Chapter 19

SANDY - Wednesday, JUNE 14 1961

I left Steve's room for the last time, at least for this visit, and drove in to work. I was only about twenty minutes late. Fortunately, nobody noticed. I was on top of the world, so in love with my dear Steve and I felt ready to conquer the world! I went into my office and started to review the work I'd done on the test plan during the past week. I was interrupted when Paul called me to his office. He said, "Pierre is coming in tonight, and will be here tomorrow. Also, Aaron Wood, who was one of the stars of the Stretch bringup and test, will be assigned to your group starting in July, once the Reaper is cabled up to Stretch and you get back from your vacation. Finally, as you suggested, I've arranged for Jody Krantz to be assigned to the project for the duration of the test. She's a very capable administrator, and I know that she will be able to help you keep up with the paperwork and problem tracking stuff. Sandy, you have one of the best teams I have ever seen in my years at IBM. Use them well! I know you will do an outstanding job with this test."

While what Paul had told me was reassuring, I was still very nervous and apprehensive about the bringup and test. I knew Aaron slightly, and sought him out for an informal discussion. He told me about the major problems that had arisen with Stretch, and we made some notes of things that we should watch out for, particularly bad transistors. When we had finished, I knew that he would do an excellent job as my backup for the bringup.

I also talked to Chad, and he told me the tape system they had devised was working well, and would be tested on the Stretch machine in the test cell before the end of June. I told him to let me know if there were any developments on that front. I also realized that whatever happened, it wasn't going to have much of an impact on our bringup of Reaper.

Finally, I got in touch with the group that was working on the fast memory box that Steve and the agency had quickly signed up for when it had been suggested to them, several months back. Again, since this was going to hook into the Stretch machine and not directly to Reaper, I wasn't overly concerned about the possibility of a major impact on the bringup, although it, along with the tape system, certainly would figure in the final running of Steve's acceptance test.

Tired, but still happy from having been with Steve this morning, I left work and headed for home. Mom was still working evenings, so I fixed myself some leftovers for supper, hoping that Steve would call sometime soon. After I cleaned up my dishes, I lay down on the couch for what I thought was a few minutes, but it was more than two hours later when I was awakened by the phone. I rushed to answer it, but it was a wrong number. I went back to the couch, but in a few minutes, the phone rang again. It was Steve!

When I heard his voice, I almost melted with joy. I said, "Steve, my love, I'm so glad that you made it back OK. In spite of our crazy schedules, this past week has been so wonderful for me, I..."

He interrupted me, saying, "Dear Sandy, it was very special and glorious for me too! Every time I think of the vision of you in that negligée, I can't help but think how incredibly lucky I am to have found you!"

"I know, but when you gave me those flowers last week, I knew that I was the lucky one!"

"Well, I guess we're both lucky, then!"

We talked for a few minutes longer, but I could tell that he was tired from the drive, and I knew that I was ready to go to sleep. Finally, I yawned and when he heard that, he said, "Good night, my love. You need to get some sleep yourself! I'll call you this weekend."

The next few days seemed like the calm before a storm. I met with Pierre, who was quiet and reserved, but had a very sharp mind. I could tell that he was going to be another excellent addition to the team. At Paul's suggestion, I called Pierre and Miguel into my office for a short meeting. I said, "As I think Paul told you, we're running the test for three shifts, five days per week. Each of us will be leading one of the shifts. Because I'm the overall coordinator in charge of the bringup and test, I need to be on days. That gives the two of you a choice of evening or night shift, or alternating between the two. It's your choice."

Miguel said, "Pierre, you have a family, don't you?"

"Yes, my wife and our two small kids will be joining me by the end of the week. We've rented a house, and will move in next week."

"OK, since I'm single, I'll let you choose which shift would work out best for your family."

"That's very generous of you. If you're sure you don't mind nights, the evening shift would work best for me."

Miguel replied, with a smile. "That's good for me, also! I'm a real night owl!"

I said, "Gentlemen, we have a deal! Needless to say, I'll see Pierre at the beginning of the evening shift and Miguel at the end of the night shift, so that I can keep up with your progress and problems. Right now, we're still waiting. The test will begin early in July, once we've moved the Reaper box into the test cell and cabled it up to the Stretch. Let's go find Aaron, and we can all take a trip over there right now!"

It was the first time that either Miguel or Pierre had seen the Stretch. They remarked on its size, and were astounded when I told them that the Reaper box was even larger than the main Stretch computer! Aaron showed them the insides of the machine, and then took us into the small workshop next to the test cell where the spare logic cards and a card rework facility were located. I think we all were eager to get our hands onto the machine! We finished our tour with a visit to the locked room where Reaper was being assembled.

I arranged for the three of them to work with the Stretch team that was maintaining the machine until it would be shut down for the Reaper attachment. This would familiarize them with the tools, techniques, and testing procedures. I intended to join them as much as the other demands on my time would allow, and actually was able to spend most of the week working along with them. I was feeling more confident about the test, and was eagerly looking forward to joining Steve for our Adirondack adventure.

STEVE - Wednesday, JUNE 14 1961

After Sandy left, I fell asleep and it wasn't until two o'clock that I woke up. Fortunately, I had arranged for a late checkout, and left the "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door! I got up, and showered and dressed quickly. I checked out of the motel, grabbed a quick sandwich at the deli, and soon was on the road.

