Megs has turned a vault lobby into a little amusement park and named it Nuka Megs Land. The first thing I noticed was the big smiling red bottle cap beside the entrance sign. Trees, brick paths and bright displays make it easy to forget the heavy shelter door behind you.

She has fitted rides and colorful seats around the grounds, including a tall central machine with chairs at its base. A counter, toys and familiar soda decorations fill the smaller corners. Farther in, The Cap has a long red counter, stools and jukeboxes. It is a small park, but she has used nearly every corner.

Her mother once appeared in Nuka Cola advertisements, and Megs has kept that family connection close. I saw it here in the signs and figures she chose, rather than in a grand speech about the past. There is something encouraging about a woman who has lost so much still finding room to make people smile.