by Leah Leonard
She and Khalil followed the technician into a conference room. “Please take a seat.”
They faced the window where spectacular views of the city created a surreal backdrop, while the scientist sat directly across from them. A thick manila folder sat on the table, waiting to be opened.
“We have your results.” His thick glasses made his eyes appear small. He took the file in his hands, never betraying the outcome with his emotionless demeanor.
Kelley’s heart pounded. She couldn’t wait to hear the news, and began daydreaming of how she and Khalil might celebrate, not only at dinner tonight with his father, but afterwards too, when they were alone.
“Indeed, tell us,” Khalil insisted.
“This vessel is three….”
Kelley’s mind went into a quiet place where she imagined he was about to finish that sentence with the word thousand. Adrenaline shot through her veins. This was it! She was about to be famous!
“…hundred…years old.”
Kelley gasped. “Excuse me?”
“Three hundred years old, madam,” he repeated in a thick accent.
“What?” She glanced at Khalil, as if he could somehow fix this in the same way he seemed to fix any problem she had.
“You are certain of this?” Khalil asked.
“Yes, Sheikh,” the man bowed his head slightly.
“That can’t be! It’s supposed to be thousands of years old,” she turned again to her lover. “Right, Khalil?”
The technician looked only at Khalil and matter-of-factly stated, “We have triple tested the artifact, Sheikh, and unfortunately the date was not as old as you originally believed. I am sorry.”
“You followed proper protocol for the carbon dating?” Kelley demanded, unwilling and unable to accept the truth just yet.
The scientist appeared unfazed by Kelley, and continued to focus only on his employer, the Sheikh. He nodded.
“That can’t be! I know the area and the items there must be far older than that.”
“Darling,” Khalil turned to her, took her hands in a way that he usually did when he wanted to calm her. “This is the finest laboratory in the country. The discoveries made here are revolutionary to our understanding of history. Despite its age, you have contributed to our understanding of our culture. This is to be commended.”
The idea unraveled her even more. “Then why are they telling us this? It can’t be right!”
“Dear…” Khalil placed his arm around her shoulder.
She glanced at the technician, who had a blank expression on his face. This couldn’t be happening! “What did you find out about the DNA? Surely we can at least prove the vessel was used by a female, right?”
He shook his head. “The only DNA we discovered was male.”
“No!” Kelley squeezed her forehead, as if this might wrench the truth out of her mind and the room. “It can’t be!”
“I am sorry.” The tech turned to Khalil once more. “Sheikh, we have exhausted all possible testing methods and can find no further reason to continue. To do so would be a waste of resources, I am afraid.”
“Indeed,” Khalil said. “I appreciate your frank assessment.”
“Absolutely.” The man stood, bowed, and left the room.
Kelley sat speechless and stared out the window. Her head pounded. All this time, all of it was a waste! “I should never have dragged you into this mess once Josh told me he lied. God, I am such a fool! I wasted our time and your money!”
“No, Kelley,” he placed his arm around her shoulder, trying to be a comfort. “This is my fault. I pressed you to keep going.”
For the first time since they met, she scooted away, unwilling to allow him to placate her any longer. “You are amazing, Khalil, really you are, but I am a failure, okay? This is a disaster. All of it. Josh is a pathological liar, and thanks to him and my stupidity you’ve spent who knows how much money to test this stupid thing when it isn’t worth the clay it’s molded from!”
“Nothing could be further from the truth.” Khalil spoke in his amazingly calm manner, trying to reassure her. “It is my pleasure and joy to assist you. I love you.”
“I promised you a return, and now you’ve lost a lot of money. I will repay you, Khalil, I swear! It might take me a few years, I’m not sure, but…” she put her head in her hands, pressed her eyes tight. “I’m not sure about anything anymore. I have no idea what to do now. How can I continue in archeology after this? My whole life is a lie. I’ll have to go out and get a new job, I suppose. I don’t even know what I’m saying right now.” All the pent up anger, frustration and disappointment came barreling to the surface of her mind in a flash. How in the hell could she expect to continue any of this after such a colossal failure? She knew better than to be so negative. She’d been through hardships before, but none that threatened to destroy the foundation of who she was as a person and what she believed about the world. She was completely overwhelmed. The anger rose to a boiling point, and finally, she began to cry, big angry powerful tears, a true catharsis. This was the end of an era, she was sure of that.
She wanted to run out of here, kicking and screaming, but where would she go? Khalil brought her here and it wasn’t his fault things turned out so poorly. She tried squeezing her eyes shut, covering them with her hands until she could calm herself down, stop her crying and basically get her shit together. She tried breathing in through her nose, out through her mouth. Soon she calmed down and quieted herself, but she still couldn’t bear to look at Khalil. He must really think she was nuts right about now. God! Could she make things any worse?
