“Where else would I leave it?” I needed a man to come to the bank to sign for me to open an account, which Henry offered to do, but I worked such long hours that we just hadn’t found the time.

“I don’t know, Lizzie!” he exclaimed. “This place isn’t much better than the homeless camp. I’m so sick of the noise and the smell of cabbage from the damned kitchen and waiting to use the bathroom!”

“But…it’s all we can afford,” I said, stunned. He scrubbed a hand down his face, drew a few ragged breaths, then gave me a miserable look.

“I’m sorry. I never thought it would be like this.”

“I know,” I said uneasily. “Something will come up…”

“Maybe we should try to go somewhere else. I’ve heard there’s more work in California—farmwork, even. We could take some of your wages and buy bus tickets. Try our luck there.”

“Henry, no,” I said, startled. Farmwork did sound much better than housekeeping, but I couldn’t leave a real job for the chance of a theoretical one, especially after how hard I had worked to get it.

“Maybe I should just go, then,” he said flatly. “I lined up to ask about this new unemployment compensation program today. They’ll give me five dollars a week for fourteen weeks. I could save it all. Use it for bus fare.”

“Something will come up,” I said, throat tight. “Please don’t give up just yet.”

I was already working six long days a week, but watching Henry’s mood spiral downward, I grew desperate to change something—anything—that might help him. When I told the housekeeping manager I needed more money, she found me a night shift in the hotel restaurant, waiting tables. And finally, Henry and I moved into an apartment.

It was a fifth-floor walk-up, just three small rooms, but we had our own kitchen and bathroom. I experienced a new level of tired, working double shifts every day, but in addition to the bump in my wages, there were other unexpected benefits. In that little hour between my jobs, I could take the elevator all the way to the top of the Hilton.

The rooftop balcony had been converted into a beautiful outdoor area for the guests. From one side, I could see right over the Rio Grande into Mexico, and from the other, mountains and rocky outcrops and clear, open space. I’d walk to the edge and look out to the northeast, staring until my eyes watered, as though if I just looked hard enough, I’d see all the way up through New Mexico, back to my home in Dallam County.