Untitled Page 374

4.1.60

Hi darling,

Note that date - auf deutsch. And I'm afraid (as you no doubt
noticed in my last "outburst") that viel Deutsch will creep into my letters
you. I'm really glad that you can understand it, because the change to thinking
in German is really part of the experience here, even at this early stage. So please
don't mind the German, and don't do anything rash like writing back in French!

T'was a wonderful day today - I got your first two letters since I left. Many
people got such good results - Mary Jeannette got 3 from Tony, Mary Ann 3 from
Bob, Susie Behrman a total of 6! (3 from her boyfriend Jim Stewart, former Breaker
and now at U. of Texas Law School), etc. So it was very ceery just before our 10 AM
class which is when the mail comes on class days (one of the German teachers commes
from Stuttgart and whoever picks him up gets the mail too). And darling it was sure
wonderful to hear from you - just like the other half of a conversation (which up to
now was lacking, but no more!). And the CRYING TOWEL was so perfectly approp[riate?]
especially since you got it by accident after leaving the airport. And I'm so glad,
darling, that your letters are so full of laughter; your first letter even, seems to be
pretty much so, and it doesn't sound like a front either (was it?). I'm glad there
was no huge let down for you. As Susie said to me, being away doesn't really matter -
you can still love each other (she and Jim were apart for fall quarter too, of course).
As to your suggestion about crying - I felt most like it for some reason, just a few
minutes ago (and again right now) as I finished your letters (not sadness exactly, but
just a welling-up of feeling, a sort of overflowing). It's at times like these when I'm
alone with you that the feelings are strongest. The feeling biggest of all is that I wish
you were here to share it with me - there's so much that I know you would enjoy.
This is a little different from the feeling of lacking certain senses (as at Fallen Leaf);
rather it is sort of that I unconsciously think of you beside me and anticipate you
reactions (excitement, joy, peacefulness, etc.). And I wish you were here to fulfill them.
Does any of this somehow make a little sense? (Maybe if you read it again.). Janie B. and
her "friend" Jim are surely lucky. Oh, "Campbell" says to be sure to tell you hello. -HELLO
And Karen too. - HELLO, again. Say, I have a hint for you - now that I'm here, if you don't
try to calculate the time differences we'll seem closer together spatially. I.e. I wake up when
you do, and say goodnight when you do, etc.

As for the [symbol of circle with a dot in middle, circle on top of "t"] I have a couple of possibilities for the [circle with dot in middle] part. Perhaps the circle
signifies something like a halo. Or as a wilder guess, the symbol might imply
that God is at the center and circumference of life. Try these ideas
on your mother and let me know. I'm pretty sure that your dad's figure [circle on top of "t" with vertical line descending from right end of the crossbar of the "t"] was
a stick-figure man, with a cane ( [symbol with circle on top of "t" with vertical lines descending from both ends of the crossbar of the "t"] and two canes when things were real
bad.) By the way I'm naturally concerned about what finally results at Rosie [Pabes?] and
I hope you'll fill me in on whatever you feel you can. And especially if you thing there
anything I can do, like writing a cheering letter from abroad, just le me know. I