Drowned History

by Rebecca Lovell

  It was an interesting thought, possibly working with archaeologists. Alice had never done anything like it and wasn’t entirely certain she would be able to talk to them in the first place. No doubt there were lots of phrases and words that scientists would use that she wouldn’t have the slightest clue how to translate. Still, it didn’t hurt to try and she’d never been refused help when she couldn’t decipher a phrase before. In fact, most Indians seemed downright indulgent about it. She wondered if it was because she was a woman.

  “Are you finished, Miss Graesser?” The secretary poked her head into the office as if she hadn’t been listening the whole time and Alice pushed herself off the desk where she had been leaning.

  “Yes,” Alice said. “For now, anyhow.” Not waiting to be asked what she meant by that, Alice went back down the hall to the library to puzzle over the German she’d been assigned. If she had to call her father she would do it later. Speaking German on the phone always seemed to upset people lately.

  Alice’s eyes snapped open to find herself in near darkness and she looked around, trying to remember where she was. She rubbed the last of the dream out of her eyes moments before her gaze fell on George, who was asleep in the chair across the aisle. Seeing him again, having him sitting close enough so she could reach out and touch him if she wanted was wonderful, even if it came at the cost of his constant contempt. She deserved it, of course, so she couldn’t be too angry with him.

  In the dim light that came through the window from the rising moon she could see that George’s glasses had slid partway down his nose, giving her the impression that he had nodded off rather than made a conscious decision to go to sleep, and she fought the urge to reach over and push them up or take them off him. He hadn’t worn glasses when she last saw him, but it had also been a long time since then. Alice supposed she could be wrong about his having a wife, and maybe he even had children. The thought was foreign to her, as he’d never said anything about having children, but so much had changed since she saw him last anything was possible.

  She turned around in her seat to see that Nadir was also asleep, though he looked more like he had planned for it. All of his things had been neatly put away and his hands were folded in his lap. Alice smiled and wondered how Phillip was doing in the cockpit. It had been quite some time since she’d flown so she wasn’t sure where they would have to stop to refuel but she assumed it hadn’t happened yet since everyone was still asleep. She admired the pilot for being able to stay awake for so long, especially since she and her companions obviously couldn’t.

  What little light was left was escaping rapidly from the windows and Alice leaned her head back on her chair. It was going to be too dark to see soon, even with the moon, and she didn’t want to turn on the lights and disturb her fellow passengers so she figured she might as well go back to sleep if she could.

  While she waited to see if sleep would take her, she thought about Amesh. She hadn’t talked to him since he’d asked her to meet with Nadir. She hadn’t wanted to call him from Peter and Margery’s phone and was too busy to call him when she was at the office picking up papers. It wouldn’t cost nearly as much to call him once they were in India and she might even get the chance to see him while they were there. She wasn’t sure how long it would take to get to the Vidyapith from the dig site but if she was going to be there a week she could surely find the time.

  After all, she thought, turning her head so she could look at George one last time before the light was gone, he brought George back to me for a little while. Alice smiled and closed her eyes. Just like before, he would be there when she woke up. He might not be happy to see her but he would be there and safe, and it was all she could have asked for.

  A memory of her mother popped into her head suddenly and she sighed deeply as she remembered her mother telling her that Surat was a nice, quiet place with plenty of English-speaking people. If she had known then everything she knew now, she would have told her mother she was going back to Europe instead, even if it meant she had to stay away from Germany. In response to this, her shoulder twinged and she grimaced. Perhaps she was being a bit too hasty.

  Five

  The airport in Surat was barely more than an airstrip, and when George stepped out of the plane he wasn’t surprised to find that he was walking on bare earth. He took a deep breath and the familiar smells and sounds of India filled his senses, which immediately began warring with one another over whether they were pleased about this or not.

  “I’m terribly stiff,” Alice said from behind him and he turned around, ready to reply with a sharp comment, only to find that she was talking to Phillip. “Not that you aren’t a wonderful pilot,” she said hurriedly, “but it was quite a long flight.”

  “I know what you mean,” Phillip said, and George could see Alice’s suitcase in his hand. Instead of a pocketbook she had a messenger bag that looked very much like the one he had carried during the war slung over her shoulder and he had to tear his eyes away from it. “I don’t get to move around much up front myself. This is actually the longest flight I’ve ever done.”

  “It’s certainly the longest I’ve been on in a while,” she said. “And the smoothest as well.”

  “Any time you want to fly I’ll be more than happy to take you,” Phillip said with a grin. “No charge, of course. It’ll be my pleasure.”

  “You’re too sweet,” Alice said and George grimaced, knowing she wouldn’t be able to see it. The boy was painfully obvious and he didn’t know how Alice wasn’t seeing it. Or perhaps she was seeing it but just didn’t care.

  “I never did ask you,” Nadir said, joining George and sparing him the further annoyance of watching Phillip’s attempts at flirting with Alice. “Have you spoken to Sylvia lately?”

