Chapter 17

Sam had just gotten through her nightly routine and was about to settle into bed when the phone rang at her bedside. She quickly glanced at her clock radio and furrowed her brow as she wondered who would be calling her close to 11 PM.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Sam, it’s me,” the voice on the other end exclaimed.

Sam’s eyes widened at first, and then the corners of her mouth edged upward when she recognized the voice.

“Hey, Sara,” she said. “What’s going on?”

“We have this thing planned, and …” Sara trailed off, then suddenly added, “I didn’t wake you or anything, did I?”

“No, I was just getting settled into bed,” Sam replied. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.” There was a slight hint of excitement in her voice.

“About what?”

“About what’s been going on lately,” Sam returned, her smile growing wider by the second.

“Well, you sound quite happy,” Sara said amusedly.

Sam started to blush.

“How was your birthday?” Sara continued.

“Oh, it was nice. Uh … I had to attend the departmental graduation ceremony. One of my students wrote me a nice letter and left it in my mailbox. She just got her Masters and got accepted into the PhD program at Stanford. She thanked me for all the help I’ve given her – really sweet.”

“Aw, that’s nice,” Sara remarked.

Sam smiled brilliantly. “I stayed a few minutes for the reception afterwards, and then I had to head over to Anthropology. Daniel invited me to join him at their graduation reception.”

“Daniel, huh?” Sara asked.

“Yeah,” Sam replied. “After it was over, we walked around outside and talked. And then he gave me a birthday present.”

“Hmmm,” Sara said playfully. “Should I wager a guess?”

Sam rolled her eyes and snorted. “It was a bracelet – an emerald bracelet … my birthstone.”

“That’s really sweet,” Sara said after a beat.

“I know,” Sam replied, glowing inside as she thought back to that moment when Daniel presented her with the gift, and what followed.

“Is that all?” Sara pressed.

Sam paused before an amused smirk formed on her face. “Yes.”

“I don’t believe you,” Sara grumbled.

“Well, that’s all I’m going to tell you,” Sam said mischievously. She laughed slightly as she pictured Sara with a pouty expression.

“I’ll bet it wasn’t much anyway,” Sara shot back.

“Says you,” Sam muttered under her breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly. “Anyway, my dad had flown in that afternoon from D.C. and was waiting for us when we got back to my house.”

“’Us’? Who’s ‘us’?” Sara asked curiously.

Sam felt the warmth come back into her cheeks. “Me and Daniel,” she elaborated. “We decided that we’re at the point in our friendship where we are both completely aware of our feelings for one another.”

“So, in not as many words, you’re both pretty serious,” Sara cut in.

Sam paused before replying. “Yeah,” she said quietly.

“Hey, that’s great, Sam! From what you’ve told me, he seems like a really wonderful guy. I’m glad you two are finally together,” Sara said happily.

“Thanks. Anyway, I thought it was only right for Daniel to meet my father, so he followed me home. Dad surprised me with a birthday dinner and dessert, and then shooed us out of the house so we could spend some more time alone.”

Sara snickered softly. “I always thought your dad was a shrewd guy. So, what does he think of Daniel?” Sara pressed.

“Well, he really seems to have taken to Daniel,” Sam replied, carefully choosing her words. “They had a little talk while I was doing the dishes, and Dad told me later that he thinks Daniel is a wonderful guy. He told us both that our relationship has his blessing.”

“That’s really great, Sam,” Sara said softly after a beat.

“He didn’t let me get off very easy, though,” Sam said as she blushed again. “We had a little talk before that and he asked me what in the hell I was thinking – about Joe. He agreed with you that Daniel was the one for me, and that I didn’t need to throw myself at Joe when Daniel was right there all the time.”

“Whoa – throw yourself?” Sara asked incredulously. “Sam, I know you’ve been hard on yourself lately, but I wouldn’t go that far.”

Sam sighed as a faint smile twitched at her lips. “I guess you’re right.”

“You know I’m right. So, I guess your Dad has gone back to D.C. already?” Sara asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah, he had an early flight this morning. He wasn’t sure if he’d be getting any more leave for a while, but I have his phone calls to look forward to,” Sam replied.

“That’s good. Anyway, about this thing that I have planned …”

“What?” Sam asked curiously.

