There’s been no letter from Dot in two days and Dart’s beginning to worry that she’s been working too hard. “Now, just for all my worries, I’ll probably get a letter from you tomorrow telling of what a wonderful time you had at the movies, or some such thing.”
Dart has finally arranged a schedule for fall term, and it’s a “real killer.” He’ll be taking Prose Workshop, Journalism, Industrial Management, Spanish, American Literature, and Photography. On Thursday, his classes run almost continuously from 10:15 until 4:15, with another one thrown in from 8:00 until 9:45 PM. With no classes on Friday and only one afternoon class on Monday, every week will give him a 3-1/2 day weekend. “Now, if I am real industrious, maybe I can have a Hi-Y club on Monday or Wednesday.”
He explains that the GI Bill gives him $500 per academic year for tuition, fees and books. This semester’s tuition comes to $225, leaving him just $25 for books, and perhaps a camera. He guesses he won’t be buying any fancy “press” camera, which can cost as much as $25 on its own.
He assures Dot that she’s not the only one who bangs garages. Burke did the same to the family garage this week. The building was fine, but the car took a hit. Did the accident put her off driving? He doubts it did, but he wishes he’d been there to console her, instead of Gib.
“Tonight I feel restless, listless, or anxious over something. I surely hope you’re alright, Dot. You seem to be connected to my anxiety some way. You aren’t ill or indisposed, are you?”
Deeming himself in no fit state to write a decent letter tonight, he decides to answer two short ones he has from her, dated August 3 and 4. The big news of the first was the theft of Arthur’s car, but that is relieved by news the next day that it have been returned.
It sounds to him as though she’s doing the work of two people when she works for folks like the Pecsoks and the Millers. As much as she accomplishes around there, he thinks $8 a day doesn’t sound like too much.
At this moment, Dart feels pretty secure in their ability to behave themselves on the September vacation. As long as they keep in their minds the idea of the crisis they would create were they to break their promise, he’s confident they can control themselves.
In answer to Dot’s question as to whether his mother would be shocked to know that Gib awoke her one morning while still in his pajamas, and then proceeded to hang out in her room chatting, while he played with his young daughter, Dart responds, “Yes, Mom’d be shocked and so am I. He wouldn’t put anything over on you, would he? See, I told you I was prone to be extremely jealous.”
# # #
It’s been a slow day at Dot’s playground today. For a little while, there was only one kid named Freddy, but he got tired of losing to her in their games of checkers so he went home.
“We had out first accident (and I hope it’s our last) at the playground on Tuesday. A five-year old fell off a swing and broke his arm. He was singing and making gestures with his arms and lost his balance. It wasn’t a bad break, but it did spoil our record. I’ve done all I could to show interest and sympathy to Frankie but his mother, I’m afraid, will hold it against me for life. She can’t seem to understand why I have to spend a little of my time watching some of the other (30-odd) children.”
She bets he looks like a professor in his new glasses. If she remembers correctly, glasses make him look rather distinguished.
How glad she is there was no serious damage when he took such a painful fall from the deck chair the other day! Still, maybe there’s some truth to his “Chubby” nickname.
This letter was interrupted when another checkers enthusiast came to challenge Dot. She guesses his ego was bruised a bit when she beat him, because he ended up leaving, too. “Ain’t it sumpin’? Sit here under a shady tree all day and do nothing but play checkers, jacks, horseshoes, and gab, gab, gab.”
Four weeks from tomorrow he’ll be on his way to see her! She hopes he’s been keeping in touch with Hal Martin and has reminded him of that wiener roast! And speaking of vacation, El has found a friend to accompany her as chaperone – her childhood friend Nancy Bristol – who has a vacation from her nursing job that week in September. Dot asks if having two chaperones will cramp Dart’s style.
Tonight she got a jarring ride home from the playground in a 1930 Ford. There were four old-timers playing horseshoes when the park closed, so they offered to give her a lift. It was bumpy but loads of fun.
She’s enclosing a snapshot of her place of business – the Cos Cob playground. The bench behind the fence is where she spends most of her day. The nearest headstone is in memory of Chief Cossa Cobba, for whom Cos Cob was named.
She loves him every minute, even when she’s sleeping – which is what she must do now.
No letters tomorrow, so I’ll return on the 10th. See you then.