Penthesilea's Wish [Vol.2]

Chapter Fifteen

While ordering sandwiches at the American School cafeteria, Nicasio took note of some of the other researchers using the facilities seated around them. American English could be heard as well as Greek. Most of the people looked to be college age, but there were certain tables which had more mature looking individuals seated among them—obviously professors and research fellows. At some point, realizing that he and Daniela were compatriots, a thirty-five-to-forty year old woman, heavy-set with bleached hair and a sun-tanned face came over to their table. She introduced herself as Judy Farrell, a professor of Classical Studies from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania.

"I understand you two are from Cal," she said in a friendly manner, sounding typically Midwestern in her manner of speech and neighborly approach.

Nicasio spoke up cordially, acknowledging her attempt to break the ice.

"That's right, Judy. I'm Nicasio Carvajal and this is my partner, Daniela. We've been here only since Monday. Is this your first trip to Greece, like ours?"

"Oh no, hun," she said, smiling. "I've brought a team over from Bucknell every year now for the past eight seasons. We're working on a dig over at the Agora. The American School has been sponsoring our group for some time now. As field training."

"Fantastic."

"There's six of us here this month. Five grad students and myself. I'm their supervisor . . .and surrogate mom sometimes." She smiled proudly.

The group she had been with turned and nodded at them. At that moment an attractive girl from Judy's table, sporting kaki shorts, a soiled white T-shirt and a blue bandana around her neck came over and stood supportively by her professor.

"So . . . this is Stacie," Judy said, flipping the girl's sun-streaked hair back from her face, maternally. She's from Washington University. St. Louis."

The young woman beamed back at Nicasio and Daniela a little too girlishly.

"Stacie's here in her first year of grad studies with us," She patted the shapely girl on the shoulder. "And she's just finding out how difficult archaeology can be sometimes." Judy smiled empathetically at her. "You see, she had a nasty run-in with a scorpion in one of the pits today. It was over at the west end of the Agora complex. Right Stace?"

"Right, that's right," the girl answered in a bouncy, Southern accent. "But thank the Lord I'm Ok. I didn't get stung or nothin . . . just kinda scared."

The open faced, buxom student rolled her eyes upward and took a deep breath. She then focused her gaze onto Nicasio's inquisitive face, flashing him a warm smile with perfectly white teeth.

"Nicasio? That's a beautiful name," she beamed. "So where ya'all from?"

"California." Daniela answered back in a deadpan voice. She sounded peculiarly possessive.

"Awe . . . really? I might be going down to Las Vegas with some friends at the end of the summer," the girl emphatically added.

Her eyes quickly left Daniela and landed back on Nicasio. It was a look a little too hungry for Daniela's taste, and it angered her as well, that this college graduate was too ignorant to know which state Las Vegas was in.

"So . . . are ya'all here in Greece on a dig, too?"

"We're just digging in libraries at this point," Nicasio answered, smiling. He looked back over at Daniela. She wasn't smiling at all.

"Well, I gotta tell ya'all . . . Even with the damn scorpions over here? I prefer to be outside than in a library any day."

Nicasio nodded and laughed out loud. Judy winked at him in pseudo agreement and then asked if the two of them if they wanted to join them at their table. There was another pair of students seated with Judy's group, a male and female. They appeared from their physical interaction to be more than just friends. Judy's invitation seemed to please Stacie as she smiled again and nodded invitingly to Nicasio.