Chapter 4: A New Discovery
May 29, 1991 - Wednesday
Alan's presence had been requested on the East Hill, Horizon 1 of the dig site. It seemed that a couple of students had uncovered a possible new discovery for the team, in the way of a plant. He reached the correct location and found Allison and Ellie standing next to some rocks, staring at the ground. Secretly, he was very pleased to find out which two students might have found something substantial. They were very knowledgeable people and were very hard working. Logan was usually with them, though, and there were no signs of the boy. He would try and ask about that later.
"Rumor has it that something good may have been discovered here," he said.
Hearing his voice, Ellie looked up and smiled. "I'm hoping the rumors are true."
Alan smiled back, and then knelt down to investigate the discovery. After a few moments of silence, he finally stood up. Ellie and Allison looked at him with great anticipation.
Finally, he said, "This is wonderful. It looks to be complete, too." He looked at Ellie, "Can you identify it, Ms. Sattler?"
Ellie thought for a few seconds. She had already been trying to figure out that very question, even before he had arrived. She had an idea, so she went with it and answered, "Well, I believe it's Class Magnoliopsida."
Alan nodded.
"Sub class Rosidae," she added.
"Very good perception," Alan said proudly.
"From the Cretaceous Period."
"I agree. And when it is examined by Dr. Harper, would you like to be present?"
"Yes! That would be wonderful, thank you," Ellie said.
Alan smiled and then looked over at Allison. "You are invited, too, of course, since the two of you have discovered it together."
"Thank you, sir. I'd be honored," Allison said, smiling.
"Which brings me to a question. Where's Logan?"
"He's not here today. I think Rob said something about him being sick," Allison answered.
"That's too bad, too. He would have loved this," Ellie said.
Alan was pleased to see how Ellie was really sincere about Logan. She was a very decent human being, but he had already known that much.
"Well, let's see about extracting this great find, shall we?" he asked the two women.
"I'm very much looking forward to that," Ellie said.
"Before you disturb its resting place, we'll need to mark the area and get it charted. And the fossil should be stabilized. We'll need some glue."
"Okay," Ellie said.
"The glue is stored in one of the supply tents. I'll be right back. Keep the spot protected."
Ellie and Allison nodded and then Alan turned to walk away. He didn't get far before he turned to face them again, "Would one of you like to come along? It's a good idea to familiarize yourselves with the supply tent."
The women glanced at each other, and when neither answered, Allison said, "You go ahead, Ellie. I'll go next time."
"Okay," Ellie said as calm as she could manage. "I'll be right back. Keep an eye on our find, so no one else disturbs or claims it," she joked.
Allison laughed. "I'll guard it with my life," she said smiling.
Ellie smiled in return and then caught up with Alan, who was already walking away. When she was shoulder to shoulder with him, he looked her way, "You really are very lucky. There haven't been very many complete plant discoveries. I'm very glad you're here. You have a great eye."
"Thank you, Dr. Grant," she said.
Alan changed the subject toward something more personal. "Did you get your car window fixed?"
"Yeah. I just had to pay a deductible, so it worked out fine."
"That drunk guy should be paying your deductible."
"Well, I think I may have gotten him fired, so that's probably payment enough."
He nodded. They continued to walk through the dig site. They passed three or four trailers and several teepees, before Alan slowed down. He looked as though he were temporarily lost, and then he snapped his fingers and continued.
"Not a tent. It's in a teepee," he said to himself aloud.
Still following him, Ellie could hear music playing from somewhere, as went toward a nearby teepee. He opened the flap and gestured for her to go first. Ducking her head, once inside she was quite surprised at just how much room was in there. There was an old radio sitting on a small table, tuned to an AM oldies station. "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" by the Shirelles, had just begun to play. The song continued on for a few verses.
Tonight you're mine completely
You give your love so sweetly
Tonight the light of love is in your eyes
but will you love me tomorrow ...
Ellie interrupted the song. "This one teepee holds quite a lot of supplies," she said, looking around still.
"Yes they do. They're much better than bloody tents. They have more room inside and the ever present wind doesn't blow them over."
She nodded as she watched him rummaging through some supplies. She was about to ask him if he needed help, when he sort of found what he was searching for.
"Ah-ha! There it is. I just have to squeeze in there and get it. It must have fallen down somehow."
He removed his fedora, placing it on a nearby metal table, and then he bent down. Ellie almost immediately picked up the hat. It was heavier than she had expected it to be. She quickly put the hat back where she had found it before he noticed. Alan found the item he was looking for . . . the glue.
"Got it," he said, as he got up from the ground.
He set the glue container on the table next to his hat, and then picked up the hat and placed it on his head. Ellie reached for the glue, trying to help, but he was already reaching for it at the same time. Their hands lightly touched for a second and then Ellie moved, letting him pick up the item. Both of them were quiet for a moment, as the song continued to play.
