Dart received Dot’s answer to his “hefty” letter today and it spawned lots of one-sided discussion. (I trust her side will come in a return letter.)

Both her letter and Dart’s own misgivings give the impression that they might expect some opposition to their plan from one or both sets of parents. If that’s the case, Dart proposes that they tread carefully, because to marry against the wishes or advice of their beloved parents would be folly. He wouldn’t blame her parents one bit if they disapproved of an earlier marriage, “for being parents who’ve raised you admirably and provided well for you for 20 years,  they have every right and reason to make sure that you’ll be well-provided for when you marry.”

He goes on to say that he’d always thought Dot would work during the first two or three years of their marriage to make it easier for them to provide for the children when they came along. He will likely be making low wages for the first several years and a second income would be vital.”The early years will be lean, for sure, and I am grateful that I have picked a girl who understands that and is intending to help out in that period.”

Then he dons his professor hat and begins to speak about preventative measures for controlling the start of their family. There’s natural, which doesn’t always work 100%, especially if the woman’s cycles are irregular. There are artificial means, which some people have religious objections to, although he doesn’t think either he or Dot does. The religious objection seems to come from the fact that they make “sinful” acts easier and safer. There’s much to learn and discuss on this topic, and now is not the time, but it should happen prior to marriage. “You can stop blushing now,” Dart tells Dot.

“All the time I was at sea I wondered how we’d ever get things talked over and thrashed out.  There doesn’t seem to be much thrashing, for we’re in agreement over so many principles.  It’s a ceaseless wonder to me that we’ve found in each other prospective life companions who feel so strongly the same way about so many things. …I’ve wondered at times why we didn’t have discussions like we’ve had since I returned, and now we suddenly realize that we’re in the midst of the ‘dreaded’ discussions, and we love it!”

He mentions that last night he wrote to Western Reserve  to find out what might be needed for him to begin classes there this summer. He hopes to have the application form completed before he leaves the West Coast.

Dart writes a cryptic page about some sport that Life magazine covered this month in a sly fashion. He predicts the magazine will get plenty of mail protesting their treatment of the sport. Still, it’s one he and Dot have talked about trying. He thinks they should especially try the little buoy idea. I hold out hope that Dot will shed some light on this subject in her response.

Missing her all the time, he misses her even more when there are heady discussions to be had. He has one more big question of “morals, ethics and emotion,” that he wants to raise with her at some future time. For now, he wishes he could seal this letter with a real kiss and a night-long embrace.

#     #     #

Dot’s quick letter begins with the announcement that her weekend plans have changed. Instead of going home with Joyce, she’ll go to the Peterson’s place instead. Joyce heard Bill was coming home this weekend, so she wants to devote all her attention to him, naturally. Dot is almost as excited about going to Dart’s home as she gets when she’s going to her own home.

She and her mother sent sent him a birthday box from Greenwich, which she hopes will arrive in time for his big day on the 15th. This weekend she’ll take his real birthday gift to his folks’ apartment – two classical albums that she ordered for him to start their record library.

She wrote her first theme today for her new English teacher, whom she hears is a tough, but fair grader. Also, she’s begun a countdown to Easter Sunday when she hopes she’ll be seeing Dart again – 79 days! That doesn’t seem so bad, in comparison to all the time they’ve spent apart before.