“Mary? Did you hear me? Could you please get the quinine for Mrs. Robles?”

  “Sure, Doc.”

  “You can leave after that if you want. I’ll close up tonight.”

  Mary swallowed the lump in her throat. She would miss Doc. She retrieved the quinine and waited on the customer. When she was done, she asked, “Doc? Can I talk to you for a second?”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  Mary checked to make sure there was no one nearby. “I really hate to do this to you, Doc, but this has to be my last shift.”

  Doc nearly stumbled backward. “Your last shift? What are you talking about?”

  “I’ve been asked to go do something top-secret for the war effort.”

  “You? Mary Trask?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “What could you do for the war effort that you’re not already doing? You’re not going into battle, are you?”

  “No, sir. I’ve been forbidden to give any details, but it’s really important.” She was telling the truth…sort of.

  His shoulders slumped. “Are you sure about this?”

  “I am.”

  “Well, who am I to stand in the way of you helping to win the war? I’ll miss you, Mary.”

  “I’ll miss you too, Doc.” She kissed him on the cheek and handed him her lab coat. Then she retrieved her purse and headed for the bus station. Phase One of Operation Free Mary was underway. By tomorrow she’d be hundreds of miles away in a world no doubt very different from anything she’d ever known. She couldn’t wait. Knoxville, here I come.

  Nora exited the dorm and headed for the bus depot.

  “Haven’t seen you in a while, stranger.” Rosalie came up alongside her. “You must be working hard.”

  “I have been.”

  “Don’t forget to have fun. We’ve started a bowling league. Why don’t you come play with us?”

  “I don’t know how to bowl.”

  “Neither do we.” Rosalie laughed easily. “But we throw the ball at the pins anyway. It’s fun.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t think that sport is for me.”

  “They have tennis courts. Do you play?”

  “I haven’t played in years. I was always too busy studying.”

  “Ah, a bookworm. Now I’ve got your number. There’s a library.”

  “I know. I’ve been there.”

  “How about roller skating? Everyone loves to roller skate.”

  “I don’t have skates.”

  “You can rent them.” They’d reached the bus depot. Rosalie put a hand on Nora’s arm. “Come on, live a little. I’ll get a bunch of the girls together after dinner tonight and we can all go over to the roller rink together. Please, say yes.”

  Nora sighed. It wouldn’t kill you to get out for a bit. The bus to Y-12 pulled in. “That’s my lift.”

  “Come skating tonight. You won’t regret it.”

  She was quite certain she would regret it, but it was hard to say no to Rosalie. “Okay.”

  “Yeah? Okay. I’ll pick you up at your room for dinner. Seven o’clock?”

  “Sure.”

  Nora boarded the bus. Her first stop this morning was Building 9201-1. Alpha-1, as everyone referred to it, was almost complete. The ninety-six “race tracks,” so named for their oval design shape, ran one hundred twenty-two feet long, seventy-seven feet wide, and rose fifteen feet up in the air. She’d been warned that the electromagnets between the collection tanks were so strong that they could ruin the mechanism in a person’s watch simply by standing on the catwalk above the assembly.

  She walked the length of the cubicle control room. She would have to get used to the new terminology. Around here, everyone called the calutrons D units, and the girls—her girls—were being told that their job title was cubicle operator.

  Her girls… Soon, they would be sitting on these wooden stools, in front of the complicated-looking knobs, dials, gauges, and meters simultaneously controlling voltage, ionization, and source heating. They’d be producing uranium-235, which Nora now believed could be the fuel for an atomic bomb, all the while not knowing or understanding a whit of what they were doing. Her job was to make sure they did that job well.

  Nora put her hand to her solar plexus. The burning sensation was back. It was the same feeling she used to get right before an important exam. Don’t panic. You’ll succeed. They’ll succeed. It’s not like the fate of the world rests on the outcome here or anything. Except that she suspected it might.

  Don’t stand here paralyzed. Do something practical.

  Nora exited the building and made her way to the classroom where the Berkeley Boys were training her girls. One look at the girls’ faces told her their explanations and instructions were far too complicated. After standing in the back of the room for an hour, she knew she had to intervene. On a break, she pulled the trainers aside.

  “This will never work if you keep prattling on over their heads.”

  “What are you talking about?” Berkeley Boy A asked.

  “Watch.” Nora walked to the front of the class. She told herself this would be a lot like tutoring the young boy down the street who’d needed help with his science lessons. Break it down into its simplest form. Tell them only what they need to know to do the job well and get the desired results. “Hi. I’m Nora. You gals will be seeing a lot of me. How many of you came to CEW because you wanted to make a difference and help us win the war?”

  Every girl’s hand shot up, and Nora smiled.

  “I thought so. Me too. It’s my job to help you succeed. I know you’re itching to get at the real thing, but while construction is underway, we need you to master these dummy models. She indicated the mock cubicles in front of which each of them sat. “When you get it right in here, you’ll get it right out there. The most important thing you need to focus on is keeping the needles on the meters on that panel on the left, between this point, and this point.” Nora drew a quick sketch of the meters on the blackboard and used vertical lines to indicate the desired position of the needles.

