Dot’s letter that arrived yesterday brought some big news – El and Norman are engaged – and it posed a big question. Dart’s answer to that question takes up nearly all of the ten pages he writes today.

So, the question is: How would Dart feel about being married in a double wedding with the other happy couple? Naturally, El is eager to be a bride. She’s three years older than Dot and Norm is 11 years older than Eleanor. She came so close to marriage a few years ago until the no-good, would-be bridegroom jilted her just weeks before the big day. No one could blame her if she was reluctant to risk another long engagement. At 35, one could imagine that Norm was also eager to get his married life started. Then there was the consideration of Arthur and Ruth Chamberlain. Could this couple with modest means be expected to throw two daughters’ weddings in close proximity to each other?

For Dot, the biggest consideration was how Dart would react to the idea. She was fairly keen on the subject but would make no promises to her sister or her parents until Dart weighed in. True to form, he spent several pages painstakingly considering every pro and every con.

He and Dot have both wanted a big wedding, and this would certainly make it big. Also, Dart wouldn’t mind having a little reinforcement standing with him up there at the front of that big church. His main concern is that Dot might somehow feel less special on her big day. She’s always felt that everyone thought of El as being “too good” and that she herself paled in comparison. Dart would hate for that to happen to someone as wonderful as his bride! “People are so impressed with El’s generosity and her goodness that they often fail to see that the Chamberlains’ other daughter is just as wonderful and generous and openhearted as her older sister.”

If they don’t have a double wedding, El and Norm would postpone the announcement of their engagement until after Dot and Dart’s wedding. Having two weddings so close together might steal some of El’s thunder which might build up resentment between the sisters.

Naturally, there is a little bit of a cost savings if they each go in half for things like flowers, musicians, food and the like. “I’ll ask you, in planning your list of attendants and so forth, to keep it within reason. If I’m very lucky, I’ll be able to hold up my end of the plans for a large formal wedding. Please don’t embarrass me by making it too big.”

Whatever the girls decide, he implores her to keep him informed of all the plans so that he’ll know if he’ll need to schedule a few bank heists in his free time.

In other news, Mr. Kershner asked Dart if he’d sit on a small committee which is responsible for raising $6000 for a facelift to the sanctuary. Dart happily agreed. He mentioned something about perhaps a new job and small pay raise coming for him on the Plain Dealer in late February, but he gave no details.

There was also some mention about the poor treatment Dot received from the phone company regarding her schedule, and he wasn’t too keen about it. I remember Mom telling me that when she went back to work after her recovery, her old shift had been filled. The only time they could offer her was a split shift/split location. She would have to work early morning hours, have four hours off, and then go all the way across the territory to their other facility and work four hours in the evening. Phooey on that! I think Dot will be looking for another job. That’s too bad, because she loved the work and they seemed very pleased with her.

He wraps up the letter with 13 questions about wedding plans (mostly having to do with finances and transportation) and finally bids his sweetheart a good night.