Dart’s letter begins with “By the time you get this, probably Monday, my visit will be all a memory. Whether its a good or bad one remains to be seen. Hope it’s good.”
He describes running errands and having lunch with his dad before going to the west side of Cleveland where Dart, Sr. works. He’s on vacation during Dart’s leave, but he’s been called in for a tough job starting Sunday. He’ll be working straight through until Wednesday, repairing a furnace that hasn’t cooled down in two years.
More errands in the afternoon, running into some acquaintances along the way. Evening brought a call from Tom Reilly and waiting “while a call was transferred from one point to another to find the girl I’m deeply in love with.” I assume that was the call telling Dot that he was, indeed, coming to Greenwich, and when to expect him on Sunday morning.
He went to Case in a futile effort to see some of the guys, but the campus was on a short break, so no one was there. Fred was also home, but out for the evening.
Back at his home, the favored subject among the family was Dot until it was time for bed. He ends the letter with “I love you very much, and I hope we’ll be happy together on our visit Sunday.”
There is no letter from Dot written on July 1, so I’ll tell you about the memories she has shared with me about when she heard Dart was coming. Naturally, she was thrilled!
When she went to work the day following the phone call, she was so flustered that she did something really dumb. It was the practice at Franklin Simon, when a sale had been completed, for the clerk to place the cash and the sales slip into an envelope, insert it into a pneumatic tube system and send it on to the cashiers’ office. Well, Dot was so distracted by thoughts of Dart’s visit, that she forgot to put the money into the envelope before dropping it into the tube. As soon as she realized her lapse, she called the cashier to confess her error. “Oh, we know all about it, honey,” the cashier said. “The money just came shooting out all over the office.” With that, the boss, whose name was something like Mr. Goldblatt, in a show of goodwill and understanding, gave Dot the rest of the day off. “You’re no good to me like this,” he grinned.
As Dot anticipated Dart’s arrival, I can only assume what she must be feeling. Excitement, for sure. Joy, of course. Terror? Quite possibly. After all, this was a guy she has seen on only three occasions in a group setting. She knows him quite well by letter, and likes what she’s learned. They have exchanged frequent and fervent avowals of love. But, what will it be like to be with him, in the flesh, watched with eagle eyes by her entire family and much of the town of Greenwich? Will she like him as much as she thought? Will he like her? Will he be too bold? Will she be able to think of anything to say? My palms sweat, just trying to put myself in her position. I guess we, and these kids, will have some answers over the next few days.