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Sneak Peek :
“You ready?” Gladys asked as they took their place on the line.
Gladys was her bucker today. The burly woman worked opposite Ava, taking her
rivets and smoothing them out. It was harder work and Gladys’s large size
explained why she was doing the job. Riveting wasn’t as bad as people made it
seem, you just had to have a good eye.
“As ready as I could possibly be, Gladys.” She tried to force a
smile but it was hot work, the shield that she held over her was all she had to
protect her. She had asked for goggles, but there was a shortage and women in
the munitions factories needed them more. So she was told by the shift matron.
She took her gun and pressed it to the metal plate, riveting and
working, her bucker sawing and smoothing off the underside of the rivets. It was
hot work, the lack of ventilation and the heavy machinery causing sweat to
spring up out of her pores and drip through her overalls. Her turban caught a
good deal of the sweat from her forehead. But not enough and at times the sting
of it in her eyes was fierce. God dammit.
Why can’t they turn on a fan?
When they were finished with one they hit the button and sent it
down the line, only to receive yet another panel. The work didn’t stack up, for
she was a competent riveter and Gladys a good bucker. But by the end of the
shift she was tired and it took all she had to work panel after panel.
Ava looked up to see a group of soldiers walking through the
plant, the shift matron talking to each of them. They had a clipboard in their
hands, writing notes and checking things off. She had seen a couple of these
groups come through the factory in the short week and a half she had been
employed. The Cartney Corporation liked to keep its clients involved in the
process of bomber creation.
They were, after all, the ones who flew the things into harm’s
way and dropped the bombs other women were making them in other factories.
A particular soldier caught her eye, his dark hair and olive
skin something she couldn’t help but stare at. When his darker than brown eyes
met hers she almost dropped her riveter. He tipped his hat and cocked a smile,
looking right back at the shift matron. It took her breath away and she almost
lost her concentration.
“Dunn, pay attention. We don’t got all day. Shift’s almost
over.” Gladys brought her attention back to the work at hand.
She went back to work, but his face stayed there. Burned into
her brain.
“You going to the social tonight?” Ava ventured as she worked
through the last half hour of her shift. She needed something to keep her focused.
At attention.
“Down at the dance hall?” Gladys asked her eyebrow raised.
“Legion is sponsoring.” Gosh,
why is she looking at me like I grew a third eye?
“Yeah, I’m going. You going?” Gladys was still suspicious as she
looked the riveter up and down.
It left Ava wishing she hadn’t asked.
“I am. I hear there are lots of soldiers at those things.” She
tried to keep her tone light. Pop. Another
rivet. Then another.
“There are, handsome ones too. If you are into that sort of
thing.” Gladys was suddenly gruff. Her eyebrows drawn.
The burly girl had a personality to match.
Ava sighed and sent up a silent prayer when her shift bell rang
and another woman came and grabbed the gun from her, continuing the work in
another shift. She almost took out of there in a run, wanting to shower all the
chemicals off her body before she went back to the boarding house to change.
The grime of the factory got on her skin. It wasn’t the same as
working in laundry, each piece of grit stuck to her. Clung to her like it was
grasping at the straws of life. A shower.
That is just what I need.
Ava trotted into the locker room and immediately began
undressing. She started with her turban, unfolding and shaking it out then
moved on to the rest of her clothing. Grabbing a towel she wrapped it around
herself and hurried into the mass shower along with several other women.
She was thankful as the hot water washed over her, taking the
soot and dirt from the factory and washing it down the drain. It was freeing to
watch all her work just wash away.
She tried not to look at the women around her, but she couldn’t
help it. She was curious about the different women that surrounded her. Most
were strong, the war had made them strong, their soft curves and thin frames
had been replaced by something steadier. More solid. But there was still a good
amount of variance.
On the plumper side of the workers, Ava had soft curves that
were on top of strong, hefty muscle. She wasn’t a frail thing, but she wasn’t a
burly woman either. And her short stature and slightly upturned nose made her
that much more feminine. A perfect balance of muscle and beauty for wartime.
With a final rinse Ava finished her shower and smiled. She felt
good. Ready for her first time out.
“Hey Ava, did I get it all?” Edythe called to her pointing to
her face. The woman was absolutely covered in grit. Her body was thick and
curvy, almost as thick as Ava’s but not quite. It was rather attractive. She
tried not to let her stare linger.
“I think you may want to spend a little more time in the wash,”
She said as she pushed through the women, grabbing her towel and wrapping it
around her.
“There was a little… mishap in quality control today. Thanks
hun.” Edythe went right back to scrubbing.
Ava hurried out of there and stepped into her street clothing, a
smart tweed dress ensemble that wasn’t winning any awards, but it was smart.
Her momma had made it for her as a gift, right before she had left. She
smoothed it out and pinned a hat to her hair. She only had a few hours before
the dance started and she wanted to make the best of it.
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