In the Beginning: Mars Origin "I" Series Book I (5 page)

CHAPTER
TEN

The airport I flew into was in Lod, just
outside of Tel Aviv. It was about forty-five minutes from Jerusalem. The short
ride in the car was relaxing, enchanting and invigorating all at the same time.
The countryside from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem was beautiful. Looking at it was
like taking an aphrodisiac. The colors of the landscape possess all the hues of
brown, gold and green and it stretches out so far that it seems to run right
into the cerulean blue home of the soft, white clouds, which appear as if God
had streaked them across the sky with His paintbrush. Looking out toward the
horizon you can see the sun as it made its way down to the earth. Its light
twinkling – flickering, making the ground sparkle. As you inhaled the heat,
which can be seen rising up from the caramel-colored ground, you become drowsy,
awakening to find a transformation of your imaginings of antiquity to a reality
right before your eyes. You realize that this is the same untouched landscape
that Christ walked upon. God’s history becomes alive.

As we neared Jerusalem, I could see the
hills that encased the city rising and falling like a heartbeat. Once there,
the modern buildings sit side-by-side with the ruins. Bustling noises made from
the people, the merchants, the shoppers, and the passerby, who could have
walked the streets of the city today or so many yesterdays ago. I could feel my
disagreeable demeanor and vacillating disposition that had been me as of late,
melting away. It made me even forget about this Ghazi person.

The convention was at the Mt. Scopus
Campus of the Hebrew University, which is in East Jerusalem, and I was staying
at the Hyatt Regency at Mt. Scopus.

Dr. Margulies was across the city in West
Jerusalem at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza. Some of the events were also going
to be held there. Not many, but it was close to the Israel Museum which housed
the Dead Sea Scrolls that had been translated, and where he would meet with the
curators to talk about the tour. There were also several other museums of
antiquity in Jerusalem and in the surrounding cities that were important in our
endeavors, such as the Rockefeller Museum. We’d probably visit them all.

Ghazi pulled up in front of the hotel, I
got out of the car, stood in front of the hotel and took a deep breath. This is
what I needed. Dr. Margulies said he had reserved a room for me at the Hyatt
because he knew I would appreciate it. I did.

Ghazi put the bags on a cart and took them
into the hotel and started for the elevator. I stopped at the lobby desk to
check in and pick up my key, but before I could speak with the desk clerk, I
saw Ghazi, out of the corner of my eye, stop the cart and come over to me.

“No need,” he said. He reached into his
pocket and pulled out the key to my room and handed it to me. I looked up at
him, and still holding the key in my outstretched hand and a look of surprise
on my face, watched him turn and go back to pushing the cart toward the
elevator. Now why did he have the key to my hotel room in his pocket? What was
this guy up to? I decided I would check my bags and room thoroughly once I got
rid of him.

The elevator came and Ghazi got inside. I
quickly collected myself, and my things, ran over, so not to miss it, and got
on the elevator. I stood in the back of the elevator and Ghazi stood right up
front next to the panel of floor buttons, facing forward. I looked at the back
of him, standing erect and looking straight ahead. What was he looking at? I
wonder is he still smiling. Man, he’s so tall. I glanced down at his legs.
That’s why I was always trotting to keep up with him, his legs are so long. I
took a deep breath and nodded to myself. I decided my original observation was
correct – he is strange. Very strange.

He had not spoken two words all the way
from the airport. He seemed so reticent and obsequious, and that made me
uncomfortable. I would have to tell Dr. Margulies that I didn’t need, rather,
didn’t
want
him around any longer. I would just get around on my own.
Actually, I was beginning not to like him and I didn’t want to have to run
behind him for the rest of my trip.

“Thank you very much,” I said. We were at
my hotel room door. He was just standing there and I didn’t know what to do
with him. But my words didn’t make him go. So I dug in my purse and came up
with some money. I hadn’t exchanged any currency yet, but I figured everybody
loves American money. I tried to hand it to him.

“No thank you,” he said, smiling. “Dr.
Margulies has taken care of that.”

Oookaaay
, I thought,
so why are you
standing here?

“Well, I guess I’ll get unpacked and get
settled in,” I said.

“Very well, I will come back in one hour.”

“An hour?” I asked. Why was he coming
back? How was I going to get rid of this man?

“Yes, to take you to Dr. Margulies.”

