Chapter Eight: Surprise Visit

"Good morning Miss Dell," Dr. Walters greeted Laura Dell as she walked into the lobby of the museum. He picked his cane up off the bench so she could sit down next to him.

"How are you feeling today Dr. Walters?" she asked him.

"Laura Dell, I have something I need to talk to you about," he said, looking straight into her eyes. "First, call me Herbert. Second, I may not be young, but I'm not fossilized yet, so until that time comes, you don't have to tip-toe around me." Dr. Walters grinned the way he often did when he found a way to compare himself to things in the museum, making Laura Dell laugh.

"I'm doing alright. Actually, I feel like a little walk. How about we do see Sue?"

"Of course, Herbert. Let me go check in with Dr. Feinman first to make sure there is nothing he needs me to do."

***

"How is Dr. Feinman today?" Dr. Walters asked Laura Dell when she returned.

"He's actually in a good mood this morning. Monday's are pretty slow so there is less for him to stress out about. We have a group of elementary school students comeing for a field trip in a little while, but I organized everything for that yesterday. I've got some free time now. Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Yes I am. I think we should go straight to Sue. I have to leave in a little while for an appointment." Dr. Walters stood up using his cane and held his arm out to Laura Dell. She slipped her hand through his arm and started walking towards Sue.

"What kind of appointment do you have today?" she asked.

"Laura Dell, do you remember that night I walked you home form the bar?" he asked as they walked up to Sue. The room was almost entirely deserted except for a mom with two preschool aged children. Laura Dell nodded as she watched the children. They had not talked about that night after she apologized and she was not sure she wanted to talk about it now. She was sure that she wanted to know where Dr. Walters had been going on the days he didn't stop by the museum.

"Well that night I tried to tell you something. I tried to tell you the reason I've been going to all these doctor's appointments, the reason I'm going to one today." Though Dr. Walters' tone was the same now as it was that night a few weeks ago, something about his voice was different. he seemed more serious now. Laura Dell let go of his arm to wipe dust off the nameplate in front of Sue.

"I'm not as healthy as I once was. Part of getting old means you have to go to the doctor more often. You don't need to be worrying about me though."

Laura Dell looked into Dr. Walters' eyes and wondered what he wasn't telling her. He didn't give her the details she was hoping for, but she decided not to pry right now. After a second he smiled at her; the discussion was over. The mom with the little kids moved closer to where they were standing.

"Are you excited about having your first school group this afternoon?" Dr. Walters asked as he started walking around Sue away from the kids. Laura Dell looped her arm back through his.

"Yes I am. I'm also a little nervous though. As a child, I thought science was fascinating, but I'm afraid these kids won't be like me."

"I have done some presentations at elementary schools and I was surprised at how much the kids really enjoyed it. You just have to make it interesting. When you show the kids Sue, don't just tell them how old she is and where she was found, tell a story about her. I'm sure they will love whatever you come up with."

Laura Dell and Dr. Walters made up stories for each other about Sue until she was no longer nervous. When it was time for Dr. Walters to leave for his appointment, he and Laura Dell agreed to meet for dinner later so she could tell him all about the kids.

***

When the children arrived, it took Laura Dell more time than she expected to get them to calm down and listen to her. After they got settled in, the tour of the museum went as well as she could have hoped for. Laura Dell completed the tour with a story about Sue, the leader of a dinosaur tribe. The story was a combination of the many stories she and Dr. Walters had created together.

Because they finished a little earlier than planned, she had time to talk to the kids that were most interested while the rest of the group wandered around Sue's room. In the midst of telling a little girl about the fossils they saw in the Cenozoic Time Machine exhibit, Laura Dell saw a few little boys swinging on the ropes surrounding Sue. Before she could get over to them, one of them went under the ropes and ran up to Sue to touch her leg. Laura Dell ran after him and got him out, but not before Dr. Feinman saw what was going on. She returned the little boy over to his teacher for punishment and went to talk to Dr. Feinman.

"I'm so sorry sir. That will never happen-"

"Miss Dell, you can't promise me that will never happen again. Children are unpredictable. Their teachers should have been more responsible for watching them. You would be surprised at how often that happens during tours. The last time it happened during one of my tours, I decided to put up a more permanent barrier, but we haven't gotten around to it yet," Dr. Feinman told Laura Dell. "I was just coming over here to tell you that you have a visitor in the lobby."

***

After the children all said "thank you" to Laura Dell, she headed to the lobby, expecting to see Dr. Walters arriving early for their dinner.

"Surprise!" a familiar voice yelled to her. Instead of Dr. Walters, Laura Dell found John William waiting for her. She ran over to him and hugged him.

"What are you doing here?" Laura dell asked her brother. When she decided to move to Chicago, Laura Dell was saddest to leave her brother. They had discussed him coming to visit, but they did not decide on any particulars.

"I just thought it was time to check on my baby sister and make sure she was being treated well." John William was always the free spirit of the family. Laura Dell and their parents needed a plan for everything, but John William thought plans were boring.

"I have to stay here until closing time, but I can show you around the museum until time to go. I promised a friend that I would eat dinner with him tonight and I would love for you to meet him."

"That sounds great, as long as you promise to tell me about how your life is going and don't talk too much about the museum. I would rather hear about your friends." John William and Laura Dell did not share a passion for science and he often accused her of being boring when she tried to tell him about her work.

They walked through the Cenozoic Time Machine exhibit and Laura Dell told her brother a little about Dr. Walters, Eddie, Dr. Feinman and he even thought Sue was interesting for a few minutes.

"Dr. Feinman could be nicer to you, but I'm glad you have some friends here. I can't wait to meet Dr. Walters. I hope he's not a boring science guy though."

***

When Laura Dell finished at work, she took John William by her apartment to get ready for dinner and then went to meet Dr. Walters. She didn't have time to tell her brother much other than he was an ornithologist and that they had become friends at the museum.

They walked into the restaurant and saw Dr. Walters already at a table. When Laura Dell got over to him they hugged and she introduced him to John William.

"He decided to surprise me with a visit so I thought this would be a good time for y'all to meet," she explained as they sat down at the table.

"It's nice to meet you Dr. Walters. My sister mentioned that you are a frequent visitor of the museum and tat you went to school in the South. Where exactly are you from?" John William asked.

"You will have to excuse John William, Herbert. He doesn't care much for science. He would rather talk about anything but science." Laura Dell smiled at Dr. Walters and said, "Maybe you can help me convince him that it really is interesting."

"Science isn't for everyone I guess. That's why those of us that love it have to stick together," he said.

Dr. Walters talked to John William about his time at school in Texas and the traveling he did when he was going on digs, but stayed away from science. By the time the main course came, Laura Dell thought Dr. Walters and John William were getting along much better than she expected.

Chapter Seven: LD's Day Out

Friday night Laura Dell called John William to tell him how happy she was that she had the weekend off. In the month that she had been working at the museum, she had spent almost no time anywhere other than there or at her apartment. She had barely seen the city that had become her temporary home. All her days off had been spent poring over information and reviewing notes to ensure that there were no more snafus.

Since the incident with the name plates being switched, Laura Dell had been diligent and hadn’t slipped up again. She didn’t know if Dr. Feinmen had forgiven her yet. He was still as cold as he had been and he treated her like a child. But it had been three weeks and she was beginning to wonder if he would ever get over it.

