“Just a minute,” she said.
She went back inside and got her knee-length down coat. She pulled on a toque and fingerless gloves, wound a striped scarf around her neck and came out again, locking the door behind her. Hannah and Barth had returned to the sidewalk. Rudie sat on the bottom step, looking up at them.
“Really, what is it? Why me?”
“We don’t know what to do,” the boy said.
“Yes, we do,” said Hannah. “I’m having a baby and we need somewhere to stay.”
Rudie lurched upright, the ice on the step throwing her off balance when she hugged Hannah so that she was leaning on her for a moment. Either out of surprise or welcome, Hannah didn’t push her away. Rudie thumped Hannah on the shoulder, then clicked her teeth as she climbed back up a few stairs.
“How do you know?” Rudie ask
