Chapter 26

Daniel did one more sweep over the hieroglyphs in the burial chamber with his small hand-held video camera and then set it down to write something in his field notebook. It had been a long day. Actually, it had been a long week. He and his students first had to meet with government officials in Cairo to be granted access to the excavation site. Normally, the meeting would have gone smoothly as it always had when Daniel was doing excavations for his own research. However, the officials had had pressing engagements and hadn’t been able to meet with them until the next day. They’d settled into the hotel, visited a few bazaars and a museum, had dinner, and went to bed, hoping they could finally get started the next day.

They were delayed even further when some paperwork had gotten mixed up and they ended up not even being on the list to meet with these officials. Daniel was quite frustrated but managed to keep his cool, as he usually did in situations like this. He only hoped they’d have enough time in the burial chamber after this was all settled.

Luckily everything was straightened out, allowing them access to the site almost two full days after they’d arrived in Cairo. Soon, Daniel and the students were trekking across the desert in a Land Rover, free at last to perform their excavation.

They’d been studying the burial chamber for close to a week now. Daniel was amused by the fact that Jennifer, an undergraduate field assistant, was not expecting the chamber to be this vast. She had reacted incredulously when he’d told her they would be spending two and a half weeks studying it. She didn’t think it could possibly take this long – only a few days at most. Once they reached the site though, she was amazed at the chamber’s size and how many corridors were contained within. It was clear that they would need quite a bit of time to study this place.

Daniel and Kevin, his new graduate student, spent most of the time studying the writings and hieroglyphs they found on the walls as well as on artifacts like vases and Canopic jars. Jennifer meanwhile roamed through the corridor they occupied, which seemed to go on for almost a mile. Daniel asked that she stay in close proximity to them. Even though they kept in contact with two-way radios, the place was huge and mostly undiscovered, thus making it possible for one to get lost.

Daniel had been a bit impressed by what they first found. Some of the hieroglyphs, as well as pictographs etched on the Canopic jars, did present some evidence that could very well challenge the status quo about burial rituals in this period. Kevin was both impressed and thankful for finding something that would bolster his thesis. After a few days, Daniel’s excitement waned. The other writings weren’t anything he really hadn’t seen before. They just confirmed, in part, something that he found in one of the Great Pyramids when he was doing his doctorate research. Things had now become a bit tedious and old hat for him and it caused his mind to start wandering.

After he’d written the last of his notes, he began staring at his ballpoint pen and thoughts of Sam drifted into his head. Not that they hadn’t before. The previous night, he lay in their tent trying to sleep, not finding it easy. Kevin lying next to him had his walkman up a bit too high and Daniel could hear the music through his headphones. He shut his eyes and tried to think of something nice and peaceful in order to lull him to sleep. His subconscious pieced together an image of Sam, looking at him and smiling serenely. She was speaking and, although he couldn’t hear her, her lips formed the words “I love you.” A smile covered Daniel’s face as he finally drifted off to sleep.

Daniel was now mired in deep thoughts about Sam, hoping she was doing okay this whole time. He reflected on how much he missed her, even though he’d only been gone a week. He couldn’t wait to get back home to be with her and he looked forward to the big day when they’d be able to profess their love for each other in full.

“Dr. Jackson?”

Daniel continued to stare at his pen, unaware that someone was trying to get his attention until the insistent party tried again and jerked him out of his reverie.

“Huh?” he said quietly as he barely noticed Kevin standing over him.

“Dr. Jackson, there’s something I think you should see,” Kevin said, trying earnestly to get his attention.

Daniel, fully recovered, sighed and fixed the top of the bandana tied on his head to keep his hair back from his face. “Daniel, Kevin,” he corrected the younger man with a crooked grin.

Kevin blushed faintly. “Sorry … Daniel. Jennifer thinks she’s found something at the far end of this corridor. I think you need to take a look at it.”

Daniel wiped the sweat from his brow, pushed his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose, and quickly rose to his feet. “More hieroglyphs?” he asked curiously.

“Uh … I don’t know,” Kevin replied. “At the far end, part of a wall was knocked away and she was able to get into a … hidden room.”