  “It’s been a couple of weeks,” he admitted. “She’s been busy since the fall term started and I’ve just been given a resident to look after at the hospital. Besides, I’m sure we both agree that there’s not much left to say to one another.” It would be a first, George thought. He and Sylvia had rarely agreed on anything in the last few months except that their marriage had been over long before they filed for divorce.

  “You should call her,” Nadir said. “I know she’d like to talk to you.” Before George was able to disabuse him of this notion, Phillip joined them.

  “Where are we headed?” His face was red, no doubt with the exertion of carrying his own suitcase and whatever Alice had stuffed into hers. For someone who was supposed to be packing light it had been quite heavy.

  “The trucks are just over there,” Nadir said, indicating a pair of open vehicles that looked a lot like the ones that had been used on the battlefield. “We’ll put our things in one and ride in the other,” he went on. “I’d like for the four of us to stay together if at all possible.”

  “That seems reasonable.” George went over to the truck and put his suitcase in the backseat, opting to keep his medical bag with him. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the drivers, he just preferred to be prepared for any emergencies. Phillip’s case went in next but he was having difficulty getting Alice’s over the top. George was just about to take pity on him and help him with it when Alice came over and picked up the other end.

  “Here,” she said. “Let me help you with that.” Together they managed to get her suitcase into the truck and George felt a stab of pity for Phillip, who had no doubt wanted to look chivalrous and strong by refusing the help of the men who had already unpacked several boxes from the plane.

  It would have been strange for Nadir to ride in the backseat between him and Phillip since he was the leader of the group so it fell to Alice to take that position since she was the smallest of the three. For his part Phillip looked pleased with the arrangement but George couldn’t help feeling a little uncomfortable and he didn’t think he was imagining that Alice felt the same.

  “Are you all right?” She truly seemed concerned about him and George shrugged.

  “I’ll manage.�
�

  Alice looked like she was going to say something further but George was relieved when Phillip leaned over to her and asked what was in her messenger bag. While she explained about her notebooks and papers George was able to relax. Whatever it was she felt the need to say to him, he would much rather she said it when they were in private. He didn’t know when that might be but he was willing to put it off until then, possibly even indefinitely.

  “Excuse me,” Nadir said, turning around in his seat. “I think the driver is asking something about which route we want to take and I have no idea how to reply. In fact, I’m not even sure I’m telling you the right thing.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Alice said. She leaned forward to speak to the driver, whose eyes were firmly on the road ahead, and when she did her shirt pulled itself out of her skirt and rode up just enough on her to expose a strip of her skin that was a hint fairer than her face. George remembered that she had told him her parents were British and German, and while he still wondered if this had been the truth he could certainly believe it with how pale her back was.

  He also remembered that she had been concerned with her modesty in public and no matter how hard he was pretending that he wasn’t staring, Phillip was far more interested in her back that politeness would allow. It wasn’t the first time George had been privy to seeing her bare skin but it felt strange to share the experience with someone young enough to be his son. He reached forward and tugged Alice’s shirt down so her back was covered again and she turned around just as he sat back. She reached back and felt that her shirt was untucked, then smiled at George.

  “Thank you,” she said, her voice warm with the gratitude that came from his small gesture. “I didn’t even feel it come out.”

  “I don’t mind,” George said, stopping himself just in time before he told her that he had never minded. She sat back against the seat and moved just a bit closer to him, something that didn’t go unnoticed but he didn’t want to point it out in front of everyone else. In response to her shift, Phillip moved closer to her as well.

  “It’s a bit crowded in here, isn’t it?” Alice’s leg was pressed against his and it wasn’t an entirely unwelcome feeling. While George cursed himself for his weakness where Alice was concerned, even now, Phillip grinned.

  “Are you uncomfortable, Miss---Alice?”

  “I’m all right,” she said, returning his smile. George wondered if she had figured out that he was interested in her yet. He was sure she must have, she was an intelligent woman and had always been good at reading people, even when she wasn’t completely familiar with what they were saying. He’d liked having her with him when he was taking delivery of imports because she could tell him when he was about to be taken in by someone. There was no way she would fall for Phillip’s weak attempt at courtship, no matter how single she might be. If she was single at all.

  “If you need me to move over I’ll be happy to,” Phillip said but George knew he was hoping she wouldn’t ask him to go anywhere. Polite as always, Alice shook her head with a smile.

  “You’re fine,” she said. “It won’t be too long before we’re at the camp. I’ll be able to stretch my legs once we get there.” Nadir turned around again.

  “The driver says it will be about a two hour drive.”

  “Oh,” Alice sighed. “Well, I suppose I have no choice but to wait.” She settled back against the seat and pulled her messenger bag onto her lap. She fumbled with the clasp and took out a book that George recognized immediately as one of the journals she had kept when she lived in Surat. He had always seen her writing in them in Gujarati and she had told him it was good practice.

  Her reading didn’t last long before she closed the book and leaned her head back, taking several long breaths as she did. George had seen this before and shook his head.

  “You still get motion sickness?”