This weekend she was going to forget about Dr. Feinmen and the museum and see some of the city. Unfortunately the weather was not going to let her do much of anything outside, but there was an aquarium close to the museum that she really wanted to visit. She remembered visiting the Tennessee Aquarium once as a child and wanting to go back. She loved the bones of the past, but also loved to see some of the same creatures she studied alive today.

Laura Dell skipped over all of her work woes while talking to John William and just focused on her plans for the weekend.

“Tomorrow, I’m going to spend the morning at the aquarium. I stopped in a grabbed a brochure from them on my lunch break during my first week, but haven’t had time to go visit yet. They have baby penguins!”

“Hahaha…” Laura Dell had missed the sound of John William’s laughter. He was aware of her love of penguins and knew how excited she was about seeing them. “Maybe I’ll come visit soon and we can go see the penguins together. I like aquariums too.”

Laura Dell knew that she and her brother had very few things in common, but he did love aquariums. He preferred the turtles though. He admired the fact that they had a built in hiding place. All they had to do was pull their legs and head in and they were hidden.

“I’ll tell the penguins about you when I see them,” she told him.

. . .

Saturday Laura Dell prepared to walk the short distance to the aquarium. She dressed in layers, again missing the warmth of Alabama. She knew that it would be busy on this cold morning, but she looked forward to it. Sometimes the museum seemed so cold and devoid of life.

When she came across the turtles she stopped and spent some time reading about them. The aquarium housed a family of Alligator Snapping Turtles. She read that they used to be found often in the southeast US, but had been hunted to the point that it was rare now to find them in their original homes. Laura Dell was surprised to learn that the turtles were not as unintelligent as people commonly thought. Growing up she always made fun of John William for liking an animal that was considered to be so stupid. She looked forward to telling him about them during their next phone call.

She moved on through the museum, quickly bypassing the tarantula and the eels. She slowed down when she came upon the sea otters, sea lions, and the colorful fish that were so popular with the children also visiting the aquarium this morning. These had all been some of her favorites as a child too.

Laura Dell stopped in her tracks when she got to the Beluga Whales. It looked like one of the whales was smiling at her. She wasn’t sure it was possible for a whale to make eye contact with someone or smile at them, but that was exactly what she thought was happening.

In the moment of connection with this animal, Laura Dell realized how alone she had been. The only people she knew in this city were connected to, but also confined to, the museum. She looked around at the faces passing by her and thought about how different this city was from Siloam. In the south it was common courtesy to at least smile at people as you passed them, whether you knew them or not. Here it seemed like people looked right through her.

Perhaps her loneliness is what led her to connect so to Dr. Walters. She would never have taken to someone so quickly under other circumstances and she wondered if he felt as alone as she did. He had shown her warmth and kindness when she had no one else.

She still felt bad about the way she had acted that night she had had dinner with him and Eddie. She was ashamed that she had shut down when he had tried to talk to her. He was missing for a few days after that, but one day she walked in and he was there again sitting on the bench writing in his notebook as usual. She had tried to talk to him about it, but he said it was no big deal and he felt better. Again he reminded her of John William, as he too was a bad liar.

He continued talking to her and quizzing her and occasionally asking about her past, but she thought he was afraid to delve to deep again after what had happened that night. Some days he didn’t come at all and he never explained where he was, but he was starting to look pale and he had developed a persistent cough.

For the most part Dr. Walters talked about his time in Germany and France working on the dig, he seemed to miss it, but he was always excited about his work with the Ornithological Society. He enjoyed telling Laura Dell about his experiences and she enjoyed hearing about them.

Laura Dell moved on from the whales and continued through the aquarium. She stopped again when she got to the penguins and was immediately drawn to the smaller ones darting around. She loved to watch them dance in the water with each other.

She had been interested in penguins from the moment she realized they were birds that couldn’t fly. Her father had given her a stuffed animal of a penguin a long time ago and she had cherished it ever since. It was grey and fuzzy, a baby penguin. She had a small collection of them back in Siloam. There were only a few things that had made it from Alabama to Chicago, but the stuffed animal from her father was one of them.

She watched them for a while longer and imagined that she would tell her father about them on her visits to his grave the next time she was home.

She made her way through the rest of the museum, admiring the animals and soaking up the information about them. She stopped in the gift shop on the way out and bought a turtle stuffed animal for John Williams and a penguin one for herself. She didn’t have many things in her apartment that made it feel homey and hadn’t had time to shop much yet. These would be good additions.

Laura Dell headed home to eat lunch and regroup before spending an afternoon doing some grocery shopping. She had been living off of things that could be cooked in the microwave and soup for too long. She had a southern cookbook that her mother had given her and wanted to bring cooking back into her routine.

. . .

That night Laura Dell called John William to tell him about her day. The phone rang and rang and he didn’t answer. She left him a message, giving him a brief summary of her day, and telling him to call her back.

She cooked dinner and thought about what she was going to do the next day. She had considered finding a church, but didn’t know if she would be able to find one she fit with here. The cultural differences sometimes seemed to just be in the inflection of her voice, but sometimes she knew they ran deeper.

John William never called her back, but she hoped to hear from him tomorrow.

Old Memories and New Beginnings

As the three reached the bottom of their second basket of deep fried potato skins Laura Dell decided that three pints would be a good place to call it quits for the night. She looked up at the two old dinosaurs laughing and talking back and forth. She never imagined before she left that her two closest friends would have a combined age of over 12o years. They were practically fossils in her young eyes.



Glancing down at her empty glass then back at the faces of her new friends Laura said, "Well guys it has been fun. I must say that deep fried potatos and beer have a certain way of helping with days like today and bosses like Feinman. I want to get some rest though so I don't slip up tomorrow."



"Ah, I guess that means I'm done too!" Eddie said with a chuckle.



Eddie got up and dismissed himself and was out the door of the dead Yellowhammer before Laura Dell had a chance to leave the table. Laura looked up to see the sage old eyes of Dr. Walters staring directly at hers. His gaze was so heavy tt felt like he was reading her inner most thoughts.



"You live fairly close don't you?" He asked.



"Yes sir, sorry I mean Yes I do." Laura said.



"Haha you don't have to apolagize for good manners. Won't you let me walk you home? The city is a beautiful one but it can be rough in some parts. If anything were to happen I could put this old cane to good use for once."



"Sure Dr. Walters, that would be nice."



As the two passed through the door of the old bar the bite of a harsh winter bit in to Laura's face. There something about the cold that caused her mind to go numb and allowed her to reflect only inward. All she wanted to do was call and tell her dad how her day had gone. She loved how he was always in her corner whenever someone had wronged her. He no doubt would have told her not to worry about that old ass hole Feinman. Her conversation with Dr. Walters and Eddie had reminded her of how nice it felt to have someone that took her side and was actually interested in the problems of her day. She was thirteen hours away from Siloam but she was slowly begining to feel more at home.



The had spent the majority of their walk in silence but as they rounded the corner and neared Laura's apartment she glanced back to the old dinosaur and pointed to signal that they were approaching her building.



"What about your Family?" Dr Walters asked.



"Pardon?" Laura said caught off guard.



