wrath of the Sea Queen (15 page)

Salma was
flying down
to present her latest research at the annual medical conference. 
Her
presentation
was scheduled for
Tuesday morning
.  Outs
ide of that, Salma would have the rest of the week to enjoy the sun, shopping, and beaches with C
a
eli
,
at least
until Friday. 
Friday
's
culmination of the conference would include the awards
luncheon
, which
Salma had to attend because she was the guest
of honor.  She was being recognized for her innovation in treating blood diseases.  Ben and Vin were going to fly down early Friday
morning
to
attend
the ceremony, stay for the remainder of the weekend, and share a return flight with their wives Sunday evening.

Salma and C
a
eli were seated next to each other
o
n two hard, plastic chairs
in the waiting area
.  C
a
eli, who
had
skipped breakfast
due to her lingering nausea
, was
now
snacking on one of her favorite, new indulgences. 
It was
an energy bar
that
Lara, whom C
a
eli had known since
high
school,
introduced her
to shortly
before her trip to New York.  Th
e
bars
were
specially designed for
a
wom
a
n
's unique chemistry
.  Supposedly, the ingredients
somehow
worked in the blood system, letting them deliver
nutrients
more efficiently
resulting in higher energy to the consumer
.  C
a
eli
didn't care how t
hey worked; she enjoyed
any chocolate coated snack
and welcome
d
the extra burst of energy
.
 
C
a
eli made sure to include a good supply of the bars in her luggage and carryon bag.

There was still twenty minutes before their scheduled flight, so Salma pulled a rolled up magazine out of her carryon bag and handed it to C
a
eli.  The title on the front cover identified the periodical as the
Hematologist Quarterly
.  In the lower right quarter
, the cover
flashed
a
headshot of
Salma and
a
blurb about simple cures for complex blood disorders
.  It enticed readers to learn about
Dr. Salma Erickson's
groundbreaking research
.

"
Salma, that is so cool!  You didn't tell me your article got published,
"
C
a
eli exclaimed happily.

She flipped the book
let
to page twenty six where the article began and continued for four full pages.  C
a
eli read every word. 
She was trying to learn as much as she could about Salma's work.
  It held a particular interest for her.

"
That's amazing.  I didn't realize that so much could be extracted from such a simple thing as blood
.  You never cease to amaze me.  You are so smart,
Aunt
Salma
.
"
  C
a
eli had a great respect for Salma and her medical expertise.

"
There is nothing simple about blood, though it may seem that way
. 
Surprisingly, it is
a
fairly simple
process
to develop b
oth good and bad things
by
the same methods that I used
. 
Yet
, I w
ould never have been able to accomplish what I did
without my anonymous donor and the rare qualities of that bloodline. 
That you even considered it, much less offered it, after your ordeal is commendable. 
You
a
re a
special
lady
yourself
, C
a
eli."

C
a
eli smiled.  Sometimes Salma
reminded her very much of her
late
grandmother.

"You sound just like Jaddah. 
She also used to call me special. 
She often
said
that one day I would understand my purpose. 
Maybe
finding out about you and then donating
my blood
to your work
was it. 
Of course, at the time, I thought
Jaddah
was
merely
doting on
her granddaughter
. 
It wasn't until
I read her journals last year
that I found out how much s
he
wanted to be around when I
finally
learned about
my heritage
;
but she
chose to give me the chance to live long enough to discover it instead.  She was a
lways protective of me that way
. 
She always put others before herself; the same way you do.  You have her generous and caring heart
.
"

C
a
eli
wistfully
remembered her gr
andmother.  D
espite the fact that
Salma and her
mother
had been
separated when Salma was
a
young
girl
, Salma retained many of her mother's vocal traits
and mannerisms
.   

"Thank you, C
a
eli.  I
a
m flattered to be compared to my mother, especially by you.  I
always
enjoy hearing
the way
you
speak of her
.  Knowing that she raised you lets me believe that I didn't lose her after all.  I see her in you, too
," Salma replied.

"I'm sure Jaddah would tell you the same thing. 
You should feel good about this. 
You have a special and unique talent.  What's more, you
ha
ve
definitely
found your purpose," C
a
eli added.

"
I
a
m very glad that
my work
will be able to help save so many lives.  Although...
"

Salma was interrupted as a young, red haired man walking
along
seemed to catch
his foot against Salma's bag, spilling
some of its contents
into the middle of the floor.  He appeared to stumble a few steps further before deciding to turn back and help her
pick up
the
scattered
items.

The man
glanced
briefly
at Salma as he placed the last item
, what appeared to be a small coin purse,
in
to
the bag and handed it back to her
.  He
said nothing.  Task completed, he quickly walked away.  Before Salma could utter the first word of a thank you or an apology that her bag had been in his way, the guy was
out of
earshot.

"
Guess it didn't bother him then.  He must have been in a hurry to catch his own plane,
"
Salma
remarked
. 

She picked up the conversation with C
a
eli, not giving any further thought to the clumsy, young man. 

"
Anyway, I am excited about everything except the award on Friday.
"

"
Jaddah used to tell me, when I refused to stand on the awards podium after a swim meet, that denying my accomplishment was the same as not having accomplished it.
  She said it was being unfair
not only
to m
e, but also
to others who were measured by the same standards
.
"

"Did that actually convince you to stand on the awards podium?"  Salma asked.

"Well, no. 
But I wasn't ditching the award itself. 
I really d
o
not like being in the spotlight
;
and
I ha
ve
more than one
reason for that
.  However,
t
hat's not the point.
  My point is that you may not think the award is important,
and that's fine.  However,
you deserve
to be credited
for your work. 
People need to be able to trust the person behind the work so they can trust the work itself. 
In this case, t
hat is
why they are
giving
you
this
award.
"
C
a
eli offered Salma a logical reason for accepting the award.