Page 23 of The Women of Oak Ridge
CHAPTER EIGHT:MAE
A LARGE PACKAGEwrapped in brown paper waited for me when I returned to the dormitory after my shift. It had been a long day of biking miles upon miles throughout the K-25 complex. Between the unseasonably warm weather outside and machinery running nonstop on the inside, the temperatures throughout the enormous building soared. I was beat.
“This came for you.” The front desk attendant wore a curious expression when she handed the parcel to me. “Feels heavy.”
She was right. I couldn’t guess who’d sent something to me or what might be inside. Only my name and dorm number were written on the front. Mama had mailed a tin of molasses cookies three weeks ago, but I’d had to go to the post office to pick them up. The package had been opened, no doubt by military censors who checked every article of mail that entered the Reservation, and I was certain a few cookies were missing.
The curious attendant looked disappointed when I didn’t openthe package right then and instead hurried upstairs. Sissy wasn’t in our room. I guessed she was out with Clive again.
With excitement, I tore off the paper and gasped when I lifted the lid of the box.
A pair of brand-new rubber galoshes met my eyes.
All I could do was stare at them, confused.
Where had they come from? There surely had been a mistake. They must’ve been delivered to the wrong person. Was there another Maebelle Willett in Oak Ridge? I hadn’t heard of someone with the same name.
I took a boot out of the box, inhaling the strong aroma of new rubber. I couldn’t help but admire it. The waterproof footwear was exactly what I needed to conquer Oak Ridge’s never-ending mud. But disappointment immediately followed such a thought, knowing I had to return them to whomever made the mistake.
For a brief moment I considered keeping the galoshes. I desperately needed them. No one could fault me if I kept them for myself. My name was on the box, after all. It wasn’t as if I’d stolen them.
Guilt washed through me even thinking such a thing.
God and Mama would both be disappointed in me. The sender would no doubt realize their mistake when the other Maebelle Willett didn’t receive the package. They would come looking for the boots. The right thing to do would be to try and track that person down and alert them to the error. Perhaps the girl at the front desk would remember who delivered them.
I gazed at the footwear with longing.
Couldn’t I at least try them on? Just to know if they fit? When I was finally able to purchase a pair from the store, I’d know what size to get.
Unfortunately for me, the boots were a perfect fit, making it even harder to think about returning them. I tromped aroundthe room, imagining how it would feel to trudge through the mud without fear of ruining my shoes. Rain would no longer be a despised visitor.
With a heavy sigh, I took off the boots. As I started to return them to the box, I noticed a folded piece of paper at the bottom.
Maebelle,
I hope these fit. I saw them at the PX and thought you could use them.
Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?
Garlyn
I stared at the note, then at the boots.
Garlyn bought me a pair of galoshes?
I hadn’t seen him today, but then most of my errands took me to areas of the complex away from the main building. I studied the footwear, their Army-green color a clue I should have noticed when I first opened the box.
According to Prudence, military personnel shopped at a PX, a place where they had access to many hard-to-find items the general population of Oak Ridge was unable to get their hands on. The lucky girls in the dorm who were dating GIs proudly paraded around in nylons and lipstick that were impossible to obtain for anyone not in the military.
I wasn’t sure what to think.
While Garlyn’s kindness was thoughtful, I hoped he didn’t expect something in return. We’d only shared one dinner, and although I found him amiable, I didn’t know him any more than he knew me. With all the secrecy and spying that went on at CEW, I was fast learning not everyone could be trusted.
I returned the boots to the box, torn about what to do.
I needed the galoshes. There was no doubt about that. But I also couldn’t accept such an extravagant gift from a man I barely knew.
Decision made, I closed the lid.
