character called 'Art Hag on the Art Scene', the inspiration for Mercedes Arthag. Seriously. Of course, women like Mercedes were the inspiration for the Art Hag (who was very abstract, she had an inverted triangle for a head) in the first place.