Far from Home: Memories of World War II and Afterward

3. A New Job

3 A New Job 23 Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “Ulysses” WELL, my Cousin Mary hadn’t forgotten me. She had had an important appointment and had asked Lloyd to pick me up. He said he went, but didn’t see me anyplace and thought I probably hadn’t come or would be on a later bus, so he left, intending to check back by. Oh, well, I’d found my way. Now things really got down to business. I was told to go to first one big government building down on Constitution Avenue, then another, always filling out more forms. I noticed that each place I went, there would be several black women there doing the same thing. Finally, we were in the same place having pictures made for identification. When it was my turn to get before that huge black machine and look at a little red light, I couldn’t make up my mind whether to smile or look cool and dignified. I looked neither. The camera caught me just as one side of my mouth started up, so it was lopsided, as were my glasses. It was an amazingly lopsided picture, but they sealed it in a case with a black ribbon attached to be worn around my neck as long as I was inside 24 FAR FROM HOME or on the grounds of the building I’d been assigned to work in. Then on to another building. My legs, already short, felt like they’d worn down to a nub. Next stop was across the street. We reached this by a walkway high over the street. The room looked more like a lounge, decorated with plants, pictures, and flags. Here we met with a couple of naval officers, who sported lots of gold braids. We learned we’d be working at the Navy Annex in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River. I think they’d been told about me, for they gave me a thick set of papers to read while they lectured the rest of the group about the nature of our work. It was very confidential and not to be discussed outside the office , and there were other rules and regulations. After checking to see if I had read and understood everything or if I had any questions to ask (I was too much in awe to ask questions), they proceeded to swear us in with a Bible and with our right hands raised. After we had sworn never to do anything to undermine or to overthrow our government, they shook hands with us and wished us good luck, and we were on our way. That being settled, an aide went with us to show how to get over to Arlington. There was a bus terminal on Pennsylvania Avenue where we could get a bus to Virginia. Through all of this, my dear Cousin Mary had been right there with me. However, on reaching the Navy Annex, she was told she’d have to return on the same bus. No one without an ID tag could go through those gates. A tall fence topped with barbed wire surrounded the place. I saw only two gates, each guarded by two well-armed marines. Guns were mounted on top of the building . Cousin Mary asked the other women in the group if some of them would look out for me and see that I got back over to D.C. okay. They assured her that they would. She got back on the bus. They were all older women, but they became my friends from that day on. There was Marie, or Howard, rather. All used A New Job 25 last names: Mills, Mitchell, Quarles, Murphy, and Raymond. These would be among my best friends for the years I spent there and afterward. We were shown the office we would be working in, and introduced to the daytime staff. It was wartime, and more people were needed to keep up with the paperwork. Therefore, they were starting a four-to-twelve shift. Next, we were guided to the cafeterias located on the ground floor. There we got in line and ordered lunch. This was new to me. At home a waitress took your order and brought it to the table. Here it was more like an...