Dart writes a newsy four-pager, telling Dot of his day. He enclosed some snapshots they took when she was staying at the Peterson home. There was a good one of the two of them so he ordered five copies; one for her parents, one for Burke, and three to give as booby prizes at their future bridge party.
He and Pop went downtown today to pick up Dart’s certified discharge papers, have lunch, and watch a Telenews show. Helen is in Ashtabula, so there may be some work to do around the apartment if Dot hopes to visit this weekend.
He and his dad have been trying to learn more about the typhoon that struck Guam a few days ago, but they haven’t learned much. They listened to the radio until the stations went off the air, but no news came. As they sat reading, the house began to creak and rattle to the point of distraction. Pop found a radio station still on the air, so they listened to Rachmaninoff’s Isle of the Dead. “That piece is slow, stately, soft, and melancholy beyond description. What better way to spend a quiet evening at home, unless I’d been reading a ghost story or, say Lady of the Morgue, which I had. I’d not have been surprised at all to hear sighs, groans, clanking chains and falling objects, not to see a cobwebby skeleton fall from behind the hanging coats in the dining room corner. Creep? My flesh crawled so fast I had to run to keep up with it!”
Dart began his first night as the adviser to a group of Jr. Hi-Y boys. “The boys are wide-awake, of high average spirit and intelligence, and they are leaders in the school, scholastically and athletically. They seem to be a likable bunch of boys and they are honored to be the only club with an advisor. I hope I can be of help to them, and they of help to me.” And I hope we hear more about this new activity in Dart’s life. I wonder if he’s doing this as resume’ builder, to let a future employer know he didn’t just sit idle after the war.
He writes a paragraph about how surprised he was to see his own face after he shaved today. (Perhaps being a Jr. Hi-Y advisor is already having an impact on him.) He also tells Dot that the only work he did on his model streetcar today was to go to the Sohio station to buy the paint. When Dart explained he was looking for wine red touch-up paint, the clerk mixed up a batch of claret-maroon – a color used on 1939 Fords and Mercurys. Dart told the man he had a “1903 Kuhlman” he wanted to paint, but the clerk didn’t ask him about it.
He regrets that she was not at home when he called her tonight because he would have loved to hear her voice before going to sleep. “Gee, here’s the end of the letter and I haven’t answered your 3-pager, or even said how much I love you. But how can I describe it in terms more devastating than a seismic wave or a typhoon? It is as boundless as that.”
# # #
Dot was disgusted that she sits home six nights out of seven, but on the night she leaves, Dart calls. As much as she would have loved to hear his voice, she and her friends had a ball. Four of the housemates took a bus into Akron and saw “Road to Utopia,” which Dot thoroughly enjoyed. She hopes Dart and Homer have a chance to see it.
She mentions calling Bonnie and found she was playing checkers with Bill. They both thank Dart for mailing that photo of them. They’ve decided they won’t be getting married for a long, long time. Well, that brings us up to date on Bonnie and Bill, except for one thing: Who the heck are Bonnie and Bill? I don’t recall either Dot or Dart mentioning them before. I only remember a Janie and Bill.
She was sorry to read about all of the Peterson family bad news. It seems like they’ve had their share lately. Does Dart think his father will be returning to work? Is there any news of Aunt Flora, or of whether Burke was safe in Guam? With everything on his mother’s plate, Dot would be happy to take Dart off her hands for a while!
“Today was Gordon’s and Betty’s third wedding anniversary. It doesn’t seem possible they’ve been married that long. How time does fly, I hope.”
She assures Dart of her ever-lasting love and then turns toward bed.