by David Harp
Chapter 26
Haley’s Choice
Chris walked Haley to her door a little before midnight. It had been a long day. Brian decided to spend the night at Chris’s cabin rather than walk through the woods in the dark. Steve and Matt stayed at Dan’s cabin.
The boys met at Becky’s for breakfast the following morning before heading back to Wildwood.
“Ya’ll seem mighty quiet this morning.” Becky remarked as she led them to a table. “You look like Zombies.”
“Our trip was a little overwhelming.” Chris replied. “Did Haley tell you about the place we visited? It’s like a page out of a science fiction novel.”
“I’m on the ORION Institute’s Board of Directors.” Becky said with a little smirk.
Chris’s face contorted as if he’d swallowed a lemon. “Whaaaaaat? That’s a big deal. Why didn’t you tell us?”
“The Institute is very low key and it’s an honorary position.” Becky answered modestly. “I didn’t even tell Haley until she mentioned you were going.”
Steve sat up straight in his chair. “Wait a minute! Did you call and let them know Haley was coming?”
“Of course, the Administrator is an old friend. My most memorable archeological dig was on the site of what is now the ORION Institute.”
“Aha, that’s it!” Steve said. “That’s how they knew Haley was coming and why we were treated like special guests.”
Steve turned toward Brian and pushed him playfully.
“You had me going with that ridiculous story claiming Haley has special DNA and a magical medallion.”
Becky put her hand on Steve’s shoulder and said, “I’m not sure what Brian has told you, but I can confirm that Haley is very special.”
“Nice try Mrs. King, but the cat’s out of the bag.” Steve shook his head and chuckled. “There are still a lot of unanswered questions, but it’s nice to know Haley isn’t an alien. I almost fell for it Brian.”
Steve’s conversation jolted Dan’s memory enough to recall that when Claude said goodbye, he also said he was looking forward to seeing everyone in September.
“Is anybody planning to visit the ORION Institute in September?” he asked.
“I won’t; Haley and I will be heading to Chapel Hill next month.” Chris answered.
“None of us will,” Steve said. “We’ll all be in college.”
Dan shrugged in halfhearted agreement and then decided to ask again. “Are you sure, because Claude sounded pretty confident?”
Becky was pouring coffee and listening. It made Chris uncomfortable when she looked directly at him and said, “You might be surprised how things can change.”
Chris had looked out the window and seen Haley in the garden a few minutes earlier. She enjoyed dead-heading flowers in the morning so he thought nothing of it, but he looked again and this time saw her talking to a well-dressed elderly man.
“Who is that with Haley?” he asked Becky.
“Doctor Augustus Richter. He was a professor at Cornell when Ben and I were there. He led the dig in New Mexico where we found Haley. He’s an old family friend and has been a second father to Haley. She calls him Uncle Auggie. I am sure she has mentioned him to you.”
Chris’s pulse was starting to race. Haley mentioned Uncle Auggie many times when they discussed her favorite subject, archaeology.
In her desire to support Chris, Haley registered to study Classical Civilizations at Duke. That would have been enough a year ago, but things had changed. Dozens of major colleges across the country were trying to recruit her, and she had grown more independent. Chris noticed recently that Becky’s career in archeology was a frequent topic of conversation for Haley. He didn’t want to hold her back, but was afraid she was having second thoughts about attending Duke. She might be planning to follow in her mother’s footsteps by enrolling at the Cornell Institute of Archaeology in New York.
“What do you think Dr. Richter wants?” Chris asked Becky.
“I’m not sure. You’ll have to ask Haley.”
Everyone was eager to go home and begin preparing for college. Jamie had returned to Wildwood with her parents, so Brian caught a ride with Matt. Steve rode back with Dan, but Chris stayed to talk with Haley. He went to find her after breakfast and found her at the dock, sitting alone on a bench Renee built for her. She was praying.
“I thought I might find you here,” Chris whispered when she looked up.
“And I knew you would come looking for me. We need to talk.” Haley replied.
Chris braced for the bad news.
“I can’t go to Duke,” she whispered.
Haley was asserting her independence. Chris and Haley had not been apart for more than a week in the past five years. Haley had become such a part of Chris’s life that the thought of an extended separation made him weak. He sat beside her while she explained.
“I want to study archaeology at the ORION Institute. Uncle Auggie, I mean Doctor Richter has spent the last two years developing the curriculum.”
“Are you sure? I expected you to say Cornell, but the ORION Institute? What do you really know about it? Is it even accredited?”
“Dr. James Campbell who is the most famous archaeologist in the world is serving as Dean. That alone is good enough for me.”
“But what kind of instructors can you expect at such a small school?”
“I had that same question, but Uncle Auggie showed me the faculty list. Many of the best college teachers from around the world will rotate through on a guest program. The organization which owns the institute attracted them by offering unlimited resources for their research while they teach.”
“Can they provide you with practical experience? You might get laboratory and museum training, but is there any field work?”
“That’s the main reason for my decision. The ORION Institute is located on the most prized archaeological dig site on the planet, and I may be studying my own family history!”
“What happens to us? Aren’t you and I meant to be together?” Chris asked and then added, “please don’t say it’s all part of God’s plan.”
She didn’t. Her expression said it for her. ”Have a little faith.”