Daniel’s brow wrinkled and his mouth dropped open. “Show me,” he said quietly, clearly intrigued.

Kevin nodded and gestured for Daniel to follow. They made their way down the corridor and, as it took a turn to the right, they could see a small, dark hole all the way at the dead end. As they neared it, Daniel’s curiosity seemed to increase tenfold. After being nearly bored and almost disappointed with most of what they found, things were certainly changing.

The hole was about two feet off the ground and just big enough that they had to duck their heads while climbing through. Daniel shone his flashlight through the hole before making his way inside. He couldn’t see very much apart from the scattered pieces of artifacts, most of which appeared smashed. He also couldn’t see any sign of Jennifer.

“Dr. Jackson, is that you?” a female voice called out tentatively, recognizing the second beam of light.

Daniel wasn’t about to correct her, at least not this time. “Yes, it’s me and Kevin,” Daniel called back to her. “Where are you, Jennifer?”

“I’m in the back of this room,” she called back faintly.

Daniel turned to Kevin and then climbed inside the room, followed closely by the other man. Once they were inside, Daniel shone his flashlight on the pieces of artifacts, making a mental note to check them out later. He and Kevin caught the beam of light coming from Jennifer’s flashlight and made their way to the back of the room.

Jennifer was on her knees, running her hands over the wall and what appeared to be more hieroglyphs. She turned when she heard Daniel and Kevin approaching. “They’re hieroglyphs, but nothing I’ve seen before. I can’t make heads or tails out of them,” she began, frustrated.

Daniel shone his light over them and once he was able to read them clearly, his mouth dropped open.

“What is it, Daniel?” Kevin asked curiously.

Daniel failed to answer. His brow furrowed in concentration as he muttered to himself and ran his fingers across the writings and pictures. Once he came to the end of a particular set his eyes widened in realization.

“Oh, my God,” he started seriously.

Both students looked at him expectantly. “What?” Jennifer asked.

“Sam has got to see this,” he said quietly.

Sam sighed as she exited the grocery store and headed for her car. It had been about a week and a half since Daniel had left for Egypt. In that time, she’d managed to get quite a few things done. She mailed off the wedding invitation. She visited Sara in the flower shop and told her what they wanted in the chapel. Fortunately for Sara and her employees, the resulting arrangements wouldn’t be that large. Sam went with a pretty display of pink and red roses, along with some baby’s breath and some dainty pink and purple flowers of which name Sam couldn’t remember. She picked out her wedding dress as well and only had to have it fitted once.

She tried as much as she could to keep busy so she wouldn’t be dwelling too much on Daniel’s absence. Sometimes it could be hard, though. Granted, they’d only known each other just over four months, but they’d never been separated for this long. This morning she’d been woken up by Brian McKnight’s “Anytime” from her clock radio. The song was the lamentation of a man whose friend/lover had left him. Lyrics about looking at a picture in a frame, hearing footsteps down the hall, and missing a special someone were not the things Sam needed to hear at this point. She felt a lump in her throat as thoughts of Daniel and how much she missed him surfaced. She immediately shut the radio off but instead of crying and dwelling on it, she rushed to get dressed, have breakfast and get something done today. She missed him with all her heart, but she still had work to do.

After she returned home, she made her way into her office to check her email. A small card in an envelope drew her attention away from the computer and she opened it curiously. It was the last invitation she had made out. It had not been mailed with the others. She quickly turned the envelope over and was reminded of the problem she had to solve when she saw the names printed neatly on the front, "Drs. Claire and Melburn Jackson."

Sam felt her heartbeat speed up. After Daniel left, she’d done some more research on his parents. From the American Museum of Natural History website she found a phone number with which to contact them. She tried the number to make sure it worked and her suspicion was confirmed when a man’s voice speaking plainly informed her that no one was there to take a call. Sam felt a tiny spark of anger flare up in her when she remembered what Daniel had told her several months back. He’d tried to speak to his mother, only to get the answering machine. He had a suspicion that his father was erasing his messages. She sighed and, before she could leave a message, hung up the phone.

