by K C West
“I know. We took unnecessary chances, and it won’t happen again.”
“It was my fault. I talked Kim into it.”
“No, PJ, we were equally foolish.”
“Yeah,” Sandy said, pointing his finger at PJ, “but I’ll bet my last dime that it was your idea.”
She fiddled with her bandage, ignoring him.
“I’m going to let you guys rest awhile,” he said, turning towards the open tent flap. “It’s just a good thing we got to you soon enough.”
“How soon?” I asked, knowing we had a lot of missing time to account for.
“It’s hard to tell exactly. Several hours.”
“What?” PJ’s astonished expression probably mirrored my own.
“Yeah. Gregor was on his scooter, returning from town early when Pup met him on the road. The poor animal was covered with dirt, barking like crazy. Gregor figured something was up and called us on his cell phone. When he got back to camp, he alerted the others. There weren’t many of the laborers around, since it was the weekend, but they started moving rock right away. We estimated it had been a couple of hours past the time of the cave-in when Gregor met up with Pup on the road. That’s assuming Pup came out of there as soon as it happened.”
“My God,” PJ said.
Sandy didn’t notice that her face had paled. “Lucky for us, there must have been some pockets of air under all that rubble, or you might’ve suffocated. You two must live right, you know that.”
I was still absorbing the time difference. “That’s all? A few hours… max?”
“Yeah, thanks to Gregor and your friend here.” Sandy rubbed Pup’s ears.
I looked at my four-legged pal whose life I had saved seven years ago. He had more than returned the favor. He trotted over to me and licked my face, then moved on to PJ, affording her the same treatment.
After Sandy left with Pup, PJ and I stared at each other for several seconds before speaking.
“Okay, if what Sandy said is true, then I had the strangest dream while I was under the rubble,” she said.
“I did, too.”
“About Marna and Leeja.”
“Mine was also.”
“I don’t believe it. Now we’re even dreaming alike.” Her forehead crinkled.
“Better keep that ice pack on your head. You’re losing it, sweetie. But it did seem so real.”
“I know. It was like - “
“You two certainly can put the fear of God into people.” Frederick entered the tent with Susanna right behind him.
“Sorry about that.” He and PJ hugged.
Susanna stood, hands in pockets, studying us. “Are you sure you’re both okay?” She took my wrist and checked my pulse to satisfy herself.
“We’re fine,” PJ said. “We’re banged up and sore, but other than that there’s no permanent damage.”
“Mostly bruises,” I added.
“We have some news for you, but we’ll talk later.” Frederick brushed PJ’s bangs off her forehead. “The doctor gave us permission to peek in on you for only a minute, and then we must let you rest.”
“What news?”
“Later, princess. Later.”
Susanna squeezed my hand. “What you both need now is plenty of rest.” She moved to PJ’s bed, noted the icepack and peered into her eyes.
“It’s only a slight concussion, honest,” PJ told her.
“Mmm. I see that.” Susanna scanned the rest of her body. “Any pain?”
“Just a bit sore and stiff.”
“You were very lucky.” She glanced at me. “You both were.”
When they had left, we speculated briefly about their news before dropping off to sleep, though, for me it was hardly restful. So much had happened, but we’d only been away a few hours. How could that be? It made no sense at all. My brain couldn’t resolve the contradiction in time.
I checked on PJ who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. What a dream! I recalled some of the visions I had experienced while I was searching for the Lost Tribe of Amazons in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona. That seemed so long ago now, but at the time, it was as if I had been there with those women and part of what was happening to them. This was the same kind of reality. I remembered the battle and was suddenly filled with concern for Marna and Leeja and for the many friends I had made in that dream world.
*
Two days after our rescue, we were back in our own tent and healing nicely. Dr. Greenfield didn’t want us to return to work yet, for fear of breaking open our wounds. Frederick and Susanna had gone to Athens for a few days during our convalescence, so we had not been able to get together with them.
PJ spent some of the downtime writing in her journal and organizing her reports. When all of that was up-to-date, she sat cross-legged on the floor, cleaning out her very grubby daypack, while I worked on the computer.
“Oh, my God.” The color drained from her face.
“What is it? What’s the matter?”
“This.” She held up the tiny gold-handled dagger. “It was at the bottom of my pack.”
I heard buzzing in my ears and was forced to swallow before I could speak. Scenes from our joining ceremony replayed in my mind, and when I peered at my left wrist, I could see a tiny, well-healed scar. As if tuning into my wavelength, PJ raised her right wrist, revealing a matching scar.
We couldn’t speak for several more seconds.
PJ eventually found her voice. “It really happened. But Sandy said we were missing for only a few hours. This is a case for the Sci-Fi channel.”
“I’m concerned about them.”
“Who? Mama and Leeja?”
“Yes. And the other women. Their warriors.”
“I’m concerned about our sanity.” PJ looked at me as if begging for an explanation. “If it really happened, then Sheena gave her life for us.”
“And Alaina, too.”
PJ pressed a trembling hand to her lips. Her eyes glistened with tears. I took her in my arms, stroking her hair, kissing her temple. “Easy. I can’t begin to explain what happened to us, but I know we have some very good friends in Ancient Greece.”
