After serving midnight watch last night, Dart slept through reville, a call to breakfast, a call to report to stations and report to officer of the deck, and he nearly slept through lunch. “There’s a fraternity of daytime sleepers in my corner of the compartment and I sure joined ’em today!”
He holds two of Dot’s letters in his hand – from June 29 and 30 – which he hopes to answer on this current watch. The letter of the 29th brought that lovely new photo of Dot, the one with the wholesome smile. “The last liberty I had, I got my picture taken. In fact, I had three taken. The results rank with the war’s atrocities, and should not be sent through the mails. Wait a month or two and I’ll give them to you. I’d better be around to catch you if you faint (from fright).”
He’s sure he needs to surprise her and try to catch her mowing the lawn. He knows he wouldn’t mind seeing her that way, and he hopes she wouldn’t mind too much, either. He won’t surprise her for his actual leave, because that’s when they plan to announce their engagement. Still, he could surprise her on a liberty. (More hints, I see. How can he arrange for both a leave and a liberty? Where will he be that places him close enough to get to Greenwich on a liberty?)
Speaking of their engagement, he assures her that his folks are as “wholeheartedly in favor of it as you and I (in their own way, of course!)” They’ve told Dart he couldn’t have made a wiser or a better choice. He’s so thrilled with the way things are working out that he can scarcely find words to express it.
He recalls that July 1 a year ago when Dot raced up the stairs at Mason St. to kiss him. She caught him in the middle of the step and he was nervous that they’d lose their balance and tumble down the whole flight, but somehow he managed to keep his feet firm. He adjusted accordingly on the steps in Cleveland a few months later, holding the railing as they enjoyed those ardent kisses.
The last time his ship was in port, the Captain was awarded the Legion of Merit. The crew knew why, but it’s not something that can be written about just yet. The same reason accounts for one of Dart’s two battle stars that he’s added to his uniform since she last saw him. There’s a third one on its way. More hints of the action he’s seen without spilling any unauthorized beans.
Having his parents in Greenwich for the engagement dinner would be like whipped cream on a chocolate sundae. How he hopes they will agree to come!
Meanwhile, he can’t tell Dot his plans until the Navy tells of its plans for him.
He gets a little philosophical about their long separation, saying that as hard as it was, it may have been for the best. “We both know that when we met and fell in love and knew we’d be married eventually, we were too young to proceed immediately with our ultimate courtship. This separation has given us both a chance to mature to the point where we can meet our problems properly and open-mindedly. It’s kept us in love through times when we might have lost interest if we’d been together and unable to realize our ambitions. It’s given us a real chance to see that we need each other. And as long as we try our best to remain on God’s side, He’ll continue to help us.”
Dot is babysitting overnight with 10-year old Carol, who won’t go to bed until she does. It’s already far past Carol’s bedtime, so Dot is forced to keep this note short and then dash off to bed.
Finally the huge sale at Franklin Simon is over and the store can get back to normal. In Dot’s opinion, most of the things they sold were really not worth even the sale price, but some members of the public are foolish enough to be lured into thinking they are getting something for nothing.
Greenwich is due for a great deal of rain over the next several days. Here’s a new one on me: It rained on St. Swithens Day (What the heck is that?!) and an old legend proclaims that if it rains on that day, it will rain for 40 days straight.
Carol is young and needs her sleep, as does an old lady like Dot, so off they both go to bed.