She went through the rest of the papers she’d procured from the internet. She not only had their phone number, but she had also obtained their address which she looked up on an online Yellow Pages website. The phone number that was listed matched, confirming their address to her. They lived on the Upper West side of Manhattan on 83rd Street. She decided it made sense, as the museum was located on 81st Street.

She knew what she had to do and why she had to do it. She turned her computer on and went to one of the travel websites, looking for flights to New York and hotels in the area. After a bit of searching, she was able to book a flight leaving in two days for New York, as well as reserve a hotel room several blocks over. A part of her felt guilty for going behind Daniel’s back, especially when he made it clear that he didn’t want her bothering to get involved over something like this. He knew that trying to get his parents to attend would be all for naught when they were no longer speaking to him and he didn’t want to put Sam through that.

Why should she feel guilty? She knew that he missed them, especially his mother. She could tell he was envious of her close relationship with her father. Daniel had a distinct sadness to him whenever he mentioned his parents and she hated to see him like that. She wanted to do as much as she could to help mend the rift between them. Convincing them to attend his wedding was a good start. She only hoped she would achieve some success.

Sam settled into her hotel room and kicked off her shoes. The flight from Colorado to La Guardia airport in New York had gone well; even the lunch that was served was fairly decent. She’d taken a cab from the airport across the bridge into Manhattan and then uptown to the hotel.

She curiously leafed through a guide to New York City. She had two days here and wondered what else she could do to pass the time. She didn’t think – at least she didn’t hope – that talking to Daniel’s parents would take up all that time. She unfolded her map of the city, looking for other points of interest. She had visited New York when she was a little girl and didn’t remember all that much about it. The one thing she did remember was that she enjoyed the Museum of Natural History. Despite the fact that Daniel’s parents worked there, she thought she would pay it a visit.

After an early lunch on her flight, she decided to have an early dinner at the small bar-and-grill type of restaurant that was located next to the hotel. As she partook of her barbeque chicken sandwich, she began thinking of what she could say to Daniel’s parents, and how she should say it. She didn’t want to come off too strong and assuming. At first she worried that she would be sticking her nose where it didn’t belong. She then shook her head and scoffed quietly at her foolishness. She was going to be his wife, for God’s sake. She cared for him more than anything and hated to see him despondent. As she finished her meal, she went over the possibilities until she confidently settled on something.

After paying the bill, she replaced her wallet and noticed the invitation still in her purse. She looked down at her watch and realized it was close to 6 PM. She wondered what Daniel’s parents would be doing now. Did they work at the museum full-time? Were they on a dinner break? Sam was not comfortable with the idea of barging in on them while they were eating, so she decided to wait at least an hour and take the opportunity to freshen up in her hotel room.

As seven-thirty rolled around, she decided she’d take her chances and began the trek over to 83rd Street. The city of New York was not quite what she remembered and making her way across the busy streets took some getting used to. As she made it to 83rd, she removed the folded paper from her purse that contained their address. She looked fleetingly up at each of the places she passed, hoping to catch sight of numbers next to the doors.

Her gait slowed and she breathed a sigh of relief when she approached 252 83rd Street, the brownstone that supposedly belonged to his parents. Stick-on black and gold letters spelling out “Jackson” adorned the small black mail box next to the door, confirming her suspicion. Sam slowly ascended the steps up to the door and regarded it tentatively. She barely had time to hope that she wasn’t intruding when a little voice inside her reminded her of how much she loved Daniel, and how she wanted him to be happy more than anything. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and rang the doorbell.

For several minutes there was no response. Sam’s heart sank and she thought that they must have still been at the museum or eating dinner. She would have to return the next day. She was about to turn around and head down the stairs when she heard a rustling sound coming from within the house. Her brow wrinkled faintly.

The door slowly opened and from behind it appeared a bespectacled woman she recognized immediately. She was slightly shorter than Sam and quite slender. Her light brown, shoulder length hair was pulled back in a ponytail and was barely sprinkled with gray. The almost complete absence of wrinkles was remarkable for her age and made Sam wonder if she was the one from whom Daniel had gotten his youthful looks. It was clearly evident that he’d gotten his bright blue eyes from her.

