Dart’s cold has morphed into a very sore throat, keeping him home from work today, and probably tomorrow.
Because there was no mail for him today, he says he’ll dig into the pile of Dot’s unanswered letters to try and get warmed up. “As if I needed any warming up to tell you how much I love you! I’m hot on that subject all the time.” He was so lonesome for her today that when he was awake, he could barely live.
He’s been pondering the upstairs rooms that will eventually be their apartment. He can manage the filling cracks, sealing baseboards, and pulling down wallpaper, but he hesitates to do any decorating without Dot. He’d much prefer she have a say in paint and paper colors, and then they could do the work together.
He fears there’s some electrical work that should be done by a union electrician – probably at the cost he’d budgeted for doing the whole remodeling job. While he’s waiting for the wiring to be done, he can get started on the carpentry.
The only tools he’ll need to finish the job are a good saw and a miter box, and possibly a nice plane. The latter might be dispensed with if he can figure out how to sharpen the blade in the old plane he owns.
He’s been lying in bed trying to figure out the best way to get the cabinets done. His mother has suggested that he investigate the possibility of finding some of them already built, but unfinished, in the lumber yards. That would save him some time and might not cost any more than buying all the lumber and parts separately. Even if it cost a bit more, it would save him headaches and time. He already has too much of the first, and not enough of the second.
He received his City Club membership in the mail today. He has no dues to pay until March.
In re-reading her older letters, he wonders if she still has to wear the post-operative girdle that was prescribed after her surgery. Is she feeling fully well and healed by now?
If the church publicity meetings are all going to be held on the nights he has classes, he’ll have to resign from the committee. It’s not worth missing class for them, especially if he misses many classes because of illness.
Regarding wedding plans, he hopes everything turns out alright in her selection of bridesmaids. He assumes that when he arrives the week of the wedding there will be time for them to discuss the flowers and look into buying a Bible for her to carry. (Who discusses flowers the week of the wedding?) Also time to rent the suit.
There is a possibility that Uncle Tom would let them borrow his car for the honeymoon, but Dart’s not too keen on asking him just yet. If he were able to do that, perhaps Tom Riley would help him drive it out there.
He’s happy that Dot will ask her beloved Uncle Ralph to walk her down the aisle. Her own father will be escorting Eleanor. Ralph is the uncle who has escorted his two older daughters at their weddings, but will never have the pleasure of doing the same for his youngest, Jane.
He asks her if “The Torch of Life” is the sort of book a young man could ask for in the library.
This is all he can do for now. He loves her and misses all that they’ve ever done together, and longs for all they will do in the future.