"I'll bet they are pretty sad to have such a bright courteous girl like yourself out of the house."



She clinched her teeth together and forced her mouth mouth open to display a smile so fake that she knew Dr. Walters would be able to see directly through it. She let out an awkward laugh and said, "Haha yeah, I suppose."



Dr. Walters and Laura both stopped walking as they came to the stoop of her building. "Well this is my building." Laura said. Dr. Walters reached over and grabbed her arm and stared deeply in to Laura. He knew she wasnt being entirely honest about her family. Worse, she sknew that he was aware as well. There is nothing more awkward than lying and knowing the person you have lied to is aware that you are not being honest and still refuses to say anything, she thought. Instead of saying anything Dr. Walters instead pried further.



As she started for the stairs Dr. Herbert stopped her. "What about your father?" he said.



"Excuse me?" His question stopped her dead in her tracks.



"I've never heard you mention him, it just seems a little strange. What does he do?"



The question struck a nerve in Laurad Dell and made her feel small. She felt herself crumble inside. A ball of emotions marked by guilt filled her throat and she felt what was soon to be an explosion of epic emotional proportions coming on. It felt like the temperature had dropped twenty degrees at the sound of his question. Only, she knew Dr. Walters knew nothing of Siloam, Alabama much less her father and anything to do with his death. How could he have known that the day of his car accident they had gotten in an argument over something as pointless as a simple chore that she did not want to complete. The last words she had said to him were nothing too out of the ordinary for an argument of that kind but if she had known they would be her last words to him she would have chosen different ones. After his death home felt more like punishment and a place of constant guilt than a place of refuge.

She stopped, "Dr Walters, Dr. Walters, Are you ok?". Dr. Walters was leaning against his cane one knee down on the cold damp Chicago sidewalk. His left hand was clinched and pressed tight against his chest. His cough was deep and raspy, he weezed deeply as he gasped for air.

"I'm alright. Just had to clear my chest out a little. I wanted to tell you something earlier at the museum Laura. I seem to be a little sick, well actually more than a little." Dr. Walters confessed with shame.

Laura felt the emotions rising again inside of herself. "Well hopefully you will feel well soon." She said as she cut him off. "Good night Dr. Walter, I have to go now." As she opened the door to her old Chicago apartment Dr. Walter stopped her once more.

"You can just call me Herbert. All my friends do." He gave her a wink and a wave as he strolled off in to the windy Chicago night. She watched him from the window of her front door as he strolled down the sidewalk leaning slightly on his cane but trying to give the impression he wasn't dependent on it. As he walked up he passed over a street drain and disappeared behind the cloud of steam. Laura felt bad for cutting Dr. Walters off but the thought of her father's death with still salt in an open wound.

***

The next day Laura Dell awoke early and felt refreshed, ready for whatever challenges the day might have for her. She had her father and hers favorite breakfast consisting of two eggs scrambled with just a touch of salsa on top and a cup of black coffee. She finsihed up and bounded down the six flights of stairs to the lobby of her apartment building. Upon opening the door she was greeted with an unfamiliar brightness. She had not seen the sun since she first arrived in Chicago and was begining to feel the effects. In Alabama you take the one hundred degree summers and sixty degree winters for granted, but deprived of that heat and sunlight altogether one can find themselves feeling blue without even knowing it. As she strolled casually dwon the sidewalk she heard the sounds of horns and the chirping of birds with more clarity. Their singing resonated all through her body causing her to feel warm inside and causing her to smile from ear to ear. Buildings looked more beautiful, and faces looked friendlier. Laura was ready for her day and anxious. So anxious in fact that she showed up twenty minutes early to work. As she sat on a bench outside the museum and old friend approached and perched on a branch in the tree next to her. It was the same bird from a few days before. He sat on the branch and talked with Laura about this and that. She told him about how she didnt really care much for Mr. Feinman and about how she found him rather pretentious. The bird just smiled and said he agreed.

When Mr. Feinman rounded the corner he smiled and gave Laura a look of surprise. One that said he was surprised she was early but not that he was delighted. He let her in and she got straight to work checking all the name plates twice and again a third time. She wanted to show Mr. Feinman and Herbert she wasn't just another intern here to do her three months and leave.

The previous night had left her feeling guilty. She just wanted to see Herbert and ask him what was wrong with his health. She felt like she had ignored her one closest friend. As the crowds began pouring in she searched frantic fervor looking for the one face that mattered but it never came. The minutes passed like hours and she found herself circling the museum over and over. She went and checked Sue at least twenty times but never found Herbert's warm familiar face.

She looked at the clock and before she knew it it was closing time. Her mind assumed the worst and her stomach turned in knots. She could only help but wonder if the something terrible had happened to Dr. Walters.

Chapter Five: Meetings

Dr. Feinman uncrossed his arms and pointed towards a chair in his office. “Inside, Ms. Dell.” Laura Dell couldn’t help but hang her head as she walked past Dr. Feinman, into his office. Feinman followed her in, shutting the door behind them.

“Sit,” he said as he walked around his desk, which was completely devoid of any signs of use, save for a nameplate and a red pen. Laura Dell watched the pen as she sat down in the chair, unable to bring her gaze up to meet Dr. Feinman’s. Feinman saw where she was looking.

“Can I ask you a question, Ms. Dell? I can, as it is you who are the intern and I am your boss. Do you know why I only have one pen on my desk, Ms. Dell?” Mr. Deinman asked in a low voice and then waited for her response.

“No, sir.” Laura Dell began wringing her hands.

“It is because this desk has only one place to put one pen.” Dr. Feinman’s voice was still low. Laura Dell’s gaze shifted to her hands as she sat, shoulder’s hunched forward, trying to become smaller.

“And since the desk has only one place for one pen, if I put two pens on my desk, my desk would be out of order.” Feinman’s voice was starting to rise with each sentance.

“And if my desk were out of order, then my office would be out of order,” Feinman continued. “And if my office were out of order, I would be out of order. And do you know what happens when I am out of order, Ms. Dell?” Feinman waited for her reply.

Laura Dell’s voice was fainter than before. “No, sir.”

“Then My Museum is out of order!” Feinman shouted. Laura Dell winced. “You ruin my exhibit on the first day, you embarrass me in front of loyal patrons, and then you disregard my orders and show up late to a scheduled meeting!”

“But sir, I was—” Laura Dell attempted to defend herself.

“I don’t need your excuses, Ms. Dell. This isn’t rural Alabama. This is Chicago, where people are civilized and act intelligently and orderly. And this,” Dr. Feinman jabbed the pointer finger of his right hand into his desk, “is the Field Museum of Natural History, the pinnacle of intelligence and order.”

Feinman’s voice regrew its composure. “You are going to have to abandon your ignorant practices and learn to cope with life in civilized society, Ms. Dell. Now, tomorrow I expect that there will be no misfortunate incidents. We wouldn’t want to be saying goodbye to Chicago just after we reached its glorious majesty, now would we? Hmm?” Feinman looked Laura Dell straight in the face, and waited once more for her to answer.

Laura Dell had at first been scared of Dr. Feinman, but now felt a mix of anger and indignation. She set her teeth together as she responded, “No, sir.”

Feinman sat back in his large, leather chair and crossed his arms over his lap. “Good, Ms. Dell.” He smiled and motioned towards the door. “You can go now.”

