Dart writes a rather serious letter after a big haul at mail call. He got four letters from Dot, the most recent dated just eight days ago. The real news came from his three buddies from Cleveland. Three of his childhood school mates, first listed as “killed in action,” then “missing in action,” are actually now known to be prisoners of war. One high school chum as been decorated for extraordinary service in France and another two were killed in action. Was there a single family in America that was untouched by this war?
There was a gap in Dot’s letters from March 31 until April 4, so he’s not sure if she got the corsage he sent. He’s also missed the letter where she begs him not to tell his parents that it was her idea to send them Easter flowers in Dart’s name. He’s received a thank-you letter from his mother and, contrary to Dot’s wishes, he feels he needs to tell her that the flowers were really from Dot.
He mentions her casual comment that she and her friend Nancy may join the Cadet Nurse Corps. He hopes she was joking, but he fears she wasn’t. He believes that cadet nurses are obliged to give two years of service to the Army or Navy after their training. He says he’d hate to have to salute his girlfriend, fiance or wife, but his real concern runs deeper than that. Nurses in the armed forces are exposed to things that nice girls shouldn’t be exposed to and it hardens them. He’s seen a few who resist the difficult challenges and manage to stay nice, but most become very tough. He’s sure Dot would be one of the former, but he’d hate to see her have to go through all the things that service nurses must endure. Just imagine what he’ll say when he hears she wants to be a WAVE!
Then he muses for a long time about the merits of honesty. He’s beginning to doubt that there are any. He’s seen so many people get ahead by lying and cheating while others like him, who try to follow the rules and behave honorably get short changed. His most recent experience with the fire control advancement course is a fine example. The Navy has made it clear they don’t care how men get the scores they get on exams, as long as they know the material. If they get it by working “cooperatively” with other people to get the right answers, so be it. Dart thinks that’s why there are so many low level officers in the Navy who, in his opinion, aren’t worth much. He seems to be mighty ticked at himself for being so square – such a rule-follower, when he’d really like to advance through the ranks. “Maybe I should go soak my head! If the meek are to inherit the earth, they’d better start inheriting it pretty soon, because I’m getting less meek every day!”
Regardless of his bitter talk, Dart never did abandon his honest tendancies. He remained until the end of his days, the most forthright, honest and honorable man I ever knew.
Anyway, he reconciles his anger and disappointment at recent events by concluding that perhaps the reward for staying on the narrow path is the right to be loved by a girl like Dot. “If that’s so, it’s worth it all.”
He assumes that she has left Franklin Simon by now and he wonders what she’s doing instead. He has no doubt that when she said her good-byes, they were sorry to see her go. Actually, I can’t tell from Dot’s recent letters if she has actually left FS. I’m pretty sure she’s still working there.
It’s nice she had such a good time in NYC with Nancy. He’d like to add to their growing list of “Things to Do After the War,” going into the big city to catch a movie. Commenting on the photo booth picture that Dot sent to him, he says usually when a girl gives him a “come hither” look like the one Dot displays in this photo, he thinks, “Sailor, beware! She’s up to no good!” But Dot can give him that look any time she pleases!
Answering a comment she wrote, he agrees that they were both pretty sorry when he missed out on his leave last April, ruining his chance to take Dot to her prom. Looking back, he agrees it was for the best. If he’d come home, he would have exposed her to the mumps, which were active in his body at that time.
He admits that he doesn’t have a clear picture of what she wore on their double date with Johnny and Betty. He remembers nearly every other detail of that evening, though. “Darling, nothing matters so much to me as keeping alive and getting back to you, to stay there with you forever.”
Dot’s letter today was actually just a note written by Bob Goldstein that she forgot to include in a letter last week. He wishes Dart well, talks about the beautiful weather Greenwich is enjoying, mentions that Dot is working very hard at getting slimmer, and sends his hopes that “everything will get back to normal” soon. I guess that proves that Dot was still working at the store as recently as a few days ago.