Old Love Letters - Chap. 5

Just a reminder that my own comments are in parentheses.

July 19, 1945

Marge Dear,

Just had your sweet letter and you've no idea how much I liked it.  It seems so nice to hear from you and then sit here in the barracks and read it over and over.  When I come in after flying my four hours, I am so tired and nervous, I can't sit still, but tonight your letter has made me feel so darn good that I feel like a new man and could do another day's work.

We're really getting in the groove now and I have seven students assigned to me and am with them from five in the morning till six in the evening, and have to teach them everything I know, so they can do it better that I can.  Most of them are kids from 17 to 20 years old and they learn fast, so they're not much trouble.  Only, they call me "Pop" and I don't like that very well.  I'm only 35 and am a better man physically than most of them.  Although I will admit I am pretty well beat up and am getting gray, but I'm still able to do more than my share, and do every day.  But I shouldn't care, for they do it mostly in fun.

We're still getting lots of sunshine and I wish you were here to go to the beach with me next Sunday and have a picnic lunch with Capt. Jordan and his wife, and swim in the surf.  We're trying to get a boat and surfboard so we can go way out and have fun riding the big waves.  We've had a big argument as to who can ride the board the longest and have a $20 bet up (that was a pretty decent amount of money back then), so keep your fingers crossed for me. 

I seem to run into the nicest people wherever I go, and Bill is really tops.  His wife is a Chicago girl and also knows some people I know in Salt Lake City.  When we first met, Bill said it sounded like old home week.  I'd sure like to have you meet them and Bill says if we get a chance, we will fly up to Chicago and spend the weekend.  I know that I would sure like to see you, and if I do get to go, I will call you as soon as I know.  Darling, I didn't know I could ever miss anyone like I have missed you, even while I'm so busy, I can't think.  Bill is always teasing me about you and sings that song "Margie" over the intercom phone while we're flying, just to hear me yell at him.  But then I catch myself whistling or humming it myself and thinking of you.  When we're  up there and I'm watching the clouds for our "enemy" to come out, I can see your face there and you sometimes smile back at me, then I know everything is fine.  I'm not a poet, but I sometimes wish I were, so that I could tell you how I feel and some of the things I think of when I see you like that.  With all the things I have to do, you are always in my thoughts, then when I have a few moments I can just sit up there and dream.  But I guess you think I'm just a little off to tell you all the things I think, but I know that I love you, for I've never had another girl that I could get so much pleasure from just thinking about and remembering the little things you do.  I seem to remember every little thing you did while I was with you and every memory is perfect.  Darling, I never dreamed that I would ever meet you, and now that I have, I'm just hoping that you will say yes to a question I want to ask you some day.  And Darling, if you think I'm too presumptuous, and I hope you don't, I won't say any more until I can see you and you may learn more about me.  But I'm going to keep on writing to you and I hope you will continue writing to me.  Will you?  And I would like for you to tell me how you feel too.

So my Dear, I will close now for I have to get some sleep and it's getting late.

"Adios Muchacha Mio"

I Love You,

Tom

P.S.  Please write more often if you can.  Have you received your wings yet?

(Since my blog's theme is about God, Family and Country, I think these letters of his combine it all.  I thought it was rather funny when he mentioned in one of his previous letters that he was going to the Catholic services, and thought their sermons were better than the Protestant ones.  That may have been true, but he might also have had an ulterior motive by saying that.  That is, he might just have been trying to score some points with my Mom, since she may have mentioned to him that she was Catholic. 
Also, they both spoke of their families, the importance of them, and the concern they had for their loved ones.  You can certainly count personal relationships as being linked to family also.  And, obviously, they both loved their country, and his service represented that.  He will have some more interesting thoughts on that, in future letters I post.  He also comments in a future letter that my Mom did some work with the Red Cross, which I didn't know about either.
We've all heard of love at first sight, and this fellow certainly seemed like he had been hit with Cupid's arrow!  He's already professed his love and is also now hinting at "popping the question" the next time he sees her, and hoping her answer will be yes! 

My Mom was a sweetheart, and I'm sure the time she took to pay a little attention to this soldier, obviously left a big impression on him.  He admitted in a previous letter that he had done most of the talking during that time they had spent together.  She was a good listener and I'm sure she had some kind and compassionate things to say to him, whenever she got a word in! 

I wonder if she was shocked with what he wrote.  I assume she was already corresponding with my Dad too.  I wonder if she had told her sisters about this guy and the kind of letters he'd been writing to her.  They're both deceased now, so I can't ask them.  All I know is, she never told me about this other fellow.  What I do know is, I'm enjoying every letter....and I'm writing them down as written, even though he seems to have a lot of long, run-on sentences.  He sometimes gets a bit repetitious too.  I must admit I have added commas, just to break it up and add the necessary pauses between his thoughts, though.

Well, I'm only posting this one tonight, because it's one of his longer ones.  Plus, I've added some of my own commentary too.  Hope you're enjoying them as much as I am.)