Free Love Lessons by Margaret Daley Page A

young girl, they were becoming acquainted and fitting into a loose routine, which pleased Ian. Having a schedule had its advantages in keeping Jana on track.
    â€œWe were just talking,” Jana said to fill the sudden silence.
    â€œYeah, about maybe doing something to this room to make it more appealing.” Alexa rose, gesturing toward the walls. “Maybe paint them a hot pink.”
    For a few seconds Ian’s mouth fell open. “Hot pink.” The words exploded from his mouth.
    â€œHow about instead of painting, Jana and I go to the store and buy some posters for the walls?”
    He pinched the bridge of his nose right above his wire-rimmed glasses as though he had a headache. “Posters? What kind?”
    â€œSomething to interest kids. Something Jana likes.”
    â€œI don’t know—”
    â€œPlease, Dad. Alexa and I can go today. Ashley’s told me about a neat store downtown called Pop Art and More.”
    Alexa looked at Jana. “Oh, I love that place. We should find something there.”
    â€œI can’t go right now. I’ve got an appointment.”
    â€œIf you aren’t going to be too long, you could drop us off then come back and pick us up.” Alexa slid another glance toward Jana to see if she would object.
    The young girl blinked, her face going pale, but she didn’t say anything.
    â€œI guess I could. I shouldn’t be more than half an hour. Okay, Jana?”
    Jana nodded slowly, her hands balling at her sides.
    Thirty minutes later, Alexa and Jana were flipping through the posters at Pop Art and More and had selected four already. Each one was of a famous place on different continents. When Alexa spied the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, she paused, a warmth suffusing her as she took in the sight of an almost one-hundred-foot-tall Jesus with his arms outstretched as though he was drawing the whole world to him. In the background were the azure blue water and Sugarloaf Mountain at the mouth of Guanabara Bay.
    Alexa tapped the poster. “I hope I can see that one day in person.”
    â€œWhere is it?”
    â€œBrazil.”
    â€œWhere the Amazon is?”
    â€œYeah, it’s one of the largest countries in the world.”
    â€œI don’t know anything about Brazil, but I know the Amazon has a lot of unusual animals.”
    Alexa pulled the rolled-up poster from its bin. “Would you like to learn about the Amazon and Brazil?”
    Jana smiled. “Yeah, it would be fun.”
    â€œThen we will.”
    â€œWe will? Don’t ya have to ask Dad first?”
    â€œI’ll talk to him.” Every evening they discussed what Jana was learning, what worked and didn’t, where Jana was having a problem, but so far he hadn’t objected to what she did with his daughter since that first day.
    Jana glanced at her watch. “Dad should be outside by now.”
    Alexa and Jana headed for the cashier. After Alexa paid for the purchases, using the money Ian had given her, she and Jana left the store. Ian had told them he would park next to the building, and if they weren’t outside, he’d comeinside. They stood near the entrance of the parking lot and waited for him to show up.
    â€œWe can hang these up when we get home.” Alexa checked the area for Ian’s car.
    Jana chewed her fingernail and didn’t say anything.
    For the next fifteen minutes Alexa tried to keep up a running dialogue about some of the animals she knew lived in the jungles of Brazil, but as the seconds ticked away with no Ian, Jana began pacing, her teeth worrying her bottom lip.
    â€œWhere’s Dad? He should have been here by now.”
    â€œHe’ll be here. The traffic is heavy.”
    Jana made another trip to the curb, searched both directions, then came back to Alexa. She curled her hands then uncurled them. “Please call him. Something might be wrong.”
    Alexa dug into her large purse