Mary figured it was safe to say it was, since she imagined Doris must’ve heard some of the conversation. “It’s hard since my dad’s been away at war. I’m an only child.”

“I’ve got seven brothers and sisters, and I couldn’t wait to get away. My mother barely has time to miss me.”

“Did you tell her you were leaving?”

“Heck, yes. She was happy. One less mouth to feed.”

Mary couldn’t fathom her mother feeling that way.

“Anyway, it gets easier. Your mother will come around. You’ll see.”

“Thanks. Goodnight.” Mary escaped to her room. This time when she laid down, sleep claimed her easily.

Nora leaned against the wall at the back of the room as the latest group of new hires filed in and took their seats. They appeared so young, eager, and excited. They look exactly the way you felt when you first arrived here. That was before the stops and starts, the machine breakdowns and failures, and before the pervasive mud had ruined every pair of shoes she owned.

Don’t be cynical. It doesn’t suit you. Stay focused on the task at hand, help these girls be the best cubicle operators they can be, and get the job done.

“Grab a seat, please, so that we can get started.” Richard Honeycutt finished the diagram on the blackboard and dusted the chalk from his hands.

Nora liked him. He had proven to be cool under fire as a shift supervisor in Alpha-1. Unlike some of the other male supervisors, he refrained from chatting up the girls or distracting them from their jobs. Beyond that, he hadn’t balked at having to answer to a female boss. He respected her, and she respected him and gave him additional responsibilities like this one—initiating and training the girls for their assignments.

“Before we dive into specifics such as shift assignments, protocols, procedures, and the like, I’m going to introduce you to the big boss. Every cubicle operator in every building in this plant falls under her supervision. She knows more than anyone I’ve ever met about the D units you’re going to be operating, so make sure if she says something to you, you’re paying attention. Dr. Lindstrom? Would you come up here, please?”

Nora pushed off from the wall and threaded her way through the rows of seats to the front of the room. She studiously ignored the buzz of girls unaccustomed to seeing women in positions of power. Over time, she’d learned not to be embarrassed by the open scrutiny.

“Good morning.”

A chorus of “good mornings” greeted her in return.