Norma's Reply to Letter #28

1____ Omaha

Detroit 25, Mich.

October 16, 1951

 In this GM  Truck & Coach promotional photo, Intertown Suburban Lines coach #140 — a 1954 GM Model 

TDH-4512 — is headed west on Fort St. at Sixth while sporting the Intertown Suburban colors.

[photo courtesy of the Samuel Braxton Jr. Bus Photo Collection]

Dear Jim,

Received your letter yesterday and was very surprised to hear from you.

How are you?  I am just fine.

You wanted to know where I was when you were home.  Well, that Friday, Saturday & Sunday I was in Chicago.  And I never go on Monday night [Visitation Service at Gilead Baptist Churst], so how in the heck am I supposed to know if you are home.  Pray tell?  You could have told me you were coming here or called me for a few minutes but no, you didn't do either, then you start off this letter, "How's the only girl I love?"  Are you kidding?  Either you sent this letter to the wrong person or something?  Also, just to keep the record straight, I am going all the time.  I'm working 6 days a week and going someplace every night.  This is my first night home in over a week and I have to wash my hair!

When I saw you on Fort St., I thought for sure that you would call or come over or something, but I don't suppose that you had time for me. I would like to have seen you & had a chance to talk to you, but I guess that wasn't possible.  How long were you here & how did you come (by train, bus, etc.?)

While I'm on the subject of you!  What ever happened to that picture that you supposedly had made for me?  Just out of curiosity who did you give it to?  Every time that I I've asked you, you have ignored the questions!

I'll bet that you could easily wring my neck now, giving you such a bawling out, but how would you feel if you were me? All the time I was writing this, the paper was red instead of blue I was so mad.

###

[Editor's Note: This draft in Norma's handwriting was found behind Jim's previous letter in the packet from 1951 that she tied together with lace ribbons.  Knowing my mother, she would have taken her own advice and set it aside, then she would have written another letter that was less angry. 

In Jim's (limited) defense, when I first read his letter, I also thought it began, "How's the only girl I love?" because his handwriting is so darn bad.  On closer inspection, I think it actually says, "How's the only girl I have?" because the rest of the letter describes all of the girls who have gotten engaged since he was home last.  In addition, he has complained in many letters about the lack of correspondence from people he had hoped would write to him while he was away.  Over time, Jim would come to believe that Norma is the most trustworthy and reliable person he knew, but I don't think he'd come to that conclusion when he wrote his letter.

To be fair to Jim, their correspondence began with minimal contact between the two of them before he left for boot camp and Norma was, at the time Jim left Detroit, engaged to another man. However, at the time Norma wrote this draft, their correspondence had been going on for almost a year. She was understandably angry and disappointed that he didn't make arrangements to see her while he was on leave, regardless of whether his attentions were friendship or romantic.

I suspect this episode may have been a turning point in their relationship because of family stories about one trip in which Jim was so clueless that Norma considered ending their correspondence. When Norma told the story, she would work herself into a lather, much as she did in this draft.  Jim, as he listened, would give me a sidelong smirk and stay (remarkably, uncharacteristically) quiet.  He could be dumb sometimes, but he was no fool.]

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