The gorgeous moon shining through Dot’s bedroom window has put her in a “mushy” mood. Especially after a brief ride in an open convertible on a perfect spring night after spending time with old family friends, Dr. and Mrs. Hallorhan. How she dreams of a long car ride when the war and rationing end – driving aimlessly, talking endlessly and admiring the stars and the driver beside her.
Her memories tonight are of her favorite drive of her life – the one that took place on November 8, 1944 on a very rainy night. She and Dart were in a dark green “convertible.” In this case, the car converted from one that ran to one that wouldn’t. This particular night, it chose not to for a while. “Oh, Dart! That night and the one that followed, I was really in Heaven. What did we talk about while we were riding? Guess it was a bit of everything. But, I’m afraid I neglected to tell you how much I loved you. As a matter of fact, I still love you.”
The evening she refers to was one of their early dates after meeting in late September. These two days when Dot stayed with a friend in Cleveland count as two out of the eight days they have shared since meeting each other. I marvel constantly at how fast they fell for each other and how deep the bonds were, after but a few hours in each other’s company. The hundreds of pages of letters that have passed between them are like the mortar that holds together the foundation they established instantly. I’ve always sensed the hand of God in the creation of that unshakable foundation. I’m certain Mom would agree.
She’s sorry to hear that his job in the mess is turning out to be such a mess. “When you get so disgusted you think you can’t stand it anymore, try doing what I do. Merely shrug your shoulders and say ‘Ah, well, in five years how insignificant this will all seem, so why bother fretting about it now?’ I’m sure that’s not the best way to handle a problem, but it’s a certainty you won’t be grey before you’re 80 if you follow my method.”
She hopes he’s begun to get his Readers’ Digest by now. She feels another cold coming on, so she needs to get some sleep, but not before she tells him that she’ll love him forever.
She adds a P.S. in large capital letters with multiple underlines and exclamation points: I WILL NOT BE JOINING THE WAVES!!!!!!
