Tales of the City 03 - Further Tales of the City

the Kleenex.
    “Is it?” Frannie persisted.
    A bone-rattling blast from the Sagafjord announced its impending departure.
    “There we go,” said DeDe, a trifle too cheerily.
    “DeDe, I want you to …”
    DeDe silenced her with another hug. “Everything will be fine, Mother … just fine.”

Keeping Up with the Joneses
    L ARRY KENAN DIDN’T LAUGH—HE BRAYED —WHEN MARY Ann made her request. “That’s rich, lady! That is really rich!”
    “Well, I’m sorry if it …”
    “Reserve air time?”
    “You don’t have to repeat it, Larry. I get the message.”
    “Air time is not something you reserve, like a room at the Hilton or something …”
    “Right. Gotcha.”
    “Air time is something you create … and we have to know what we’re creating, right?”
    “Right.” Mary Ann rose and headed for the door.
    The news director kept his face tilted heavenward towards Bo Derek. “Hold it,” he said.
    Mary Ann stopped at the door. “Yeah?”
    “If you’ve got a story, you should let us know about it. You have a responsibility to let us know about it. As a journalist.”
    “I’m not a journalist,” said Mary Ann crisply. “You just said so yourself.”
    “I said you were not a journalist yet . And, even if you were, I couldn’t sign you up for free air time without knowing what the fuck you’re gonna talk about!”
    “I already told you,” said Mary Ann calmly. “I can talk about it a week from today.”
    “Then why don’t you do that, huh?”
    “Fine.”
    “Only don’t expect to talk about it on the air.”
    “Larry …”
    “Do you read me, lady? We have professionals we pay for that. That’s not what we pay you for. I think we could work out a credit line on the crawl. Maybe. I don’t know what rabbit you’ve got treed, but don’t expect it to turn you into Bambi Kanetaka overnight.”
    She squelched a “God forbid” and walked out the door. So much for Plan A.
    Plan B, she expected, would be a lot more fun.
DeDe seemed amenable to the idea. “I don’t care how we do it,” she said. “I’m more concerned about when.”
    “Would Tuesday be O.K.?” asked Mary Ann.
    “A week from today?”
    Mary Ann nodded. “That’ll give us a week to mop things up before your mother and the children get back. The trip was a good idea, really … if only for logistical purposes.”
    DeDe’s face clouded over. “But you think I’m a little paranoid, just the same.”
    “I think you’re being conscientious.”
    “Don’t mince words, Mary Ann.”
    “DeDe, I …”
    “Jim Jones is dead, right? He must be. You saw it on the goddamn news!”
    The outburst miffed Mary Ann. “All I care about,” she said firmly, “is that you get a fair chance to tell your story … in as safe a fashion as possible. This is a mind-boggling scoop, DeDe. Period. My opinion doesn’t make a good goddamn at this point. The point is … to raise the questions. The answers will sort themselves out later.”
    “You’re right,” said DeDe resignedly.
    “It won’t be easy. I know that. If you like, you can confine your remarks to a written statement, and I’ll handle the questions from the press. Then you and the twins can disappear, take another vacation, start life afresh.”
    DeDe’s smile was rueful. “It’ll be anything but that.”
    “I know it’ll be tough for a while, but …”
    “It’ll be tough until I know for sure. I saw that guy, Mary Ann. I’ve never been so sure about something.”
    Mary Ann appraised her for a moment. “All right, then … let’s say that you did.”
    DeDe waited.
    “Let’s say that he made it to Moscow, and his double died in his place. The whole world thinks he’s dead, but he’s really alive and well and living in Moscow. Why on earth, then, would he come back to San Francisco and be seen wandering around Steinhart Aquarium?”
    Silence.
    Mary Ann was gentle. “These are the things they’re going to ask you, DeDe. I want you to be ready.”
    “I’ll never be ready,” she said grimly.
    Mary Ann rose and moved to DeDe’s side, hugging her clumsily. “I’m so sorry. God, I … look, we can leave out the stuff about the double, if you want. We can just announce that you’re back and leave out the rest …”
    “No!” DeDe’s head shook adamantly. “I want to nail that asshole. I want this over once and for all. I don’t want to creep around the rest of my life, wondering if he’s waiting for me … wondering if … if the children