Laura Dell stood and left the office, making her way towards her own desk to retrieve her purse before going home.

***

Laura Dell shoved the door of the museum open and burst forward into the cold Chicago air, almost knocking Dr. Walters down the steps in the process. He relied on his feet, not his cane, to save his balance.

“Oh, Dr. Walters! I’m so sorry” said Laura Dell, grabbing onto his arm to make sure he wasn’t going to fall over again, after he’d steadied himself.

“It’s fine, Miss Dell. How did your meeting go?” Dr. Walters gave Laura Dell a reassuring smile.

“Terribly. But why are you still here, Dr. Walters? The museum closed fifteen minutes ago.” She gave him a questioning look.

Dr. Walters gave his familiar chuckle. “Well, we didn’t finish our conversation. You see, Miss Dell, an unfinished conversation is like a fossil only half revealed.” Dr. Walters motioned with his cane as though he were brushing sand off an imaginary fossil on the ground. “You have to finish the process, or else the fossil may be damaged or destroyed by abrasive elements in the wind.” He set his cane down and leaned on it ever so slightly.

Laura Dell nodded her consent but frowned. “But what were we talking about? After being yelled at, I’ve forgotten.”

Dr. Walters looked at his surroundings as though he were deep in thought. “Well, Miss Dell, I’ll just have to remind you over dinner, then.”

Laura Dell took a small step back, still holding on to Dr. Walters’ arm. As she was forming her reply, Dr. Walters said, “Now, now Miss Dell. I realize it must seem that I’m as old as Sue, so rest assured I’m asking you as a friend, and not as a creepy, old Quetzalcoatlus.” Both chuckled at Dr. Walters’ joke, and Laura Dell relaxed once more.

“So, let’s meet around nine o’clock at a favorite pub of mine, the Dead Yellowhammer. Ah, Miss Dell, I can see from your facial expression that you already know why I like it. They are even so technologically advanced as to have a website with directions, so you should be able to find it easily.” Laura Dell nodded her consent and finally let go of Dr. Walters’ arm.

“I’ll see you then,” she said.

***

Laura Dell walked into the Dead Yellowhammer at nine-oh-five and saw Dr. Walters sitting at a table covered by a few beers and a huge basket of potato wedges with, to her surprise, Eddie. They waved her over.

As she sat down next to across from Dr. Walters, she gave him a questioning look. “As I told you,” Dr. Walters said with a smile, “this isn’t a date.” Eddie laughed and gave her a sly look.

“Really, Miss Dell. Herbert’s over 70,” said Eddie. Laura Dell blushed and shot them both angry glares.

“Alright, alright. I wouldn’t want to date this old Pterosaur anyway,” she said as Eddie pushed a glass of roan beer towards her. “What’s this?”

“Southern Pecan ale. It comes from a micro-brewery in Mississippi,” said Dr. Walters. “I may be a Pterosaur, but I still know a little about beer. Now, Miss Dell, take a sip and tell us more about what our dear Dr. Feinman said in your meeting.”

“Oh, the nerve of that man,” said Laura Dell as she thought back. “He acted like he owned everything in the museum, and if one simple thing were out of order, the entire thing would come crashing down.” She looked between Eddie and Dr. Walters. “He called the South uncivilized. He threatened my job. He acts as if order is the saving grace of all humanity.” Her gaze shifted back to Dr. Walters. “He used ‘can’ improperly.” Dr. Walters gave a sympathetic wince.

“Well,” Eddie said, “at least he didn’t start trying to flirt with you like the intern from last year.” Laura Dell sipped her beer and gave Eddie a look of disbelief, but Eddie just shook his head. “I’ve worked at the museum for a long time now, Miss Dell, and I’ve seen Feinman do some pretty raunchy things. But if you keep your head about you, and learn to stand up to him, you’ll probably do alright.” He nodded his head at his own wisdom.

Laura Dell didn’t feel as assured as Eddie. “I’m just not going to screw up any more. That’s the most obvious solution. Still, he reminds me of the boss I had at a job in high school, always barking orders and never doing any of his own work.” She took another sip of beer, as Dr. Walters pushed the basket of potato wedges towards her.

She ate one, then continued, “But why are both of you here?”

“When you visit the museum almost every day as I do,” said Dr. Walters, “you tend to make friends with everyone who works there who isn’t what some would call a humbug.” Dr. Walters used his fingers to emphasize the word. “But for Eddie, well, I worked with his father some time ago.”

Laura Dell looked at Eddie accusingly. “Why didn’t you tell me all that when I asked about him before?”

Eddie shrugged. “Well, Miss Dell, I didn’t know you were going to go chasing after old Pterosaurs.” Eddie drank from his glass to hide the smile that crept across his face.

“So what did you and Eddie’s father do together?” asked Laura Dell, looking back at Dr. Walters.

Dr. Walters looked at the cane as it leaned on the table. “Well, when I met Eddie’s father, it was in the early 1940’s. Even my dreams of being a paleontologist had to be put on hold during that era.”

Eddie took up the story. “From the way I heard it from my mother, my father was career, while Herbert here was just doing his duty at the time. After the war, my father gave me to my mother, and then went off to Korea. He didn’t come back, but he and Herbert here kept in touch after the Pacific. First time I met Herbert was at my father’s funeral. But, that’s an old story. Now, how’s that beer we got for you, Miss Dell?”

Chapter Four: Tour For One

Slapping his clipboard onto the ledge of the exhibit, Dr. Feinman thrust the screwdriver in Laura Dell’s direction. The sound bounced off the glass and the startled young boy darted away from them. Gripping the cold handle of what she thought to be her newest failure, Laura Dell bent towards the case.

Dr. Feinman snapped, “This was your mistake, now you fix it.” 
 She felt words forming in the back of her throat and stammered, “B-b-but Dr-”

Before giving her words a chance to make an appearance he shot back, “I expect to meet you in my office 15 minutes before closing.” Turning on the heels of his gleaming Oxford shoes, he nodded and said, “Dr. Walters, enjoy the exhibit.”

Laura Dell felt her shoulders sink as she watched Dr. Feinman click his way back through the hallway. She lifted the glass plate holding the two fossils and began to work with the bolts holding the incorrect label. Laura Dell knew her cheeks matched the bright red letters of the labels she turned in her hands when Dr. Walters shuffled toward her.

Sliding the names into their proper places, Dr. Walters said “I wonder what Messelornis fossil is stuck up his ass.” He began to chuckle at his own geological humor when he heard her wince after the end of his comment.

“Oh sorry. I guess you’re not used to that kind of uh,” he paused, “crudeness in Siloam but after sitting around a place like this for such a long time you’ve got to get your kicks in somewhere.”

Laura Dell watched him rub the back of his wrinkled neck and replied, “I’d have to guess the vertebrae.”

His shoulders shook with laughter and between stifled chuckles said, “Ah well then, Miss. Dell. How about you give me that grand tour you promised earlier?”

She closed the glass over the fossils and said, “Sure thing, Dr. I mean, sir.” Dr. Walter's smile cracked through his face and gestured for her to lead the way.

* * *

Laura Dell guided her tour for one towards the long mural that extended throughout the exhibit. She pointed to the beginning of the artist’s representation of the period littered with Placoderm fish and various marine life.