... that your love
is love that I can be sure of
so tell me now and won't ask again
will you still love me tomorrow ...
Alan was starting to feel the same way he had felt when he had first laid eyes on her. He was attracted to her, that was for certain, but he knew it wouldn't be wise to react on that attraction.
Ellie mostly felt the same way, but she had some questions that were in need of answering. "Dr. Grant," she began. He looked at her and she felt weird addressing him professionally after she had already been calling him Alan a few days ago. Trying not to let that bother her, she pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. "I was wondering," she said, gesturing to the phone on the metal table, "if I was to call this number . . . would it come here?"
"No. It would go to my trailer, which is a bit more south of where we are right now."
"Oh, okay."
The song ended with repeats of the chorus.
so tell me now and I won't ask again
will you still love me tomorrow
will you still love me tomorrow
will you still love me tomorrow
After a beat, Ellie asked directly, "Do you find it awkward to talk to me?"
"No, not really. Well, maybe a little," he confessed, scratching the back of his neck.
Ellie was about to ask more questions, when he glanced at his watch. "I've got to get going. I was supposed to meet Dr. Harper about ten minutes ago. I'll get him to come and chart your discovery." Ellie nodded, so Alan continued, "Now that you have the correct tool for the job," he handed the glue to her, "you'll be able to properly protect your find now."
"Thank you. Why is this stuff stored in here?"
"Well, there is acetone in the mixture and it can't be exposed to the sun."
"Like nail polish remover?" she asked.
"Exactly. The acetone evaporates quickly and the glue remains, helping to prevent the fossil from shattering."
"Oh, okay."
Alan smiled, as he put his hat on. "When things are found, they need to be protected as soon as possible, so you can begin doing that," he said.
"I'll try not to disappoint you."
Alan had already started to walk toward the flap entrance. He turned around, looked at her, and smiled. "I don't think that's possible, Ms. Sattler. I'll meet you back at the digging area in about ten minutes. Get that solution on as soon as you get over there, okay?"
Before she could respond, he walked out of the teepee, quickly disappearing. Ellie stood there for a second, shaking her head and laughing, and then she exited the teepee, as well. She walked away, blissfully unaware that she was humming the words to "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow."
She found Allison near their digging area, arguing with Gregory Diamond. Ellie began to walk faster, already deciding to be on Allison's side before she even knew what they were arguing about.
"What's going on?" Her yelling got their attention. As Greg looked her way, Ellie continued, "And what are you doing here?"
"This is a great find. It looks to be complete and intact. I'm going to help with the extraction," he said.
"No, you're not," Ellie stated, getting closer to whom she perceived as an idiot.
"That's exactly what I already tried to explain to him, Ellie. Only he doesn't have the capacity to listen," Allison angrily said.
Greg looked at both women, who were obviously upset with his being there. He didn't care though. All he knew was that there was a perfect fossil in front of him and since no one else of importance had seen it yet, he was going to claim a part of it. Maybe even all of it.
"Well, since I don't see any of those famed scientists around, I'm including myself in your little discovery."
Allison was about to correct him, as she knew the lead paleontologist had already seen the fossil, but Ellie stopped her from pointing that out by shushing her. Allison slightly smiled, knowing that it would look much worse for Greg to claim his discovery on his own in the presence of Dr. Grant.
Ellie looked at Greg and said, "This is your last chance to cease being an asshole, for once in your life."
Greg answered her request by grabbing the glue out of her hand. He knelt down next to the fossil. "Just shut up and learn your place here," he said as he began to remove the lid from the glue container.
Ellie was beyond furious, especially with that last crack at the female race, but she kept her cool. "Allison, could you go get Dr. Grant and tell him we're ready to log our discovery?"
"Sure."
"I think he's with Dr. Harper," Ellie suggested, never taking her eyes away from Greg.
Allison nodded and left the area. Ellie leaned in and grabbed the container from the truly annoying man. "My glue. I went and got it. Get your own."
Greg stood. "Fine, I will," he said, as he looked to his right, "just as soon as Dr. Grant is here and gone."
Ellie followed his gaze and saw Allison and Alan coming in their direction. Allison had found him fast and they were en route to the discovery. Alan smiled as he opened the journal in his hand. It was a daily journal, already about half full. There was still about three hours of daylight left, too, making this particular day a great one in terms of discoveries. As they approached the location, he noticed that there was a third student near the find. That Diamond kid.
"How's everything going?" he asked, as he stopped in front of the area.
Ellie stood by and let Greg Diamond make a fool of himself. The undeserving young man stepped up to the plate. "I found this just a few hours ago, Dr. Grant. I believe it to be intact, sir."
Alan eyed the student closely, but didn't speak. He was giving him a chance to take back his statement. He didn't seem to be considering any type of retraction or confession, though.
"Mr. Diamond, when did you say you found this?"
Greg began to sweat slightly, trying to remember when Ellie had found it. "About . . . a half hour ago, sir."