The woman looked at Sam curiously. “Yes, may I help you?” she asked timidly.

Before Sam could answer, a man appeared at her side. He was a bit taller, although not quite as tall as Daniel. In contrast to Daniel’s mother, he had hazel eyes. His hair was dark brown and in a style – for all intents and purposes – identical to Daniel’s. He also wore glasses that were very similar to Daniel’s, except that the frames were a bit thicker and darker. He was also quite youthful looking for his age, save for the bit of gray hair at his temples and a few faint lines of age on his face.

“Claire?” he questioned before looking bewildered at Sam. She was now completely convinced that these were Daniel’s parents.

“Mr. and Mrs. Jackson?” Sam asked timidly before correcting herself. “Uh … I mean … Drs. Jackson?”

“Yes, is there something we can do for you?” Melburn said quietly.

“My name is Dr. Samantha Carter. I … I need to talk to you about your son,” Sam finally blurted out.

At this, the older couple visibly paled. “Danny?” Claire asked, almost incredulously.

“You know Daniel?” Mel asked Sam urgently.

“Well … yes. Actually, it’s more than that,” Sam said, feeling slightly awkward.

“Is he all right?” Claire chimed in worriedly.

Sam nodded. “Yes. But, I have to talk to you. Can I come in, or am I interrupting something?”

“Oh, no,” Claire insisted quietly. “We’re through working for the museum today and we just finished dinner. Please, come in.”

Sam nodded gratefully. “Thank you,” she muttered as Claire pulled the door back further to allow Sam entrance.

She followed Claire and Mel through the small foyer and into their living room off to the left. The shades had been drawn and, if not for the ornate lamps on the end tables and the chandelier hanging over the dining room table, the room would be in complete darkness. Sam looked appreciatively at the Jacksons’ décor. It was quite like Daniel’s, except that their collection of artifacts was a bit more esoteric than his. At Claire’s urging, she made herself at home on a loveseat whose arms were intricately carved, while Claire and Mel sat on the couch across from her.

Sam sighed and positioned herself on the edge of the seat, still trying to decide how to begin. For a moment, there was an uncomfortable silence between them.

“How do you know Daniel?” Mel finally asked.

Sam took another deep breath. “I’m his fiancée,” she said after a beat. At that instant, her cheeks flushed.

They didn’t know what had hit them. Sam watched as their eyes quickly widened and then narrowed, framed by wrinkled brows that completed their incredulous expressions. “What?” Mel finally said quietly.

Sam averted her eyes and nodded before she stretched her arm out in front of her, showing off her engagement ring. The Jacksons took notice of the ring, but still appeared as if they weren’t ready to believe Sam. A realization came to her and she fumbled through her purse until she came upon a photo. It was a casual picture of her and Daniel that had been taken at Sara’s party several months ago. She handed it to them and waited for their reaction. Emotion seemed to pass over Claire’s face as studied the photo. She hadn’t seen her son in many years, but she had no trouble recognizing him.

“W-when? H-how? Forgive my bluntness, but there are so many questions here that need to be answered,” Mel said.

Questions that wouldn’t even arise if you hadn’t cut off contact with him, Sam thought bitterly. “I know this is all rather sudden. I’ll start at the beginning,” she said. “I’m an astrophysics professor at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs.”

The Jacksons listened intently as Sam related the story to them of how she and Daniel met. Although Claire found it endearing, Mel couldn’t help commenting wryly, “Figures. He’s always been clumsy.”

“Like you and me,” Claire reminded him in a challenging tone.

Sam’s eyes moved from Claire back to Mel, a bit surprised at the older woman’s boldness. Mel seemed a bit surprised by it himself and he was effectively put in his place, shrugging his shoulders and muttering awkwardly, “Well … yes.”

They took a few more moments to digest all this information before Claire spoke again. “I didn’t know Daniel was in Colorado Springs,” she said, still seeming surprised and even a bit sad.