Laura Dell glanced to Dr. Walters and began, “This depiction of the Pre-Cambian era shows the progression of life up to the Neogene period. An interesting point to note is the artist took fossils from this particular collection to render her artistic interpretation of their original appearance. The fossils we have here link back to a plethora of mammals, even though they continued to be less in number when compared to the bird population. This particular exhibit also highlights the Pristichampsus, Paraceratherium, and- ” Dr. Walters waved his hand as if to signal a cue to pause and pointed his cane to mural.

Tapping the word Cenozoic he said, “Do you know what this means in Greek?”

Laura Dell shrugged her shoulders and said “The only foreign language I took in college was Spanish.”

“Ah,” he said, “Escucha esto amiga.” Laura Dell grinned and waited for him to continue.

Underlining the word with his cane Dr. Walters stated, “It simply means ‘new life’ or ‘kainos zoe’.

Laura Dell wondered to herself if this was her own Cenozoic period and said, “Dr. Walters, can I ask you something?”

Finding his way to a near by bench, he replied, “I don’t know, can you?”

Laura Dell couldn’t hide her grin and he continued, “You’re probably wondering why an old fart like me comes to a place like this day after day to correct the grammar of interns?” Laura Dell hesitated and thought if she was crossing some imaginary line of politeness that her mother taught her not to leap over as a child. Shaking off her mother’s voice of do’s and don’ts, she nodded her head in reply.

* * *

Both Dr. Walters and Laura Dell took their seats next to one another on the bench. He turned to face her and folded his jacked over his arms. Rubbing his worn fingers over the crest on the front pocket he said, “When I was a kid I remember in school everyone going around the class room answering the teacher’s question of what we wanted to be when we grew up. I listened to my classmates say things like ‘A Firefighter!’, ‘A Cheerleader!’, and ‘A Doctor!’ As soon as it was my turn I answered ‘Paleontologist!’ I remember the teacher looking at me with disbelief as she said ‘Do you even know what that means?’ I looked her square in the eye and said ‘Yes I do. You dig up dinosaur bones.’ Even before I had a past of my own I knew that history captivated me."

Laura Dell remembered her own history and her father’s absence from it. Standing there in the exhibit she returned to a memory that was more familiar to her than the streets of Chicago. Ever since her father’s death, she made a point to visit the cemetery with its winding oaks at least once a month. Her first visit to his grave was not as calm as the one two days before she left for the internship. Sometimes she tried to forget the vivid feeling of her hands pulling at the grass while fighting with her her tears that soaked into the red Alabama clay. The dirt clung to the knees of her jeans and the stain continued to remain regardless of her Clorox therapy. Since then each visit to the shaded cemetery had had its differences. Laura Dell started to notice the people who whispered as they walked the graveside path for exercise. She knew it was strange to go there to talk to someone that couldn’t hear you, at least that is what the speed-walkers thought in their calico-colored wind suits, but it did not matter. Laura Dell would sit in the freshly cut grass of the summer and tell him everything they used to say over their Saturday morning Cheerios. She imagined him sitting across from her nodding and laughing through his cup of pulp-free orange juice. If she were back in Siloam she was certain this month’s conversation would include Chicago and the scholar who visited the museum every day. Laura Dell knew what it felt like to replace the feeling of his warm hand over hers for the cold touch of his name engraved in the granite and wondered if Dr. Walters had a story similar to her own.

* * *

Dr. Walters paused and pushed off the bench to walk towards the Messelornis fossil. Patting the glass he turned to Laura Dell who followed him from their previous stop.

“You see this beauty here. I wrote my dissertation on the Messelornis Cristata. Did you know their bones-”

“are hallow and harder to preserve?” she interrupted him before catching herself.

“Well played Ms. Dell, but I was going to say it connects them to the theory of birds being linked to dinosaurs,” he said while walking to the next display lined with numerous Aves class fossils. The small spotlights of the displays reflected across the cases making a pattern like the veins seen in the wings of the Diatryma. Laura Dell watched as he avoided leaning on his cane.

Dr. Walters continued, “And this one, Ms. Dell, is well done,” and pointed to the Diatryma. “This old bird reminds me of the fieldwork I worked with during my dissertation in France and Germany. We organized an excavation with the University to research the discernment between the Diatryma and their evolutionary similarities to Anseriformes.”

Laura Dell was intrigued by the idea of Mr. Walters on a dig and asked, “What was it like to be on site?”

“Ah well, this should be enough of an explanation,” said Mr. Walters while he walked to a display illustrating different techniques of excavation.

Pointing to the tools laid along the artificial dirt and plastic bones she continued, “I mean, what were your digs like? Was it hot there? Did you ever get tired of the dirt?” She noticed a line of anxiety pass across his face while he twisted his hands together.

He said, “Dirt is something a scientist never tires of and the heat is something you might could imagine coming from Alabama,” while wrinkling the coat in his hands. Small dots of perspiration began to collide across his forehead as he began to say, “Laura, I” but stopped to pull out a cotton handkerchief from his shirt pocket. She imagined him bronze from the foreign sun and sweeping away small crumbs of dust over a preserved Diatryma.

Picturing his colleges slapping him on the back and calling him “Indie”, Laura Dell asked, “What kind of excavation technique did you use?” Dr. Walters shifted his support to his cane and pressed his hand against the sign describing over-cutting and intrusive finds.

“Laura Dell, there’s something I need to-” he began as Eddie bumped into him. Eddie was short of breath and it was apparent he had made quite an effort to reach the exhibit from the main office.

“Oh I’m terribly sorry Dr. Walters,” apologized Eddie while picking up his cane that fell to the floor upon the light impact, “but Laura Dell do you know what time it is?” She grabbed at her wrist to stare into the face of her watch.

“Ten minutes before closing! Ten!” she said and panic spread through her frame. Eddie, with concern folding his forehead, pushed Laura Dell towards the hallway. As she jogged over the tile, Laura Dell saw Dr. Feinman standing with his arms folded across his chest. She slowed her pace to reach the doorway as she heard him say, “You’re late Ms. Dell.”

Chapter 3: The New Exhibit

Laura Dell woke up before the sun and walked to work in Chicago’s early morning haze. She tried to focus on the new exhibit she’d been preparing for and working on since her first day a week ago: The Cenozoic Time Machine. The day before she’d started the internship, in the midst of arranging her new apartment, the museum director called and informed Laura Dell that she would be taking a leading role in the new exhibit because her major was Geology. The exhibition essentially offers a trip through the geological history of the Cenozoic period on earth. It was almost ready when its success was placed in Laura Dell’s hands. Make sure the setup is logical and be able to answer our guests and visitors questions by opening day, the director had said. The words burned in Laura Dell’s mind and caused her insides perform terrific acrobatic feats. One week to review everything she knew about the animals of the time period and the fossils that were on display—and she had thought she’d finally taken her last test seven months ago. She did well in school and actually preferred the classes that dealt with the Cenozoic Era because it was the one she lived in, though it stretched back millions of years. The problem was that Laura Dell had suffered a severe loss of confidence after the third “sorry we don’t need you” letter. She was thrilled for opportunity but did not expect her knowledge to be put to the test so quickly. To top it off, Mr. Feinman could not seem to forget the sparrow incident, so Laura Dell would be under particular scrutiny during the opening.

