Dart had a busy day of shopping, renewing his library card (“My old one expired on April 10, 1944, but I was too busy to bother with it”) and dropping off film for developing. His biggest task is to find some clothes, but he found that stores either have nothing but Army/Navy surplus to sell, or the pants are too short, or the prices too high. He found a nice couple of sport coats he may get, if they are still available when he has the cash.
He went to Cleveland College and – long story short – he was accepted! He’s on probation because his GPA at Case was so low, but he received credit for every class he took there! He now has 43 hours of credit toward the 120 needed for a degree, making him a sophomore. What thrills him the most is that all of his math and science requirements were met at Case. He plans to take the maximum 6 hours allowed for summer term. “I’m sorta excited,” he admits. Now he must work hard enough to get off the probation list. By the way, the registrar he spoke with today was very impressed with his high entrance exam scores.
He wants to know how Dot’s cold is today. He suspects he may have caught something from her because he has a bit of a sore throat, but it was worth it.
There was some discussion about the $65 a month he’ll be getting soon, and how tight a budget he’ll have to live on. I assume that may be part of his GI Bill benefits, so that he can eke out a living while pursuing his education. He’s been pondering the idea of writing an article for the model railroaders’ magazine about building his little cars from scratch, to see if he can earn a little extra money.
For now, all he wants to know is what time to be at Kent on Saturday. He misses her so much. All the time he was downtown today, he kept thinking he could look around and find her standing next to him. How disappointing that she wasn’t there.
# # #
When Kate awoke Dot this morning, she wanted to roll back over and sleep through the week. It is, after all, a week without seeing Dart – at least until the weekend.
There are banquets to serve every night this week and the Robin Hood is a bit short-staffed. Dot has promised to work late every night so she can get off early on Saturday when Dart comes. Nice on the pocket book, but rough on everything else.
She paid her $5.00 deposit on an off-campus house for this summer. She’d wanted to be on campus, but then decided the quiet of Engleman Hall would be better for her. She’s not even allowed to have a radio there, so she asks Dart if he’d like to use it for the summer.
“Did someone actually write a song called “Beautiful Ohio?” They must have meant Connecticut, but could make the words fit. his weather is anything but beautiful. “I rowed to class this morning, but by tomorrow, I’m sure it’ll be deep enough for the outboard motor!”
She had a brainstorm the other day: Since they have no exact date for their wedding, why not make it the same as his folks on June 14? How many attendants does Dart think they’ll need? Harriet and George had six of each, but Dot thinks four maids and four groomsmen would be sufficient. She wants it to be a formal affair, seeing as it’s the only wedding she’ll ever have.
“You’d think we were planning it for three weeks from now, instead of 390 days. Time is passing rapidly , though. Do you realize when I wrote that crazy sign for Kate’s door, it was 521 days?”
“My life is full of memories and anticipation. Every time I think of walking up the aisle to repeat the marriage vows we whispered last Saturday night, I get that surging, aching feeling all through me. Somebody told me it must be love. Think that’s the answer?”
Love, or no love, she feels woosey and she needs some sleep. She’ll be thinking of Dart, of course, as she drifts off to sleep.