This is a short, sad little note from Dart. He’s getting desperate to hear from Dot, even while acknowledging how hard it must be for her to write while on vacation. He sounds despondent in the third and final paragraph when de discloses that his incision burst open and his wound begain to drain. No one knows how long he’ll be in the hospital.
It was rare for Dad/Dart to share his despondence in his letters. But, when he does, it makes the total of the correspondence more “real” and touching. The brave face they put on everything can almost make it seem to readers 70 years later as though life was easy . When I’ve read the letters, I’ve had to keep reminding myself that the writers were dealing with food shortages & rationing, transportation limitations, communication hurdles unheard of today, and fear.
I think about all of that, too. I often wonder how we would deal with such hardships now. I’m also struck by the fact that these letters carry emotion so powerful that I can feel it across the 70-year span. I can sense the electric buzz of young love. I can experience some of the lonliness that Dart feels. I understand how Dot must have wanted to pinch herself – not daring to imagine that someone like Dart had taken such a liking to her. And I can believe the power of Dart’s attraction to this funny, good, hard-working, fun-loving young woman. I also wish I could reach across the years and drop him a line when Dot was in Greenwich over Christmas!