Dad was a handsome man, and he couldn’t help the attraction felt by women he encountered along the way during the war. The fact that he shared with his parents this particularly innocent female encounter says a lot about his good intentions and also his sensitivity to how his wife Bonnie would react to any kind of correpondence between him and the Seattle lady. Based upon Dad’s having met Nadine from Michigan and Bonnie’s reaction to that guileless meeting, Dolores might really have caused some problems for Dad had the news been received by my mother. As it turned out, there was never, to my knowledge, any further problem from Dolores or her machinations through any more correspondence. I can imagine, however, that the possibility worried Dad for a while, even after he returned home. He adored my mother and wouldn’t have upset her for anything. Fortunately, she adored him too.
Sept. 13, 1945Guam
12:15 p.m.
Dear Mom & Dad,
I just received a letter from you and believe me, I sure was happy to hear from you again. Mom, I’m glad that youre going into Billings for a thorough check-up. I hope you’re all right by now. You were really lucky to have won $50 at bingo.
In this letter you have enclosed a letter from Dolores Wartham of Seattle. I had forgotten about her. She is a girl I met through Fred Seacrest and Bill Puckett and the boys in Santa Anita. I hadn’t known her very long when she claimed to the boys that she more than liked me. She said (and I’m not bragging) that she liked me because I was clean and the quiet type. I had told her all about you and Dad, but I also told her about Bonnie. She used to force her way into our bunch when we were all out galavanting and then hang around me. Of course, I was with her only in the crowd, but I didn’t tell my honey, because I knew she wouldn’t like it, but what is a guy to do? She asked for my address and yours, so she got it, and after she had written me a few times in England, I wrote to her. Why she said my letter was so sweet, I really don’t know, unless it was because her letters were all HELLO and GOODBYE. I did write one good, long letter telling her about England and the army air corps. Anyway, I’m glad you didn’t tell Bonnie, because she might not ever understand. I’m not going to write to Dolores, because if she writes back after I’m out of the service, the letter will come to my house. If you hear from her again, just throw the letter out and forget about it.
EVERYTHING happens to me. A girl named Nadine in Michigan used to like me too, and after Bonnie and I were married, Bonnie found out about her and cried herself to sleep for a whole week. That is why I won’t mention this to her. And don’t think that Bonnie is too jealous. I feel the same way about her.
Well, so much for that! How are you both? Boy I sure wish I could see you, but it won’t be that long before I do see you again. If the latest rumor is right, I have a chance of being home for Christmas. Don’t tell Bonnie, because if it isn’t true, it would break her heart. I’ll know in a couple of weeks for sure. The rumor is that all men with 50 points or more will be home for X-mas. There are so many rumors flying around here, that I don’t know if there are any I can actually believe.
I received nine letters from my honey yesterday, and one of the letters had the sweetest little baby booty in it. It is pink, trimmed in white, and had a little pink silk ribbon on the right side. I guess it’s for the right foot. In another letter there was five dollars, and another one had two dollars. Bonnie is sure a sweet kid. I don’t know what I would ever do without her. I’ll write to her again tonight. She told me in her last letter that she will be moving to Jean’s, but she didn’t give me the address. I guess I’ll just have to write to her mother until I get it. Today I didn’t receive any mail. It’s 4:30 now, and I just came back from this afternoon’s work.
I guess I’ll close for now. Keep writing. I need your letters. Bye for now, and God bless you both.
Your loving son,
Elwood
p.s. I just found out that it was only a rumor about the 50 points. I still think I’ll be home when my baby is born. I pray I will, anyway.
