A lot went on between the lines. Expectations and misunderstandings, maybe even fear. September 4 to October 21 as the dates between Charles’ letters to Olevia would have felt like an eternity. They were both holding out, waiting for the other one to write. Why? Maybe on a deeper level they felt like they were rushing into a relationship too quickly. Olevia and Charles didn’t know much about each other at this point in time. One or both of them may have wondered what they were getting themselves into. Is this what they wanted?
Both of them had their work that kept them busy in addition to Charles’ studies and Olevia’s chores at home. After a long day it may have become a real challenge to come up with something worth writing, something interesting enough to mail, especially when they could easily get distracted by a game of bowling or a movie. It would be difficult for Olevia to choose not to go to the USO dances with her friends in Boise. Thoughts of what they wanted and what they needed must have been reeling through both of their minds.
Olevia and Charles had enjoyed spending time together from June to August and now it seemed so long ago. The time they enjoyed being together had gone much too quickly. They had a lot of fun times around town with their friends. They wished the fun times could have lasted a little longer. Would they get the chance to do it all again?
Charles had been gone for almost two months now since his transfer to Wendover. Could it have all been a dream? A wonderful, whirlwind romance in an era of constant change and a possibility of being transferred overseas, even further away from each other? It seemed that they were a world apart already.
Common sense told them both that they should allow this relationship to develop naturally over time but with the war in full swing, there seemed to be a universal push to live life now. There might not be a tomorrow. The world being at war probably caused everyone’s energy to vibrate at a higher frequency, causing a sense of urgency that normally wouldn’t have been so prevalent.
Maybe the romantic dream was already over. It had hardly started. They would both know soon enough. If Olevia didn’t answer Charles’ letters, it would be pretty obvious.
From the Heart 
The problems with long distance romances, and only communicating by letter, is that things can be misterpreted in writing and something that may seem like a joke to one, isn’t taken in the same way by the other. Having been in the service, with a girlfriend thousands of miles away, it wasn’t uncommon for it to happen. A quick phone call usually cleared things up. I guess the same happened with Charles and Olevia.
Great post, Patty. It is so interesting to see how this is playing out.
Great insight, Carl. A long distance relationship would be more challenging. Time and distance would have slowed communication greatly. It’s fascinating imagining how different it was in the 40’s compared to our instant world today.