Lost City

"How's our Resident Mermaid?"

"Oh really?" I bounce on my feet, practically skipping to his coat. "Was it at one of the nearby towns or further away?"

I can hear the coin slip out of the bag behind me as I reach in the side pocket for the new candies. "It was two towns away. I guess the-"

I turn around at his break in words with a smirk on my face. I know what he's reading.

"I had to double check that it really was Latin and that I wasn't just imagining it." I say quietly.

Disbelief followed by hope washes over Phil's face. A small flicker of familiarity flashes before excitement takes over. He looks up at me before returning to look at the artifact in his hand.

"Where did you find it?" He whispers in reverence.

Keeping my voice low I begin to tell him of my morning. "We saw a crevasse a little ways south of our dive yesterday. We figured we could get a few good pictures and a sample for Rocky to look at before coming back. Jay said I had enough time to explore the first cave on the map so I did. We'll need our deep sea gear to reach the bottom, but that's where I found this."

He looks back up with tears glistening in his eyes. "Thank you. Thank you for showing me this first."

I simply nod in reply. No words could express how either of us feel about this.

When Phil found me I was going through a bit of depression. My father had told me that summer that I was no longer welcome at his home once I turned 18. He said he was sorry for failing me as a father but he didn't want a reminder of his mistakes hanging around. I had always thought that once I received my degree he'd be proud of me or at least acknowledge me. Instead he handed me bank statement and told me to leave him alone. I really struggled with the idea that I wasn't worth anyone's time.

Phil was a guest lecturer in my mythology courses so we had talked a bit before. When I showed up to school with heavy bags under red rimmed eyes he told me he was thinking of starting a team and he wanted me to be on it. He said he was going to offer me the position later but it looked like I needed some good news in my life. This was after the shipwreck was discovered.

To say I cried ugly tears would be an understatement. I'm sure I looked worse than a drowned rat with all the crying I did once I got home that night. I was overjoyed that someone would want me to help discover something big.

Phil told me he was impressed by my work ethic and that I knew several languages, including a few dead ones. In fact we now converse on a weekly basis in different languages.

He was also awed by my knowledge of myths and ancient civilizations. He always jokes that he would have had to hire three different people to do what I do. I always reply that he should pay me for doing the amount of three people's work.

Phil gave me a purpose in life while also becoming a father figure to me. He found out one night at the lab that I had no family while asking questions when I was distracted. The words he said to me that night never fail to make me smile.

"Sang, I may not be able to adopt you, but I'm in need of a daughter. Will you give me the pleasure of becoming my family?"

After that we started celebrating holidays together and weekly phone calls whenever he was away. For the last three years I've always chosen the ugliest tie for Father's Day and he never fails to wear it the next time we meet.

Seeing him lean over the microscope now his words echo through my head. We may have met through school and work, but he is easily the most important person in my life.

I softly smile once more before walking closer to him. Popping a candy in my mouth I lean over. "Hey Old Man, if you get any closer you'll go cross eyed."

He chuckles and swats my arm. "Go away and eat your candy like a good little girl. The grown ups are working now. We have treasure to study."

I scoff in jest and take a step back. "Well this little girl found that piece of treasure."

"Who found treasure?" Karen asks as she walks into the room with a bowl under her arm.

"Miss Sang here may have found our next clue." Phil smiles as he looks up at us. "But let's have dinner first. It's easier to brain storm with a full stomach."

As if on cue, Rocky and Jay make their way inside. Jay drops his bag by the door and places his folders on the desk. Rocky carries the large plate of steak to the table and we all make our way there.

Paper plates are passed out and we each get our beverage of choice. Phil gives a warning about not drinking to much alcohol and each of us rolls our eyes.

Before starting our meal Phil raises his glass. "To this team and to new discovery."

Each of us copy the gesture and tap glasses.

As I take a sip of my wine I look around the table. This may not be the water, and I might not like everyone here, but I'm exactly where I want to be.

On the brink of discovery.

*****
Hey!

So what do you think of Phil and Sang's relationship? This will be super important later on.

I'm sitting here planning out chapters and this little voice keeps asking when she's going to meet the boys. Unfortunately it may be a while. Maybe I'll plan more of their POV occasionally.

Thanks for reading! I love getting comments and seeing my news feed filled with votes so thank you everyone who's done that. It means a lot to me.

Till next time,
BijinMum.