“Nobody will believe this. We can’t share our story with anyone, not even Susanna.”
“Maybe you could relate it as a dream.”
“I don’t know. I guess so.” PJ stretched out on our bedroll, and I joined her. We lay there with only our thoughts and each other for company, but that was enough for now. We were together, and together we’d go with the flow of our lives. We were a team, forever and always.
*
When Dad and Susanna returned from their trip, they invited us to dine with them, away from camp, in Eresos. We assembled around a large table on one of the raised platforms at Bennett’s, a restaurant owned by an English couple, Max and Jackie Bennett. In addition to Greek cuisine, Bennett’s offered English and Italian entrees. Kim, Susanna, and I ordered vegetarian lasagna, while Dad tried the prime rib.
Conversation focused on routine matters during the main course. We had just requested dessert when the waiter brought a large bottle of chilled champagne to our table and set about filling our glasses. Kim and I eyed each other, anticipating the big news. We had been speculating for the past few days, and the only logical explanation was that Dad had proposed to Susanna. With this announcement in mind, we got haircuts, pressed our best khakis, slipped blazers over sleeveless tops, and even dabbed some makeup on our sun-baked faces. For a couple of dirt-diggers, we cleaned up pretty well.
Susanna looked fantastic in a long printed skirt, silk blouse, and a loose, open-weave vest. Gold earrings and a matching necklace were the perfect enhancements to the honey blonde of her hair. Just a light bit of gray streaked the strands framing her face. She kept her eyes on my father for most of the meal. He was quite dapper in a British-made sport coat that I recognized as an old favorite. His wavy silver hair, suntanned skin, and clear blue-green eyes belied his sixty-six years. Though he had gained a little we
ight, I had to admit he seemed happier and more energized than he’d been in years. Together, he and Susanna were a handsome couple. I resolved to accept their news with as much delight as possible, though a few nagging worries plagued me. It wasn’t that I thought she was after his money. She was wealthy in her own right. I just needed some more time to get used to the idea that Dad could be sharing his love and attention with someone besides me.
“Priscilla, Kim, we have some exiting news to share with you.” Dad allowed his comment a moment to sink in before continuing. “How should I phrase this? You are both invited to a… I guess you’d call it a recitation of wedding vows.”
“A what?” I asked, puzzled.
“At the camp, in a few weeks.”
I was still confused. Apparently, from her expression, so was Kim. “Do you mean a wedding, Frederick?”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that.” Susanna turned to Dad. “Should I explain further, Freddie?”
Kim and I looked at each other. Freddie?
“Go ahead, Susie.” Dad raised her hand and kissed it.
It was then that I noticed a band of gold with a glint of diamonds on the ring finger of her left hand, but I was still processing the Freddie and Susie part. Who were these people?
“A few weeks before we came to Greece to visit you both and see Sandy’s project, your father proposed to me.”
“Ah.” I said, sensing what was coming.
“I accepted,” Susanna said, “and we decided to plan a wedding for next year in Boston. We planned to tell you when the time seemed right.”
Dad took up the story. “Once we had a look around, we fell in love with the Greek islands and decided to get married right here, but we ran into so much red tape. We knew you two were busy helping Sandy, but we figured we’d do it later when your work was finished. Then, you were almost crushed when the ceiling collapsed, and you needed time to recover. We decided that life was just too short to risk waiting until next year. Instead of flying to Athens like we told you, we went back to Boston and were married by my old friend, Judge Evans. We hoped you’d forgive us. You do, don’t you?”
Kim broke the silence that followed. She held her glass high. “So, you’re married. Congratulations.”
I was speechless.
“Yes, we’re married,” Frederick said, “but we don’t want to exclude you. We’d like to have a small ceremony for family and friends here on Lesvos. Afterwards, we’ll have a party with music and dancing and food catered by Demitri and his son.” He looked at me, waiting for some kind of response. “Is that okay?”
“Okay? It’s wonderful. It’s just that you caught me off guard.” After much hugging and kissing, we raised our glasses in a toast to the newlyweds. “Geia sas! Best wishes!”
We sipped our champagne and dug into the apple crumble with thick cream, chattering about shopping for outfits for the ceremony, and planning what the couple would do in the future.
“This is the perfect time to tell them about your other news,” Susanna said, putting down her napkin. “I’ll just go to the powder room and give you time to talk privately.”
“No need for you to leave.”
“Ah, but I need to repair my makeup. In case you hadn’t noticed, I got kind of teary with all that hugging and kissing.”
When she rose from her chair, Dad got up, too, giving her a peck on the cheek before she left.
“Dad, what gives?”
“Wait,” Kim said. “I’m not sure I can take another surprise tonight.”
“Just one more thing. It’s something I’ve been pondering for a while now, ever since Susie and I started seriously planning for a future together. And now, with us getting married, it seems just the right time to do it.”
“Good grief, Dad, what is it?”
“We want to travel a bit, so I want to take more time off. I’m easing way back on my workload at Curtis Enterprises.”
“Oh.”