  “If a needle goes too far to the right or too far to the left, use the knobs on the panels to make a correction until the needle is back in the ‘good’ zone. Don’t worry. After a while, you’ll know which knob to turn, how much, and in which direction without even thinking about it. Heck, you’ll be doing this in your sleep.”

  “I hope not,” one of the girls in the front row mumbled, and several others who heard the remark, including Nora, laughed.

  “There are lots of folks who don’t think you gals can handle this job.” Nora made eye contact with every girl in the room. “I know you can. I also know that you understand that what we’re doing here—what you’re doing here—is about winning this war and bringing our boys home. Nothing could be more serious, or more important, than that. In your off time, have fun, enjoy yourselves, and get some rest. When you’re on the job, when it’s your shift, know that your country is depending on you. The work is long, and it can be tedious. Be patient, and always remember what’s at stake. You’re going to do a great job. Class dismissed.”

  “That was too simplistic,” Berkeley Boy A said. “They’ll never understand what they’re doing and how to make course corrections with an explanation like that.”

  “The difference between them and us is that we see something go awry, and we understand the import; we want to know why. We endeavor to improve the process using scientific principles. These girls can’t think that way. They don’t have the education for it. So they use what’s right in front of them. Improving the machine and the process isn’t their job. Working with what’s in front of them is all they have. And it’s all they need. The rest is up to us scientists.” Nora walked away.

  “That was brilliant.”

  “Hi, Delbert.” Nora hadn’t seen Del in the classroom, but obviously he was there.

  “Oh, now that hurts.”

  They left the room together. “What?”

  “Ugh. How many times do I have to tell you, I hate that name.”

  “Your mother didn’t, or she wouldn’t have thus named you.”

  “True. But she’s the only one who calls me that. Everyone else calls me Del. Why must we repeat this conversation every time I see you?”

  “Because it’s fun to see your reaction.”

  “You’ve got a sadistic streak, Nora. I like that in a woman. What are you doing tonight?”

  “I’ve got plans with the girls.”

  “Nora Lindstrom is leaving her room to do something fun? I don’t believe it.”

  She didn’t mind his gentle teasing. Since that first day when he’d escorted her back to the dorm, they’d developed an easy friendship. He seemed to understand that she wasn’t looking for more, and beyond an occasional compliment, he never pushed the issue. “I didn’t say it would be fun. I only said that I was going out with the girls.”

  “Fun was implied. Where are you going?”

  “I let Rosalie talk me into going roller skating.”

  “Oh, that does sound like fun.”

  “Do you know how to skate?”

  “I do…not. If my mother could’ve wrapped me in a blanket to protect me from anything that might cause physical injury, she would’ve.”

  “No football for you, then?”

  He laughed. “Are you kidding me? She thought baseball was a contact sport.”

  “Poor Delbert.”

  “Del.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “You did a great job in there, Nora. You were right—we were losing them by giving them too many things to focus on. You cut right to the heart of it and they heard you.”

  “Thanks, Del. I really appreciate the compliment.”

  “Listen. I know some of the guys have been giving you a hard time. Frankly, I find their lack of respect appalling. Don’t pay them any mind. They’re threatened by the idea that you and the girls might show them up.”

  “What about you? Aren’t you feeling threatened?”

  “Heck, no! If these girls succeed, we all win. This isn’t a competition. It could be life or death.” They reached the bus stop. “I’m in your corner, Nora. All the way. I believe in you, and that means I believe in them.”

  She hugged him briefly. “I can’t tell you what that means to me, Del. These five months have been hard for me. Your friendship has been a blessing.”

  “I feel the same way, my friend.”

  For the first time since she’d arrived, Nora’s heart felt lighter. She understood that Del would be spending most of his time now at Berkeley, with only an occasional trip back to the Reservation. But she would enjoy his company for those times when he was here.

  Mary yawned and stretched. The early afternoon sun streamed in through the bus window, and she squinted. They were pulling into a bus station.

  “Knoxville,” intoned the driver. “Knoxville Depot.”

  Knoxville? Holy cow! This was her stop. Mary gathered her sweater and purse, stepped into the shoes she’d kicked off hours earlier, and picked her way past the other passengers to the front of the bus. The driver helped her down the steps and retrieved her suitcase from the storage area.

  “Mary! Yoo-hoo, Mary! Over here.”

  She shielded her eyes and spotted her cousin jumping up and down and waving at her. She hoisted the suitcase and ran in that direction. “Oh, Louise. It’s so good to see you.” Mary had forgotten how pretty she was. Louise favored her father. She was several inches taller than her, with dark, wavy hair and soulful brown eyes.

  “Give me that.” Louise relieved her of the suitcase, which she set down on the sidewalk. Then she hugged Mary tightly. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too.”