“You didn’t know?” Sam said incredulously, feigning ignorance in part.

Claire shook her head. “No. We haven’t spoken to him in … years,” she finished ashamedly.

“Why not?” Sam asked, her voice rising dangerously. Her cheeks flamed and she coughed awkwardly.

Mel looked down at his hands, apparently not sure how to start. “Danny was always a good boy,” he finally began lamely. “When Claire and I were busy with our digs, he was always enthusiastic about helping us. He was such a bright child and we always encouraged him. We were pleased and even flattered that he wanted to follow in our footsteps.” A wistful chuckle escaped his throat before his mood changed and his expression became harsh. “But, then he chose to teach … throw it all away and teach.” He spat the last word out scornfully.

At this, Sam bristled. “And what do you find so bad about teaching?” she nearly demanded.

Mel gave her an inquisitive look before he realized he’d offended his son’s fiancée. He sighed and averted his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you,” he said apologetically. “But, you teach astrophysics. Archaeology is a bit different. I … we … always hoped that Daniel would make something of himself.”

Sam’s eyebrows drew together. “What makes you think that he hasn’t?”

“Has he put forth any major, groundbreaking theories or made any important discoveries?” Mel asked.

Sam was nearly caught off-guard by the question. In defending Daniel, she wanted to fib and reply in the affirmative. She relented, just in case he would be reunited with them and they’d decide to call him on it. “Uh … well, he did present a talk in my department about …”

“There you are,” Mel cut her off. Sam’s tone was devoid of confidence and told him what he wanted to hear.

Sam fixed him with a look of contempt. “And that’s why you’ve cut off contact with him?” she said.

Mel didn’t say a word, but she knew what his answer was.

“How could you be so small-minded to sever ties with him over something like this? He’s your son!” Sam continued, a hint of desperation in her voice.

Mel held his ground. “He chose to be stuck in a classroom, teaching some flunky ‘intro to archaeology’ course, instead of actively taking part in field work.”

“Well, then you don’t know him very well,” Sam replied quietly, her expression hardened. “As we speak, he’s performing an excavation in Egypt with several students. For almost two weeks, he’s been there studying a burial chamber.”

Both Jacksons straightened up and regarded her seriously.

Sam nodded slowly. “He’ll be back on the twentieth – eleven days before our wedding.”

Mel had stuck his foot in his mouth and his expression revealed that he was now completely aware of it. “He’s taking part in an excavation,” he said slowly. For a split second, something vaguely resembling a smile flitted across his face before his expression turned repentant. “And it’s something important?”

“I can’t see how it wouldn’t be,” Sam replied, still not letting them get off easy. “And, I can’t see why it would make much difference. He’s doing something that he enjoys and you should be proud of him for that.”

Claire and Mel appeared chastened by this and Claire nodded shyly.

“It’s time to put an end to all this silliness. The reason I came out here was to let you know about the wedding. I guess I could have called you, but given the circumstances I thought it would be best to talk to you in person. I’m sure you agree.”

Mel nodded. “This is still quite sudden,” he said quietly. “And you say the wedding is on the … thirty-first?”

Sam looked him in the eyes and nodded. She rummaged through her purse once again and handed the invitation to them.

Claire’s expression turned emotional as she read it over. “I don’t know if Daniel would want us there,” she said ruefully.

“How can you say that?” Sam asked, taken aback. “I happen to know that he misses you a lot. He told me back when we first met that he hadn’t talked to you in ages. He told me that he was envious of the close relationship I have with my father. I see how it’s affecting him. He didn’t even want me getting involved. But, I had to try because I really love him and I only want to see him happy.”

Both Jacksons looked at her intently. “I can see that,” Mel said solemnly.

Sam nodded and looked at them nervously, unsure of what to say next. She looked down at her watch and realized it was getting late. She didn’t want to trouble the Jacksons any longer so she made to get up off the loveseat. “I should get going,” she muttered.

Claire and Mel rose and crossed the room as Sam headed toward the foyer. Just as she was about to head out the door, Claire spoke up, “I really don’t know what to say.”

