Poor Dart is completely exhausted from the family picnic on Lake Erie. All the little kids running around, requiring attention and interaction seem to have taken a lot out of him. The big hammock strung up in the yard was a particular favorite of the children, and Dart spent a great deal of time and energy pushing the lot of them in the giant, soft swing.
Reading about the human sex drive in psychology has had an almost pornographic effect on Dart. He writes at length about how they both want their cake, yet want to eat it, too. He carries that analogy further by writing about how they may have swiped a little icing from the cake, but not enough to ruin it for their big party. He believes that on the whole, they will both enjoy the cake more for having sampled some of the frosting before devouring the cake on the big day.
“in addition to missing your companionship in all the millions of ways we’ve found to love, like, and enjoy each other, I long for the things we’ve not yet experienced. Knowing you the way I do now, I know that we’ll be as happy in that as we are in the ways we’ve already shown our love now.”
He wonders how he’ll be able to endure the summer without hearing her voice, feeling her caress, and experiencing all that she has come to mean to him. If anything should happen that prevents them from seeing each other in September, he’s sure he’ll go crazy! It scares him when he starts to daydream about their honeymoon and their life afterward. It even forces him to admit that it may be for the best that they’re spending these months apart if they want to keep to the promise they’ve made to each other. When he allows himself to think about his fantasies, he almost forgets about all the other things about her that he longs for everlastingly.
He’s happy she’s making plans to help do some of the driving up to Sunapee because he’s not the “world’s most durable driver.” In the 21st century the drive from Greenwich to Sunapee is a little shy of four hours. In 1946, I think it was more like eight. Thank Heaven for Interstate highways!
Referring to her letter, he agrees that maybe they can cross their financial bridges when they get to them, but he adds it may not be a bad idea to at least count them ahead of time. He truly hopes they won’t have to augment their meager income with babysitting. Since he has no idea how much a girl can make in Cleveland, he penciled in a $100/month salary for Dot as a minimum.
He says his parents don’t seem to object that El will be the only chaperone at Sunapee. He just thinks it’ll look better if there were someone else there too. That begs the question “Looks better to whom?” Only their families will know about the chaperone situation and they all seem okay with it, so why is Dart stewing about it so much? Does he think Emily Post will be spying on them from a neighboring cottage and sending the story to the Cleveland Plain Dealer gossip page?
He hopes she doesn’t spoil the Miller boys, or the kids at camp, or their future children with her lavish attention and affection. But he hopes she’ll tell Chris that Dart sends his regards.
There are still two letters to answer from her and he has so much he wants to say, but he must get to sleep. He’s pretty sure there’s going to be a pop quiz in poli sci tomorrow and he wants to be well rested.