As she neared the museum, she tried to turn her thoughts toward her to do list for the morning, but Laura Dell could not help but to look up at the trees that were strategically aligned all the way down the street. The Chicago Public Works Department was doing their best to include nature in the city’s infrastructure. Laura Dell was in awe of the height of the trees on South Lake Shore Drive. She never imagined something could grow to be so great when it was trapped in a square of concrete and wrapped in a blanket of wrought iron.

When she arrived at work, she noticed Mr. Feinman approaching from the opposite direction. “Good morning, sir,” she said, forcing the corners of her mouth upward.

“Good morning, Ms. Dell,” he replied. “I hope you are adequately prepared for today. I would hate for the museum to be embarrassed on the opening day of such a brilliant exhibit.”

Laura Dell knew the look on Mr. Feinman’s face. Her mother had given her the same look every time she’d applied for schools, scholarships, or internships. It was the look that promised there was someone out there who was better. For the last few years, Laura Dell had been learning to live in the absence of the encouraging face that used to peek out from behind her mom. Her father would have noticed that Laura Dell graduated cum laude, not that she didn’t have a job lined up. John William did tell her the exhibit would be a hit and that she would know the answer to any questions “that old boss” of hers could throw out when she talked to him the night before.

She walked into the geology exhibit and paused to examine what lay before her. The time machine had received final touches during the night and was ready for final inspection. All of the boxes and packaging materials of yesterday had vanished and the floors had been toned down to create the atmosphere the exhibit designers hoped to evoke. Visitors should feel as though they’ve stepped back in time. They planned to make exhibits more of an experience and decided the floor was just too shiny.

Laura Dell’s heels echoed in the hall as she walked over to examine the diatryma and several other fossils from the era. She hoped she would live up to whatever Dr. Walters saw in her if he came through the exhibit under her watch. As she knelt down to examine the description of the diatryma, loud steps came from the hallway just outside the exhibit. Laura Dell took off to her office to grab her opening day checklist she needed to complete before nine.

* * *

“Ms. Dell, shouldn’t you have taken a lunch by now?” Eddie asked Laura Dell as she raced by.

She glanced down at her watch, “Oh Eddie, is it really almost three? I did think I was hungry a while ago, but I just don’t have time to eat. Mr. Feinman keeps finding things for me to do. Everything’s been good so far. I just need to run and grab a paper towel with some Windex on it. A kid already pressed his nose into the fossilized rock display case.” She gave him a smile and shrugged her shoulders.

“You got to take care of yourself, Ms. Dell.” Eddie let her continue through the museum.

Laura Dell walked quickly into Sue’s hall and almost knocked Dr. Walters over. “I am so sorry, Mr. Wal—I mean Dr. Walters. I did not see you getting up from the bench.”

“It’s okay, Ms. Dell. I’ve seen that look on interns before—that tunnel vision. Some snot nose kid got to close to a case.” Herbert Walters was not asking a question and Laura Dell thought his voice sounded rough, as if his throat was sore.

“Yes, sir. I’ve got to get a paper towel. Have you come to the exhibit yet?”

“No. I’ve just been sitting with Sue for a while.” Dr. Walters explained. “Where are you from, Ms. Dell?”

Laura Dell told Dr. Walters about the small town of Siloam, Alabama. “It’s not really close to anything, sir. It’s a good drive north of Mobile, and southwest of Birmingham.” She felt her heart rate quicken at the thought of home. If she was there right now, she could sit on the porch and read a good book and feel at ease. Laura Dell pushed the thought out of her mind. She liked her new job and knew her thoughts only stemmed from the particular stress that came with opening day. “Why do you ask, Dr. Walters?”

“You call me ‘sir.’ I’ve always heard that was popular in the south, but even in Texas, I didn’t hear it as much as I expected. Why don’t you run along and grab that paper towel and then I will let you give me a tour of the new exhibition. Isn’t that what you’ve been working on all week?”

“Yes, Dr. Walters.” Laura Dell sped off and returned with a couple of minutes. Dr. Walters had barely had time to put on his coat over his arm and pick up his cane, which still looked as unscathed as it had on day one of Laura Dell’s internship.

Laura Dell smiled and held up the paper towel with the faint blue circle. “I am ready if you are, sir.” She glanced down at the tweed coat draped of Dr. Walters arm and was disappointed that the crest was not facing out when she was finally close enough to decipher the details. The two walked around the corner and down the hall to the sound of Laura Dell’s heels and nothing else.

Dr. Walters allowed Laura Dell to lead the way. He listened to her introduction to the exhibit and did not say a word as they walked through the Holocene, Pleistocene, Pliocene, Miocene, and Oligocene Epochs. Laura Dell was in the midst of describing the birds of the Eocene Epoch when Dr. Walters leaned over to examine the nameplates of the goose and duck fossils that were on display.

“Ms. Dell. These are mislabeled.”

With furrowed eyebrows, Laura Dell leaned over to read and then looked up to examine the fossils. “Dr. Walters, I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Ms. Dell it should be quite obvious. Geese have less dominate wing structures. These tags must be switched. What did you say your degree was in?” Mr. Walters asked.

“Geology, sir.” Laura Dell responded as she stepped back and looked at the fossils next to each other. Dr. Walters was right. “Dr. Walters, I am so sorry. I will get this mistake resolved immediately.”

Mr. Feinman turned around from two feet away. “Excuse me, Dr. Walters. I must speak with my intern for a moment.”

Dr. Walters said of course and returned his attention to the collection birds.

“Ms. Dell. Did you or did you not verify the nameplates yesterday and this morning?” Dr. Feinman asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“And these two are incorrect?”

“Yes, sir. I am so—”

“I don’t want to hear it. First the sparrow and now this.” He rolled his eyes and shot off toward the offices, no doubt in search of the small screwdriver Laura Dell needed to exchange the nameplates. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she turned to face Dr. Walters again. He had stepped back from the displays, but was concentrated on something. Laura Dell followed his gaze. A small boy wearing a red Sue baseball cap was staring up at the diatryma. His mouth was open and his arms hung limp at his sides. Dr. Walters shifted his coat to his other arm and lifted up his cane. He didn’t seem to know what to do with it and settled for picking it up. He took a step forward and for a moment, Laura Dell thought Dr. Walters would approach the little boy and drop some knowledge to deepen the boy’s awe. He must have changed his mind though and stopped. The boy turned around and Dr. Walters was the first person he saw. “Now that is cool, huh, Mister!”

Chapter Two: Dr. Walters

Laura Dell felt as if the dark clouds followed in her wake as she walked backed to the Museum after lunch. The sun had bathed the museum throughout the morning, as Laura Dell had finished her rounds of the museum and set to sorting inventory for a new exhibit. It had been present on her walk to the Corner Bakery, conveying whatever minute warmth managed to penetrate the wind. But with every step of her return trip, the temperature seemed to plummet another degree; Laura Dell sensed that this must be the calm before the snowstorm she had heard described by some of the older interns. It would be the first time since she was eight years old that she had seen snow fall.

