Page 83 of The Women of Oak Ridge
I met Roonie’s serious gaze. “Roonie? What did you remember?”
He heaved a sigh. “I’m not one to spread gossip. Don’t listen to it, either. That’s why I never told Velvet about seein’ Mae with a fella out near the S-50 plant site.”
“S-50?”
“It was one of the plants where they enriched uranium. It sat next to the Clinch River. With S-50 being so far away from Townsite, only folks with business out that way were around. That’s why I remember seein’ Mae. I knew she wasn’t s’posed to be there.” He squinted, as though going back to the 1940s in his mind. “I worked on the railroad crew at S-50 for a time. One of my jobs was to help off-load building supplies and equipment from all those railroad cars they brought in. Tons of coal, too.It was backbreaking work, I tell ya.” He paused. “One day I saw this Army sedan go past. A fella was driving and had a girl with yellow hair with him. I started seein’ them on a regular basis. They’d go on past the plant and disappear around the bend.” He shrugged. “Figure they were goin’ down to the river to do what young lovers do.”
Could the woman have been Sissy,I wondered? “But you said you saw Aunt Mae too.”
“I did. Same sedan, same fella, but this time the gal in the passenger seat was Mae. They passed right by me, and I could see her face plain as day in the window, lookin’ way up to the smokestacks on one of the buildings. You see, I worked the railroad crew at K-25 too, and I’d seen Mae from time to time, going from one building to another. She was always on her bike. Then one day not long after I saw her with that fella, I found out she was a friend of Vel’s.”
“Roonie has a wonderful memory for faces and names,” Velvet said. “Me, I can’t remember someone’s name two seconds after meeting them.”
I tried to understand what Roonie was telling me, but I didn’t see why this was troubling. “You said Aunt Mae wasn’t supposed to be where you saw her. Was it against the rules?”
He gave a slow nod. “Sure was. If someone didn’t have the right colors on their ID badge, they weren’t permitted to be in certain areas. They’d find themselves in a heap o’ trouble.”
“Why do you think Aunt Mae was at S-50 with him if she wasn’t allowed to be there?”
Roonie looked uncomfortable, almost embarrassed, before he answered. “They didn’t stop at the plant. They kept on goin’ around the bend, down to the river, same as he’d done with the gal with yellow hair.”
His meaning widened my eyes. “Oh.”
“Now, now,” Velvet said, glancing between Roonie and myself.“We don’t know why Mae was with him or what they were doin’. I’d seen her with this same fella. He’d give her a ride in his car after work sometimes so she wouldn’t have to take the bus. From what I observed, they didn’t seem like a couple in love. In fact, I got the impression she didn’t much care for him. She never smiled when she was with him.”
“I wouldn’t have brought it up at all,” Roonie said, “but Velvet told me about Mae gettin’ worked up at the hospital when the nurse came in and reminded me that Mae’s roommate, Sissy, had been a yellow-haired gal that went missing.” He gave a shrug. “I don’t know if any of this has any meaning or significance, but we figured it best to tell you anyway. I know you want to help your aunt.”
I sighed. “Thank you. I don’t know what any of it means either.”
The couple left a short time later. I put the casserole in the refrigerator, along with the soup I’d made. I wasn’t sure if Dad would be home for dinner tonight, but we’d enjoy the yummy dishes the rest of the week. Once things were tidy, I let Peggy outside and sat on the porch steps while she wandered the yard.
Roonie’s story about Aunt Mae stirred up more questions.
Was Sissy the yellow-haired gal that Roonie saw? If so, why was Aunt Mae with the same man? Who was he? Clive Morrison? It wouldn’t make any sense for her to be with him, considering he’d filed an official complaint against her with the military police. Yet he’d also claimed they were romantically involved. The whole thing didn’t make any sense.
The telephone jangled from inside the house. I hurried to catch it on the fourth ring.
“Hi, Laurel,” Jonas said. “Is this a bad time?”
Just the sound of his deep voice brought a smile to my lips. “Not at all. I was outside with Peggy.”
“How’s your aunt? I haven’t had a chance to go by the hospital today.”
I filled him in on Dad’s arrival and the hope that Aunt Mae would come home tomorrow.
“Velvet and Roonie stopped by.” I paused. “Roonie remembered something about Aunt Mae from the days when they all worked in Oak Ridge during the war.”
“From the sound in your voice, I gather it wasn’t good.”
I exhaled a long breath. “I don’t know if it’s good or bad, significant or unimportant. Honestly, I don’t know if anything we’ve discovered even matters now. Like I keep saying, all of this happened thirty-something years ago.”
He was quiet for a long moment. “I know you’re frustrated. Would a burger and a milkshake at Hoskin’s drugstore help?”
I heard the humor in his voice and grinned. “You read my mind.”
“Great. My shift ends in an hour. How about I pick you up?”
“I’ll see you then. Thank you, Jonas. I feel better already.”
