Tri – Olitz
Chapter 4
The Second Rescue
Smithsonian Natural History Museum
Rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet, I look around anxiously searching for the nearest restroom. I breathe in and out trying to reduce the speed of the nausea rising from my belly to my throat. My stomach is churning like a front loading washing machine. Montezuma's revenge is wreaking havoc on my body and the museum will require the swift use of a mop and bucket if I don't find the can soon. Jake glances over at me, he can tell I am not feeling well. He quietly inches his way toward me while at the same time trying to pay attention to our science teacher Mrs. Jackson who is notorious for singling us out for on the spot impromptu questions.
"Siats meekerorum is also considered a big bully in the dinosaur kingdom. Weighing in at four tons and thirty feet, the siats was a colossal predator second only to the tyrannosaurus rex but surprising not a close relative of the t-rex. This particular specimen we're viewing was found in the Cedar Mountain Formation of eastern Utah and belongs to the carcharodontosaurian group of theropods. Now who can tell me what a theropod is? Anyone? Mr. Ballad care to regale us with one of your insightful definitions?"
Jake stops dead in his tracks. "Yes Ms. Jackson."
"Define theropod for the class", the teacher insists.
"Dang it, I knew it," he hisses under his breath. "Uh…uh… a theropod. Isn't that a two-legged dinosaur with little arms and claws?"
"Correct Mr. Ballard, a theropod is a bipedal carnivore with small forelimbs. Okay class let's move on to the FossiLab. The Curator of Dinosauria is going to talk to us about the Hellboy dinosaur."
Jake and I lag behind while the rest of class follows Ms. Jackson out of the National Fossil Hall to the FossiLab.
"Fitz, where are you going? Didn't you hear, Ms. Jackson is taking the class the FossiLab for a behind the scenes on the Hellboy dinosaur. How cool is that; a Hellboy dinosaur."
"I need to find the can. I ate those cookies Mellie sent last night and ever since, my insides have been rumbling and I feel like I going blow chunks at both ends." I lean back against the wall wincing from stomach cramps.
"I told you not to eat anything that girl made. Mellie can't figure out the instructions for making cold cereal." We both laugh.
Seriously, Fitz, we don't even go to school with her. She would never know if you didn't eat her care package. Mellie is mental man. Every time she gets near you something bad happens. Remember on your tenth birthday she ran to hug you and knocked you fully clothed into the pool. Let's see what else, oh yeah, she's given you the chicken pox, she's let her demon Great Dane bite you on the butt and chase you up a tree, and now this, food poisoning. I think she's like those crazy women who make their kids sick for attention; moo-chow something or other. You need to stay clear of her, she dangerous to your health. Did you know she goes around telling everybody that you're her O & O?"
"Her what?"
"Her O & O, one and only. I think she plans on marrying you straight out of high school", Jake recounts laughing.
"Don't even joke about that Jake. Our dads keep making us attend these stupid grown-up functions together. They're constantly ragging on and on about us being the perfect match, a golden couple, future political dynamite. We're twelve, we can't even vote. Mellie is clingy and talks about weird things I could care less about, like debutante balls, country clubs and duck hunting. She completely creeps me out. She snuck up behind me on New Year's Eve and tried to kiss me at midnight. I freaked and pushed her way so hard she fell into a planter. The cookies were her attempt at an apology."
"Doesn't seem like an apology to me, more like revenge. Since she's planning to marry you we can rule out poison but she definitely added something unpleasant to the old Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe."
"Look you catch up with the class, there's no point in both of us getting into trouble. I'll meet up with you later. If I'm not back by the time you leave the FossiLab, tell Ms. Jackson I'm sick and in the restroom."
"Fitz, I don't….."
"Don't worry. I'll find you guys. Just cover for me, I may be in the restroom for a while."
"Ewe, TMI. Dude the rules are no unaccompanied minors at anytime on field trips."
"So what, you want to escort me to the nearest toilet?"
"No, I actually want to the see the behind the scenes operation."
"Then go. I promise to be as quick as possible."
"Okay, make it snappy. I think I saw a bathroom down there." Jake points down the hall and pats Fitz on the shoulder then runs to catch up with the rest of their class.
I find the restroom and after twenty minutes of hugging the bowl and emptying my stomach and another ten clearing my colon, I emerge from the bathroom feeling 100 percent better. On my way to the FossiLab I get distracted by several unusual dinosaur exhibits. I wander into a large new exhibit under construction hoping for a sneak peek. I stand in the corner by the door watching the engineers set up the rigging to support a new display. The exhibit panel is next to the door by me. I read the exhibit description to myself. Quetzalcoatlus, is the largest pterosaur or winged lizard to have ever walked the earth. Pterosaurs are not dinosaurs. Quetzalcoatlus had a wingspan of 22 feet and a body length of 26 feet. Scientists believe this pterosaur folded its wings and walked on all fours on when on land. Quetzalcoatlus was a native to Mexico.
"Duke how much longer? The assembly crew is ready to put together the pterosaur", a woman in a red jumpsuit shouts. Duke is on top of a cherry picker securing the rigging bolts to the support beams.
"Give me ten minutes. I have two more bolts to install and the weight bearing test."
"Okay, thanks, I'll let them know."
The woman uses her cell phone to advise the assembly crew of Duke's progress. She looks around the room searching for something, but before she sees me, I slip behind some tall plastic plants. I use my hand to make an opening through the plants and peer through the fake leaves. I notice a young girl standing next to a large white tarp covered heap on a wooden pallet. When she lifts the tarp, I can see the dinosaur bones underneath. It must be for the new display. There is something familiar about the girl. Maybe she goes to my school. The woman in the red jumpsuit calls the girl by name but I can't hear what she said because the Duke guy is yelling at someone on his phone and the noise from the hydraulics on the cherry picker is drowning out her voice. Duke lowers the cherry picker and dashes out the door yelling into the phone that he's on his way. The woman motions for the girl to step away from the covered heap and she complies.