“Are you going to be busy on June 7th?” Sara blurted out.

Sam furrowed her brow in confusion. “Um … what day is that?”

“Saturday.”

Sam paused as she tried to remember her schedule. Failing that, she edged up out of bed and glanced over at the calendar on her wall. She flipped one page over to look at June. “No, not that I know of,” she replied. “Why?”

“Well, we’re having a little get-together at our house that day. We’ll have some family and friends over – I guess you could say it’s like a reunion. I was wondering if you and Daniel would like to come. It would be a great opportunity for us to finally meet him.”

Sam’s brow furrowed deeper. “How many people are you expecting?”

“Oh, not a whole lot,” Sara replied. “They’ll mostly be my family – my mom and dad, my two sisters, probably my nephew, a few old friends from college, and a few I’ve kept in touch with since high school.”

Sam’s ears perked up. “Like whom?” she asked.

“Oh, like Jill Tonsberg, Janet Fraiser …”

Sam smiled broadly. Janet Fraiser had also been a good friend of hers in high school. She was also a bit on the quiet side, but still slightly more outgoing than Sam was. “Janet? Janet’s going to be there?” she asked.

“I just heard from her the other day. She’ll be flying in from Tulsa for this,” Sara said proudly.

“That’s great, we have a lot of catching up to do,” Sam continued, still smiling.

“You bet you do,” Sara said jokingly. “So, can I count on you and Daniel to be there?”

Sam hesitated before answering. “I have to find out from Daniel if he has anything planned for that day. I mean, I really want to go, and I wouldn’t doubt that he’d want to, but I don’t want to make any plans for certain unless I’m absolutely sure.”

“I understand,” Sara said. “Just let me know when you can.”

“Okay, I’ll do that. Have a good night, Sara.”

After she ended the conversation, she afforded another glance at the clock and wondered if she should call Daniel. It was almost 11:30 PM. She wasn’t sure if she would see him the next day, so she thought she’d take a chance.

Daniel’s phone rang three times before she heard him pick up.

“Hello?”

She instantly felt bad when she caught his sleepy tone. “Uh, hi, Daniel, it’s me, Sam. I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“Oh, hi, Sam … ah, no … not really …” he trailed off awkwardly, knowing that she was aware he was lying.

“I’m sorry,” she said apologetically. “I guess it is very late, but I wanted to talk to you because I wasn’t sure you’d be around tomorrow.”

“I’ll be on campus tomorrow, if that’s what you mean,” he interrupted. “I have to go through my mail, and then I’ll be meeting some prospective graduate students for the fall semester. I should be free for lunch, though. You’ll be around, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there a little later in the morning to go through my mail, and then attend an impromptu astrophysics seminar at 11. It should be over by noon.”

“Okay, so do you want to meet at the food court around 12:30?” Daniel asked.

“Sure, that would be great,” she replied brightly.

“Okay, it’s a date, then,” Daniel said, chuckling affectionately. “Sweet dreams, Sam.”

Sam beamed. “Goodnight, Daniel.”

She hung up the phone and then laid back, her head cradled by the soft pillow. For a few minutes, she stared up at the ceiling and her mind began to race with thoughts of going to Sara’s party with Daniel – seeing her old friends again, finally meeting Sara’s husband as well as some other members of her family, and introducing Daniel to them all. She wondered how it would go, and how they would react to him.

She shook her head slightly. Before she could even think of these things, she had to find out if she and Daniel could actually go, and more importantly, whether or not Daniel actually wanted to go. She didn’t want to disappoint her good friend, and she knew it was something she actually wanted to attend herself, but Daniel’s feelings were just as important.

The clock reminded her of just how late it was getting, and she finally decided not to agonize over it any further. She would see Daniel the next day, and she would ask him if he wanted to go. Until then, there was no point in worrying about it. She sighed and finally shut the lights off, allowing the darkness and quiet to plunge her into a sound sleep.

Sam looked up from her slice of pizza and smiled as she saw Daniel approaching her table in the food court with a kind smile on his face.

“Hey,” he greeted her softly as he sat down facing her.

Sam returned the smile. She gestured to another slice of cheese pizza and pushed the plate over to him.