“And I plan to step down as head of the Foundation.”
I gasped and Kim gripped my hand. “I don’t believe this, Dad. You’ve always been a workaholic. Is there some medical reason that you’re not telling us about?”
“No. I’m fine. My blood pressure is up slightly, but I’m taking care of that. And I suppose I could stand to lose a few pounds. Other than that, I’m in fine fettle. I’m better than I have been in years.”
“Who will be taking over the Foundation for you?” Kim asked.
“Malcolm Goodrich. He’s been there the longest, and he’s a good friend and colleague.”
I knew Goodrich and heartily approved his choice.
“What I would really like, though,” Dad continued, “is for you both to accept appointments to sit on the board and to represent the Curtis family.”
“What?” I was stunned.
“My God!” Kim seemed equally surprised.
“You don’t have to decide anything tonight, but I would like you to let me know soon. That way, I can set things in motion.”
Susanna returned to a very quiet table. “Judging from the silence and shocked expressions, I presume you’ve asked them.”
“They’re going to think it over, and I want them to do just that.” He took her hand and held it. “Since they’re still in shock, maybe this is a good time to leave them with the bill for this dinner.” He and Susanna seemed amused by his joke, but Kim and I were still blown away, and must have looked like deer caught in some car’s headlights.
*
I went to Dad’s on-site office tent the next morning with a couple of concerns about the board appointments.
To avoid any possibility of catching Susanna and him on the daybed again, I coughed loudly before entering.
“Don’t worry, Priscilla. The coast is clear.” Dad wasn’t very successful at keeping a straight face.
“Very funny. I guess I’m never going to live that down.”
“Not for a while, yet. I’m having too much fun teasing you.” He pushed his chair away from the table that doubled as a desk and stretched out his legs. “Have you two made a decision?”
I stood facing him across the table. “Almost. There are a couple of issues that worry us, though.”
“Let’s hear them.”
“Can you guarantee that the members of the board will accept us if our lifestyle becomes common knowledge?”
He stood, circled the table, and wrapped his arms around me. “You mean, will they understand if they find out that you two are a couple?”
“That’s exactly what I mean. You and Susanna have been wonderful, but somehow I don’t see all of them being quite as tolerant. I’m used to controversy, but Kim shuns the limelight. She keeps her personal life private, and I don’t want her hurt.”
He tilted my head up so we could see into each other’s eyes. “Princess, I wish I could prevent any possible trouble you both may encounter, but you know as well as I do that I can’t promise anything. Right now, those who know us or suspect that you two are together have been fine about it.”
“Yes, but right now we’re in the background. We’re just working archaeologists. Coming into the boardroom, well, that’s a different matter.”
“True.” His hands came around my shoulders. “Our position in the community affords you some insulation.”
“If you’re saying that our wealth can force even the most intolerant of them to keep quiet, I’m not sure we can be comfortable with that.”
“Why don’t you try it and see how things work out? You can always resign later, if you feel it’s necessary. You and Kim are respected professionals who live quietly. You don’t call attention to yourselves, except when kidnappers attack you, photographers get in your way, or walls cave in.”
“Or we’re attacked by marauding raiders.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Just joking. But you did forget to mention earthquakes and rattlesnakes.”
“Those, too.”
“Okay, I guess we can work
around that problem, if and when it occurs. But there is one other issue.”
Dad steered us back around the table and sat down, pulling me onto his lap.
“Hey, I haven’t done this since I was a child. I’m way too big now.” I tried to get up, but he had me in a tight grip.
“Nonsense. You’re still my princess.”
“I’m your thirty-six-year-old daughter who messed up half her life and almost destroyed you in the process, before finding love and making amends.”
“We all make mistakes, and that wasn’t entirely your fault, you know.” He tucked my head under his chin and held me close. I felt his jaw working, and I blinked back tears. His arms were strong and comforting. “I’m so damn sorry, honey.”
“I know. I’m sorry, too.”
“We were so happy when your mother was alive. We were the perfect family. Then, when she died, I couldn’t stand it. You resembled her so much. Same hair and eyes. It hurt to look at you. I threw myself into work because it was the only way I could get through the day.” He sniffed, released me, and wiped his eyes.
“I needed you, too, so badly, but you hardly ever came home from work. I thought you didn’t love me any more.” Tears slid down my cheeks. “All that acting up was to make you notice me.”
“I know. I was a lousy father.”
“Your heart was broken, just like mine. We couldn’t help each other because we were too badly hurt ourselves. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. I know that now.”
When I got up, Dad shifted to a more comfortable position. “I’m sorry anyway,” he said. “If I could do it over again, I’d make things right. We lost so much time.”
“But now you have a new life. You have Susanna, and that means you’ve found love again.”
“She can never take your mother’s place. You know that, don’t you? But she loves us both very much.”
“She’s a wonderful woman, and I know I will come to love her.” I fished a tissue from my pocket.
I blew my nose before kissing him on the cheek. “And I love you very much, too.”
“I’ve always loved you, princess, even though I didn’t always show it. Susanna wanted us to have this talk. She felt it was way overdue, and I agreed with her.”
