People did not travel much in those days. The owners of the tourist court now rented the cabins to the families of workers on the great dam.
There wasn't much for the families to do. The wives had no work except Diana who helped with housekeeping.
Mostly they sat at a picnic table in the center of the court in the shade of cottonwood trees. Talking and playing cards. Two of the women had husbands out of work. They had come to the place expecting employment and found none and now they were down to nothing. Catching a ride with the others to the job site. Ready to pick up any work over or under the table and sometimes they made a few bucks sometimes they didn't.
You couldn't tell by the women though. They sat in dappled summer sunlight in the hot soft wind and the cottonwood shade and they looked like brilliant flowers from some tropic island. If you were hungry, if your child was hungry you didn't show it. You put on your bright lipstick or you borrowed someone else's, you changed the lapels or the sleeves on your one dress, you brightened your hair with a ribbon bow and you borrowed a Lucky and you just kept on.
``You have to go,'' the owner told Elsie. ``You haven't paid nothing for two weeks now. You have to go.''
She knew it was hopeless because others had tried it. ``We could -'' she tried to smile.
``That ain't a possibility,'' the owner said.
When Ned came home he took all their stuff out of the cabin and loaded the car.
``You're going to have to let us stay here while we work on the car. It ain't running. We'll sleep in the car. We won't be any bother to you.'' He knew the car would never run again, but he did all he could with what he had, and the owner would sometimes help him on cold mornings when the ladies of the cottonwoods had migrated to one cabin and kerosene heat.
And Elsie sat among them, a handmade Christmas star in her hair because it was December.
They did not find out about Pearl Harbor until the following day.
``Its war!'' said Elsie, and the other ladies nodded.
``Its work!'' said Elsie and the other ladies raised their eyes to hers.
``Guns! Ships! Airplanes! Nurses! Ammunition! Work for us all!''
By February they were all gone. Work on the dam was slowed to nothing. The owner took Ned and Elsie's few belongings as part payment for rent unpaid.
For decades Ned's car remained, its hood left open, scarcely rusting in the desert air.