Once again, Dart lays it on the line with his opening paragraph: “How happy I am to be in love with you. More of that later, I hope.”
Tonight, he and Homer saw “The Virginian,” which Dart highly recommends. “A swell movie, …a real high-class, Technicolor Western. Good acting, good shooting, pretty horses, and all the rest.”
After the film, the boys took a long drive to a distant Manner’s for some burgers. That must have given them time to get into some deep subjects, because Dart writes, somewhat mysteriously, “Our conversation makes me everlastingly glad that I’m in love with you, Dear.” More on that topic comes later in the letter.
This afternoon, he was frustrated in his attempt to paint the kitchen with brushes that had been improperly cleaned. To clear his mood, he went for a walk and decided to stop by Fred’s house at a time he was fairly sure Mather wouldn’t be there. “We took a long walk in the park to the brow of the hill overlooking the city. Had a long talk there, too. He’s not so smug, nor so revolting, as when Mather’s there. Just the same, he’s still the cynical, hypocritical, self-defensive guy he’s turned out to be. A shame, for he has a good mind and once had the ability to think straight. Now he carries a chip on his shoulder. … He expects to start Cleveland College in June, as a Freshman.”
As is sometimes his practice, he dons his big brother hat for a little sage advice for Dot. This time, it’s about her preparation for final exams. He cautions her against neglecting that which must be done in order to write to him. (He says “You already have me, but the schoolwork comes a little harder.”) He suggests that she kill all the time her heart desires, for that is good for her peace of mind, but do not neglect her schoolwork. I wonder if Dot ever rolled her eyes when reading his well-intended advice. Did she notice that he occasionally comes across as a bit “old-manish?”
In response to her recent letter, he returns to the topic of dancing. It seems that when he’s dancing, his face has a tendency to fall. Can’t explain it – just happens. It’s not that he’s unhappy, because he likes to dance. Maybe he’s too sentimental. Whatever the reason, it’s lucky for him that Dot can’t look him in the eyes while dancing, because she didn’t noticed it. Or, if she did, she was polite enough not to mention it, unlike several other girls he’s danced with in the past. And once again, he confirms that they must learn to dance more confidently.
So, they seem to be in agreement that June 14, 1947 is a good date for their wedding. (Did anyone look to see what day of the week that falls on? Does Dot care that it breaks her promise to not marry until she was 21?) Dart thinks they need to nail something down because of the time it takes to rent the suits, buy the trousseau, and plan the ceremony.
After agreeing with Dot’s idea that this summer would be an ideal time to collect on the bet with Hal, he returns to the subject of his conversation with Homer. “Homer and I had a long talk about ‘problems’ this evening. It’s so easy for girls to go astray that we’ve almost decided we don’t want girl-babies when we’re married. Homer’s Jean was ruined in her freshman year. Thank you, Dot, for not permitting that to happen to you. I love you always.”
My 21st century feminist mentality cannot let that last bit go unexamined. Why is it just girls who “go astray?” Aren’t there usually boys involved in the activity? How are the females ruined, but the males unscathed? Yes, it’s nice that Dot has not “permitted” that to happen to her, but what about the women who have had no choice in the matter? Are they still responsible for the outcome? And finally, I’m grateful that Dart had no real choice in whether or not he and Dot had “girl-babies,” because my sister and I might never have existed and Dad might have missed out on some of the best parts of his life.