Dart’s first letter of the day, jotted off in the last few minutes before the ship pulled anchor, is an attempt to let Dot know how much he loves her. “I can’t even begin in the few minutes I have left. Can’t even call all I’ve said and done in the past a real beginning. It’s just the beginning of the beginning of how much I can say about my love for you.”
A letter from Dot arrived minutes ago, but he will save that for a day at sea.
When they cast off their lines in a few minutes, their next stop will be Panama. They will have firing practice while at sea, and modified wartime watches.
Has he said he loves her? Well, he does.
The next letter starts at 6:30 that evening. He hopes his earlier note made it off the ship before they left. Today has been smooth and pleasant sailing, although there is a wicked vibration in his berth area. The vibration makes it hard to write and his thoughts are getting ahead of his pen.
Their first meal at sea was one worthy of high praise from Dart. Baked ham, candied yams, bean soup, salad and mince pie (good, for a change.) The evening meal proved just as impressive. Dart’s grateful for both the quantity and the quality of the food, so far, thanks to some new cooks they picked up in Charleston.
They’re doing about 18 knots and running will all their topside lights on. With the free and easy manner below decks, the whole cruise is a vastly different experience from a wartime cruise. So far he’s been impressed by the tight schedule aboard this ship. When the posting says they leave port at 1400, that’s exactly what happens.
He wonders what makes the waters of the Atlantic Ocean green, instead of the deep blue of the Pacific. “The smooth waters reflected the mother-of-pearl colors of the sunlit sky, and our tranquil evening was a pleasant one. …We didn’t go to G-Q to test equipment when we left port, and there are no gun watches being stood.”
“My General Quarters station is in the radar room of a 40-mm gun. The name of my position is ‘tacu,’ pronounced ‘tack-you,’ and nobody seems to know just what the heck I’m supposed to do, aside from watch a radar scope and twirl a dial or two. Just which scope and which dials, I have yet to learn.”
Continued on January 20…
“They pulled a fast one on us last night. The lights go out in the compartments at 1900 each evening, so last night they went out as I was writing to you. I went to bed at 2000 (that’s 8:00!) and slept until reveille at 6:30 today.”
Today, they went to G-Q twice and abandon ship stations once. He’s learned which dials to turn and which scope to watch, but he still has no idea what “tacu” means. They got their watch assignments for the week and he has a pretty sweet deal. Mostly, he must throw a life preserver to anyone who falls overboard. The only problem he sees is that one of his watches is stood just outside the bridge where it’s always as windy as can be, and a real problem when it rains.
He’s enjoying his camera and has decided to save some of his films for various maneuvers they’ll be doing while underway; things like fueling, mail transfer and the like.
“Everything seems familiar. The motion of the ship, the vibration, the sound of the rushing water and the fuel oil as it gurgles back and forth beneath us. The clean whiteness of the wake and the swift-moving whitecaps. The headachy feeling that comes from standing in the wind and squinting at brightly-lighted water. That same wind also makes eyes feel crinkled at the corners, like old-time sailors look, and it makes the face feel hot, flushed, and healthy when we stand in a sheltered spot.”
How he wishes Dot could see and experience this with him. His greatest enjoyment is imagining her standing there with him, arm-in-arm, watching the sea.
# # #
Dot’s trying to write a letter while Ellie sets her hair, but Ellie keeps interrupting to tell Dot about her great time at the dance. Apparently Tip has not lost his appeal.
Only four girls from the house went to the dance. Most of the others went home, except for Dot and Joyce who had a swell time for themselves. While Joyce napped, Dot cleaned out her closet, covered her grocery shelves and silverware box with oil cloth and made an oilcloth apron to wear if she ever fries anything. She says she’s looking very “domestic,” but her cooking is still strictly amateur.
Joyce got out of bed just as the other kids were returning from the dance, so she and Dot decided to be little devils. “We noticed there was a car parked at the side of the house and figured it was Ellie and Tip. We were right, and the fun began. We turned out all the lights in our room, opened the window, and turned my spotlight on them. (Much cheaper than going to a movie and twice as much fun.) Oh, but they were going to be smart! Tip backed the car up a few yards and turned off the motor. But should we let that stop us? I should say not! Quick like a bunny, we went to Janie and Mid’s room to repeat the performance. This time, Cpl. Dye (now Mr. Dye) was sure he was going to get rid of us. He backed the car clear to the rear of the house and stopped. Oh, but Earla’s room also has windows in it, which made it ever so much easier for Joyce and me to carry on our fiendish trick. We stood and watched them until it got boring, and then we went about our business. (Or, should I say we went about nosing in other people’s business.) Anyway, we went about. There was a sailor and a girl in each of the parlors downstairs. We couldn’t understand why, but the lights weren’t on. Meaning only to do them a favor, we thought we’d let them know in a subtle way that it was almost time to go home. Setting a sweet, gentle Big Ben alarm clock for 1:00, we sneaked downstairs and put it in one of the pianos. Then we sneaked back upstairs, sat on the landing, and waited for the bomb to explode. At 1:00 a noise which sounded very much like LaGuardia’s pet fire engine, echoed through the house. Quickly, one of the sailors ran out to shut the thing off. Thinking Miss Olin had put it there, he hastened back to make with one last good-night kiss. (I guess that’s what he went back for.)
“So — we sneaked back downstairs, grabbed the alarm clock and took it upstairs to torment Ellie and Tip once more. We hung the clock out the window and it made such a terrific racket that the trees vibrated. They took the hint, finally, and came in. By the time Ellie got upstairs, we were ‘sleeping like little angels.’ Even though we didn’t go to the dance, we had a barrel of fun. That doesn’t mean you should make a point of not being around for our dances, however. Your mom says she’s eager to see us in formal attire. To tell the truth, I, too, would like to see you in a different ‘monkey suit.'”
She explains that when she sees all of the “drips” who attend Kent, she’s even more lonesome for Dart. Out of the four men who had dates with her housemates tonight, only one brought a corsage to his girl. That one went to waste because he was dressed in a suit, and the dance was strictly formal, so the couple was not allowed in. She bets only 3 out of 100 men come close to being a gentleman like Dart. She’s so grateful that he keeps all these young women from losing all faith in the male sex.
Only 517 days until June 20, 1947!