Letter # 415 July 9, 1944

New Guinea
Sun. afternoon
July 9, 1944
Hello Sweetness;
How's my lovely today?  Sweet and lovable as ever I bet.  Wish I could find out by being with you for a while.  I love you and miss you so much honey.  I'm very well.  Just finished all my chores and can spend the rest of the afternoon writing to you and maybe doing a little reading.  I had a few books that I hauled off the boat with me.  This is the last.  It's "Kings Row"  by Henry Bellamann. Have you ever read it?  If not you might enjoy it.  A bit racy in spots.  You always liked that kind of book. 
This paper is damn poor.  It has feathers that catch on the pen point and smear.  I stole it so I can't kick. 
Worked this morning and up until now this afternoon.  I have been doing my laundry.  Had quite a lot of it too.  I sweat so much I don't like to wear them more than a couple days even if they still look clean.  I had five complete sets of suntans and fatigues and lots of socks dirty.  I don't wear underclothes anymore [or should I say again] so I save that much washing.  I'm not lazy.  I don't want any more clothes on than necessary.  If it was allowed I think I'd go native and only wear a towel or old feed sack wrapped around the waist.  Sure looks comfortable.  We are supposed to wear full uniform at all times, even leggings.  Only a lot of the time I discard the shirt and that helps a lot.  I'm brown as an Indian too.  All the excess I put on at home and at Stoneman is gone and I'm like I used to be 10 years ago.  You can believe it or not but I now have a 31 inch waist.  Aren't I smart?  Streamlined again.  Don't let that scare you.  I'm perfectly all right.  Never felt any better, physically in my life.  It's impossible for anyone to be active and carry any excess in the tropics.  Like I was when you first saw me, almost a year ago in Louisville.  Remember?  You complained a very little bit about me being bony.  I don't think you'll forget and I don't think you minded very much either.  Didn't act like it as I remember.
I see in  reading over your letter of the 21st that you haven't forgotten much of that grand three weeks.  That was only a sample of what is coming for us after this.  By sample I only mean it will last so much longer.  I'm not braggart enough to mean anything else, although I'm not so sure we won't have a better score this time.  The way I feel it could be possible.  Then the new Babe and what she seems to have in mind.  Well make your own guess and set your own quota.  I remember the chair episode, also the bath tub one which wasn't so successful.  You're funny but gosh how I love you that way. 
You can bet your life I like to remember back to some of those times.  The past is all I have to remember and the future to dream about.  The present?  Well it's kind of a dead period.  Only waiting for the day when we can take up that future and make it all as good as the short periods of living we've had in the past year.  We will too.  I'm confident of that.  If I ever kinda forget you can quickly put me straight with a small reference to the army period. 
I've been loving you in this letter. Did you feel it? Anyhow, I was and am all the time.  Bye, sweetheart.  I love you.
Your lover
Norm.