There’s little to say and not much time to say it, but Dart manages to fill three small pages nonetheless. The ship’s mail petty officer has taken the launch out every day in search of mail for the Haggard, but to no avail.
Dart’s payday was today and he had earned $126. From that he withdrew $15 to live on. He wishes he could have bought a money order to send something for his brother Burke to pay for an anniversary gift for his folks, but the sale of money orders was prohibited this pay period for unexplained reasons. Besides, he hasn’t heard from Burke to know what he decided to buy the folks and how much Dart owes.
He says that whether he’s able to write of not, he has plenty of time to think up ideas for their house. Unfortunately, by the time he gets a chance to sketch out his ideas, he’s forgotten half of them. He hopes a 12 x 18 living room is large enough, because that’s what he and his buddies have based cost estimates on. That room, adjacent to a 9 x 12 dining room will look quite impressive. He says rooms that big are usually hard to heat, but he and his friends have worked out a solution to that problem. Our Dart is still a frustrated engineer, I think, in spite of washing out of engineering school at Case.
In response to a letter from Dot he says he’s never been to any of the places her brother has seen, but the Haggard did have a hand in preparing for some of the actions that Gordon has been involved with. He’s by now managed to figure out the time difference between where he is and Greenwich. If he told her, however, Dot (and the enemy) would be able to pinpoint where on the globe he is, so he must not tell her. “It’s awfully far to be away from someone you love so dearly.”
He has thoroughly enjoyed the hour he’s spent writing to the loveliest girl in the world.
It is V-E-Day! The exclamation point at the end of the sentence is all the celebrating Dot will do. Anything else would seem like throwing a party when the guest of honor wasn’t there. She’s putting all her prayers and hopes into a speedy end to Dart’s war in the Pacific. She is. however so grateful that millions of families in Europe are breathing freely tonight for the first time in 5-1/2 years.
At Eleanor’s birthday dinner tonight, the family sang the Navy hymn and offered prayers for Dart and Gordon’s quick return.
Franklin-Simon closed the store when the news broke about the victory in Europe today. Dot and some of the other girls stopped in a church on the way home to say a prayer of gratitude. She doesn’t think God would mind at all that they prayed in a Catholic church, even though none of them was Catholic.
Dot believes that if everyone on earth loved someone as much as she loves Dart, there would be no more war. Everyone would be so focused on making their loved one happy that there’d be no time for anything else.
The lull in mail that Dart predicted two weeks ago has now been going on for about 10 days. She’s not complaining because he’s so dependable when he is able to write. She takes comfort in thinking that the two of them might be thinking of each other at the same time on some days.
She loved “A Song to Remember,” but she was a little shocked at Chopin’s “shady” life. Even though her Dad explained that his lifestyle was common for artists of his day, Dot doesn’t believe her ideals would have allowed her to live like that, no matter what the majority thought was alright.
She must sleep now. There are no letters tomorrow, but Dart returns on the 10th.