  “Let me get a look at you.” Louise released her and held her at arm’s length. “You’ve lost weight, and you didn’t have any to lose. You’re practically melting away.”

  “Oh, posh. I am not doing any such thing.”

  “I’m glad you’re here.” Louise picked up the suitcase. “My God. What do you have in this thing, rocks?”

  “I wasn’t sure what to pack, so I brought as much as I could fit.”

  Louise guided them to where the local bus to Clinton idled in its assigned slot.

  Mary groaned. “Not another bus.”

  “What with the gas rationing and all, this is the best way to get anywhere. Don’t worry. We’re only about thirty miles away from the boarding house.”

  They got settled on the bus and Louise said, “Tell me everything, don’t leave anything out, and start from the beginning.”

  Mary laughed. “The beginning of what? In the beginning, God created Heaven and Earth.”

  “Not that beginning, smarty pants. Why are you running away? Did you tell your mother you were going? What was her reaction? Do you still have that fella? What was his name…Stanley?”

  “Sam. Which question would you like me to answer first?” Mary spent the remainder of the trip filling in Louise on the details of her life for the past two years since her father had gone to war.

  “Wow. That’s some story.” They entered the boarding house and mounted several flights of stairs.

  “Do you think I did the right thing?” she breathed heavily.

  Louise led Mary into her room on the third floor and set the suitcase near the closet. “Well? What do you think?”

  Mary took in her surroundings. “It’s nice. Cozy.”

  “I know it’s not much, but I don’t need much.”

  “No, I meant it. It’s quaint. I like it.” She sat in the rocking chair and kicked off her shoes. “My feet are killing me.”

  “I bet.” Louise sat on the side of the bed.

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Which question was that?”

  “Do you think I did the right thing, turning down Sam’s proposal, quitting Meyer’s, and leaving town?”

  “That’s hard for me to say. I wasn’t there, and I’m not you.”

  “Oh.”

  “From where I sit, I think you were right not to settle for a guy you’re not madly in love with. You’ve got plenty of living to do without rushing into anything. As for quitting a steady job… Normally, I’d have said you’d lost your mind. But because I know what’s available here, I’d say you made a smart choice. We know the job will have a limited life—”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean, when the war ends and we win—”

  “I like your confidence.”

  “When we win, I imagine whatever work we’re doing for the war effort will end too.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “Even so, we’ll have gained valuable work experience and new skills. New skills and a proven work record make it more likely that we’ll be employable even after our boys come home.”

  “When did you get to be so smart?”

  “When I had to be in order to survive on my own.”

  “That’s only until Emmett comes back from the war, right?”

  “I promised I’d wait for him.”

  Something about the way Louise said it gave Mary pause. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

  Louise shrugged and glanced away.

  “Cousin? Have you changed your mind?”

  “There are a lot of single men on the Reservation.”

  “What’s the Reservation?”

  “It’s one of the things we call the place I’m taking you. It’s also known as Clinton Engineer Works, or CEW, and recently they’ve started calling the town Oak Ridge.”

  Mary thought she was speaking a foreign language. What was this place?

  “Anyway, there are lots of nice-looking, single men, and they’re all on the hunt for us girls, because we outnumber them by so much.”

  “And?”

  Louise’s face lit up. “And there’s this one particular fella. Oh, you’d love him, Mare. He’s kind and considerate. He’s a Yankee—you can tell that as soon as he opens his mouth. He’s seen so much of the world already, and he wants to show it all to me when the war’s over.”

  “Sounds like you’re really sweet on him.”

  Louise nodded and tears formed on her lashes. “But, I made a promise to Emmett. His letters are all full of longing and dreams about buying a farm out here in the rolling hills and living off the land. I don’t have the heart to send him a ‘Dear John’ letter. He’s fighting for our country. I have no right…”

  “You have a right to love, Louise, same as I do.”

  “What am I going to do?” She buried her head in her hands.

  Mary crossed the room, sat next to her, and rocked her in her arms. “Shh. Shh. We’ll figure something out. We’ll figure out something for both of us. We’re going to get our happily ever after. You’ll see. Everything’s going to work out just fine.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  “Are you ready?” Rosalie asked.

  “I guess,” Nora replied. “It’s bad enough you got me to go skating. But going to Knoxville in a cattle car disguised as a bus? I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” She wasn’t really miffed. It was her day off, she was much in need of some supplies, and everyone touted Knoxville as the place to go. Also, she was happy she’d be accompanied by friends for her first trip to Knoxville. Rosalie and Betty, another girl from the dorm, both had been to Knoxville several times before and knew the ropes.

  They hit Miller’s Department Store first. Miller’s had a store on the Reservation, but the one in Knoxville dwarfed the local store in size and was better stocked.

  “What do you think about this hat?” Rosalie asked. It was a sweet little pale pink number, adorned with flowers and a turned-up brim.

  “I think you look swell,” Betty said.

  “It offsets your black hair perfectly. But it’s not practical,” Nora added.

  “Why, oh why must you be such a killjoy? Who cares about practical?”