Daniel blushed slightly, but his smile remained. “Thanks, you didn’t have to do this, you know.”

“Please, Daniel, it was nothing,” she insisted gently.

He looked at her intently and his smile widened before he picked up the slice of pizza and began devouring it.

“A little hungry?” she teased, snickering softly.

“More than you know,” Daniel said with his mouth full as he looked up from the pizza.

The look on his face and the fact that he was talking with his mouth full made Sam snicker even more. He waited until he swallowed his food before saying anything else.

“They had a sort of orientation in our department for the incoming graduate students, and they ended it with a lunch consisting of Italian and American heroes. I refused any offerings of food since I knew I was going to be meeting you. I guess it was a mistake.” He blushed faintly.

Sam grinned playfully.

“So, ah … how was your morning?” he asked.

Sam shrugged. “I just sorted my mail, met a few new graduate students, and then attended that astrophysics seminar.”

“How was that seminar?”

“Pretty boring, actually,” Sam grinned. “You know when you read the title of a talk and it sounds really interesting? Then when the lecturer actually starts talking, it’s something you’ve heard many times before, disguised as something new and exciting?”

Daniel grinned and nodded. “More times than I can count.”

“That’s what this was,” she said. “God, I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I probably should have up and left halfway through it, but you know me – polite and not wanting to hurt people.”

Daniel looked at her and nodded slightly.

“How about you? What was your day like?” she asked.

“Oh, ah, not overly exciting at all. I had to give a little speech during the orientation for the incoming graduate students, and actually met a couple that were starting their work this summer. I’ll be advising one of them.”

“Really,” Sam mused. “I guess you’ll be pretty busy this summer, then?” Her smile faded and she felt disappointment begin pulling at her heart. They’d just entered a serious relationship, and now he was going to be busy advising a student. Would there be any time for them to spend together? She was hardly aware of how selfish her thoughts were right now. Advising students was part of Daniel’s job, and she couldn’t ask him to give that up. Still, she couldn’t rid herself of the disappointment that began to plague her.

Daniel seemed to sense what she was thinking. “Not if I can help it,” he returned as he looked into her eyes. “He’s just starting out, so he’s mostly looking up information in texts and journals at this point. I don’t see any field work being done yet, at least not until later on in the summer. When I advise students, Sam, I usually only see them once or twice every few weeks. I don’t follow any sort of rigid schedule, like once a week on a certain day for exactly two hours. If I know what you’re thinking, there will be plenty of time for us. You have my word.”

Sam studied his face and blushed, as she felt like kicking herself. How could she not trust him to keep on track with their relationship? Advising a student, especially one who was just starting out, wasn’t a huge deal. Although Sam usually took on new students in the Fall or Spring semesters herself, some of her colleagues had begun to advise new students during the summer, and it wasn’t as if they were extremely busy. That usually happened in the Fall or Spring when course loads were bigger, and when students were actually required to give practice talks detailing their research.

“I’m sorry; I’m so silly,” Sam said regrettably as she looked into his eyes.

A faint smile tugged at Daniel’s lips. “You have nothing to apologize for,” he said quietly as he took her hands into his own.

Sam resisted the urge to hop across the table, grab him and kiss him passionately. After all, they were in the public realm that was the north campus’ food court. Instead, she smiled back and muttered a barely audible “thanks.”

“So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?” Daniel finally questioned.

“Oh, uh … I got a call last night from Sara, nosy as usual. She seems really happy that we’ve started seeing each other …” She trailed off and blushed before cutting herself off and beginning again. “Anyway, she told me that she and her husband are having a party at their house on June 7^th,” Sam began.

Daniel briefly raised his eyebrows.

“It’s sort of like a little get-together with some of her family, as well as some old college friends and even a few from high school,” she continued.

Daniel nodded.

“She wanted to know if we’d like to come,” Sam said warily, afraid of what Daniel would think.

Daniel’s brow furrowed slightly.

“She keeps saying that you sound like such a great guy, and she wants to finally meet you,” Sam said sheepishly as her blush deepened.

Daniel raised his eyebrows once again and shrugged slightly. “When is this party supposed to be?” he asked.

“June 7^th … it’s a Saturday.”

