Spencerville

you.”
    She snuggled on top of him, and they lay together on the sloping bank. He thought she drifted off, but then she said, “When?”
    “When what?”
    “When can we elope?”
    “Oh… well, what do you think about just moving into my place?”
    She rolled off and knelt beside him, looking down at him. “We can’t, Keith. This is not Washington. People don’t just change partners here. They run off. They always run. They have to. You know that.”
    “I know. But I don’t like to run, Annie.”
    “There is no other way.” She added, “I’ll go with you anywhere you want. But not here.”
    “Okay… but I’m going to speak to him first.”
    “No. He’ll get violent.”
    Which was exactly what Keith wanted. He said to her, “He and I should talk, man-to-man and all that.”
    She stared down at him a long time, then said, “Keith, look at me.”
    He sat up and looked at her. “Yes?”
    “Promise me you won’t hurt him.”
    Keith didn’t reply.
    She put her hands on his shoulders. “I know he hit you, and I know you’re not the kind of man who’s going to forgive or forget that. But you don’t have to settle the score. Let it go. For me.”
    Again, Keith didn’t reply.
    She said, “Please. Let God or Spencerville deal with him. We don’t need that as part of our history.” She added, “He’s Tom and Wendy’s father.”
    “I promise I won’t kill him.”
    She looked at him and said, “No violence of any sort, Keith. Please. Not even the beating he deserves.” She took his head in her hands and said, “There’s nothing worse you or I can do to him than what we’re about to do. Leave it at that.”
    “All right. I promise.”
    “I love you.” She leaned forward and kissed him.
    He stood and said, “Let me walk you back.”
    “Let’s walk in the stream.”
    “Okay.” He pulled off his shoes and socks and left them on the bank, rolled up his jeans, and slung his rifle over his shoulder while she gathered up her panty hose and shoes.
    They walked down the stream toward the pond, hand in hand. She said, “I need a week to get my affairs in order. Is that too long?”
    “Not after twenty-five years.”
    She squeezed his hand. “Where will we go?”
    “Do you have a passport?”
    “No. But I can apply for one.”
    “Not at this post office, you can’t.”
    “No, I can’t. I’ll go up to Toledo.”
    “We’ll go to Washington first. Bring all your personal papers.”
    “Okay. I’ve never been to Washington.”
    “What city did you like best in Europe?”
    “Rome.”
    “Rome it is
.
”
    “Are you serious?”
    “If you are, I am.”
    She thought a moment, then said, “I am.”
    He glanced at her and asked, “Do you understand what it means to leave home?”
    “No
,
but if I’m with you, I’m home. How’s that for lovesick?”
    “I know the feeling. But have you thought about what it’s like to miss your children, your family, and community?”
    “Yes. I’ve thought about that. But it’s time I did something that Annie Prentis wants to do.”
    “And your job? Do you still manage the hospital thrift store?”
    “Yes, and I like it, but it’s hardly challenging. ” She added, “It’s a husband-approved job. No men, no money, no weekends, flexible hours, and down the street from his office.”
    Keith nodded. “I saw it when I was downtown.”
    “Would you mind if I worked?”
    “You can do whatever you want.”
    “Can I work long hours in an office, bring work home on weekends, and go on business trips with men?”
    “Don’t push it, Prentis.”
    She smiled and squeezed his hand.
    They continued through the ankle-deep stream, picking their way around the stones, and Keith liked the feel of the silt on his bare feet and her hand in his.
    Annie said, “Maybe someday we can return to visit.”
    “Maybe.”
    “And how about you, Keith? This is your home, too. Did you want to stay?”
    “I did, but I knew I couldn’t. But maybe someday.”
    She thought awhile, then said, “If… he wasn’t here…”
    “What would he do if he got sacked?”
    She replied, “He wouldn’t stay. He couldn’t. He’d be humiliated. And too many people secretly hate him.” She thought a moment, then said, “You know, if Mrs. Baxter runs off with another man, he may actually be embarrassed enough to resign and leave town. Then we can return if we want to.”
    Keith nodded, then asked her, “Where would he go?”
    “Grey Lake. In fact, that’s where he said