Friday, October 2, 1942
Dear Mums and Dad, I have been rereading all your old letters and found a lot of questions to answer. No. 1 -My crooked tooth is still crooked. The brace came off -I chewed too hard on an all day
sucker that Jr got me.
No. 2 -No, I didn”™t get my ring from Elgin
No. 3 -Yes, I still have Slip”™s ring and asked him if he wanted it back and he just shook his head. He certainly has changed. He will hardly talk, not even to his best pals, sorta moody I guess. I talked to him and told him to cheer up but heck; we”™re just as bad off as he, so why look on the wrong side of life. It”™s as he if he wants to dig is his own grave. Why let him? I”™ll let the Japs dig mine, (oh yeah).
No. 4 -Yes, we finally all received our Christmas cards and I did get so many. I also received such a long letter from Bonnie Floyd, two from Forrest and four from you and one from Mrs. Dilmes. These are letters I got yesterday and you know one was marked March 4 and I got it March 7, but one was marked December 12. There were some patients at Santa Barbara. The boy from Illinois is in San Francisco now so you can expect the album soon. He just wrote to me and said as soon as he gets his stuff he”™ll send you the album. I went out and picked a bouquet of flowers. In the bunch I have orchids, narcissus, cup of gold, banana blossoms and hibiscus of every color and shape, single and double. The Hibiscus will stay a whole day and night if you just lay them down on your table, but if you put them in water they die.
You ask if I had any more pictures. You mean of the one of me in the large picture? I”™m sorry I have no more. You know pictures here cost so blimey much -thirty dollars for a dozen, $7.50 for one. It beats me. I”™m planning on having one made in my blue uniform (field) and overseas cap, but this month I need to pay an income tax of $24 and so I”™ll have to wait a while yet. One of the boys and I went downtown. We had the best time, we walked, shopped, went to a show and he bought me a lovely three inch thick carnation (red) lei and one beautiful tube-like lei, they are such fragrant things they are almost sickening, they are so sweet.
I sent extra postage but never received the package as of yet. I finally got the letter with the questionnaire you sent. I”™ll ask some of the captains about it. They said it looked phony to them and to turn it in to the FBI and have them investigate it. So I will when we ever get to go out again, have been in so long now I”™m beginning to act strange. But maybe they”™ll lift the ban someday, who knows. We haven”™t been paid for last month yet.
We had a good supper tonight -fresh biscuits and coconut honey (it looks like caramel with a coconut taste, if you can imagine the two together), cream chicken and noodles, fresh frozen peas and frozen strawberries.
We have a bunch of new nurses in for awhile. We are all just wondering and waiting for future orders, for what who knows or who cares, such is the merry go round of life. There is such a beautiful rainbow out my window. It stretches from the high mountain to the ocean, a double one and it”™s almost dark too, but here we have them at night too.
Gee I”™d give anything to know where Jr is and to see him, but maybe there will come a day. I met a young Ensign in the Navy who is a graduate of Annapolis and also Princeton University. Boy he is a handsome brute, so nice and such manners, really a swell and regular fellow and I like him very much, but Jr still counts ace high with me.
Can you imagine me going out and wearing six orchids (baby ones) in my hair? Well they do grow wild here, but the big ones are not to be found without a price on their lovely heads.
You should see the movies more often and see the newsreel, there you will see plenty of Hawaii and its happiness I”™m quite sure. Saw a beautiful show in color, truly a beautiful show. About Speigels, I have written to them and ask how much I still owed them twice and no answer. It seems they can never get my address straight even when I write it down. There is a package at the post office now from Pringle, it”™s my bike. How much was it? I will try and send some money home as soon as I catch up on a few things here. I still owe Dad for various payments and the like. I wish to thank you very much and appreciate it so.
Gee I”™m so proud of my own room. Now but wonder how long I”™ll be in it. Army life is certainly uncertain, as to where you may live next. I should have a good experience in that line when it”™s over; I could start a moving van line when it”™s all over, aye? I have just written to Elaine, Jr, Slip and four other girl friends. I heard Vox Pop over the radio the other night from Winner, South Dakota. And a girl by the name of Big Sis talked and she got to talk to Rudy Valle in Hollywood, she is married now after being engaged 20 some years. She was really a “kick,” perhaps you heard the program. I really love the Hawaiian music here. Well I must close for now as I must hit the hay. I”™ll be thinking of you. I sent Jr a cute card. Did you ever receive that top, card and the verse Mother? Well I sent Jr something like it and he said after getting a card like that he was going to end the war soon so he could come back and that”™s something coming from Jr.
Aloha Nui ”“ AraBelle