Daniel scrunched up his face, trying to remember if he had anything planned that day. Sam mistakenly thought that he was repulsed by the idea, and didn’t want to be bothered.

“Look, if you don’t want to go, it’s okay,” she assured him.

“No, no, I … I’m sure it would be great,” he insisted. “I’m just trying to remember whether or not I’m doing anything that day …”

He reached into his blazer pocket and removed a small date book. He flipped ahead until he came upon the date in question.

“Well, I am now,” he remarked once he finished writing something inside.

Sam looked at him inquisitively.

“I’m going with you to the party … I mean, we’re going to the party,” he clarified, giving her a small smile.

Sam’s face cracked open in a wide, grateful smile. She quickly looked around to make sure no one was around. Finding that the area they were sitting in was pretty vacant, she made her way around the table and threw her arms around Daniel.

Daniel uttered a slight noise of surprise, causing Sam to step back and chuckle apologetically. “Sorry.”

Daniel grinned at her and shrugged.

“I’m just a silly person, aren’t I,” she smirked.

Daniel shook his head. “No, you’re not … I think you’re cute,” he said, chuckling affectionately.

Sam felt her cheeks grow hot and she smiled awkwardly. “Thanks,” she said softly once she recovered. Daniel smiled warmly and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.

Sam looked him in the eyes and smiled. Her smile suddenly turned into a smirk.

“What?” he asked as he grinned at her.

“I was just thinking … you’ve been to my place, but I’ve never been to yours,” Sam said impishly.

A sober look formed on Daniel’s face and he suddenly averted his eyes, blushed and cleared his throat. “Oh, yeah …”

“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly as she lowered her head so that she could look into his eyes.

He finally turned his gaze toward her, appearing almost like an ashamed little boy. “My … place isn’t anything special,” he said in spite of himself. “It’s just a little apartment.”

“That doesn’t make any difference to me,” Sam assured him. “I’d still like to see it.”

A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he studied her face. “I guess I’m being silly now. You would have had to see it sooner or later … it’s not as if I can hide it from you forever.”

Sam shook her head. “Please, I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

Daniel shrugged slightly. “Okay, I’ll let you be the judge,” he said resignedly as he took out a piece of paper and wrote his address down for Sam.

He shyly handed it to her, and her eyes widened in realization as she read it.

“You’re on North Circle Drive? You’re not far from Sara,” she said.

Daniel looked at her expectantly.

“Um, she’s on Yuma Street – off of East Yampa, near Betty Krouse Park,” Sam continued.

Daniel furrowed his brow before his eyes widened. “Oh, yeah, I think I have an idea of where that is. I’m further north on North Circle Drive, though.”

“I’m on Westmoreland, so you’re still closer to Sara,” Sam added.

A knowing look formed on Daniel’s face. “I think I know where you’re going with this,” he said slowly, adopting a slight smirk.

Sam blushed faintly.

“So, if I’m right, why don’t you come by a little early, and I can show you my apartment?” he asked hopefully.

Sam’s blush deepened slightly, making her appear embarrassed.

“What time is the party?” Daniel asked.

“11 AM,” Sam replied.

“Why don’t you come a little early, say around 10, and I can give you a grand tour – such as it is – and then make some coffee for us? Then we can head over to Sara’s house,” he said.

Sam mulled it over for a moment and then nodded. “That sounds great, Daniel,” she smiled.

“Okay, Saturday, June 7th, 10 AM at my place it is,” he smiled back.

“Sounds perfect,” she gushed before leaning over and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Daniel’s face lit up and it made her chuckle softly. “Well, I better get going,” she said softly.

Daniel nodded. “Can I call you tonight?” he asked.

Sam nodded. “I don’t have anything planned. Actually I was thinking of heading down to Blockbuster and curling up on the couch with a good video.”

“Make it an Indiana Jones movie and I’m there,” Daniel grinned.

Sam returned his grin. “Okay, mister, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Sam briefly looked down at herself as she walked toward Daniel’s apartment complex, hoping that she was dressed okay. Sara had told her that the get-together was basically a barbeque, so she only needed to dress casually. She ended up wearing a white, short-sleeved top with lace at the neckline and hems of the sleeves, and a light blue pair of culottes. It was quite warm on this early June day, even for late morning, so at least she was dressed appropriately for the weather.

