June 12, 1941,

After work I had a bite to eat at The Moonlight and went to Henrettea’s for my permanent wave.  She talked a steady stream and told me about her wedding and a lot of things a single girl doesn’t know.  Marriage is certainly no hay ride but every girl thinks her’s will be different.

I don’t know why I feel like this, perhaps I am wrong, but Babu, at times, seems to have more insight into marriage then most married people I know.

June 13, 1941,

Mr. Hitchcock asked me today how I liked keeping a man out of mischief (meaning secretary.)  I said I liked it fine and he said he liked it fine, too.  Unexpectedly, I had another letter from Jake today.  Quite a few of us girls went to Jane Kuzdzal’s shower at the “Cheerful Heart” in Springfield.  It was a lovely party.

Hmmmm…

June 9, 1941

Dear Meeches:

We got a good chance to see the English boys today and everybody is of the opinion that they’re not so hot.  You can smell them a mile away because they use some funny kind of soap that gives off a very strong odor.  These boys are pretty cocky though and talk back to our cadet officers as though they were a mile beneath them.  They’ll get that knocked out of them soon I hope although our lieutenant told us that if we get into an argument with them we are to blame regardless of the circumstances.  This fellow Edison I told you about in my last letter is to be made a cadet Lieutenant and must live with the English in their barracks and keep them on the ball.

My old instructor (Roberts) came back today with his new car all dented up.  He must have had a wild time on his vacation.  It’s a good thing I didn’t fly with him.  He let me go up solo and I shot a spot landing stage.  This is a series of landings and take offs each time trying to hit a spot on the field and maintaining the same flight patterns around the field.  I got a C for a mark which is pretty good considering that an “A” has never been handed out to a student since this field was established-well maybe not that long but a long time ago anyway.

Have you been driving any lately?  If not you better get going cause with that raise of yours you’ll have a car in no time.  (You’re being hazed now Cookie.)  

Boy it’s hot down here.  Sunday afternoon the thermometer went up to 101 in Tuscaloosa. No one has done any studying for two weeks and about half dozen fall asleep everyday in class.  After 7 PM we all sit around in our shorts and slippers and slowly sweat until bedtime and then we sweat some more.  The only relief we get from the heat is when we fly and the showers after athletics at 5:30 PM.

Well I’ve been telling you about everything down here except the girls.  Everyone agrees that they’re terrible.  They say things too free.  They’ll go out with one fellow and come home with another.  They dance with anyone that asks them and even go looking for numbers themselves.  There is a dance this Saturday given by the city of Tuscaloosa Saturday for British and the Amerks.  Lieutenant Mosely has established  a date bureau.  He will fix up any cadet with out a girl free of charge he said.  He was in a good mood today when he made a speech and razzed the English quite a bit. 

Of course they weren’t there to hear it but we got a good kick out of it all.

Remember I told you we’d go to New Orleans if you could come down to see me.  I just remembered it’s 500 miles to N.O. from here but what the heck we can still go.  I was talking to one of the boys down here and he is going to ask his girlfriend to come down.  I remember Ed said he’d come down with you but he changes his mind so much you could come with his girl.  However when the time comes I’ll let you know more about it all.  In the meantime you be good and say a prayer for me now and then cause I really need it.  I’ll do the same for you and also hope our rendezvous of dreams will become a reality.  Aint I poetic?  Bye:  Jake XXXXX

“rendezvous of dreams…” I can’t even.

Isn’t it so interesting finding out about the British pilots? (Or should I say the British Dodos soon to be birds of flight.). I wonder why they didn’t train in Britain. What was the fighting like over there by this point? Or was it a land issue? I’m sure I could find out so much more with a little bit of digging, and, what I seem to have so little of, time.

This all just feels so perfect. Does anyone else feel like this all could be a scene out of a movie? Especially the rousing perhaps a touch bawdy speech from the lieutenant or the part where he throws shade on the Southern ladies? (Methinks he doth protest too much.) I imagine a black and white WWII movie staring Humphrey Bogart. He is certainly who I would chose to play in the life of Jake Stefanik.

Sigh!