Tales of the City 03 - Further Tales of the City

dell, grasping her arm as he steered her through the labyrinthine thicket.
    Emerging from the dell, they followed the U-shaped ridge until the swamp below was visible through a clearing in the underbrush. There, frolicking along the water’s edge, two tiny figures were visible.
    “Edgar!” called Luke. “Anna! Come along, children. Time for bed.”
    The twins looked up and squealed in protest.
    “No arguments!” shouted Luke. “It’s almost dark.”
    So the children scampered up the steep path to the ridge. When they caught sight of Prue, they shouted her name gleefully. She knelt next to them and accepted their hugs, feeling curiously maternal.
    “They look fine,” she said to Luke. It was true.
    “They can’t stay out of the dirt,” he said, tousling Edgar’s hair. “Isn’t that right, roughneck?”
    Prue picked a twig out of Anna’s sweater. “They’ll be so relieved,” she said.
    “Who?” asked Luke.
    “Frannie and DeDe.”
    Silence.
    “We can call a cab from that phone booth outside the de Young,” said Prue. “We can get them home in an hour. Oh, Luke … this is like a great weight being lifted off …”
    “I don’t want you talking that way in front of the children!”
    That quicksilver rage had come back into his eyes.
    “I didn’t …”
    “They are home, Prue! I thought you, of all people, would understand that!”
    “Luke …”
    “Shut up, Prue! We’ll talk about it later. After the K-I-D-S are A-S-L-E-E-P. Understand?”
Back at the shack, she watched as the twins curled up on pallets on the floor. Luke tucked them in, giving each a rabbit pelt to hold. Then he tiptoed out into the fog, taking Prue with him.
    “We’re going away,” he whispered.
    “We can’t just leave them …”
    “No. The four of us, I mean. The family. We’re complete now. We have everything we need. We’ll move to South America and start a new life, Prue. God almighty! I’m so happy!”
    “Luke … those children don’t belong to us.”
    “And who do they belong to? That old society vulture? They aren’t her flesh and blood. She got them at an agency, Prue. She told you so herself.”
    “I know, but …”
    “Haven’t you always wanted children?”
    Silence.
    “Haven’t you?”
    “Luke, that has nothing to …”
    “It’s too late to have them yourself. Well … now you have them! And a lover who adores you more than life itself. Don’t you see how right this is? We’re getting exactly what we deserve, Prue! Look into my eyes and behold your destiny!”
    She looked into his eyes and beheld madness.
    After a moment’s hesitation, she said: “All right.”
    “All right what?”
    “I’ll go with you. It sounds wonderful, Luke.”
    He almost crushed her with his embrace. “Thank God … thank God!”
    “We can leave in the morning,” she said. “I’ll need to pick up a few things … and some credit cards. We can charter a jet. We’ll manage.”
    He sniffed back the tears. “It’ll be paradise. You’ll see.”
    Prue inched towards the ledge. “Wonderful. Then I’ll meet you back here in the …”
    “No. I want you to stay here with the children. I’m going out for a few hours.”
    “Oh.”
    “I shouldn’t be long. I’ll tuck you in with the children. I have a few … loose ends to tie up.”
    “I see.” Prue’s skin grew prickly with anticipation. Was this her chance for escape? Or would he simply lock the door when he left?
    “Children can be so insistent,” said Luke, caressing Prue’s neck in the darkness.
    “How’s that?”
    A low chuckle. “He wants his fire engine.”
    “The little boy?”
    “Uh-huh. It’s in the garden at the old lady’s house. He’s been missing it since Sitka. I promised him I’d get it for him. I guess that’s the least his Dad can do.”
    Silence.
    “Do you think that’s foolish?”
    “No. Not at all. I think it’s sweet.”
    “I found the address on his luggage. I hope it’s the right one.”
    “In Hillsborough?”
    “Uh-huh. Do you think the old lady will be there?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “What about … whatshername … DeDe?”
    “It’s hard to say.”
    “I’ll be careful, then.”
    “Do you have a way?” asked Prue. “Do you need cab fare? It’s some distance.”
    He touched her cheek gently. “I can manage.”
    Then he led her back into the shack, tucked her into bed, and kissed her tenderly on the eyelids.
    “Soon,” he whispered.
    When he left, closing the door behind him, she