Dart knows that by the time Dot gets this letter, they will have seen each other over the weekend, so the letter will be a nice littler surprise to ease their separation.
He bummed around all day in his dungarees and a too-big red sweater, practicing for the day when his clothing choices will not be blue or more blue. Of course his day began in the late afternoon because he slept for hours past morning.
He’s been spending some of his time checking in on his old hometown buddies. He visited Al Forbush’s mother and sister and learned that Al is still in the Philippines with yellow jaundice. They expect him home as soon as he’s released from the hospital. Dr. and Mrs. Singer report that Homer is back in the States, expecting to be discharged in the next couple of days.
Now, Dart turns his focus toward answering some of Dot’s recent letters. (Frankly, I’m grateful for this little crumb. They could have talked all of that over during their brief visit and left their future readers entirely in the dark.)
Yes, he agrees that it would be nice to see Charleston and San Francisco together someday, but for now he’ll be satisfied with Lake Sunapee. He surely hopes he’ll be able to convince his folks to drive Dot back to Greenwich after school and spend some time with the Chamberlains at their cottage. He’s still nervous about swimming in that lake, but if Dot doesn’t drown him, maybe she’ll be able to teach him some things about swimming.
Yes, Aunt Flora would like to get mail, especially if it’s from Dot. He grants her his official permission to write whenever she’d like.
The snow outside tonight reminds him very much of a letter she wrote to him while he was still in Charleston. “I wonder what the weather will be like tomorrow night. I remember how I wanted to walk in the snow with you. Wonder if I’ll want to when the occasion arises.”
He doesn’t care too much about how his eggs are cooked for breakfast, as long as they’re not boiled. “Don’t care very much for boiled eggs for breakfast, regardless of their race, creed, color or age.”
“You said you were scared to meet Fred. How do you feel, now that you’ve met him?” (Good question, Dart. I wonder if we’ll ever get to hear about that meeting in these pages.)
“I like, but can give no further comment on, that paragraph of yours about double beds and kissing as much and as long as we like when we’re in our own private bedroom. I can’t help but think it can’t be much more than we kissed Tuesday night.”
With one letter answered and him in great need of sleep, he signs off with “I love you my Darling. I think of you constantly and every plan and thought I have for the future includes you in some way.”
Since these two will be spending the weekend together, there are no letters until the 19th. We, their devoted fans, must comfort ourselves by imagining their total bliss at being in each other’s company over the next few days.