6/2/44 1100 Italy
Marfy:
Oh, what a head!
Last night after supper, I walked down around the docks. I saw a British destroyer and went aboard, asking for the duty officer. As usual with the R.N., they entertained me royally.
6/3/44
In fact, they got me quite drunk and it was 5 AM when I got back to the hotel.
The USAAF, as usual being unable to find space for me on a transport, I went over to the South Africans who fixed me up.
After a long water flight, we landed near an old home of mine, then another water hop.
We got a truck and I drove into town as none of them were used to driving on the right side of the road.
We drove down a beautiful macadam highway, right through desert. There were willow trees all along the road! Several times we ran over 50 foot wide sections of the road covered with millions of locusts. It was quite slippery.
At the hotel I found a private room and bath with unlimited hot water. The hotel was laid out on a grid pattern, with many little flower gardens, fountains, etc.
Before supper, we went to the bar and had a bottle of cold beer. Supper was good, plus two courses I had nearly forgotten, lettuce and tomato salad with mayonnaise, and an honest to goodness thick rare beefsteak! God, it was good. First time in 16 mos.
A Major Vando, a Hollywood director normally, is traveling with me. He is damn fine. He made some sort of a picture on Jan Smith, and knows the South Africans well.
This morning the truck broke down and we waited for an hour or so. The water, palms, houses, and flower gardens were beautiful. I made a wooflebird, and they all insisted I teach them how. What a sight, two American Majors, and a major, 3 captains, 4 correspondents, and 2 soldiers (all S.A.’s) frantically folding little bits of paper into whooflebirds.
A couple of natives came up and I could talk with them much to everyone’s amazement.
Now we’re airborne, and on our way.
I don’t know how, but I must show you this country some day.
I love my girl, Cy.