Dart didn’t expect to write to Dot tonight, but he eschewed liberty and other letters to do so because he loves her. It has been just one month since he was a guest in her home and he tells her that he chokes up whenever he relives those few precious moments together.

He caught a glimpse of Fred on Treasure Island today, but Dart was marching in formation and was unable to speak more than a few words in passing. I don’t know if Dart is getting frustrated by his inability to visit with his good buddy, in spite of their close proximity, but I sure am!

Dart brazenly voiced the hope that he’ll get a brief leave after he finishes his schooling, just about the time of Dot’s February prom. Now why did he do that? I feel certain he’s jinxed the whole affair now.

He needs to close so that he can find out the details of how to get paid. Once again, he’s taking only $15.00 of the $60.00 he has coming to him. He ends with the prediction that his test score average will drop after his next Recognition exam. I think that’s the frequent tests he gets where he must identify the silhouettes of various aircraft – both friend and foe. Each week, more planes are added, so the tests are increasing in difficulty.

Dot’s contribution today comes in the form of two short letters. The first is a few lines she dashed off before work, promising another letter later tonight. She will be going directly from Franklin Simons to Toni Gale’s 4th birthday party.

After the party, Dot writes an account of the festivities. “Well, the big shindig’s over and I’m sure the three pounds I lost this week was gained tonight, three fold. Eat? No. When you do it the way we were doing it, they call it ‘stoking’.” She goes on to write a long list of food items served at the party for her niece and an aunt. “After all, we had two birthdays to celebrate, so you can see why we’d have to have twice as much food.”

She tells a couple of cute stories about the birthday girl, whom she refers to here as “Gale.” First, the little one kept asking Dot to look around the house to see if she could find just one more present. Then, noticing Dart’s photo in it’s place of honor on the piano, she asked, “Where’s Dart? Isn’t he coming to my party, too?” After all, the entire cast of her life was there to pay homage, so why not Dart?

She further reports that Dart was the main topic of conversation at the party. He made a very favorable impression during his brief visit. Those who met him wished they’d met him sooner, and those who didn’t meet him regret missing the opportunity to do so. Everyone agrees they’d like to see him in the very near future.

She asks Dart if he would consider her a slacker if she took three days off work next week. She explains that it’ll be her last chance before returning to school and she has several partially finished outfits she started sewing last spring that she’d like to complete. (Is there no end to this girl’s talents and industriousness?)

Then she introduces a theme that I heard repeated numerous times over my childhood. She writes that while she appreciates his gentlemanly manner, he’s certainly not helping her in her fervent efforts to lose weight. If she promises not to sacrifice her health, would he please stop discouraging her weight-loss efforts? I recall Mom asking Dad to please tell her that if she didn’t lose weight, he’d leave her. He would predictably murmur in a dead pan voice, “If you don’t lose weight, I’ll leave you.” Mom would then cry, “You have to sound like you mean it!” But he never did.

Although today’s letter from Dart was very short, she’d rather have even one line than to hear nothing from him. She sends her mother’s regards and the request to let Ruth know whose turn it is to write.

Signing off with “I must stop this letter, bit I’ll never stop loving you,” she bids him goodnight.