“Dr. Margulies? I thought -” before I
could finish my sentence he spoke again as if reading my mind.

“He will be waiting for you for dinner.”

Dinner? He must be mistaken. I looked at
my watch, if I had set it right, it was only eleven-thirty in the morning.
Maybe he meant lunch.

“First, however, you must register at the
University for the Seminar.”

Oh yeah, the seminar. He had upset me so I
had forgotten about registration. All I was thinking about was getting rid of
him and finding Dr. Margulies so he could call him off.

“I forgot about registration today.” I
voiced part of my thoughts to him. “Then there are tours of the Holy Land and
caves at Qumran, right?” He nodded. “So, I will have to sign up for those.” He
looked at me while I collected my thoughts. “Okay, that will be fine. I’ll be
ready in one hour. Will Dr. Margulies be at the University?”

“I am not sure. But I am to take you
there. I will take you there in one hour.”

“Okay then, one hour.” I unlocked the door
and picked up one of my bags to take in my room.

“I will get those for you.” He flashed
that beautiful smile and reached out to take the bag from my hand. I held on
tight - did I really want to let this guy in my room? He nodded and pulled harder
bearing that ever present smile and put the bag back on the cart and rolled it
into my room. I stood at the door, holding it open. I certainly wasn’t going to
let that door close with him in there. He seemed to pay no attention to me.
Once he got the bags off the cart, he rolled it back in the hallway and turned and
faced me. I said, “Thank. See you later,” and again waited for him to go. He
didn’t. So, I just slowly closed the door and watched him disappear from my
view, little by little. And, by the time the door had completely closed he
still hadn’t moved.

As a matter of fact, I don’t know that he
ever moved, because when he hadn’t returned in an hour and ten minutes, I
decided to go down to the lobby and wait for him there. But when I opened the
door to my room, there he was, standing in the hallway, just as he had been
when I closed the door. Of course, it startled me to see him standing there, I
jumped, muffled a scream and dropped my satchel which made the stuff in it fall
out. I stooped to pick the things up that I had dropped and bumped my head on
the frame of the door which knocked me back on my butt. I just sat there
rubbing my head and looking up at him. This guy was making me nuts.

He smiled down at me and put out a hand to
help me up. I’m sure he realized now that I was not one of the ‘elite’
scholars.

“I will get your things.” He kneeled down
and picked up everything while I stood clumsily by. Then he stood and handed me
my satchel.

“We can go to the University now,” he said
as he took my arm and guided me down the hall. He must have thought I needed
help standing up. I guess this was better than me running behind him like a
little puppy.

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

We rode in silence to the University. And
once we arrived, Ghazi didn’t move or say a word. He sat, face forward, hands
in lap.

“Are you coming in?” I asked.

“No. I will wait for you here.”

Good. I was happy to get away from him.
All the practice I had dealing with wacky Claire, you’d think I could be more
tolerant of this man.

There were so many people at the seminar.
It was nice to be surrounded by people of my profession. Rarely do you meet an
archaeologist at the grocery store. I got registered and got my name tag. I
signed up for a few lectures and for the tours that started tomorrow morning. I
noticed there was a Meet & Greet, followed by dinner in one of the banquet
rooms, and even though I was very hungry I wanted to wait and eat with Dr.
Margulies, so I just ate chocolate cookies and drank black coffee, a little
caffeine might help me deal with Ghazi better.

There was a calendar of events with
upcoming seminars and conventions. I noticed that the University was hosting
some big medical research convention in the fall. I would have to remember to
tell Claire about it. She might enjoy that. I know she would love this country.

Each time I came to Israel, I never took
the time to tour the city. I had been on excavations at various sites in the
West Bank, in Negev, once in Jerusalem in the mid-1980s when they excavated at
the City of David, and in Tel Dan. I decided that I would take the time while I
was here this time and be a tourist. Me and my psyche needed the vacation.

Registration and everything took me about
three hours. I didn’t see Dr. Margulies anywhere. I guess I’d have to ride with
Ghazi to find him. Despite the caffeine high, that still was a depressing
thought.

When I got out to the car, Ghazi was
waiting patiently inside the car.
He must be pretty hot
, I thought, just
sitting in a car for over three hours. Well, if it didn’t bother him, it definitely
didn’t bother me. I couldn’t care less what this guy did as long as he did it
somewhere other than where I was. I climbed into the back seat.