Siloam is familiar with all types of precipitation, rain is common and sleet and hail are consequences of the thunderstorms that tear across the state with some frequency, but snow in Siloam was like a myth. But in the winter of 1982, the stars aligned to grant the greatest wish of children everywhere in the South, and snow began to fall from the sky. She and John William had ignored the panicked run for milk and bread that seemed to occupy everyone over the age of eighteen; instead, seized the tops of their garbage cans and headed for the hill that sloped off behind the church. The entire town joined them there as they frolicked out in the miracle of winter.

The first flakes began to fall as Laura Dell was opening the door to the Museum, unable to resist, she turned within the doorframe to view the flakes that began erase the distinction in the city around her. A chirp above her head startled her, and she looked up in time to see a tiny bird fly into the museum, seeking shelter from the biting wind. Swiftly closing the door, Laura’s eyes followed the bird as is it swooped in and out the arches, looking for something familiar on which to land. Finding nothing, it instead sought height as its refuge, landing upon the hips of Sue.

Laura Dell sensed eyes on her, shivering in response; she sought the origin of the sensation, and found it in the form of her boss, Mr. Feinman. His hand beckoned her over in a sharp movement.

“Ms. Dell, do you realize that there is a small bird perched on top of Sue?”

“Yes, sir, I do.”

“I realize that you have only been with us three days, but we do not tolerate live animals within the museum. Have you any idea the damage that bird could inflict upon Sue? Its droppings could compromise the remaining structure of her skeleton. People are here to see preserved history, not a silly bird. Get rid of that bird before it becomes any more of a spectacle.”

“Yes, sir.”

Laura Dell walked around the base of Sue seeking an inconspicuous solution, instead finding, to her surprise, the older gentleman from earlier still sitting in the presence of Sue. After standing with him this morning, Laura Dell had asked Eddie about him. Eddie was almost as permanent an exhibit as Sue was at the Field Museum. He had been at the museum for over twenty years and knew everyone on staff and most of the regular visitors. Eddie told her that he usually came in several times a week. Most times, Eddie said, he just takes a seat on the bench by Sue, studying not only Sue, but the tourists as well. He never brought anyone with him, Eddie speculated that he was a bachelor, but he didn’t really know, and he always carried a notebook.

He seemed fascinated by the bird’s presence, perhaps amused by the contradiction of the small bird, whose ruffled feathers made it resemble an inverted cotton boll, atop the fossilized bone. He was writing in his little leather notebook, Laura Dell imagined he was commenting on this juxtaposition of life and death, of soft and hard.

As she continued to circle, she, like everyone else, became entranced by the magnitude of the theropod fossil. For Laura Dell, it revealed that the sparrow was safe from the malicious intent of Mr. Fienman. It’s scale rendered Laura Dell ineffectual to the museum, but Laura Dell felt grateful for this insurmountable obstacle. She could not help but sympathize with the little bird, it seemed impossible that the little sparrow would be able to survive amidst the callous and isolating weather of the Chicago winter.

A loud bang startled her out of her thoughts. It also started the sparrow, who took flight with an indignant chirp as it disappeared through an archway above. Laura and everyone else within Stanley Field Hall searched for its source. She located it in the old man she had been watching all day, who was picking up his cane with a sheepish expression.

“Sorry folks, not used to this fool cane yet,” he said to everyone around him.

Laura Dell approached him, feeling a sense of gratitude for the man who had solved her problem so innocently. “Can I do anything to help you sir?”

“Did the trick, didn’t it?” He asked, his eyes sparkling as John William’s did whenever he felt he had gotten away with some mischief.

“I’m sorry?”

“The sparrow’s off your dinosaur. That’s what you were after, yes? You were circling Sue with the expression of a predator looking for its best angle,” he said, a wry smile transforming his face, removing any trace of a docile old man.

“We didn’t want a little sparrow to distract people from the exhibits within the museum. They have come to see the wonders of life that went extinct sixty five million years ago, not a sparrow that they can see any day of the week. But thank you for your assistance; I did need to get the sparrow off of the exhibit.” Turning, Laura Dell began to walk back to the service desk to see if there had been any more deliveries for the new exhibit. She was troubled at how easily her answer had come to her and how much it resembled Mr. Feinman’s statements from earlier. She wanted to distance herself from the situation, but his voice forced her to turn back.

“You know they are still alive today,” he said, gesturing at the theropod with his cane, even as he stared at it.

Laura Dell had only been working at the museum for a few days, but had already been asked this question in one form or another a hundred times. But it usually came from the children, who believed in everything they saw and whose eyes and mouths always rounded out at the sight of Sue. “Jurrasic Park was just a movie sir. There are no living members of Dinosauria, most species died out around 65 million years ago, becoming extinct shortly thereafter.”

“You must be one of the new interns,” he declared, still staring at Sue.

“Yes, sir.”

“I thought so. I’ve never seen you here before, so you must be new. Here through June, I would guess?”

“Yes, sir. Unless they decide to offer me a job.”

“That idea is a hope perpetrated by all the interns; it’s as much of a myth as those depicted in that movie.” He finally looked away from the fossil to look Laura Dell in the eye. “But I have a feeling about you.” Using his regained cane as leverage, he stood up, extending his hand towards Laura Dell, “Herbert Walters.”

“Laura Dell.”

“It’s been a pleasure to meet you Ms. Laura Dell.”

“Mr. Walters-“

“Dr. Walters, got my doctorate in ornithology at the University of Texas, then moved up here, probably before you were born, to run the Chicago Ornithological Society.”

“I’m sorry, Dr. Walters, but I do need to get back to work. Mr. Feinman has me working to catalog the inventory for the new exhibit.”

“Well, I’ll get out of your way then, but remember, dinosaurs aren’t extinct. They live among us now but in a smaller, feathered frame like that song sparrow that’s been flying around the museum, who I assume is trying to take shelter from the snow storm. That tiny sparrow is a living descendent of that theropod over there. Always reminds me that even things we think of as insignificant can have impressive histories.” He donned his gloves, coat, scarf, and hat, which he then tipped at her, and holding the cane more than using it, strolled out the doors into the snow.

She watched him go, disappearing into the swirling snow. Only at his disappearance did it occur to her to ask him what he saw in her.

