Newsome Park, like other developments built for workers needed in the war effort, is a pleasant place to live. Residents enjoy access to shops of all kinds, and home delivery of coal, milk, and other goods. In the summer of 1944, Dorothy signs a lease for an apartment near an elementary school and brings her children to live with her. She has had enough of long drives for occasional, too-short visits to see them. The arrangement will add to the growing emotional and physical separation between her and Howard.

In August of 1945, the war ends. Everywhere in America, the streets fill with people celebrating. Soon, however, reality sets in: with industry returning to peacetime production levels and soldiers returning home, many workers, especially women, will lose their jobs. Some women will be happy to return to domestic life, but others will not. The hard-won gains of Black workers are in danger of slipping away. There is also the possibility that developments like Newsome Park will be demolished. All of these uncertainties made Dorothy’s decision to commit to an apartment lease a risky wager. However, she is determined to settle in and make Newport News her home. She and Miriam Mann grow close, and their families spend a good deal of time together. Howard joins her when his work and travel allow it.