Alan looked at Ellie and Allison. The two women were just quietly standing there. He had thought that one or the other would have spoken up by now, but it looked as though they were leaving it up to him. He turned his attention back to the prevaricator.
"A half hour, you say?"
Greg nodded, looking like he might not be certain anymore. "Yes, sir."
"Well, that is quite funny, Mr. Diamond."
"It is?" Greg said, swallowing uncomfortably.
"Yes. Yes, it is."
Alan continued to stare at him for quite a long time. He managed to make the kid feel so uncomfortable, that Ellie actually started to feel a little bad for him.
Finally, Alan said, "Tell me, Mr. Diamond, how could you find something that Ellie and Allison had already found about an hour before you?"
Greg, who had been full of snide remarks and just pure meanness since he had gotten there, could only think of one response. "Huh?"
"Good answer," Alan commented. He waited another second and then continued, "It looks as though you've been caught in a slight lie."
"I can explain . . ."
"I bet you can. But you want to know a little secret? I don't care to hear that explanation. We need to work as a team here and I don't see you as a team player, Mr. Diamond."
"I can be, Dr. Gr-"
"I want you packed and out of here in an hour."
"What? You can't do that!"
"I can. And I just did."
"These girls wouldn't know what to do with this find. They would just screw it up. You know that. Paleontology is a man's job."
Ellie became enraged very quickly. She was about to say something, when Alan put up his hand, halting her verbal . . . and possibly physical . . . assault.
"I'm not going to comment on that. You have a lot of growing up to do. And if this is all the growing up that you're planning on doing, then maybe you should look into another profession."
Greg stared at Alan for several seconds. Ellie and Allison witnessed the tension between the two. Alan may have been the boss, but Greg was about two inches taller than he was, making him look fairly menacing. Alan held his ground, though. The young man turned and angrily walked toward one of the tents. Ellie breathed a little easier and noticed that Alan was doing the same thing.
"Well, that was fun," he said, taking a deep breath.
"I thought he was going to deck you," Allison said.
Alan laughed. "You and me both."
They all laughed nervously, and then Alan got down to business. "Okay, let's get this beautiful discovery out of the rocks and into Dr. Harper's office."
Ellie and Allison nodded and the three of them began the protecting process.
As was usually the case, Alan was the last person working at the dig site. He walked past the few small parties that were set up around the camp, nodding and greeting various people, and then reached his trailer. He wasn't in a very good mood. First, there was that confrontation with Greg Diamond, and then Ellie and Allison had spent the rest of the day with Dr. Harper. When the examination of the fossil plant was finished, Harper had sent them home. He didn't even know that Ellie had left the site, which sort of disappointed him for some reason. He just wanting to get inside the trailer, get to sleep, and end the day.
That's when Greg Diamond approached him in a civilized manner.
"Dr. Grant. I really need to stay here. I need to complete this summer volunteer work, or I'll be forced to hold off my progress in school."
Alan looked at him. He was astonished at how this kid didn't give up. "Mr. Diamond, you should have thought about that before that little mishap in the field today."
"Just reinstate me," Greg said in a serious tone.
"I'm not going to reinstate you."
Greg was beginning to unravel some. He took a step closer to Alan. "I need this job. I need you to forget about what happened out there today. Please."
Alan was starting to feel as if Greg wasn't really asking him to do something, but rather he was ordering him to do something. "I'm sure you can find another place to finish up your volunteer work. Why don't you try a different state?"
Greg got even closer. "No. You don't understand. It's very important that I stay here."
Greg had come from a wealthy family, but had a very eccentric great-grandfather. According to his great-grandfather's will, Greg had to finish certain things at certain times in order to get his inheritance. The old guy had been a geologist and wanted Greg to follow in his footsteps. That was the only way he would ever see his great-grandson as being fit for the money. Greg needed to be finished with his second year by the end of summer, and he needed this volunteer work to be able to move forward. The school his grandfather had hand-picked required volunteer work in the field in its curriculum. There was only a handful of approved sites, so Greg had no choice but to stay, since this was the only one that had accepted him at all.
"I suggest you back off. I'm not letting you back in," Alan said strongly.
"How about I pay you for the inconvenience of the happenings from earlier?"
"Sorry, Mr. Diamond. I'm not the bribe-taking kind of guy."
Greg had tried everything in his power to help himself. It was clear that this asshole of an instructor wasn't going to let him back into the program. He decided to give up on the idea and leave, but his rage got the better of him. He took another step closer to Alan . . . and pushed him. "You will regret that decision one day."
Alan stepped back. He couldn't believe the guts this kid had. "Now you're resorting to threatening me?"
"It's just a general statement. Take it as you like," Greg said, turning away.
Alan stood there in shock. All these years on the job and he had never once been threatened by a student. He did feel slightly endangered, but also relieved that Greg had given up and seemed to be going away. The kid was a rotten apple.