Before writing this letter, Dart took an hour to get his “financial affairs in order,” and he’s pleased to present his future bride with the report: Including their savings account, checking account, penny account and cash-on-hand, they have a grand total, available for use this very day of $392.87! He seems very pleased with that amount.
The church fundraising goal was $6000 by this week. In spite of last weekend’s storm which kept attendance down, their total today was $5700. Dart intends to reduce the $300 deficit with his $25 donation.
On his first day of spring vacation, Dart helped his dad vacuum and dust the living room and the dining room. Then he spent some time browsing at the library.
A call from one of the Skywriter staff resulted in a plan for Dart and two others to treat Rand to a dinner out on Friday as a way of thanking him for his gracious hospitality.
Oh, how he wishes he could be spending this week with her! To his way of thinking, vacations are meant for loafing, but he has so much school work to do, and the apartment needs a thorough cleaning, so he must budget his time wisely. He readily agrees that time management is not his strong suit. He emphatically says that he’ll be ready for his summer vacation when it finally gets here!
Yes, he expects to leave Cleveland seven or eight days before the wedding, which should leave time for blood tests and applying for the marriage license. His parents and Burke will get there the day before the wedding unless Burke decides to drive out with Tom and arrive there a day or so earlier. No, he doesn’t yet know who will be the other usher. He’s waiting to see what happens with either Homer or Hal. The first one of those to officially accept wins the title. If neither of them can make it, he’ll come up with someone else. Is there a reason she needs to know sooner?
What follows in Dart’s letter is a long dissertation about the state of Dot’s menstrual cycle. Is there reason for concern that this one is hanging around longer than usual? Aren’t her worst cramps generally just on the first day? Is he right in calculating that her “visitor” usually comes every five or six weeks? Yes, he remembers the night of the Pops concert when she was suddenly incapacitated. He was terrified that she would pass out from pain while they were on the streetcar and he wouldn’t know what to do. He’s glad that his desire to help her during these trying times makes her trust him more. All he knows is that when she’s in such distress, he would do anything to alleviate her suffering. That leads him to suspect he might be the one to spoil their children. He’s eager to get a few months of experience under his belt so that he’ll be better at knowing what to do for her.
He’s trying to get a full time job at the Plain Dealer for the month of July. They could certainly use the money when they get back from their honeymoon to fix up their little living quarters.
The first thing he wants to do when he gets to Greenwich is buy her return train ticket to Cleveland. That way, no matter what unexpected expenses they may face, at least he’ll know he’ll be returning home with a wife!
In church this week, he ran into a female classmate of his from Shaw. She was there with her two children and he’s pleased to report that she looked younger and less run down than another classmate he saw last week who was unmarried and childless. He attributes the “worn down” look of the latter to three broken engagements.
His mind has drifted a bit as he writes this, dreaming of the time in the future when they can cuddle and caress to their hearts’ content. Does she recall the night when they were at the dining table with his folks and were touching each other inappropriately under that same table? He’s a little shocked that they dared to live so dangerously!
Dot, Darling, I miss you very much tonight. I miss you in a way that’s both spiritual and physical, although the spiritual may not show in this letter. I wish we could undress each other piece by piece, until not a single thing remained between us to prevent a complete, perfect union to make us really man and wife.” With a great degree of tenderness, he confides that he hopes the timing of their honeymoon will allow them to consummate their love without contraception so that they can be as close as any two people ever were. “But I confess, I love you so much that I’d take you any way, any time you want me, my Darling.