– ready to take advantage of her. And she was an easy mark. She never met a person she didn’t like. And ever since she started school, all she could talk about was movin’ out of the sticks. I figured any fella promisin’ to make that dream come true, could get her to do most anything.
‘So I kept a close eye on her, but like I said, she really is a good girl. She listened to me real good back home. But here, it’s gettin’ harder every day. Wish my two big brothers were still around.’
Did I hear her wrong? ‘Older brothers? I thought you said you were the oldest when your father died?’
‘Well I was then, but my parents had two sons who died when they were babies.’
‘How horrible!’
‘It was for Ma and Pa but I never knew them. I hadn’t been born yet when they caught that influenza after the Great War.’
‘That was an awful time. My parents lost a baby then, too.’
‘Guess we’re lucky we weren’t around yet – might not be here to talk about it if we were.’
I reached out and squeezed Ruth’s hand. She threw an arm around me, enveloping me in a tight hug. When we broke away, Ruth wiped a tear from one eye and said, ‘Well, where do ya work here?’
‘In Y-12 …’
‘Really, well I be. I’d figured ya weren’t one of us Calutron girls on accounta nobody on any shift can ever remember seeing you at work. I guess I was wrong.’
‘No. Not at all. I’m not a Calutron girl. I—’
‘Are you a secretary?’
‘No, I—’
‘A cafeteria worker?’
‘No, I—’
‘Post Office?’
‘No, I—’
‘Well, what do you do, Libby Clark?’
‘I’ve been hired as a chemist.’
‘A chemist?’
‘Yes, you know, a scientist.’
‘I know what a chemist is, Libby. What I don’t know is: how did you manage that?’
‘I went to college—’
‘Really. I know that it’s possible. But personally I never did know of any woman who did that. Were there a lot of women there?’
‘I went to Bryn Mawr, a college just for women.’
‘You’re kidding me. They have colleges just for women? My word, I never heard of such a thing. And you got a degree there?’
‘Yes, I—’
‘In chemistry?’
‘Yes, and in physics.’
‘So you’re a smart one.’
‘Well, I do have some education—’
‘Don’t be modest, Libby. You’re smart. And, you,’ she said, poking my chest with her index finger, ‘you are the future for women. Makes me proud to know you. Maybe I’ll get a little smarter, rooming with you.’
‘I wouldn’t—’
‘Could happen. You might teach me how to use what brain I do have – that’d make me smarter.’
‘I guess that’s—’
‘Did you know that Tennessee is the state that gave women the right to vote?’
‘Tennessee?’
‘Yessiree. Right here in Tennessee. We are the state that put the amendment over the top and made it law.’
‘That’s right. My Aunt Dorothy told me about that once.’
‘Well. Before everybody starts going to bed, it’s time you met some of your neighbors.’
‘But, I—’
‘Never you mind. We’re all girls here. You don’t have to comb your hair or fix your lipstick or put on a fresh dress. It’s just come as you are,’ Ruth said, sliding her arm through mine. ‘Let’s go.’
Out in the hallway, Ruth announced in a big, booming voice, ‘Look y’all, my roommate came home at last.’
Immediately, Ruth was surrounded by a swarm of women. She seemed to know everyone’s name and each one of them treated her like a long-lost friend even though they’d met her for the first time that day. Initially, they were treating me the same way. I had no illusions that I’d suddenly become that captivating. I knew it was because of Ruth, not on my own merits. The truth of that conclusion became obvious once my new roommate told the others I was a scientist. They all seemed to shrink back like one amorphous mass at the sound of the word. One even snapped, ‘Well, I guess you’re smarter than the rest of
‘So I kept a close eye on her, but like I said, she really is a good girl. She listened to me real good back home. But here, it’s gettin’ harder every day. Wish my two big brothers were still around.’
Did I hear her wrong? ‘Older brothers? I thought you said you were the oldest when your father died?’
‘Well I was then, but my parents had two sons who died when they were babies.’
‘How horrible!’
‘It was for Ma and Pa but I never knew them. I hadn’t been born yet when they caught that influenza after the Great War.’
‘That was an awful time. My parents lost a baby then, too.’
‘Guess we’re lucky we weren’t around yet – might not be here to talk about it if we were.’
I reached out and squeezed Ruth’s hand. She threw an arm around me, enveloping me in a tight hug. When we broke away, Ruth wiped a tear from one eye and said, ‘Well, where do ya work here?’
‘In Y-12 …’
‘Really, well I be. I’d figured ya weren’t one of us Calutron girls on accounta nobody on any shift can ever remember seeing you at work. I guess I was wrong.’
‘No. Not at all. I’m not a Calutron girl. I—’
‘Are you a secretary?’
‘No, I—’
‘A cafeteria worker?’
‘No, I—’
‘Post Office?’
‘No, I—’
‘Well, what do you do, Libby Clark?’
‘I’ve been hired as a chemist.’
‘A chemist?’
‘Yes, you know, a scientist.’
‘I know what a chemist is, Libby. What I don’t know is: how did you manage that?’
‘I went to college—’
‘Really. I know that it’s possible. But personally I never did know of any woman who did that. Were there a lot of women there?’
‘I went to Bryn Mawr, a college just for women.’
‘You’re kidding me. They have colleges just for women? My word, I never heard of such a thing. And you got a degree there?’
‘Yes, I—’
‘In chemistry?’
‘Yes, and in physics.’
‘So you’re a smart one.’
‘Well, I do have some education—’
‘Don’t be modest, Libby. You’re smart. And, you,’ she said, poking my chest with her index finger, ‘you are the future for women. Makes me proud to know you. Maybe I’ll get a little smarter, rooming with you.’
‘I wouldn’t—’
‘Could happen. You might teach me how to use what brain I do have – that’d make me smarter.’
‘I guess that’s—’
‘Did you know that Tennessee is the state that gave women the right to vote?’
‘Tennessee?’
‘Yessiree. Right here in Tennessee. We are the state that put the amendment over the top and made it law.’
‘That’s right. My Aunt Dorothy told me about that once.’
‘Well. Before everybody starts going to bed, it’s time you met some of your neighbors.’
‘But, I—’
‘Never you mind. We’re all girls here. You don’t have to comb your hair or fix your lipstick or put on a fresh dress. It’s just come as you are,’ Ruth said, sliding her arm through mine. ‘Let’s go.’
Out in the hallway, Ruth announced in a big, booming voice, ‘Look y’all, my roommate came home at last.’
Immediately, Ruth was surrounded by a swarm of women. She seemed to know everyone’s name and each one of them treated her like a long-lost friend even though they’d met her for the first time that day. Initially, they were treating me the same way. I had no illusions that I’d suddenly become that captivating. I knew it was because of Ruth, not on my own merits. The truth of that conclusion became obvious once my new roommate told the others I was a scientist. They all seemed to shrink back like one amorphous mass at the sound of the word. One even snapped, ‘Well, I guess you’re smarter than the rest of
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