The assemble crew enters the room as I'm about to leave. Curious as to how they will assemble the dinosaur display, I decide to hang around a little longer. They pull off the tarp, attach o-rings, hooks and wires to different parts of the Quetzalcoatlus. One of the men hooks the o-rings onto the cherry picker and ascends to attach the o-rings to the ceiling run the loose wires through a huge pulley machine. The guy on the cherry picker gives the thumbs up sign and the man next to the pulley machine turns it on. The pulley begins to hoist the pterosaur into the air. It kind of looks like a marionette dancing around as it jerks into position. The Duke guy returns to the room all hot and bothered. As soon as he sees what's going on he immediately starts screaming and telling the pulley operator to lower the pterosaur skeleton.
"What are you doing? I haven't performed the weight bearing test yet."
Two seconds after he says the word "yet", everyone in the room hears a cracking sound. I look up and I see the last two bolts give way and the fossil fall to the floor.
"Everybody run," Duke yells.
The girl doesn't move. She doesn't see a way escape. I see the tail of the fossil swing precariously close to her. I jump from behind the plastic plants and pull the girl back. The tail of the fossil crashes to the floor. It lands in the same spot where the young girl was standing and splinters into pieces. The girl screams "ow". We look each other in the eyes and we both sense a flicker of recognition. Before I can say anything to the girl, the woman and Duke rush over and scoop her up in their arms.
"Are you okay sweetheart?"
"My leg, it hurts she cries. I think a bone splinter hit me in the leg."
"The woman turns to me. "Thank you so much but you shouldn't be in here. How did you get in here?"
I'm about to explain but Duke interrupts.
"Harmony she's bleeding, you need to get her to the hospital. I'll call her dad and explain what happened. He's going rip us both a new one." Harmony shakes her head up and down and runs out the door with the girl in her arms.
"How did you get in here," Duke asks me? What you did was incredibly brave and incredibly stupid. You could have been hurt or killed. What's your name kid? How did you get in here?"
"Fitzgerald sir. I got separated from my class while looking for a restroom. I came in here looking for the FossiLab."
"Well Fitzgerald you are the hero of the day. You saved that girl's life." Duke calls over one of the assembly crew. "Greg here is going to take you to the FossiLab and smooth things over with your teacher. I'm sure your teacher is looking for you."
"Yes sir."
Lying on the floor where the girl fell is a broken necklace with a ring attached. I pick up the necklace and examine the ring. Immediately I recognize the ring. I run to door where the woman ran out with the girl for the hospital. I open the door and look up and down the hallway searching for the girl. I can't believe it after all these years. "Olivia", I shout.
"Okay kid let's go." Greg grabs me by the shoulder and ushers me out of the room.
"Stop, did you hear that?"
"Hear what honey?"
"Someone called my name."
"No honey. I didn't hear anything."
"But, I'm sure I…"
Three Years Ago, the Day After Skunking Henry
Next day I go to tell Olivia not to worry about Henry any more. I take the steps two at a time as usual and knock on the door. Lucila opens the door slowly, her eyes are red, I can she has been crying.
"Hi is Olivia home?" Lucila tells me Olivia's mother passed away during the night.
"The family left early this morning to make arrangements. Hold on a minute," she says. She leaves the door for a minute and comes back with an envelope. She hands me the letter and tells me it is from Olivia.
I open the letter and read while she holds the door open watching me.
Dear Fitz and Jake,
Thank you for the flowers. My mom loved them. We sat on the porch the rest of the day talking and looking out at the ocean. We laughed, talked about boys and ate the fruit you left. It was the most fun we had had in a long time. I will never forget this day. A tearstain precedes the next line. She died at sunset, looking out at the waves with a smile on her face. Another tearstain. Thank you for helping my family. I will never forget you.
Your friend Olivia.
Lucila, steps out unto the porch to give me a hug. "Thank you for what you did. Olivia was so happy and proud to when she came back in the house yesterday to tell everyone the porch was ready. You and your friend are the best kind of people. I pray you never change because your heart is as big as the sky." She hugs me again.
"Thank you ma'am. Will you tell Olivia I am so sorry for her loss."
"I will." Lucila steps goes back into the house and closes the door.
I start to walk away, but turn back suddenly. I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring I won for Olivia and a crayon. Taking Olivia's letter out of the envelope, I put the ring in. I cross out my name and write Olivia on the front of the envelope. On the inside of the flap, I write, "remember me". I knock on the door again and hand the envelope to Lucila.
"Can you make sure Olivia gets this?"
"I sure will sweet boy. You take care now."
"You too."
That night Jake and I light paper sky lanterns for Olivia and her family with the help of my mom. We watch as the dozen or so lanterns float above the ocean and sail into the night sky.
"Do you think this will help mom?"
"Many cultures have been doing this ritual for hundreds of years son, so I'm pretty sure it must alleviate some of the pain and sorrow that comes with losing a loved one. Trust and believe that for your friend, okay."
"Okay," I say hugging my mom around the waist. She hugs me back, then leaves me and Jake sitting on the beach alone.
We both shed a tear for Olivia and her mother.
"I like her. I hope we see her again."
"So do I. So do I."
AN – Did I bring a tear to your eye again? Hope so. Fitz, Olivia and Jake have a special connection. They want to be in one another's life as friends; supportive, "I've your back" type friends.
Mellie, Mellie, Mellie, the girl is twelve and already has issues. Obviously, her parents made her drink the Kool-aid from time she was on the bottle because has been after Fitz for a few years. Do you think she put something in the cookies or is she just a terrible cook?
Have a great week.