The traffic wasn't bad, and I made good time on the drive, but I was hungry and tired by the time I got to my apartment. I quickly unpacked, put a can of soup on to heat, and called Sandy. We talked for a while, telling each other how special the past week had been for both of us, and how lucky we were to have each other. I must have sounded tired, because Sandy said, "Poor dear! You do sound tired, and I bet you haven't had anything since lunch! Get something to eat and some sleep!"

She sounded tired herself, and I when I heard her yawn, I said, "Good night, my love. You need to get some sleep yourself! I'll call you this weekend."

I quickly slurped down my soup and ate a sandwich, and soon was asleep, dreaming of Sandy. I slept well, and was at the agency at the usual time in the morning. I found Sam and Murray, and gave them a rundown of my progress with my program and the simulator. I said, "I've learned a lot about how to program it just in this one week, and have some ideas about how the real application should be programmed. Sam, can we spend tomorrow on that?"

Sam agreed, and as I left, Murray said, "Don't forget to submit your expenses. If I get them today, I can have a check for you before you go on vacation next week."

I went back to my office, collected my receipts and notes, and filled out an expense form. I took it back to Murray just before lunch. The rest of the day I used to make some notes about programming and debugging techniques. I wanted this for my own reference, and I also planned to send them to Sarah for her review.

Sam and I spent Friday reviewing the earlier work I had done on the Reaper application, and outlining the changes I suggested based on my experience. We didn't get it finished before it was quitting time, and agreed that we would get back together again on Monday. I went home and, after cooking myself a simple supper, called Sandy. She was glad to hear from me, but clearly she was most excited by the fact that it was less than two weeks before I would be there one day before we would leave on our trip on the Friday before the Fourth. She had borrowed a pack and some camping gear, and bought herself a sleeping bag like mine. It sounded like she was all set.

Saturday was a glorious, warm day, and I drove north to Great Falls for a long hike on a very pretty section of the Canal Trail that I hadn't seen before. Now that I had a car, I wasn't limited to locations that I could get to on public transportation!

I went in to work Monday, and found a message from Sam, saying that he had been called away on something quite urgent. It looked like I'd be on my own for a while. I spent the next two days immersed in the Reaper program, until Murray called me into his office Wednesday afternoon. He shut the door, which was unusual for him, and told me, "Well, you can forget your vacation. You need to be ready to leave Friday afternoon on a military flight to Germany. This is very secret, and under no circumstances can you tell anyone where you are going. You won't be able to get or send mail or make any phone calls. This probably will be for at least two months, not more than three. I'm very sorry about this, but things have gone crazy over there since the President met with Khrushchev a few weeks back. Sam's already there, and said that he really needed you. If it's any consolation, which I doubt, he was quite complimentary about your abilities."

I was crushed, especially when I realized that I was going to have to tell Sandy that our camping trip wasn't going to happen. I knew that she would be devastated, and dreaded having to call her this evening.

I finally pulled myself out of my bleak dark mood, and thought about some practical matters. I said to Murray, "If I'm going to be gone for two months, not getting my pay or able to pay my bills, when I come back my car will have been repossessed, and my furniture will be out on the street after I've been evicted for not paying my rent. How are we going to handle that?"

He thought for a moment, and said he'd arrange something and that I shouldn't worry. He also told me that I should pack civilian clothes, but to travel in uniform.

SANDY - Wednesday, June 21, 1961

I got home around six, after a frustrating but eventually productive day working with the team on a Stretch bug that had appeared after we installed the latest Engineering Change, universally referred to as an 'EC'. Mom had dinner almost ready when the phone rang. I grabbed it, hoping that it was Steve. It was, but he certainly wasn't his usual cheerful self. I asked, "Steve, dear, what's wrong?"

He said, "Oh, Sandy, I don't know how to make this easy for you. Murray called me in today and told me that my vacation was canceled, and that Friday I have to go somewhere for at least two, maybe three months. I can't tell you where or why, and I won't be able to talk to you or even send or get mail. I'm so sorry, dearest Kitten; I was so looking forward to our time in the Adirondacks, and I know you were too."

I felt like someone had kicked me hard in the stomach and knocked all the wind out of me. Before I could say anything, Steve went on, saying, "Darling, my dear love! The hardest thing for me about this was having to make this phone call."

He sounded pretty broken up about it to me, and I know that I was shaky also. I tried to be brave and said, "Steve, oh Steve! This really stinks! I'll hold you close to my heart all the time you're gone. Let's hope it's closer to two months than three, my love!"

He said, almost in tears, "I love you so much, Sandy. I'll call you again tomorrow evening before I have to leave."

I said, "I love you with all my heart! You are my most precious Tigger. Stay well, and come back to me as soon as you can! And, please, you absolutely must call me again tomorrow."

I hung up the phone and just stood there for a moment, as the full impact of Steve's news washed over me. Finally, I sat down at the table and put my head down on my arms, trying very hard not to start sobbing. Mom knew that something was seriously wrong, but left me alone for a few minutes. Finally, she said, "Sandy, dear, what is it?"