Today’s letter to Dot is a hodgepodge – mostly comments about letters from her, or random thoughts about Navy life.

He never heard a word from Burke as to whether or not he’d received Dart’s letter about their parents’ anniversary gift. But, he also never received  a response from his father about the proper way to go about getting oneself engaged to a young lady. “So, the fact that I do not receive letters is no sign that such letters were not written.” That may be true, but the Navy has done a remarkable job of getting mail through in both directions throughout the duration of the war.

He commented about how she spelled “apologize” in a recent letter. He notes that she, like he, spelled it with a “z” rather than an “s.” He says he spells it that way by instinct, but it looks odd to him. He claims to do nearly all his spelling by instinct, “so if it’s wrong, it’ll probably stay wrong.” As it turns out, his instincts were nearly always right. I don’t think Dad ever met a word he couldn’t spell correctly.

Quoting Dot’s desire for a pool or a puddle, he quips that if she’d seen as much water as he has, she’d never want to see more, ever again. He concedes, however, that he wouldn’t mind seeing that patch of salt water that stands between him and Dot just one more time.

If he were to be accepted back into the V-12 unit, he’d be in the Naval Reserves for quite some time. He’s not sure that’s the best plan for his life, but he looks forward to talking it over with Dot and his folks.

He imagines she looked “sharp as can be” in those short little pigtails. Naturally, he’d like to judge for himself. He doesn’t mind a bit if she does so much reminiscing in her letters. The only problem is she gets him dreaming rather than writing. In answer to her question, he doesn’t recall how many times he kissed her that night, except that it wasn’t enough. If he’d kissed her enough, he’d still be doing it!

Thinking about when the car died on their long drive that Wednesday night, he was so embarrassed. He feared she’d think he was pulling the old “car ran out of gas” gag that’s used in so many movies. He was frustrated with himself for letting the car break down.

He went out on liberty again today. The Red Cross runs a little recreation place by the beach where he was able to buy three Cokes for 15 cents! He ws equally impressed by the sight of two women whose official duty was to hand out refreshments, but who really improved the scenery. But his biggest thrill of the day was seeing a “real American dial phone system on some remote Western Pacific island. That’s how completely and how suddenly we do things. Move right in and make the tropics as much like home as possible.”

If she goes to college at Kent – which he surely hopes she’ll do – she’ll be only a nice Sunday dinner trip from Cleveland. He knows his parents would like that.

He’s done with his mess duty and will begin standing three watches a day once again.

He’s out of paper, with only enough space to write, “I love you very much, Dot. More than a million letters could ever tell you. Words alone cannot express it. There must be a lifetime of all things together for me to adequately express it. All words can do is say ‘I love you,’ no matter how they’re combined.”

“Never mind surprises,” writes Dot. “Just come home!” She decided this afternoon that she didn’t want him to surprise her with his homecoming. This realization came to her when she was mowing the lawn in her father’s old shirt, a pair of dungarees and a bandana. It was 94 degrees and she was dripping in sweat when she suddenly realized in horror that Dart might someday come home and find her looking like that! “That mustn’t happen!”

He writes as though he’s sure he’ll be home soon and that they can announce their engagement in the fall. She wishes he wouldn’t do that until he was really sure. “I’m so starved for the sight of you I’m going nuts. Maybe they can separate other girls from their loved ones but I’m different. I’m weak and can’t take it like most of them. Perhaps if you make that clear to the Admiral, he’ll send you home immediately, if not sooner.”

She thanks him for the second birthday letter and assures him that she won’t forget how many special kisses they owe each other. “My main problem at present seems to be getting you here to collect them.”

She’s eager to hear his parents’ reaction to their engagement, and hopes it’s positive.  For now, it’s too hot to do anything but lie still and wish it were cooler, so she must end this letter. After sending her love, she adds a P.S. saying that she’s glad he likes bricks.