  “Yes,” Alice said. “It’s not the first time it’s happened but I had hoped I’d outgrown it.” She seemed to think better of saying anything more and George opened his medical bag. There was a small brown vial with a black cap in the bottom and he opened it and shook a pill into his hand.

  “Here,” he said, taking Alice’s hand and tipping the pill into her palm. “This will make you feel better.”

  “What is it?” Alice looked at the pill suspiciously and he remembered how she’d hated taking any sort of medication, Indian or American.

  “It’s a medication called promethazine. Somewhat new but it does wonders for motion sickness. It may make you rather tired though.” There was a canteen of water between the seats in the front of the car and he reached forward to get it. He handed it to Alice, unscrewing the cap when he realized she wasn’t going to be able to hold the pill and do it herself.

  “Thank you,” she said, taking the open canteen. She put the pill in her mouth and was just about to take a drink of water to wash it down when the truck hit a bump in the road and sent a mouthful of water down her chin and onto her skirt. Instantly George was transported back to the battlefield, where he’d seen soldiers taking their last drinks in a similar fashion. Some of them had even lived for a few minutes and he’d been the one to witness their last breaths. His hands began to shake and for an instant he had the urge to put his arms around Alice and hold her until they were steady again, just the way he had when they shared a bed. There was no way he could do it, not now, so he gripped the handles of his bag tightly until he was able to regain his composure while Alice wiped her chin with a handkerchief Phillip gave her. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I must seem terribly clumsy.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Phillip said quickly. “The road is a little bumpy, that’s all.”

  “Yes,” Alice agreed, then turned to George and handed back the canteen. “Thank you for the medication. How long does it normally take to work?”

  “About ten minutes.” George had brought the medication anticipating that someone might need it when they were on the plane or as a result of unfamiliar food and he was very glad he had. “You’ll know it’s working when you start seeing double.”

  “That doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence.”

  “Don’t worry,” Phillip said. “If you need to lean on me I won’t mind.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Alice said, then looked up at Nadir. He was going through a Gujarati phrase book and Alice smiled up at him. “He’s saying that it will probably be after dark by the time we get to the dig site. You’re going to be in trouble if I fall asleep.”

  “We can figure it out,” Nadir said, returning her smile. “I can always wake you up.”

  Not bloody likely, George thought. He’d only used promethazine a few times but if Alice was sensitive to it she would be asleep for at least an hour and it would take more than a few bumps to wake her up. A few minutes later she had the glassy, faraway look in her eyes that told him she was about to fall asleep.

  “Get some rest,” he told her. “We’ll need you fully awake when we get to the camp.”

  “I’m inclined to agree with you,” she said. “I hope you won’t hold it against me if I fall your direction instead of Phillip’s.”

  “I’ll try to overcome my disappointment.” This made Alice smile through what was almost certain her dizziness and she was asleep not five minutes later. When Nadir turned to ask her to translate something else he saw that her eyes were closed and turned to George.

  “I think he’s asking me what we’re going out to the mountains for. Please tell me your Gujarati is good enough to tell him that we’re archaeologists.”

  “Speak for yourself,” George replied. “You’re the only one here who could remotely resemble an archaeologist.” He leaned forward and conversed with the driver for a few minutes, then turned to their leader. “He said they don’t get many white people going out to the middle of nowhere.”

  “It will be interesting for sure,” Nadir said. “Thank goodness we have the two of you to translate for us. You and Alice are t
wo of our greatest assets.”

  Doomed, George thought as he turned this over in his head. This expedition is doomed.

  Six

  It was almost dark when they reached the dig site and Alice was still sound asleep. Phillip looked over her at George, who was looking critically at the mountain. He wondered how much she weighed and if he would be able to carry her.

  “Here we are,” Nadir said as the truck came to a stop. A man in a pair of khaki slacks and a tan shirt came out of a small tent and started toward them. He was wearing a red bandanna around his neck and Phillip wondered if he should have brought one himself. He hadn’t had any idea how to pack so he’d kept it simple. “That must be Dr. Udeesh.” George reached over and shook Alice a little more roughly than Phillip thought necessary.

  “Time to wake up, Alice.”

  “Already?” Alice sat up and rubbed her face with both hands. She looked around and her eyes widened. “Amazing,” she said as her eyes moved over the dig.

  The workers seemed to have already gone home for the day but it still looked impressive. A white stone façade was nestled into the side of the mountain and there were a number of small walls around the area that had been either partially or fully unearthed. Dusty brushes and a few rags were lying around and some dirty stone pots were sitting near them, waiting their turn to be cleaned. Phillip had never seen anything like it in his life and he didn’t bother to hide his fascination. George opened his door and got out, taking his medical bag with him, and Alice slid out after him before Phillip got his door open.

  “Good evening,” the man in the bandanna said. “Welcome to our little corner of Surat. I’m Dr. Kiran Udeesh, the director of the dig. I trust your trip wasn’t too tiring?” His English was excellent but he did have an accent that made it a little difficult for Phillip to make out some of his words. None of the others seemed to have a problem with it, though, so he pretended he didn’t either.