Fifty-Six
Khalil had not expected this outcome at all. He had no idea Kelley would take this news so poorly. All his future plans for the two of them depended on a positive outcome for her work. He wanted her to associate him with this great discovery and decide to remain in Turkey as his partner and wife.
He watched and waited while she worked through her emotions. This was not supposed to be. His team would hear about this. How dare they produce such an insignificant item after guaranteeing him so much more!
He worried about Kelley. She appeared dizzied by the results. He prayed she would still be up to meeting his family tonight. “Love, this is not the end”
“Of course it is, Khalil! I’m finished as a researcher!” she began crying again, stood and ran from the room.
Khalil followed Kelley down the hall and into the lobby. He thanked the team, excused himself and stepped into the hall by the elevator where Kelley waited for it to arrive. He reached out to her. “Take my hand.”
Fortunately, she had calmed a bit. She wiped her eyes with one hand, clasped her fingers in his.
When the elevator arrived, it was unfortunately full of people.
Khalil ushered Kelley toward the back corner, so as not to make a scene. He did not care for emotional outbursts, yet he could certainly understand why she felt the way she did.
She pulled her sunglasses out and put them on so by the time the elevator reached the ground floor, her tears were concealed.
Fortunately he was no longer in danger of embarrassing himself in front of everyone he knew. He certainly didn’t want the public to see him with an upset woman, for fear people may think he caused her distress, which unfortunately, he did.
The couple hurried out of the building and ran to the waiting car, neither saying a word to the other, until the driver slammed the door behind them.
Khalil raised the darkened window between them and the driver, sat across from Kelley, and leaned toward her. Pressing his palms on her knees, he tried to make eye contact with her.
She would have nothing of it, and kept her eyes tightly closed under her sunglasses, apparently unable to face him.
He rubbed her legs. “Darling, I love you and I promise, this is not the end of the world. You shall see there are many other discoveries in Turkey, many more significant finds yet to uncover. This experience will strengthen you, my lov
e, so that one day, when you do achieve the fame you seek, that glory will be all the sweeter. I promise.”
“I’m so sorry, Khalil,” Kelley sniffled under her sunglasses.
“There now, darling, there is nothing to be sorry about.” Khalil lifted the glasses off her face, tossing them on the seat beside her.
Kelley lowered her gaze and a fresh wave of tears trickled down her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you back there.”
He lifted her chin and gazed into her eyes. “Never, love. You make me most proud. Always.”
Kelley continued to cry for a moment, then wiped her eyes and announced, “I think it’s probably best for me to pack up and go home for awhile, try to regroup and then…who knows, maybe you’re right. I can come back sometime later and try something new. The problem is I don’t know what that looks like right now. I spent so much time thinking about this one artifact and nothing else. Ian’s work in Greece was my other project, but I never thought of that as my own like I did with the one here in Turkey.”
The mention of her old boyfriend troubled Khalil. He did not want her being lured to Greece, especially since her former boyfriend was likely there now. “I am pleased to hear the work in Greece is no longer your interest.”
“I’m sorry,” Kelley shook her head. “I shouldn’t have brought Ian up. I have no interest in him. You know that, right?”
“Indeed, however I am keenly aware of the project he has invited you to join. Now that you no longer have work here…”
“No,” Kelley gazed into his eyes, clutching his hands in hers. “Never. I will never, ever work with him again.”
“Darling, I wish you to understand these events as I do. We are destined. This is destiny.” He grasped her hands and shook them slightly, so wanting her to feel his passion for their union. He ran his finger over her diamond. “If not for our troubles, we would not have found each other. Forget Ephesus! This is the reason you are here, not to find some clay pot in a pit. Us! You and I.”
“You’re right. You are definitely right.” Kelley nodded and gazed off into nothing.
“I want you to forget this outcome for today and concentrate on this evening, and meeting my family. This is important to me. I want them to know the woman I love, the only woman in the world who can make me happy.”
“Okay, I promise I’ll put it aside for now.” Kelley’s tears were gone. She took in a deep breath and nodded.
Khalil was pleased to see his words strengthening her and stopping her tears. He caressed her cheek. “Yes?”
“Yes.” She looked deeply into his eyes. “I want them to get to know me too. You’re right. It’s important. I know you and I met for a reason. I do believe in that. I’m just so happy you want me here.”
He cupped her cheek in his hand, kissed her. “I have never desired anything more.”
Fifty-Seven
After the incredibly stressful morning, Khalil hired a masseuse to come to Kelley’s room and give her a full body massage. After the hour and a half session was over, the tension and stress she felt earlier in the day seemed to dissipate somewhat, but not entirely. All the time her sore muscles were being rubbed, she ruminated about the fact that her dream of finding something of archeological significance was officially over. What would she do now? Sure, she could love Khalil, but what project would fill her mind and ignite her passions now that the other one had failed? That question was simply too big for her right now. Khalil was right, Turkey was amazing and she could certainly continue searching, but for what exactly?
