Mary sat on the stool and did her best to get comfortable. Although she could hear the din from the classroom next door, she shut out everything except for the sound of Mr. Edwards’s voice. When he was done explaining the task to her, she repeated the instructions back to him.

“Now, apply that to the panels in front of you.”

Mary did as she was told.

Roughly twenty minutes later, Mr. Edwards said, “That’s enough.”

“I can do this longer, and I know in time I’ll get better at it.”

“Actually, you did quite well. I’m impressed, and I’m not easily impressed.”

Mary smiled from ear to ear. “Does that mean you want to hire me?”

“One more thing. I know you told Mr. Knutsen that you had trouble with reading and writing. How are you with recording numbers on a log sheet?”

“Oh, I can do that, sir. It’s just words that are tough.”

“Show me.” He produced a clipboard with a sheet of paper on it. “Write down the readings on those dials.” He pointed to the left-side panel on the machine in front of her.

Carefully, she wrote down the figures. “Is this what you wanted?”

“Yes, it is. Very good, Mary.”

“Now does this mean you want to hire me?”

“I do believe it does.”

“When can I start? Do I have a job title? Where will I live?”

Mr. Edwards held up a hand. “Hold your horses. First, we’ll get you to a clerk so that you can get an ID badge and a Townsite Resident Pass. Then you’ll go to housing and they’ll try to find you an open dorm room. A single room rents for fifteen dollars per month. A shared double room rents for ten dollars per occupant. The job is called a cubicle operator, and you’ll have to spend some time in the bullpen and at orientation before you can get cleared to work in the plant.”

“Bullpen?”

“Think of it as a holding area where you get trained while you wait for clearance to start your regular assignment.”

Clearance? Suddenly, dread filled her. “They’re not going to call my mother to check up on me, are they?”

The question surprised a laugh out of Mr. Edwards. “You’re eighteen, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then no, they’re not going to call your mother.”

“Good.” She breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe coming here was the right decision after all.

CHAPTER ELEVEN