It was fun to discover this letter from The Box which turns out to have been written just a few days before I was born in 1959.
In this case, the writer talks about coming of age (although whether she is sixteen or eighteen is a bit unclear to me), her "eye-popping" new sweater, and gossips about the various boys she has been dating, and about her relationship with poor Don with whom she has broken up and is still pining for her, but "has no God to believe in" which the writer believes to be at the root of all of his shiftless problems.
Feb. 26, 1959
Thursday
Dear Dantie,
I really made it. I’m finally of age - - for just about anything now, the funny thing is though, I don’t feel one bit different.
As usual you hit the nail right on the head. I can’t think of a thing this pin won’t do wonders for. It’s gorgeous. Mother says it is an awful lot like the one you gave her several years ago. Oh, I love it so much. I bet I’m still wearing it 60 years from now, its just that kind of thing. Thank you so much.
I’ll bet you think a lot of me. I was the one that was going to write so often – remember (I hope you didn’t). Things have been awfully busy around here though. The night we left you at the train I had a blind date. Boy was he darling. We went out to dinner to a real nice restaurant. By the time we had finished all the shows were closed so we went over to a girl’s house and listened to her Hi-Fi. It was really fabulous. Also during the holidays I met a simply wonderfully boy. His name is Frank S---- and he goes to San Marco Military Academy, a Baptist school in San Antonio. He took me out several times before he had to go back to school. He was just visiting a friend here in Houston during the Christmas holidays but said he would come over if he got to come back for Easter. Frank had moved from Cal. to Arabia when he was seven and lived there for the past eight years. His life had really been exciting, living in Sweden, Rome, England, Switzerland and Arabia. His parents still live there and he goes back every summer to see them for three months. One night we went to the International Club (Shamrock Hilton, I think you’ve been there) and we had a fabulous steak dinner and wonderful floor show with J.P. Morgan. Also there has been the football banquet, school dance, and dates with other boys. I have been out with Leslie too. He is really lots of fun.
Now, there is a lot to say about Don. I really hope I’m not boring you with all this. The first day back at school I wore my new ski sweater and everyone went wild over it. I’m not exaggerating either. If you could have seen some of those boys, some I hadn’t even known before complimented me on it – and Don, his eyes nearly popped out but he still didn’t speak to me. But that didn’t last too long. He has asked me out several times, the latest being last weekend but I came right out and told him NO. He called Sun. nite and talked for quite a while. I was perfectly frank with him and maybe a little too blunt but I think it might have helped. He told me that he knew that he wasn’t a very good example for anyone too follow and that he wasn’t getting much of anyplace the way he conducted himself. He is sick. He always feels tired and can’t seem to get enough energy to do anything. Like the rest of the Srs. he is just drifting along waiting for the last three months to drag by and these 12 years will be behind us. Although he calls and tells me that he realizes his many mistakes and is going to try and correct them, he will turn right around the next day and fall back into the same old ways. I have truthfull gotten over all feelings for him except those of a friend who would be willing to help him if he wanted me. Don is also a good friend I can count on.
He’s very interested in the boys I date and wants to make sure they are all of good character. He has never told me this but Paul did, and I can trust Paul. I’m sure that Don will come out of this someday, and then he will be a very fine person. His trouble point blank is that he has no God to believe in.
Now for the last boy in my life. Just six weeks ago I met Rex R-----. He sings in the choir at First Baptist Church, downtown right next to Sackowitz, and oh what a voice. Dantie it’s simply marvelous – deep, low, smoothe. His family lives in Oklahoma, he lives in an apartment here in town, works downtown and is 22. I’ve been going to Church with him every Sunday and to fellowship every evening. He is very handsome, well mannered and oh so nice. We get along just beautifully. Now I must speak of him in the past tense. Rex just got drafted! I can see that this is going to be the first of my troubles with that terrible Draft Board. Rex and I really might have gone some place, but that’s just life.
Finals came up not too long ago. I made “B” or better on all of them, of which I am very proud.
I also spent two weeks at Auntie Vada’s. It was simply wonderful. We sat around and really got to know each other. My, she’s wonderful and she thinks the world of you. Vada said you and she had known each other for a long, long, time. Teddy and Vada just left our house and she said to be sure and send her love. She was so pleased to think that you thought enough of her to come and spend a night over there.
Oddly, since the envelope and the seven neatly written and folded pages inside are all intact, the letter abruptly ends here, so we don't have the benefit of knowing the name of the author, nor the ability to connect this letter to the other correspondence and lives in the box.
Perhaps further investigation will yield clues that can lead us to make a safe guess?
Enjoy!
william
This letter comes from a more innocent time, it is sweet and full of the enthusiasm of youth. I saw today that letters of Elizabeth Taylor and a letter of John Keats are up for auction. Letters are a powerful reflection of how one feels at the time they are written, but how we feel is subject to change. Maybe that is why more people don't write;-)
Posted by: Janet M | March 29, 2011 at 10:21 AM
Here's another point of view from a quote of the day from Lord Byron, "Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company."
Posted by: Janet M | March 29, 2011 at 03:06 PM