Page 152 of Edge of Eternity (The Century 3)

"If we stay here, we're not just condemning ourselves to a life in prison. Our children will suffer, too."

"Do you want to have children?"

Walli had not intended to raise this subject. He did not know whether he wanted children. First he needed to save his own life. "Well, I don't want to have children in East Germany," he said. He had not thought of this before, but now that he had said it he felt sure of it.

Karolin looked serious. "Then maybe we should escape," she said. "But how?"

Walli had toyed with many ideas, but he had a favorite. "Have you seen the checkpoint near my school?"

"I've never really looked."

"It's used by vehicles carrying goods to West Berlin--meat, vegetables, cheese, and so on." The East German government did not like feeding West Berlin, but they needed the money, according to Walli's father.

"And . . . ?"

Walli had worked out some details in his fantasy. "The barrier is a single length of timber about six inches thick. You show your papers, then the guard swings up the barrier to let your truck in. They inspect your load in the compound, then there's another similar barrier to the exit."

"Yes, I recall the setup."

Walli made his voice more confident than he felt. "It strikes me that a driver who had trouble with the guards could probably crash through both barriers."

"Oh, Walli, it's so dangerous!"

"There's no safe way to get out."

"You don't have a truck."

"We'll steal this van." After the show, Joe always sat in the bar while Walli packed up the drum kit and loaded the van. By the time Walli was finished, Joe was more or less drunk, and Walli would drive him home. Walli did not have a license, but Joe did not know that, and he had never been sober enough to notice Walli's erratic driving. After helping Joe into his apartment, Walli had to stash the kit in the hallway, then garage the van. "I could take it tonight, after the show," he said to Karolin. "We could go across first thing in the morning, as soon as the checkpoint opens."

"If I'm late home my father will come looking for me."

"Go home, go to bed, and get up early. I'll wait for you outside the school. Joe won't surface before midday. By the time he realizes his van is missing, we'll be strolling in the Tiergarten."

Karolin kissed him. "I'm scared, but I love you," she said.

Walli heard the band playing "Avalon," the closing number of the first set, and he realized they had been talking a long time. "We're on in five minutes," he said. "Let's go."

The band left the stage and the dance floor emptied. It took Walli less than a minute to set up the microphones and the small guitar amplifier. The audience returned to their drinks and their conversations. Then the Bobbsey Twins came on. Some customers took no notice; others looked on with interest: Walli and Karolin made an attractive couple, and that was always a good start.

As usual they began with "Noch Einen Tanz," which got people's attention and made them laugh. They sang some folk songs, two Everly Brothers numbers, and "Hey Paula," a hit for an American duo very like themselves called Paul and Paula. Walli had a high voice, and sang harmonies over Karolin's tune. He had developed a fingerpicking guitar style that was rhythmic as well as melodic.

They finished with "If I Had a Hammer." Most of the audience loved it, clapping along with the beat, though there were a few stern faces at the words justice and freedom in the refrain.

They came off to loud applause. Walli's head swam with the euphoria of knowing he had enchanted an audience. It was better than being drunk. He was flying.

Passing them in the wings, Joe said: "If you ever sing that song again, you're fired."

Walli's elation was punctured. He felt as if he had been slapped. Furious, he said to Karolin: "That settles it. I'm leaving tonight."

They returned to the van. Often they made love a second time, but tonight both were too tense. Walli was boiling with rage. "What's the earliest you could meet me in the morning?" he said to Karolin.

She thought for a minute. "I'll go home now and tell them I need an early night, because I have to get up early in the morning . . . for a rehearsal of my college's May Day parade."

"Good," he said.

"I could be with you by seven without arousing suspicion."

"That's perfect. There won't be much traffic through the checkpoint at that hour on a Sunday morning."

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