Page 28 of The Women of Oak Ridge
CHAPTER TEN:MAE
MIDMORNING SUNLIGHTspilled through the window, yet I lounged in bed in my nightgown, glad for a day off. Sissy’s schedule had changed too. We were now on the same shift, except her day off was tomorrow. Clive was out of town, and Garlyn had to work late last night, so Sissy and I saw the midnight showing ofSince You Went Awayat the theater. The story of a family in small-town America, holding things together while their men are away at war, hit home for a lot of people. I’d heard sniffles from the audience, especially when Jane learns Bill was killed in action.
“Wasn’t Claudette Colbert wonderful in her role as Anne Hilton? Very believable, I thought.” I glanced to where Sissy stood at the small mirror we’d hung on the wall near the door, combing her hair and readying for work. “And boy oh boy, Shirley Temple sure has grown up, hasn’t she?”
Sissy continued to fuss with a curl in the center of her head. I’d never mastered the popular “victory rolls” hairstyle and simply chose to let my wavy locks do whatever they wanted.
“It was a good movie,” she said, “but I thought the story had too many sad parts. I didn’t like seein’ the wounded boys in the hospital.”
“Well,” I said with a shrug, “it is about the war. My favorite part was the dog, Soda. What a hoot, especially when he kept annoying the grumpy colonel who comes to board with the Hilton family.”
I thought my reminder about the show-stealing English bulldog would bring back Sissy’s easy smile, but it didn’t.
“I kept thinking about my brother.” Sadness filled her voice. “Mama worries somethin’ terrible will happen to Joe over there, fighting the Germans. I don’t like to imagine her getting one of those telegrams with bad news. I’m gonna write to her and tell her not to see the movie. At least not until Joe is home safe.”
I hadn’t considered how the movie might make her feel when I suggested we see it. “I’m sorry, Sissy. I guess I focused on the happy ending, but you’re right. There were a lot of depressing scenes too.”
She moved to sit on the edge of my bed. I scooted over to make room. Sissy was as bright as sunshine most days, so it was unusual to observe this subdued side to her.
“I’m glad I saw it. It reminded me that people all over the world have loved ones in the military that they’re worried about. After I came here and met you and Clive and the others... well, I tried to forget about the war. Isn’t that awful? I tried to forget that my brother is somewhere in Europe, fighting for his life. I don’t like to think on it.” She met my gaze. “I feel so selfish at times, Mae. Why should I be here, safe and having a good time, going to the movies and such, when so many of our boys won’t be comin’ home? If I fret over it too much, I get sick inside with worry. Forgetting about it is easier.”
We hadn’t talked much about her brother in the months we’d shared a room. Other than a comment here and there about him,I too tended to forget she had a loved one in harm’s way. It made me consider how I would feel if Harris was old enough to join the military and what I’d do if something terrible happened to him. How would Mama and Pa cope?
I reached for her hand. “It’s not selfish to enjoy your life. You’re doing your part to help win the war, same as Joe is doing his. I remember when Pa was real sick a few years back. Black lung is a terrible thing, and we weren’t sure he was going to make it. Mama asked our preacher to come to the house and pray over him.”
The memories of that dark day flooded my mind. The paralyzing fear. Anger at the owner of the coal mine. Even anger at God for letting Pa get sick.
“I don’t remember much of what that preacher man said that day, but what I do recall is his confidence that God can be trusted. He said the Bible tells us we’ve got to trust the Father with everything, including the people we love. The hard part is letting go of control.”
Tears swam in her eyes. “I hardly pray for Joe anymore, because when I do, I start to cry. I want God to promise that Joe will come home and live to be an old man, but that promise never comes.”
I folded her into my arms. Her slim shoulders shook as she wept.
When she’d quieted, I said, “Mama made me memorize a Scripture after the preacher left that day. It’s from the Book of Matthew.Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
She sniffled and pulled away. “What does it mean?”
I dug a clean hankie from beneath my pillow and handed it to her. “Mama says Jesus is telling us we shouldn’t worry about what may or may not happen tomorrow, because today has enoughtrouble of its own. He was teaching his disciples, reminding them that the Father takes care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the fields. If he’ll do that, why not trust God to know what we and our loved ones need?”
She blew her nose with a dainty toot. “I’ll try to remember that.”
“Do you want me to pray for Joe with you now?”
She nodded.
We held hands as I offered a simple prayer, asking God to protect Joe from harm, but also admitting that we know he has plans for Joe’s life that are a mystery to us. I asked the Father to give peace to Sissy and her parents, and to help them trust him more. Finally, I beseeched the Almighty to please bring an end to the war soon.
Sissy gave me a hug. “I’m glad we met that first day, Mae. I wouldn’t want to share a room with anyone else.”
I agreed. “Will Clive return to Oak Ridge today?”
She instantly brightened. “Yes. He promised to bring me somethin’ special from Nashville. I can’t wait to see what it is.”
I still hadn’t warmed to Clive Morrison. There was something about him that didn’t seem genuine. Granted, I hadn’t spent much time in the man’s presence, usually in passing when he came to pick up Sissy in his Army sedan. Last week I mentioned him to Garlyn. He said he knew Clive. Not well, but they were both SEDs, although Clive’s position as a health physics officer put him in different work areas throughout the Reservation. Oddly, he said, Clive somehow wrangled special permission to bunk in one of the trailers in Happy Valley rather than share the crowded barracks with the rest of the SEDs—a show of favoritism that didn’t sit well with the group of soldiers required to live in the rough-and-ready military quarters.
“Did Clive say why he had to go to Nashville?” I asked Sissy.
Her expression answered my question before she even opened her mouth. “He said it was top secret, but...”
