Page 15 of All We Thought We Knew
“Ma’am. What business do you have at Camp Forrest?”
I swallowed. “I’m here to apply for a job. The newspaper said—”
“ID.”
I handed it to him. When he returned the card to me, he pointed to one of several two-story, whitewashed buildings located just inside the gate. “The administrative office is on the right, with the flagpole. You can fill out an application there. You do not have permission to go beyond that point.”
He took a step back and dismissed me with a motion to move forward. A look in the rearview mirror revealed a number of carsbehind me, waiting to enter the base. I thanked him and did exactly as I’d been told. I parked in front of the nondescript structure and, upon entering, found myself in a large room. A dozen or more desks were occupied by women, and the sound of typewriters echoed off the bare wood walls. Two women sat in metal chairs to my left, busy filling out forms.
An older woman approached and offered a pleasant smile. “Good morning. May I help you?”
I nodded. “I saw the ad in the newspaper about civilians being hired at the camp. I’d like to apply for a job.”
She smiled again. “I thought so. We’ve had quite a lot of applicants since the newspaper ad ran.”
At my look of concern, she touched my arm. “Don’t worry. There are plenty of jobs. Laundry. Cooking. Clerical. What type of work are you looking for?”
While I would take just about any position offered, I thought about what I’d prefer to do if given a choice.
“I was a secretary in Nashville, before...” I paused. If this place was to be an escape for me, I’d rather no one knew about Richard. Not yet anyway. “Before I came to Tullahoma.”
“We can always use more girls in the secretarial pool.” She handed me a clipboard with a sheet of paper attached to it and a pencil. “Fill this out. Someone will contact you in a day or two.”
I took a seat and read the bold heading on the official-looking document.
Application for Employment, Camp Forrest,
Tullahoma, Tennessee
As I wrote down my personal information, the tiniest spark of hope ignited somewhere deep inside me.
Hope for today.
Hope for tomorrow.
Despite the devastation in my life and in the world around me, I didn’t want darkness and despair to win. Hope didn’t make any promises, but it offered a glimpse of happiness, the kind I hadn’t known in a very long time.
I could be content with that.
FIVE:MATTIE
DELANEY HORSE FARM
NOVEMBER 1969
Moonlight Sky nickered and nudged my hand from the opposite side of the fence, making me smile, no matter my surly mood. “I know, I know. I’ve missed you too.”
After my argument with Nash, I’d found my horse in the small pasture, closest to the stables. Thankfully she looked good. Healthy. Her chestnut coat shone in the sunshine, and her eyes were bright and clear. If I didn’t know she’d been bred, I wouldn’t suspect she was pregnant. With this being her first foal, she wouldn’t show as early as an older, more experienced mare.
I continued to rub her neck, thinking back to the spring when she was born. A blue-roan colt had arrived the week before, and Mark claimed it as his own, naming it True Blue. Mama woke me when it was time for the next foal to arrive, and I ran to thebarn. The moon shone in the inky sky, and a silvery beam, almost heaven-sent, came through the window and touched the white blaze on the newborn filly’s nose. I was smitten.
Footsteps drew my attention.
I turned as Dad approached. Moonlight bobbed her head and walked to him. His lips lifted just a hair as he rubbed her neck.
“She’s always looking for something sweet.”
I didn’t respond. Even though I could see for myself Moonlight looked healthy, my irritation with his decision to breed her hadn’t diminished.