Chapter One: The Field Museum

Laura Dell sat her suitcase on the winding staircase of her grandparents’ old house in Siloam, Alabama. She had come back to visit once more before she took off to Chicago for her graduate work at the Field Museum of Natural History. She walked lightly around the memories that lingered in the old home. The screen door leading to the backyard didn’t hang properly from all the times she and her brother had come running through. One summer John William, who wanted to be a fireman more than anything, ran through the house with the water hose yelling, “This here ol’ place is goin’ up in smokes like the devil’s house! Everybody out, everybody out!” Water covered everything that day; even the curtains were washed of their sins. Laura Dell smiled and turned back towards the front door. She ran her fingers along the wrinkled floral wallpaper, yellowed from the years of wear and sun. She could still smell golden crusts of apple pies that had risen out of her grandmother’s oven and her grandfather’s old fishing hat that smelled like the Alabama River. The hallway pictures of her grandmother’s great cousins on this side and that side of the family along with so-and-so’s great Aunt Gertie stared at her. To them, she was still ten years old, the baby of the entire extended family; she was free to play and roam as she wished. At that moment, she could have stayed in their presence for a lifetime.
She looked at her mother’s watch on her wrist. It was 9:15. Siloam Methodist Church did not tolerate tardiness so she took her bags and walked to the screened front door. Before pulling the door shut, she closed her eyes and whispered goodbye to Mamaw and Pepaw’s house on Cedar Crest Lane. She locked the door and stepped from one frame of her to another.
* * *
The air in Chicago was just as she had imagined, but as with all dreams in reality, something was astray. The smells of the city made Chicago feel like her brother’s room when she was little; it never ceased to amaze her how much little boys could smell like the outside world. In Chicago, the asphalt, sidewalk hotdog-stands, constant exhaust, and steam from the sewers blew to and fro with the shifting traffic. Just before she stepped into the stiff winter wind, she breathed deeply into her scarf and heavy overcoat to soak in all the warmth she could. She was used to the southern sun that wasted no time changing to spring; like her distant cousins from Vermont, winter usually brought the warm southern air back to Siloam, Alabama, regardless of whether or not it was invited. For the past four years, she had worn cotton dresses on Christmas day.
The gift she received this Christmas was the internship acceptance letter the Field Museum. Her brother had shouted up to her room early one quiet morning after the big Christmas gathering, “Laura, you have some mail on the kitchen counter.” Her mother was out visiting her great Aunt Mattie, all the relatives were gone, and the house stood silent. Not wishing to disturb the rest she finally had, Laura Dell simply snuggled back in her bed and watched the Carolina wrens snuggled in their nest outside in the Oak tree next to her bedroom window. She admired their small lives and imagined the Mama bird giving the baby birds an early morning lesson in tone, technique, and overall composition of their newly fashioned songs. Their talent was natural, unlike her ability to get into a graduate program.
Laura Dell knew the letter must be from the sixth program she had applied to since her graduation that May. It wasn’t that Laura Dell disregarded the importance of mail at this point in her college career, but the first five of the six programs she had applied too had respectfully declined her. Many of the letters politely explained that she was highly qualified, but the positions were already filled. She heard a knock on the door, “Laura Dell, I think you need to open this one,” her brother said. Her eyes opened wide and she tried to stuff down the overwhelming sense of rejection carried within a weightless object. The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago was not her first choice, but it had become her last hope. Bracing herself and pulling on her soft yellow housecoat, she opened the door to see her brother grinning.
He waved the letter in front of her and backed away as she reached for it. Not in the mood for games, Laura Dell groaned, but John William was determined to get beneath her skin and poked her. Deep down, Laura Dell knew she would end up giving in, but she was almost a graduate student, and it was about time John William had started acting 26. John William thought just the opposite, and constantly reminded her to loosen up. Laura Dell had backed John William into the corner railing outside the guest bedroom and moved in for the victorious snatch when John William ducked beneath her and rounded the end of the hallway nearly stumbling down the whole flight of stairs to the kitchen. She sprinted after him, jumped the last two steps, and slid across the kitchen floor in her slippers. Following her brother’s clumsiness, however, she ended up beneath the kitchen table on her back. The kitchen door creaked back open at the thud as John William looked around trying not to laugh at her, but Laura Dell couldn’t help herself and she started giggling. He came over, sat on the linoleum floor beside her, and handed her the letter. She wiped a couple tears from her laughter, and sighed a heavily before she unfolded it. She couldn’t handle another rejection, “Dear Miss Dell, we are pleased to extend to you an invitation to be a part of our team…23rd of January…8:00 a.m. Thank you for applying with us!” Laura Dell dropped the letter and let out a victory yelp, “I’m going to Chicago!” That one letter made the entire Christmas worthwhile.

Trying to ignore the biting cold that seemed to slip its icy fingers right through her overcoat, Laura Dell made her way up to the bare and chilled steps to the Field Museum. Laura Dell knew she would never forget her walks to the Museum in Chicago. She had a parking pass to the Museum, but she preferred walking. A few years ago when her father passed away, she had realized to slow down in life. That year she boxed up her running shoes, and invested in some converse sneakers.
She waved to Eddie, the security manager she met on the day of orientation, swiped her card, and started down the hall to the observatory room. The glassed, preserved mammals welcomed her. Just as masterpieces leave their viewers standing in unprovoked reverential silence, so Laura Dell walked by intricate, delicate, and extravagant creatures of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois. She nodded at them as she walked by as if to say good morning to them all; it had quickly become a silent, humble ritual in the few days she had worked there. As she entered the observatory room with light spilling in from the steeple high windows, she was greeted by the largest preserved t-Rex in the United States. Not noticing an older man quietly moving into the presence of the theropod from the south entrance of the museum, she laughed a little as she acknowledged the seemingly tiny name on the plaque beside its giant big toe. This was “Sue.”
A true southerner with the hips to prove it, Sue stood 13 feet high from the hip and 42 feet long. Around the 1990’s Sue Hendrickson found this leading lady of the dinosaur world on the eastern coast of Virginia. The team of paleontologists hypothesized that the dinosaur, or Sue, was migrating South for the winter, but the cause of its death was unknown. Laura Dell figured it must have been a heat stroke, but she was glad to see Sue looking alert and perfectly preserved. She smiled to see a southern face. “Lovely morning isn’t it, Ms. Sue?” she said and squinted as light continued to overflow into the expanse of white marble in the opening room to the museum.
The old man shifted his body to sit on a bench and the echo startled Laura. She checked her mother’s watch; the man must have been waiting at the south entrance, and came in right at the opening. She watched him breathe heavily and rest both hands on his cane. The black rubber stopper on the cane looked brand new, and the shaft of the cane didn’t have a scratch. Old age did not seem to come natural to him, and Laura Dell imagined that he frequently forgot that his body did not function as well as it used to. He wore a brown tweed overcoat and a crisply ironed button-up shirt. There was a crest of some sort on the right upper corner of the jacket that Laura Dell couldn’t make out. He carried a newspaper and a small leather notebook. A pen was tucked neatly into his shirt pocket. She sighed and quietly admired his strength for walking here this morning and wondered if she had ever seen him out on one of her walks before. In a way, she found communion with the older man and fossilized theropod, and Laura Dell stood silently watching the shifting Chicago sun age their skin and bones.

While You Wait...

While you are waiting for the first installment of our novel, I thought it might be nice to share some pictures of Siloam - where Laura Dell is from. I actually got it wrong today in class, Siloam is not an actual town in Alabama, but it is in the tiny small town of York, Alabama. My grandmother grew up in York, Alabama going to the Siloam Baptist Church and that's where I got the idea. Plus, Siloam seems like a uniquely southern name.

Now as small as Siloam Baptist Church is, they have some hip older people who are FB savvy. Sounds like a community Dr. Herbert Walters could possibly get along with, right? So, I included the link to their FB page. You can look through their pictures (especially their first album, and see Mrs. Nell their oldest living member - who will be 100 in 2010!).

Also, I wanted to give you a little music that Siloam Baptist is especially fond of while you look through the pictures (minus the guy's really high voice, there are a lot more baritones in the Siloam choir). Maybe it can shed light on where I am coming from with Laura Dell's character. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_yQeuo7auw

http://www.facebook.com/pages/York-AL/Siloam-Baptist-Church/301323128674?ref=ts&v=wall