“I’m ready to go and see Dr. Margulies
now,” I said.

“Fine,” he answered, but didn’t move,
didn’t put the car in gear and didn’t say another word. Now what was he doing?
Who knew what this guy was thinking. We sat there for about five minutes before
I decided to speak up.

“Uhm, wasn’t I suppose to have dinner with
Dr. Margulies?” I was trying to remain pleasant.

“Yes.”

“Sooooo, are you going to take me to him?”

“No need.”

Okay, what’s going on here? I didn’t know
what to do. I began to rub my brow back and forth. He was definitely getting on
my last nerve. I looked around the car and fiddled with my satchel and the
papers inside. This was ridiculous. I had to get away from this peculiar man.

“Well then just take me back to the hotel
and I’ll -” but before I could finish my sentence he opened the car door and
got out. I turned and watched him out of the rear window walking over to a car
parked behind us.

Oh, this man is screwy
. What is he doing
now?

Then the car door opened on the other car
and Dr. Margulies got out.

“Dr. Margulies,” I called his name as I
opened my car door and tried to get out, my arm got tangled in the shoulder
strap of my satchel and the seat belt. By that time I got untangled, Dr.
Margulies was headed toward the car. I ran to meet him. “I am so happy to see
you.” I hugged him tight.

He smiled, surprised at my enthusiasm.
“I’m happy to see you too. Has Ghazi taken good care of you?” I glanced over at
the nincompoop standing at attention.

“Where did you get him from?” I whispered.

Dr. Margulies chuckled. “Come on, we’ll
have dinner. We were going out but I think we’ll do better here. I found out
that people from the museums will be here. We can mingle for a while, and it’ll
be good PR for us. They’ll serve around five. Ghazi, you’ll be back for her in
a few hours?” Ghazi nodded.

Oh Lord, was I going to have to see him
again? I had to tell Dr. Margulies to get rid of this man.

I forgot all about Ghazi once I was
inside. Dinner was great. The company was great. Everything was great. By the
time dinner and the after-dinner conversation was over, it was starting to get
dark. Dr. Margulies walked me out to the front of the University and, lo and
behold, Ghazi was standing by. Now I remembered I needed to talk to Dr.
Margulies about him.

“I think after tonight,” I whispered, “I
won’t need him to take me around anymore.”

Dr. Margulies looked at me questioningly.
“Well, how will you manage? You’ll need to get around to all the museums.” I
raised an eyebrow of unwavering determination.

“You’ll be alright on your own?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.”

Anything was better than traveling around
with this nitwit.

I went over and got in the car and we
drove home in silence, our usual arrangement. Once we got back to the hotel, he
helped me out of the car and escorted me into the lobby. I stopped him there. I
didn’t want him coming upstairs with me and standing outside my room all night.

“Thank you, Ghazi. I’ll be fine from
here.” I smiled and stuck out my hand for him to shake. Instead he took it and
held it.

“Until your accident this morning, I
thought you were one of those conceited professors, but you are not,” he said.
“I can see why Dr. Margulies is so fond of you. You are very much down to
earth.”

I took that as a compliment. I’m almost
sure it was.

“How about an adventure?” he asked with a
mischievous grin.

“An adventure?” I chuckled. Intrigue. I
love it.

I considered his invitation. Could I
tolerate his strange behavior another minute? Dr. Margulies seems to like him.
Maybe I should give him another chance.

“This is a wonderful country.” He seem to
know of my hesitation. “Our adventure will be much better than the guided tour
offered by the University. It will teach you much better of this land. And -”
he leaned down and lowered his voice as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear,
“there are many locked rooms, dark corridors and damp cellars to see at the
University. Would you like for me to show you?” He flashed those extremely
white teeth and stood up straight to await my answer.

He had transformed. Suddenly he seemed
more capricious, he even had a furtive air about him. His eyes sparkled.

What the heck? I decided trotting behind
him another day wouldn’t kill me.

“Yes, that would be very nice.”

“Good, I shall pick you up at six.”

“Six o’clock in the morning?”

“Yes. See you then.”

I watched as he turned and walked through
the revolving glass door.

Now he leaves
, I thought,
who
wants to go sightseeing at six o’clock in the morning
?