March 8, 1945 Thursday

Dear One,

                In that last communication, I’m awful sorry I never explained a question which I imagine has bothered you some.  Why didn’t’ that Dutchman call, especially when he said he would? Well, I haven’t any excuse or alibi but I do have a reason.  It seems that Sunday fell on the 4^th of the month-the 5^th being payday.  From that we might conclude that on the 4^th this humble lad was financially embarrassed and also I was ashore at church and there being a great distance between church and the Base.  By the time I docked back, the telephone exchange was secured, even if I did borrow some mazooma to speak with you.  I hope you won’t let your temper dwell too long on my blundering plans and arrangements.  But this coming Sunday I will have the needed finances and also I’ll be confined to the Base so I have a very hopeful outlook as to my being able to make good on my promise.

                Maybe you’d be interested to know that my duties have been changed for approximately 2 weeks.  See my dear, we can’t take care of our work and barracks too so all hands take their turn at “compartment cleaning.”  We just spend the day making the barracks look ship shape.  It’s a detail that’s very popular though-you might even call is a pension.  We turn to at 8 and work until 10 (in the shop we’d work until 12) then we have sack time until 1 (in the shop we’d have to be back at 12:30 about), then we work until 3 and we are secured for the day (otherwise working until 5).  Then we only get a watch every 4^th night (otherwise almost every other night).  We can hit the beach 3 nights out of four and that makes the married men happy and I’ll be able to go to mutual again tonight if things blow right.

                But it sounds like you don’t get so much sack time what with that assembly-practices, meeting, programs and such-and like the M-men and Gleaner Dance you mentioned today, I hope you tell me more about it in the next letter.  I imagine those few hours do mean a lot that you’re able to have the kids over and play a few records and shoot the breeze and such things.  You find some enjoyment in as leading the singing as over to Sunday School lately.

                You mentioned Washington’s birthday and I thought yours is the 24^th of the month right? I was also thinking that Sunday was the 4^th another day of meaning and gosh but I would have liked to have called you. I’ll close now my darling with an awful lot of love for you.

Paul