Page 40 of The Women of Oak Ridge
“I know.” I sniffled. Garlyn took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to me. “Thank you,” I said and blew my nose.
Over the din of passengers’ voices and the bus’s noisy engine, I told him about Sissy’s trip to Knoxville with Clive. I didn’t say anything about their relationship or her concerns, even though I knew I could trust Garlyn. I was still hopeful she would break up with Clive soon. Yet if she’d spent the night with him, that wasn’t likely to happen now.
“Did you see Clive today?” I’d looked for him all afternoon but hadn’t run into him.
Garlyn shook his head. “I was in meetings in the admin building most of the day.”
I mulled over the situation. I needed to know more about the odd fellow my roommate may have compromised herself with. Especially if there were consequences—the kind that would arrive in nine months. Would he stand by her?
“What do you know about Clive?”
I’d avoided that question until now. I never wanted to put Garlyn in the awkward position of divulging—or withholding—information he didn’t feel comfortable sharing with me. But after Sissy’s admission regarding her confused feelings for Clive, coupled with his strange behavior, I needed to know as much as I couldabout Clive Morrison. I was determined to convince Sissy he wasn’t the man for her.
He checked to make sure no one was listening, lowered his voice, and said, “I know he joined the Army while he was in engineering school somewhere up north. He was assigned to the SEDs and came to Oak Ridge about the same time I did. He’s part of the health physics department. He’s a smart guy. Not real friendly. Does his job well. Never causes trouble. Captain Barger seems to like him, since he approved Clive’s request to bunk in a trailer instead of the barracks.”
“Why would the captain grant his request?” I asked. “It doesn’t seem fair to the rest of you.”
“I heard it was because Clive is allergic to something in the barracks. He claimed it was making him sick.” Garlyn gave a shrug. “Seems kinda lame to me. The guys think he just wanted his own place.”
I appreciated the trust Garlyn showed by sharing this information. He could find himself in a world of trouble if someone found out. How I wished I could tell him about the top secret documents Sissy found in Clive’s trailer. It may not mean anything, since I didn’t know if Clive’s clearance as a health physics officer included authorization to remove confidential papers from K-25 and other restricted areas. The fact that he became angry when Sissy saw them could simply be due to the air of secrecy we all lived and worked under every day.
But I couldn’t tell Garlyn. I’d made a promise to Sissy not to share that information with anyone, so I kept it to myself.
We exited the bus at the terminal in town and made our way to my dormitory. While he waited in the lobby, I hurried upstairs. The door to our room was locked, a sure sign Sissy wasn’t inside. My shoulders slumped when I found everything exactly how I’d left it that morning. The note I’d written still lay on her bed,unread. Nothing had been removed from her closet that I could tell. Her purse wasn’t on the shelf, and her laundry hamper was empty.
Clearly, Sissy had not been back to our room while I was at work.
A knot of fear began to form in my belly. When I returned downstairs, Garlyn’s brow tugged into a frown when our eyes met.
“She isn’t here?”
I shook my head and met his gaze. “I’m starting to get worried, Garlyn. This isn’t like Sissy at all. What if there’s been an accident? Would anyone know to contact me?”
“Maybe you should talk to your housemother. She might know something since you were at work all day.”
I agreed.
Mrs. Kepple’s smile of greeting fled when I inquired if the woman had a message for me from Sissy. When she questioned me further, I had to confess that my roommate hadn’t returned to the dorm last night, although I didn’t mention the trip to Knoxville with Clive. Rumors spread like wildfire, especially if they were juicy. If word reached Prudence Thorpe that Sissy may have spent the night with a man, the entire Reservation would know about it, and my roommate’s reputation would be forever sullied.
“I’m sure she must’ve had to work a double shift at Y-12,” I said, hoping that was indeed the explanation for her absence. “So many girls are down with the virus. Quite a lot of people were out from K-25, too.”
Mrs. Kepple didn’t appear convinced, but she agreed that was a possibility.
“I want to be informed when Sissy returns.” Her stern voice reminded me of Mama’s when I’d done something wrong. “We have rules we must abide by. If Sissy’s work schedule changes and she’ll be out past curfew, she needs to let you or me know.”
Garlyn was in the lobby waiting for me after I exited Mrs. Kepple’s small office, located behind the dormitory attendant’s desk. A group of women stood at the counter, chatting with the attendant while she shoved letters and messages into mailboxes behind her.
“Mrs. Kepple hasn’t heard from Sissy,” I whispered once we were out of their earshot. “I fear I may have caused a problem for my roommate. Our housemother wants to speak with her as soon as she returns.”
He gave a sympathetic look. “It’s not your fault, Mae. Sissy should have let you know she wouldn’t be back. It’s not as if you reported her. You’re concerned, as any good roommate would be. She’ll understand.”
I appreciated his encouragement. “I hope you’re right. I’d hate for Mrs. Kepple to evict Sissy because of this. Last week, a girl down the hall was told to pack her bags and move out because she kept missing curfew.”
By the time we reached the snack bar, a line of hungry patrons extended out the door. It appeared most of Oak Ridge had heard about the new cook’s juicy burgers. Garlyn offered to take me to the cafeteria instead, but I didn’t mind the wait. I wasn’t looking forward to returning to an empty room.
Garlyn walked me back to the dorm just before curfew. We both agreed the burger was tasty, but I hadn’t been able to enjoy it. My mind was on Sissy.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t very good company tonight,” I said as we stood outside on the sidewalk, holding hands.
