August 18th 1943

Tuesday!

Dear Shirley,

     How can you have a cold in the middle of August?  Silliest thing I ever heard of amazing!  I have one too!  A pistol!  

      The scoundrels down here charge 25 cents for a malted milk and they don't even use ice cream.  A single dipped chocolate soda costs two bits too.  Anyone down here who owns a store is a millionare and a crook.  We get rooked - but good.  Cigarettes costs 20 cents per.  Laundry runs about $3.00 a week and a punk dinner costs $2.00.

     The weather here is rather warm.  Right now its 100 degrees.  This is a cool day.  We swim in the ocean every day.  The water is warm, dirty, and salty as hell.  The sand on the beach is so hot it blisters our feet.  

      The city is very nice to look at.  It reminds me of Casablanca.  (Saw it again last night). The buildings are all streamlined or historic and very colorful.  But in the summer its too hot to really enjoy.

      Sunday was the first day off we had.  Among other things I took five showers and put on five clean pairs of shorts.  That's how hot it was.  I went to Miami in the afternoon.  I was looking at some 56ft boats.  Nice, but expensive.  I also saw "Hers to Hold".  It was swell.  You were right!  She isn't fat.  The second feature was "Mata Hari".  It had its points.

     The trip down here was delightfully horrible.  From the time we left Kentucky untill we hit St. Augustine all I could see was dirt and desolation.  The people must live like dogs. 

     The course is pretty tough.  We work from 5:00am till 7:00 pm.  After only ten days I am beginning to resemble "Superman". We are now potential officers and our title is Mister.  Very formal.  We can resign from the cadets anytime we want.  Some fellows have done it already.  I've even done some fancy thinking.  Fifteen months is a long time.

     Look Toots, you know that I'm always planning things.   Well I have two plan s working right now.  I'm going to follow one of them to the limit.  One is if you wait, the other is if you don't.  I'll ask once more and then forever hold my peace.  Will you wait for me?  You know everything I could say so I'll skip it.  You also know that I'm 1500 miles away and won't be back for some time.  I'll hold off for a week or so til I get your answer.  I guess I know what it'll be, but I'll pull a Kipling once more.  

     There is a lot more for me to write about but it is hard for me to write sensible stuff.

     Love and Kisses

       Ray

p.s. I'll be as good as you !!!!!!!!!