She stood and looked up at the brick façade of Daniel’s apartment complex. After knowing him for just over two months, she was finally going to see what his place looked like. She chuckled as she remembered how reluctant he appeared to be to show it to her. She didn’t think it could possibly be that bad.

It had been just over two weeks since she’d first told him about the party, and now the day had come. She was going to introduce him to Sara and show him off, so to speak. A small grin of anticipation made its way across her lips as she entered the building through the front doors and headed for the elevator.

Once on the fourth floor, she made her way to apartment 411 and knocked timidly. She stood and looked at her watch nervously before the door finally opened five minutes later.

A smile grew on her face when Daniel stepped out from behind the door. He was wearing a blue, long-sleeved button down shirt and a pair of khaki pants. His hair was slightly damp, especially on the ends, and his glasses had slipped down his nose before he pushed them back up.

“Hey, Sam,” he greeted her with a friendly smile.

“I’m not too early, am I?” she asked.

Daniel raised his eyebrows. “Oh, no … you were going to come at 10, weren’t you?”

Sam quickly glanced back down at her watch and realized it was five minutes after 10. She dumbly nodded.

“I just finished getting ready,” he told her. “I was just about to make some coffee, so come on in.”

Sam smiled and walked past Daniel into his apartment. She looked around, almost in awe of the motif that presented itself to her. To her right was a small, mahogany bookcase filled with assorted books. On top of it sat two small, rusted copper statues in the shape of dragons, as well as a small, brass lamp with a skull at its base. Sam raised her eyebrows curiously.

Daniel hung back by the door as she made her way into his living room. The dark, wood paneled walls were adorned with several mythological paintings and plates that were decorated in such a fashion that they looked like they were created by some ancient civilization. Along the right wall was an even larger bookcase, filled with archaeological books, as well as what appeared to be journals. Sam took a few steps over to the bookcase and looked curiously at that particular row of books.

Daniel cleared his throat nervously. “Oh, ah, those are just expedition journals,” he informed her, hoping that she wouldn’t actually pick one up and start reading through it.

She nearly jumped when she realized he was standing behind her. She caught herself in time and nodded. She then directed her attention away from the bookcase and toward the large, wood-burning fireplace, the sides and back of which were lined with a bricks in a herringbone pattern. Sam loved its traditional appearance, and grinned inwardly as she remembered that a home with a fireplace was something she’d always wanted since she was a kid.

She shrugged herself out of it as she looked at the artifacts that sat on top of the mantle. There were a few more small statues, as well as the odd vase. Yes, this was definitely the home of an archaeologist. To complete the image, there was a picture in a frame of what appeared to be Daniel riding a camel, with one of the Great Pyramids off in the distance.

“That was … you?” she asked him, dumbfounded and surprised to learn that he’d actually been there at some time.

“Oh, yeah,” Daniel nodded sheepishly. “That was me in Egypt, about ten years ago. I was in graduate school then, and was doing field work as part of the research for one of my dissertations.”

“Wow,” Sam remarked quietly.

Daniel gave a small shrug. “It’s not the first time I’ve been there. I used to accompany my parents on digs quite a lot when I was very young. They’d always give me plenty to do, like try my hand at excavating my own artifact – digging it out of the matrix material carefully with something like a dentist’s pick,” he chuckled sentimentally.

Bringing up his parents and his happier relationship with them momentarily brought back bitter feelings and his face fell. He looked over at Sam and watched her head over to his rather large, rectangular fish tank. She nearly had her face up against the glass, watching the brightly colored fish swim to and fro. Daniel’s bitter feelings dispelled and his face lit up in a grin.

“Oh, you just reminded me,” he began. Before she could say anything, he opened the door to the credenza upon which the fish tank sat, and removed a small container of fish food. He removed a pinch of the food and sprinkled it into the top of the tank.

“Here you go, guys,” he said cutely before the fish scrambled upward to partake in their meal.

He caught Sam grinning at him and he blushed somewhat.

“They’re really beautiful,” Sam remarked.

Daniel nodded. “That’s all I was allowed to have in my apartment … well, except for cats, and I’m allergic to them, so …” he trailed off.

