"Listen, I've been thinking about my arm. It doesn't make any sense that there isn't any mark or evidence that it was scratched or poked with a knife. And there should have been something left of that scorpion in the ashes this morning. There wasn't that much fire left last night when you kicked that stupid thing in there anyway. What could have happened? I mean, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever."
"I wouldn't worry about it, dear. I mean, I don't think that it's that critical to think about. I'll admit it is a bit strange, but you didn't make a huge gaping hole in your arm. It could have healed inside and not left anything on the outside and the scorpion could have jumped out of the fire."
"I guess you're right, but something is different. I FEEL different. I feel like I could take on the entire world before breakfast with one hand tied behind my back. I don't know. Maybe its just 'cause you asked me to marry you last night, or the adrenaline from putting Imhotep down."
"Oh yes, I did do that last night, and I believe you said yes, if I'm not mistaken," Jonathan said with a smile.
I kissed him on the edge of his lips on the cheek and then spurred the camel forward to catch up with Rick and Evy.
"What are you two up to?" Evy asked as we rode up beside them.
"Oh, nothing. Just loving each other's company," I said looking down at Jonathan. "Something tells me that we should switch places. I think I would like to take a nap, if that's alright with you, Jon."
"Oh, yes. That's perfectly alright. We wouldn't want you to get too used to being the one who wears the pants in the family," he replied, sitting up. Rick took the reins from me and I maneuvered around so that I was sitting in front of Jonathan.
Evy looked on, confused, "What do you mean, 'wearing the pants in the family'?"
"Jonathan asked her to marry him last night. She said yes," Rick answered.
"How did you know?" I asked, looking at him with squinted eyes.
"I had to take a piss last night, so I woke up about the time you guys were talking about it," he replied simply.
"Rick," Evy said as she slapped him on the back of the head playfully. "It's not nice to eavesdrop."
"Well you would have heard them too, if you'd have been awake. You were so out of it last night," he stopped, hearing Jonathan and I snickering at them.
"What? What's so funny?" Rick asked, very confused.
"Nothing," I said, regaining my composure as quickly as I could. "Nothing at all." I finished, smiling up at Jonathan, and giving him the eye that said, "Keep a straight face and I won't punch you."
"And I'll shoot both of you," Evy said looking quite annoyed. "What is so funny?"
"Oh, Jonathan needs to get his mind out of the gutter, is all. Sorry, I couldn't help but laugh," I said as I playfully slapped Jonathan.
Silence fell back upon the group as they rode on towards Cairo. Rebecca had known quiet before. She was usually the essence of quiet, sneaking around keeping out of other people's way. This was just all too uncomfortable, even though her newfound love was holding her as she drifted in and out of sleep. She just couldn't get the fact that there wasn't a scratch on her arm from last night out of her head. She tried to think of any reason whatsoever that her arm would be unscathed, but there wasn't one that made any sense.
She went on thinking about it and heard a voice inside her head.
Do not worry, my child. Thing's will be revealed to you soon. Soon you will understand what you are meant to do, who you are meant to be, but most importantly, what you will become. The voice died upon the wind in her mind as quickly as it had appeared, and she stared out into the barren desert wondering who had just spoken and what they had meant.
She felt something scratching the inside of her neck and realized that it was Jonathan's now prickly face, nuzzling into her neck.
"Penny for them?" he asked quietly. They fallen into line behind Rick and Evy and were far enough back for them not to pay any attention to them.
"Oh, I don't know. I think you may be paying to much," she said with a small smile.
"I don't know about that. I'd pay just about anything to see you, know what you were thinking."
She laughed at this and said, "You know, I should have let some of those old memories go from my past, but I can't seem to drop them."
"What do you mean," he asked, putting a hand on hers.
"Oh, I don't know. Things remembered from before I went to college with Evy. Things just weren't good then, and the memories that stayed aren't good now. But somehow I just can't bring myself to forgive those that did me wrong. Forgiveness is a bit like a lifeless tire on the shoulder of my soul and it never rolls away."
"You know you always got me, right?"
"Yeah, but you know that I don't hold onto anything new for long, just written down in the pages of my life as just one more tale to tell and then that's it."
"Why is that," he asked in a small, sad voice.
She took a deep breath, knowing what was coming next. "I dropped my guard once and fell pretty hard, so now I don't let anybody in the front gate."
"I see. Well, I want to make it right for you. That is, if you'll let me. I really do love you, Rebecca," he said, turning her around to kiss her lightly.
"Jon, I believe you. I really do, but I've stumbled and kept running, and stayed in the same place my entire life. I'm trying to find where exactly I fit in, and it hasn't worked very well in the past; trying to make the damage done in days past disappear."
"That's what I'm saying! Let me help you. I want to help you out, make that damage disappear. Lean into me, Rebecca," he whispered in her ear.
This took her breath away, and she took the leap of faith and closed her eyes, knowing that she was really trusting someone for the first time and leaned back into Jonathan. She caught her breath and her eyes flew open in sudden realization that he was actually there, there to support her. It was then that she knew that the long road home was well on it way to being beneath her feet.