August 28, 1944 Monday

Dear Ma,

Maybe you are still in a fog as to the leave that Marjorie and I have been spending. I was just lucky. I applied for a leave on the right day, and it came thru. I had no idea I’d get one, so Marjorie and I were as surprised as could be. We recovered rapidly, tho, and Marjorie finished her course at A.C.C. a day early and we set out in a Greyhound bus for New Orleans. We thought of going to Mexico, but decided to see America first.

I got 11 days off and we spent almost a full week in New Orleans. You never saw a place like it. Very old and French, with houses that look like dumps on the outside and have patios with palm trees and fountains in the middle. New Orleans is famous for its restaurants and we just ate and ate the best meals you ever heard of. Rich, creamy dishes with long French names, and the very best sea food. The best place was “Antoine’s,” where we had pompano in papillote—a kind of fish cooked in a paper bag—and crepes suzette. They brought this to us in a pan and burned a rum sauce over it before us. They turned out all the lights in the place so everybody could see the pretty blue flame it made! The menu didn’t have a word of English in it, and we had to giggle over the formality of it all.

We saw all the historical places in New Orleans—its history is full of pirates and Spaniards and Frenchmen. Went in a big steamboat on the Mississippi—once during the day and once at night when they had dancing. Went rowing in a mossy Louisiana bayou.

The DeSoto was a fine hotel right in the middle of things. We did lots of other things. Generally walked on a big white cloud all week.

Now I don’t know if there was anything “sinister” about the leave. My future as usual is a big question mark. Now the question mark is a little bigger. Marjorie and I sure have had a wonderful summer, and neither one of us wants a divorce quite yet! We laugh so much that sometimes I think we must be a new generation of silly Thrashers.

We took quite a few pictures in N.O., and you’ll see all our souvenirs sometime.

The day we got back we went to a night football game between the Brooklyn Tigers, the professional football team, and the Army All-Stars. It was a real football game—the pros won. They were very fast and skillful.

Was very glad to hear that Bob is safe back in 2C. Don’t let him get out of it again. Would be nice if he could get away from Dodds and maybe get a start on his own place. Also glad to hear tat Pa is getting a vacation.

Little Pleasant St. sure did itself noble in the Union, didn’t it? Whole swarm of pictures! Yes, I think it is “lovely,” Ma. Thanks for watching out for “orders” during my leave. I gave your address in order to get travel time to there—altho traveling there and back would have taken most of the leave.

Well, I go back to work tomorrow. Marjorie is all thru school and tho she thinks she’ll be busy washing my uniforms all the time, I think she’ll have time for other things—namely, ironing my uniforms.

I have slept most of today while my spouse has been working and preparing luscious meals. Had corn on the cob and steak for dinner, also chocolate cake (which I didn’t make! [Marjorie’s handwriting])

Appreciated your fine letter.

Your loving son and daughter-in-law,

Wallace and Marjorie