Dart writes that his homework is done, his typing practice is completed and there are 19 minutes left in the weekend.
His Friday evening was spent tinkering in the basement, laying more track and stringing trolley wire.
On Saturday, he and Pop helped Uncle Guy cut copper pipe for his new heating system and then hauled it out to the lake house in their rented trailer. While they were there, they picked up a beautiful buffet that they’d had to give up when they moved in with the Burke sisters during the Depression. “It rode beautifully in our bumpy little trailer on Cleveland’s indescribably bumpy streets. That is, until we were on the last 100 feet of bumpy street. Then our colossal stupidity showed. Not one of the three of us thought of laying the piece of furniture on its back and tying it to the trailer. As a consequence, we have a buffet, minus its four dainty legs.” He thinks they can fix it up by reaming out the dowels that hold the legs to the main piece and inserting new ones. The finish is also splotchy and needs to be stripped and redone. “It’s a big job for our limited resources, but we think we’ll have a mighty nice piece of furniture when (and if) we ever get the work done.”
He tells Dot that Uncle Guy has sold the big brick house on Forest Hill and they’re all sad to see it leave the family. In his opinion, it is a much finer building than Guy’s new house on the lake will ever be. Dart had hopes that he and Dot could have rented the third floor as their first apartment, if his parents had moved into the lower part. Now, that will never be.
Tom Reilly joined Dart for a movie on Saturday night. They saw the Marx Brothers in “A Night in Casablanca.” Dart is a big fan of the humor and talent of the four brothers, and the two friends had a great time. “Of course, Tom and I would have had a good time anyway. We usually do. I met his parents last night and they’re awfully nice. Just as humorous as Tom.” Dart learned that Tom had actually dated three girls from Greenwich; Pat McCullough, Barbara Leach, and Patricia Somebody. Does Dot know any of them? Tom liked the town of Greenwich better than he liked any of the girls.
He’s never noticed the lovely, fresh breeze that comes n over the city in the evenings, but he is sure enjoying it this summer. “Makes me awfully homesick for you, because I know how much we’d love being together, enjoying it.”
Apparently when he showed his folks Dot’s letter that had gotten him emotionally worked up, it broke the ice. Since then, they’ve had lots of conversations. Today, they talked about how it will be to get along on $190 a month. Many couples actually have much less income to begin with. He landed on that figure knowing that he’ll receive $90 through the GI Bill and he estimates $100 as the minimum that Dot will be able to make by working full time.
His folks have assured him that he and Dot could live with them, or refurbish the third floor into a place of their own. Everyone’s sure they can establish a living situation that would be agreeable to all parties. “Any arrangement could be modified, of course, until it worked smoothly.”
A nice advantage, in Dart’s mind, to refinishing the third floor is that they could begin to buy some furnishings and have a place to store them. They could furnish the place with their own things, in their own taste. He begins a little flight of fancy as he describes what he’d like to see in their little nest: a pair of big, comfy chairs, some good china, “maybe even an iceless (It’ll have to come eventually!), or a radiophonograph.”
He confesses to be a pretty poor financial “typhoon,” but he’s sure that with her in charge of the money, they’ll manage just fine. By the way, they have $34.05 in their little green toolbox now.
In the final paragraph, he crams in some quick responses to her recent letters. Citing her half page of Xs and Os, he says he liked them, but truly wishes they could be exercising the real things. I neglected to mention that, at the end of one of her recent letters, Dot had drawn three large, dense splotches of purple ink, labeling them “puddles of purple passion.” Dart was especially fond of those and confesses to having felt especially passionate and lustful for her today. Which reminds him of Ellie and Don – he is certainly curious about those two getting married in such a hurry. How he hopes things turn out in September so that she will be able to wake him up in person one morning – if not in Greenwich, then maybe at Sunapee. He wonders about her plans for that, though. She mentioned something once, a while back, that has him a little wary. (Well, that has certainly piqued my curiosity. I wonder if Dot will shed some light on that topic.)
That’s all he has for tonight.
# # #
Once again, Dot has been neglecting Dart, but she hopes to compensate a little by sending this letter via airmail.
She and 5-year old Gale spent a glorious day at the beach yesterday. Gale’s daddy had promised to get her a tube for her birthday in August if she could swim10 feet by herself. Dot was flabbergasted when the little tyke swam 20 feet to a dock, climbed up, and dove off! “Of course the dive was a little belly-floppish, but she kept on trying until she did two or three really good ones.” When Dot told the family about Gale’s feat, they all thought she was exaggerating, so El took Gale to the beach today where she proceeded to do 25 dives! “Maybe we’ve got another Esther Williams (hubba hubba!) on our hands!”
There was a huge, impromptu feast at the Chamberlains last night as Aunt Num, Waddy, and Dot and Leon Picard all came over for a lobster dinner. “There were 10 of us for dinner. We even had lots of butter to pour over them. (The lobsters, silly!)Dot was in heaven – partly because of all that company, but mostly because of the lobster. She laments the fact that Dart has no appreciation of good seafood, and urges him try try it just one more time. She wishes she could have saved a little of the lobster tail to send to Dart, Sr., knowing how much he enjoys it.
The party lasted until 1:00, when Dot drove Harriet and George back to their home. Dot wasn’t too thrilled when 8:00 am came around and Gale (who’d spent the night at the Chamberlain house) came in to wake Dot up. Dot pleaded for a half hour more sleep, so Gale sat quietly on Dot’s bed and colored while she waited.
Dot wasn’t too enthusiastic about getting up for church either, but she did. When she got home and Ruth wanted to discuss the sermon, Dot realized she’d not heard a single word of it! She’d been imagining Dart standing at the top of the aisle, awaiting his bride. When she began to imagine how she’d feel as she was walking toward him, her heart started to pound so loudly that she was afraid the entire congregation would hear it! “Gee, it was the most beautiful daydreaming I’ve done in a long while. When that day finally arrives, Darling, and our dreams become a reality, I’ll be the happiest bride there ever was or ever will be because I’m getting ‘the pick of the crop’ for a husband.”
The elderly Mrs. Reynolds didn’t need Dot this afternoon, so she went to the Miller’s home instead. Eric can melt her heart every time she sees him. “I hope he never catches on to the the fact that no matter how naughty he is. I can never bring myself to discipline him the way he should be.”
She was thrilled when 8-week old Cameron smiled at her today. She’s amazed at how much he reacts to things in his world at such a young age.
Did Dart see the moon last night? She was feeling rather blue until she remembered that in two more full moons, Dart will be with her and they can enjoy it together.
You may recall that Dot has a cousin Waddy, who has always reminded her of Dart. When Waddy kissed her good-bye last night, she tried to pretend he was Dart, but his kiss was not even a close facsimile to Dart’s. “I miss your kisses. I miss having your arms around me and feeling your breath on my neck. I miss everything about you more every day.”
“Please give your parents my love and remind them when I promised to write to them, I naturally assumed they’d answer. After all, you’re not the only one I look forward to getting letters from.”