"I have never asked you before, but based on what you know of her, what is your opinion of Gala?"
      "Why do you ask?" she said suspiciously.
      "Because," said Dali, looking more apprehensive than excited, "we have set a date for our marriage."
      "I hope the two of you will be very happy together," said Jinx, trying to keep the doubt out of her voice.
      "I shall be ecstatically happy," he replied without much assurance.
      Funny , she thought. I never knew you were a masochist. I wonder what your friend Freud would make of it. Aloud she said, "Then I am ecstatically happy for you."
      "It means that you and I will have to be even more discreet in our meetings," he continued.
      "If she loves you enough to marry you," replied Jinx, "she should love you enough to believe you when you tell her that we are just friends."
      Dali sighed deeply. "You do not know Gala. She is absolute perfection, of courseâbut she is not always reasonable. Still, I love her desperately and I need her even more. There are so many things I cannot do. I cannot cook, or clean my clothes, or manage my money. She will take over all these functions and free me to paint."
      "You are free to paint right now," noted Jinx.
      "Ah, but Gala says it is time to grow up."
      "Doesn't that mean that it's time to learn to handle money and feed yourself?" she asked innocently.
      "You are too young to understand," he said uncomfortably. "Someday you will grow up."
      "Someday you may, too," said Jinx.
      "I resent that!"
      "Then I apologize," she said with obvious insincerity.
      "I have but a single fear," said Dali after a moment's silence.
      "Only one?" asked Jinx. "I should think you would have many." All inspired by Gala , she added silently.
      "No, just one," said Dali. "This place is not fitting for a woman of Gala's breeding and quality, and she has explained that it is even less fitting for a man with my current income and prospects. So I think I may be moving after the wedding." He grimaced involuntarily. "That means that I will not be able to visit your world again."
      "I wouldn't be too sure of that," said Jinx.
      "Oh?"
      "Of course, I don't know it for a fact, but I think the doorway will follow you wherever you go."
      "What makes you think so?" he asked hopefully.
      "I don't know. I just have a feeling that the doorway is yours rather than the closet's. I've asked around, and no one remembers seeing the door before you moved into this place, and now everyone sees it plain as day."
      Dali closed his eyes, an expression of enormous relief on his face. "I pray that you are right."
      "We'll know soon enough," said Jinx. "Now let me see what you have been working on."
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Chapter 14: Escape
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      Gala and Dali took up residence in a bigger place, though it was another two years before they were actually married.
      In the meantime, she began separating him from his friends, one by one. She was jealous of women, but she was also jealous of men, children, dogs, cats, anything that took Dali's attention away from her.
      The one exception was his painting. She knew a good thing when she saw it, and she never interfered with his methods, his subject matter, or anything else concerning his artâexcept to suggest, as prolific as he was, that he become even more so, that popularity didn't
      "Why do you ask?" she said suspiciously.
      "Because," said Dali, looking more apprehensive than excited, "we have set a date for our marriage."
      "I hope the two of you will be very happy together," said Jinx, trying to keep the doubt out of her voice.
      "I shall be ecstatically happy," he replied without much assurance.
      Funny , she thought. I never knew you were a masochist. I wonder what your friend Freud would make of it. Aloud she said, "Then I am ecstatically happy for you."
      "It means that you and I will have to be even more discreet in our meetings," he continued.
      "If she loves you enough to marry you," replied Jinx, "she should love you enough to believe you when you tell her that we are just friends."
      Dali sighed deeply. "You do not know Gala. She is absolute perfection, of courseâbut she is not always reasonable. Still, I love her desperately and I need her even more. There are so many things I cannot do. I cannot cook, or clean my clothes, or manage my money. She will take over all these functions and free me to paint."
      "You are free to paint right now," noted Jinx.
      "Ah, but Gala says it is time to grow up."
      "Doesn't that mean that it's time to learn to handle money and feed yourself?" she asked innocently.
      "You are too young to understand," he said uncomfortably. "Someday you will grow up."
      "Someday you may, too," said Jinx.
      "I resent that!"
      "Then I apologize," she said with obvious insincerity.
      "I have but a single fear," said Dali after a moment's silence.
      "Only one?" asked Jinx. "I should think you would have many." All inspired by Gala , she added silently.
      "No, just one," said Dali. "This place is not fitting for a woman of Gala's breeding and quality, and she has explained that it is even less fitting for a man with my current income and prospects. So I think I may be moving after the wedding." He grimaced involuntarily. "That means that I will not be able to visit your world again."
      "I wouldn't be too sure of that," said Jinx.
      "Oh?"
      "Of course, I don't know it for a fact, but I think the doorway will follow you wherever you go."
      "What makes you think so?" he asked hopefully.
      "I don't know. I just have a feeling that the doorway is yours rather than the closet's. I've asked around, and no one remembers seeing the door before you moved into this place, and now everyone sees it plain as day."
      Dali closed his eyes, an expression of enormous relief on his face. "I pray that you are right."
      "We'll know soon enough," said Jinx. "Now let me see what you have been working on."
Â
Â
Â
Chapter 14: Escape
Â
      Gala and Dali took up residence in a bigger place, though it was another two years before they were actually married.
      In the meantime, she began separating him from his friends, one by one. She was jealous of women, but she was also jealous of men, children, dogs, cats, anything that took Dali's attention away from her.
      The one exception was his painting. She knew a good thing when she saw it, and she never interfered with his methods, his subject matter, or anything else concerning his artâexcept to suggest, as prolific as he was, that he become even more so, that popularity didn't
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