Dart writes two letters on his trip back to Norfolk – both on familiar USO stationary. The pen he found there is unusually good for a USO pen, so he nominates in for the “Believe-It-Or-Not Museum.”

The first note comes from Washington DC where he’s waiting for a transfer. He arrived here around 6:00 AM after sleeping most of the trip. He had a complaint, however, about the roughness of the track and he blames poor maintenance.

He says that he was thrilled to dream about Dot, even though he thought of her constantly while he was awake. In the dream, all she was doing was standing there, but that was enough for him.

When he told her to be sure to take good care of the ring, he meant no offense. That’s just proof that he generally likes to bet on a sure thing. He has no doubts that she’ll give the ring all the care and attention it needs.

The radio in the USO lounge is playing a lot of old sentimental tunes that make him miss her even more. It makes him want to tell her what he wishes he’d never stopped telling her in the 31 days they were together:  He loves her. And he suspects she knows how that feels.

The second letter was written back in Norfolk. He’s always wondered why the train trip from here to Cleveland takes three hours longer than the drive, but now he understands. Although the train goes quite fast when it gets moving, it stops about halfway between stations, backs up, unhooks cars and adds more, generally “fooling around.”

He took a streetcar ride around the Capital this morning. “Our nation truly has a beautiful city as its seat of government. I passed the Capitol, the White House, and several other famous buildings. The city is so clean and white that the huge buildings are dazzling in the sunlight. Of course, the trees are turning, and there’re millions of them, which adds beauty to the scene.”

There’s not much news on the ship. Lots of guys have been transferred and the rest of the crew is living aboard the rusty, dirty, smelly wreck. It’s quite a mess to come home to.

He’s at the Norfolk USO right now getting a shave and his suit pressed. He says it looks like he slept in it, which, in fact, he did.

“Oh, Dot! I miss you so much! I hope I have the moral strength to stay straight and sane until I’m discharged, or at least until I know what’s to come next.”

His last paragraph sounds very intimate, even though he gives no clue to what he’s talking about. I’m sure Dot understands when he writes, “Remember what we were talking about last? When I said I ‘couldn’t tell,’ you said you were glad. The question: Why? I hope you don’t blush when you read this and embarrass yourself in front of your roommates.” Hmmmmm.

That’s all for today, but both Dot and Dart will be back tomorrow.