Sam nodded. She directed her attention to an interesting piece that stood on the mantle of the fireplace. It looked almost like a small chess game, or like one of those Hi-Q games that she and her brother would play with when they were kids.

“Oh, that’s a game from ancient Egypt called ‘The Jackal and the Hound’,” Daniel explained to her. “Actually, it’s a replica of a game from ancient Egypt that once belonged to a pharaoh’s daughter. Back in Chicago, I taught one of my friends how to play it and we played once or twice. It almost felt like touching history …”

He trailed off when he saw Sam staring at him intently.

“… and I’m probably boring you with this, aren’t I?” he said, self-effacingly.

“No, not at all,” Sam insisted quietly. “I think it’s very interesting. I’ve always loved reading about ancient Egypt and things like that.”

A warm smile spread across Daniel’s face. It felt good to know that she at least appreciated his interests. Remembering that she subscribed to National Geographic only confirmed it.

The percolating of the coffee maker in the kitchen interrupted, prompting him to excuse himself and head for the kitchen. Sam watched him walk briskly away for a moment, and then decided to follow him.

Daniel’s eat-in kitchen was a bit smaller than hers, but was a nice little kitchen nonetheless, featuring pale yellow walls with white trim. It seemed to be a contrast from the darker, eclectic look of his living room.

Daniel turned away from the coffee maker and carried two cups of hot coffee to the small, oak table. He handed one of the cups to her and gestured for her to sit down.

“So, who’s going to be at this party again?” he asked her as he poured some cream into his coffee and then handed the carton to her.

“Oh … uh … well, there’s Sara’s parents, her sisters, I think her nephew, some of her college friends and a few friends of ours from high school … oh, and of course her husband, Jack,” Sam replied before taking a sip of coffee.

Daniel nodded. “What does Sara do?” he asked curiously.

“She owns and runs a flower shop downtown called Bloomin’ Beauties,” Sam said with a hint of amusement in her voice. “She has a few people working for her. She’s an expert on flower arrangements for weddings, and does consultations on them as well. Actually, she tells me that it drives her crazy half the time,” she laughed weakly.

Daniel smiled. “What about her husband?” he suddenly asked.

Sam’s brow knitted in confusion. “I’m not really sure, actually. He runs his own business too … actually I think it has something to do with airplanes … maybe flying charter flights for people – small planes. I have to ask Sara again.”

Daniel nodded. “You said that some of your high school friends are coming?”

“Yeah, I think it’s our friends Jill and Janet. They were important members of my little circle of friends that included Sara. After we graduated, we pretty much lost touch. Jill still lives in Maryland, and Janet moved to Oklahoma to attend college. She’d call me every now and then when I still lived in D.C., but after moving to Colorado we just lost touch.” There was a touch of regret in her voice.

“That’s too bad,” Daniel said softly. “I have friends whom I haven’t spoken to in ages. Steven is pretty much the oldest friend whom I’m still close to. I know what it feels like to lose touch with friends and people you love …” His voice trailed off and he noticed Sam looking at him pitifully. His cheeks flamed when he realized that he was getting dangerously close to bringing up his parents once again, and he didn’t want Sam to think he was harping on it.

“Ah … anyway,” he cleared his throat, “I guess it’s about time we start heading over there, huh?”

“Oh, yeah,” Sam confirmed as she looked at her watch. She took a final sip of coffee before Daniel collected the cup from her and stuck the two cups in the sink. He raced into the bathroom and gave himself a final once-over in the mirror, quickly ran a comb through his hair and rejoined Sam who was waiting at the door for him.

He smiled at her as the exited the apartment, and he turned back once to lock the door before they headed for the elevators.

“I almost forgot to ask,” Daniel began. “How long is this party, exactly?”

“Sara said something about 7 PM,” she replied. “I guess they’re having both lunch and dinner … or a very late lunch.”

Daniel nodded as the elevator announced its arrival at the ground floor with a chime sound. They stepped out and headed for the parking lot in back of the building, where his blue Pontiac was waiting. He opened the passenger door for Sam, who was pleasantly surprised at his chivalrous nature. He got in on the other side and gave her a quick little smile.

“Ready?” he asked.

Sam grinned. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied.

Daniel chuckled softly and then turned straight ahead as he turned on the ignition.