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A Codebreaker's Christmas Surprise

By Anne Greene

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CHAPTER 1

December 1942–Delaware, Ohio

Elizabeth Talbot twisted the last auburn curl around the metal rod and gazed across her twin bed at her roommate. “Here we are in the middle of a world war and the most we can do to help is wrap bandages. I want to contribute more.” She bounced on the bed. “I could if I were a man. Men get all the breaks. Do you realize a boy gets a superior education? A girl is lucky to even receive one. A guy goes to a university, feasts on greater opportunities, and of course has more money. Then males are off to handle important positions fighting this war.”
Sally Hamilton smiled her easy-going, languid way that even in the comfort of their dorm room had a definite seductive quality sure to ensnare any man within twenty miles. “Why are you so miffed? We are about to graduate from Ohio Wesleyan. I’m proud of our accomplishments.”
“True, but what did they teach us here? How to become teachers and secretaries and home economists. All admirable careers, but what if a woman wants something different? Something more? Something out of reach?”
Sally pulled a hairnet over her pin-curled hair. “What more do we need? I’ve been brought up to believe my purpose is to fall in love and get married. That’s the whole point of being a woman. We attend college to snare a far above average husband to take care of us. We ladies strive for the coveted M.R.S. Degree.”
Elizabeth fitted a scarf around her curls and tucked in the ends. “Yes, I’d like that too. But—”
“You want it all!” Sally laughed.
“I do. But, you know, mothers expect greater achievements from their sons. All their hopes and dreams are centered on them. If my younger brother, Peter, had been born first, I wouldn’t even have gotten to attend college. Most daughters accept this fate of being feminine without complaint. I don’t. I want more.” Elizabeth shook her head. “What can a daughter do with ambition? The desire to lead a meaningful life burns inside, but reality smothers that flame.”
Sally leaned back against the pink-cased pillow at the head of her twin bed. “Personally, I find my life to be perfect. Why would I want to be educated as an engineer or a doctor without ever having the opportunity to be either?”
“Bingo! You nailed it. Men regulate the system. They set up professional associations and the need for special licenses. They organize men’s clubs and require stringent credentials available only to males to keep women out of the higher-echelon work force.”
Sally snapped her nightstand light off. “That’s the way things are. We can’t change the system. So, dry up and enjoy what we have.” She bounced out of bed and stood by the window. “Look. It’s snowing again. We’re sure to have a white Christmas.”
Elizabeth bounded to the window and peeked out. “I love a white Christmas. Pure snow blanketing the ground and trees. Red-costumed Santas in every department store. Christmas songs piped through the air all over town. People are friendly and smiling. Presents snuggle under a cedar tree. Everyone in a jolly mood. Hot cider and warm cookies. And a wisp of mystery, as if something exciting was about to happen fills the atmosphere. Like women having more opportunity in the work force. In life.” She traced her finger in the frost coating the inside of the windowpanes.
“Cute Christmas tree you drew.”
Elizabeth turned from the window and gazed at their dorm room. “Speaking of not changing the system, did you know that only four percent of women even attend college?”
“I know most men think smart girls are annoying.”
“Oh, pooh.” Elizabeth flipped off her bedside table light. “Well, if I had been a man, I wouldn’t have been caught by surprise by Pearl Harbor.”
“Hindsight, Elizabeth. Hindsight. You’re going to end up an old-maid schoolteacher. We graduate in two weeks, and you haven’t had one marriage proposal.” Sally held her left hand up to the moonlight streaming through the window and wiggled her ring finger, making the large round diamond sparkle. “I’ve accomplished my goal.” She winked. “And my mom and dad are over the moon.”
“I’m happy for you.” Elizabeth dropped her head, and a pang twisted her heart. She pressed her palm over her chest. “I’d like to marry sometime and have children. A bunch maybe. But I’m still slammed over Richard.” She clinched her eyelids to stop tears from falling. “I don’t think I’ll ever trust a man enough to ever fall in love again.”
“Yeah. Va Va Voom Dicky Jamison that sweet-talking wolf, masher, cad, stinko.”
“I’ve been down that heart-break-road and won’t go there again,” Elizabeth mumbled. She lifted her head. “So right now, I need more for my life. Fresh new ideas. Or adventures. God gave me a brain, and I want to use it.” Elizabeth curled up under the covers. “I feel so useless. I want to contribute something worthwhile to the war effort.”
Sally laughed her contagious, bubbly laugh. “Huh. Best way to get over a mangled heart—go where the men are.”
“No, I’m serious. I really need to help fight this awful war.”
****
Elizabeth closed the door of her boring home economics class and walked out. Her head lifted and her steps lightened as she headed to her favorite destination, probability and statistics. What fool taught men they had an inborn ability with numbers that women didn’t possess? She loved all the math classes she’d been allowed to take, even though she disliked being one of the only two girls enrolled.
She marched down the long hall overflowing with guys. With the end of semester looming ahead, many of the fellows wore an expression of impending doom. A kind of glassy-eyed stare. When they graduated or if they failed to raise their GPA, they would find themselves out of school and on their way to the front lines of the war raging through England, Europe, and the South Pacific. The men eager to fight had already dropped out of college and signed up.
Elizabeth frowned at a particularly down-in-the-mouth male. She wanted her degree so she could at least work as a teacher and inspire her students to be the best they could be. Maybe she could volunteer to become a WASP and fly repaired airplanes, or deliver planes fresh from the factories, or tow targets. She’d been in a small plane once, and the experience had been a huge thrill.
Was it too late to join? When the call from the Air Corps had come, she’d not had her degree. Readmitting a woman to college once she’d left just was not done. Her window to education was four years following high school graduation, and if she missed that, she was out. Besides, she’d been a junior before the war began and really wanted her degree. The document didn’t open many doors, but the few it opened, she had set her heart on.
She shifted her heavy books to her other arm. So, she’d soon have her teacher’s degree with a minor in home economics. She’d at least have a double major when she graduated. She smiled. Just a few weeks left.
She opened the door with the words Probability and Statistics etched into the glass and slid into her seat in the front middle row. Behind her, males filled in the remaining seats.
Finally, the other girl in the class, Nina, rushed in and plopped into a seat. Almost late, as usual. The girl seemed to jam just one more task into her schedule before she ran to her next assignment. Or else Nina had a really poor sense of time.
Professor Harvey lumbered to the blackboard and began chalking out a mathematical equation.
A hush fell over the class. Students leaned forward.
Elizabeth gazed at the new problem. Ah yes, she saw the pattern. Yes, this one was easy. She jotted the answer.
Nina glanced over, her dark eyes bright, and nodded. She had the solution as well.
The classroom door opened, and the dean of women entered.
Elizabeth stiffened.
Miss Gregory spoke softly to Professor Harvey, then pivoted to face the students. “I’d like to see Elizabeth Talbot and Nina Jamison in my office immediately after class. Thank you.” Miss Gregory turned and walked out.
Elizabeth shivered. Was she being booted out before she could graduate?
 

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