Last night, Dart was feeling a little better, so he used all of his reserve strength to do a little homework. He feels a little better tonight.
His buddy Tom called tonight, but Dart’s mother said her son was too weak to come downstairs for the phone. Tom asked how the wedding plans were going and he left a message that he’ll be stopping by for a visit later this week.
“Speaking of plans, I see by Emily Post’s column this morning that black patent leather shoes must be worn with full dress. Now I know I’ll have to keep some sort of a job, right up to the very last week. Between what I want and what I must have, things are looking like little red figures in my little book, and I haven’t even spent any money yet!”
He stews about the $13.00 in lost wages and a week of lost school work because of this siege by the flu. He wonders how he’ll ever get caught up with classes. “You told me to tell you when I had any worries so you could worry for me. Well, commence worrin’, honey!”
He’s watching his dreams of graduating cum laud fly out the window. He’s convinced that it’ll take more effort than he has left in him to bring any of his grades up as high as B, and he fears much worse.
Another worry he has is how he’ll finish the third floor for them before the wedding. His high aspirations have diminished to a fervent hope that he’ll be able to merely wash the walls and sweep the floor. He asks her what they’ll use to buy furniture, cabinets, wiring, and whatever else is needed to make a home. He’s sure they can borrow some basics from his folks, but it’s a far cry from what he’d hoped for as the beginning of their life together. He refuses to give any space at all to those hideous chairs that are already up there. They are uglier than he can bear, and uncomfortable to boot.
Pushing his worries to the side for a moment, he reports that Burke’s former girlfriend Edie is engaged to be married. Also, his cousin Lolly, in town to nurse her mother through pneumonia, stopped by for a visit last night. Because of her little ones at home, she didn’t climb the stairs to Dart’s sick room, but before leaving, she hollered up “Bye, Dart. Happy honeymoon!”
If he ever would decide to become a hermit, now would be the time. He already has a five-day growth of beard. With his black sideburns, pale mustache, and red chin, he resembles a calico cat. “I was afraid for a while that you would object, but as far apart as we are now, the beard would have to get mighty long before it would bother us both at the same time.”
Back to their living situation, he hopes they’ll get a little place of their own as soon as possible – an opinion I’m sure Dot shares. He hopes they can live on a quiet street with big trees and friendly neighbors. He sometimes doubts there are any quiet streets in this city, especially ones not populated by a bunch of drunkards, hooting and shouting all night long. “I’d like to live close enough to Cleveland for its cultural advantages, in some little town near here. I want a home to be a place of peace, rest, quiet and comfort; not of noisy, nerve-wracking bustle, or of such super-neatness that it’s not homey.”
He recalls that Dot once commented that she’s not s super housekeeper. He doesn’t think he’ll mind because whatever kind of housekeeper she is, she’ll be a change from his mother. “She’s doing better than most women could, but I’m ready for a change.” He remarks that with the pressures of her job and her worry over her husband, she’s not doing much to make the house cheerful or the meals appetizing. (Here’s an idea, Dart: Why don’t you do a little more of the housekeeping and a little less evaluating how your mother is doing?) How grateful I am that he “outgrew” his chauvinism long before I was aware of it. No doubt Mom helped round out the edges in a hurry.
He asks if Dot ever sold her bike. Although the money would be nice, he can also imagine the day when they might wake up to beautiful weather and decide to go on a long bike ride together. How they’d get the bike from Greenwich to Cleveland is not mentioned. “I’ve missed that kind of fun, and maybe you haven’t had as much as you’d like, either. What better way of having it than by awakening to each others kisses and caresses and deciding to take a long ride?”
“Remember the night of the full moon at Sunapee? How we sat on the bench at the head of the dock? We shivered, both from cold and from desire. I want you as much right now as I did then, Darling. Goodnight, dear. I love everything about you.”