She breathed through much of the physical pain from the massage, and as a result, she finally released some of her emotional uncertainty. The reality was she didn’t have to have all the answers at this moment.
She realized she had much to think about still, in terms of her life, her work, how she planned to move forward from here, but one thing was certain – her love of the man who invited her to stay here in the first place. Maybe Khalil was right. They really were meant to be together. She told him she agreed with his assessment, but the more she dwelled on that, she realized she still had a huge obstacle to overcome in terms of his family. Hopefully tonight could be the beginning of something good.
She still believed in happily ever after. She knew enough about life to know that things were never perfect. Even though she spent much of the past few days with Khalil living in a rose colored glasses fantasy about their lives together, basically ignoring the fact the man just buried his wife and was engaged to her friend, she still believed in their connection. If she didn’t she wouldn’t have accepted his proposal. Then again, she hadn’t really had time to digest the actual thought of marrying him. All of the turmoil of the past few days had been too much to bare.
Sure, her work had turned out poorly for the first time in her life, but Khalil was important to her. The wheel of fortune seemed to be spinning in a new direction. She never ever would have believed the incredible twist of events that brought them together. It was simply too far out, and for whatever reason, their love seemed meant to be. Kelley only hoped it would last.
She thought about what he said and knew Khalil was right. His home was situated in the heart of the ancient world, near the old Babylonian, Mesopotamian cultures, not to mention, the Ottoman Empire, and the ruins of Troy, where the famed horse breached the walled city. What better place would there be for her to live?
The theories about Ephesus and the fact that Virgin Mary spent her final days in that area only added to the appeal. Plus, if she ever did wish to pursue other ventures, Greece was right next door. This entire region was an archeologist’s playground, and one she should not give up on. She knew that, but the depth of her disappointment was so great, had it not been for Khalil, she feared she might have thrown in the towel after today.
They always say that someone has to love and believe in you enough to keep you going through tough times so you can realize your dreams in life. Khalil had not only become her biggest champion, he was also her most valued treasure.
Once the massage was over, Kelley spent another hour resting before she dressed and went to walk the palace grounds, in hopes to run into Khalil, who told her he had a few calls to make today.
She rounded the side of the building and did not see him near the pool, so she proceeded to go to his private quarters. The moment she opened the door, she heard him on the phone in his office.
“You heard me,” he shouted. “I expected to find a true artifact, and what you provided me was rubbish! I do not care how many hours you spent digging. I shall not pay you a penny!”
Confused, Kelley wasn’t sure what she was hearing or if she should let Khalil know she overheard him. What could this mean?
“I don’t care!” Khalil continued shouting. “That item was three hundred years old. I told you I needed something far older and more valuable than that. You are imbeciles! You hear me? I shall not pay you a cent for your services and if you are lucky, I will keep your inept performance to myself and not ruin your business entirely. Goodbye!”
Unable to believe her ears, Kelley froze when she heard the sound of the receiver slamming. There were some big questions that needed to be answered. She felt nauseous. Had Khalil actually stooped so low to pay someone to plant the vase and make her believe she actually discovered something? How could he? And more importantly – why would he? The idea made her ill. If what she thought she just heard was true, it meant that she couldn’t believe a word that came out of his mouth. Not only had Ian, Josh and Safina betrayed her, but now, it appeared the one man she treasured and trusted more than anyone else was a bigger liar than the others ever thought about being.
About to leave before Khalil could notice her, Kelley had her hand on the doorknob and was about to step outside when unfortunately, she heard the unmistakable voice from over her shoulder.
“Kelley?”
She turned to face him, unsure of what she would do or say at the moment. “Uh, hi.”
“Wha
t are you doing here?” Khalil sounded nervous.
“Um…” She didn’t want to discuss this with him now. She wasn’t sure what to think or how to respond just yet. But now it was too late. He was here, staring at her.
She really didn’t want to get into this right now. She just wanted to get as far away from him as she could and actually thought about trying to bribe one of his drivers to take her back to Istanbul without having to face Khalil at all. She was so worn down from everything these past few days, she wasn’t sure she had the strength to get into a fight over his phone call. She was sick of fighting. What would be the point? Nobody she knew could be trusted. End of discussion. She’d had a nice time here in Turkey, kind of, but now it was officially over, and she needed to move on and go home to Boston. No more arguing about that. She and Khalil were through.
Khalil stood with hands on hips now, apparently peeved that she wouldn’t answer him.
Here goes nothing, Kelley thought, as she tried to think about the best way to bring up a sore subject. “Who was that?”
“Excuse me?” he tried to look confused.
There he goes, lying again. Why hadn’t she seen this before? She of all people should be able to recognize a good liar by now! God knows she had plenty of them in her life to choose from. “Who were you talking to on the phone?” she repeated slowly as to not completely lose her cool.
Fifty-Eight
Khalil didn’t know how to respond to Kelley’s question. He asked the staff to keep her busy today, and had not expected this disruption. They would be hearing about that later.