Sam looked at her and she could see a mixture of embarrassment and sadness in the older woman’s eyes. “Look, I’m not forcing you to do anything,” she said softly, referring to the invitation in Claire’s hand. “It’s totally up to you whether or not you want to attend. But, if you love Daniel, you’ll do him that courtesy.”

With that, she headed down the front steps and back down the street the way she came. Daniel’s parents looked down at the invitation and shared a look, as though they had some serious thinking and reevaluation ahead of them.

The next day, Sam decided to check out the Museum of Natural History. She hadn’t been there since she was very young, but it instantly brought back memories for her. She remembered the Hall of Dinosaurs, though it had now moved up onto the fourth floor. She spent a while in the fairly new Hall of Minerals and she couldn’t resist taking in a show at the Hayden Planetarium.

As she roamed the halls, she thought back to the events of the previous day. She had been nearly mortified by the mindset of Daniel’s parents, his father in particular. She thought they would have been better than that. She tried to convince them to mend the rift they’d created and at least consider attending the wedding. She wasn’t sure if she’d convinced them of anything, though. In the least, she hoped that they’d gained some more respect for him.

Familiarity shone in her eyes when she came upon an exhibit titled “Petra: The Lost City of Stone.” She remembered reading about it on the website and thought she’d check it out. It barely occurred to her that Daniel’s parents were the curators; she was just interested in what the exhibit presented. As she explored it, she thought about Daniel once again and wished he could be here with her.

“Dr. Carter?” a familiar female voice asked.

Sam jerked her head around and she let out a small gasp when she found Claire Jackson standing behind her.

“Oh! Mrs. Jackson … I mean, Dr. Jackson. Hello. I was just …” Sam trailed off awkwardly and gestured to one of the dioramas related to the exhibit.

Claire nodded. “Do you have any questions about anything?”

“Oh, uh … no – I mean, not really. It’s all so fascinating.”

Claire’s face lit up in a smile, almost identical to the way her son’s did. It made Sam feel warm inside.

“Today is my last day in New York, so I figured I’d come over here. I haven’t been to the museum since I was a little girl,” Sam continued.

“I see,” Claire remarked. “Well, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.”

Sam nodded. “Thanks,” she smiled. She took a few steps away from the older woman to study a few artifacts in a case.

“Dr. Carter?” Claire called out after a few minutes. Sam looked back and saw Claire’s eyes pleading for her to come back.

Sam made her way curiously back to the area where Claire was standing.

“I’m sorry,” the older woman began with an awkward smile. “I wanted to thank you for the wedding invitation. You’re a sweet girl and I’m touched that you came all this way to speak to us about Daniel. We’re both touched – Mel and I. Nothing would make me happier than to see my Danny again, but I’m not sure how he’d react to seeing us. I just … don’t think he’ll accept us being there.” Claire’s voice became thick with emotion and she looked away.

Sam took instant pity on the female Dr. Jackson. It appeared that Daniel’s father had been largely to blame for their refusal to talk to Daniel. Daniel himself had told Sam that his mother wasn’t too happy about him teaching, but she had accepted it. His father had been a different story.

“Please don’t think that way,” Sam told her simply. “Daniel does love you. He’s told me more than once how much he misses you. He even told me that he’d give anything to see you at his wedding, but he didn’t think it was possible under the circumstances. I came to see you yesterday with the hope that I might try to change that. But, this is a decision that both you and your husband have to make and I can’t force you to do anything. I can only hope that you’ll at least consider it, Dr. Jackson.”

Clarity and understanding filled Claire’s eyes as she listened intently and nodded. Her once clouded-with-emotion eyes began to twinkle as a smile slowly formed on her face. “Please, call me Claire.”

Sam regarded her tentatively.

“It’s only right since you’re going to be my daughter-in-law,” Claire continued affectionately.

Sam’s face lit up in a huge smile. “Then you’ll have to call me Sam,” she returned.

“Okay, Sam,” Claire said, clearing her throat as her voice caught. “I’m glad my son is marrying someone as sweet as you. He deserves to be happy.”

Sam pondered her words as she parted company with the older woman.