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as more serious, and she trotted off on her sensible heels to round up the strays. When all were aboard, the bus went to Lenin’s schoolhouse, after which they had been granted the requested free time in downtown Ulyanovsk. The bus pulled up outside a yellow-tiled department store with the stark title of “Clothing,” and Natasha released the group only after copious street directions and strict admonishments to return to the boat two hours before departure time.
“Lock-up time, you mean,” snorted David. “The boat’s not moving on tonight, according to Ivan Nikolaevich. We leave in the morning.”
“Good,” said Jennifer, “because we may need all the time at our disposal. I’ve got to meet up with Paul and Vera at a park—the one he described to you—and I’d like it if you were to come with me. I want to tell you about my idea.”
“Sure. It beats a day with Natasha and the boys. And I’ve got to see this hedge called Lenin for myself….”
They went on foot in the wrong direction at first, stopping to ask the way of bemused citizens happy to speak to the foreigners who knew their language. One of them pulled out a chocolate bar from his pocket and offered it to them; another one turned around on the spot and walked them to a crossroads. After some delays and backtracking in which they passed the same department store twice, they spotted a landmark fountain in front of the park gates.
“So give. You still haven’t told me,” David reminded her.
Jennifer hastily summarized her plan for Paul’s passport and Volodya’s departure. David whistled.
“I thought it was something like that. Tell me, do you really love this Volodya guy?”
“Why?” she answered sharply.
“Just wonder how much trouble you’d get into for him?”
“Apparently a lot.”
“I don’t think this is actually illegal until you go to leave the country,” David said thoughtfully. “So you still have a few days to change your mind.”
“Thanks, but you’re optimistic. If Vera and Paul really go for it, I’ll be in possession of someone else’s passport.”
“That’s nothing. He could have lost it and you were just about to turn it in.” He smiled.
Entering the civic park, they admired the hedge clipped into …
Libros Libertad 