Chapter 2

Williams stared at the map on the table with a smile on his face. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and traced his fingers along the lines on the map. His coffee-brown hair, which had traces of gray, matted his forehead. At sixty-four, he was a newly retired professor who had been allowed to live the dream. He held himself with so much pride in his accomplishments, but it compared little to what he intended to do next.

This was happening, he said within himself, even though he couldn’t believe it. More like, he believed it, but he wanted it to slowly sink into his mind, to know what lingering joy felt like.

He stood up straighter to his full height of 6ft5, and despite his age, he still looked fit. He was elated, and it felt like he was on cloud nine with all the feelings coursing through his body.

Williams had been an archaeology professor at the renowned Harvard University, and although it hadn’t been his dream to stop teaching at this age, it had come in some way for him to know that he still had so much time to discover things unknown to man. After all, the blessing of all this was discovering something man had always lived with that was unknown to man. What else could be more perfect?

And besides, if not archaeology and exploration, what else was he to do with the rest of his time?

The school board had broken the good news to him in a way that, even at his age, he couldn’t differentiate his glee from that of a child who had just been given candy. Well, archaeology was his candy, and he would beg for a few more years of it, for it was what kept him alive.

He replayed the speech of the chairman in his mind.

“For your services to this school and for acquiring archeological artifacts long lost to time, the school offers you an all-expense-paid trip to all archaeological sites around the world.”

Now, that had made him hold his breath. It always felt new, the thought of it.

Williams loved teaching. He half believed he could teach about archaeology in his sleep, only he had never found someone to prove that theory too. But then, he couldn’t do without teaching. Only if there was anything else he would trade teaching for within a heartbeat, it would be archaeology, for he always saw himself as a man who was first an archaeologist, then a professor.

The title of professor was to hold his shoulders high amongst his colleagues who would want to try to intimidate him, even though he never liked intimidation so much. But as for archaeology, he was ready to talk about his dream to any ready ear, willing to listen. To them, he was nothing but a man who was fascinated with the hidden discovery and untapped resources of his environment.

Without the experience, how was he to teach his students? However, now, it seemed he was to go back to archaeology, and nothing made him happier.

“So, where will you visit first?” A lady asked from his phone, which was on the loudspeaker.

William stood with a smile on his face and walked to the large map on the wall. “Honestly, it’s hard to decide, Miriam,” he said. “I had this list of places I always wanted to visit, to explore, to breathe in, you know, with my money, but since the university is paying for everything, I don’t know where to begin from. I just…I just wish I was so young, and this was offered to me.”

“I can feel your excitement. However, you have to decide soon.”

“Oh, I know. I know. I wish I could bring you with me. You know it would be fun.”

Miriam laughed. “And what will I do? Carry your bag and tools as dust and sand cling to your hands? I think not.”

“No,” Williams said. “You’ll explore with me. And maybe, we could see those fun places you talked about. Maybe, for your sake, I will visit them and take photos there too.”

“That would be grand. And you will make me jealous and eager to join you.”

“Perhaps, it may work. I wonder how thrilled you will be to see me?”

“Oh, so thrilled. It feels like it’s been two years since I last saw you when it was just a month back.”

“I will miss you,” Williams said. “Don’t worry. I’ll always try to write to you, always. I promise.”

“Thank you, professor.”

“Miriam!”

“Sir?”

“Don’t call me that. Not you.”

“But that’s what you are.”

“I know. I just use the title for other professors. My true friends know me as Williams. And you’re a true friend.”

“You just made my eyes teary,” Miriam said with a small laugh.

“And you better not cry,” Williams said.

Miriam sniffled.

“Oh, goodness. You are crying.”

Suddenly, she laughed. “I got you again.”

Williams smiled. “Yes, yes, you did. Thank you.”

“Alright. Well, I have to go. I have this class I need to take care of. Looking at the note is just…you know.”

Williams laughed. “I understand. I have been out only a month, and I still miss you.”

“As you should.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, take care, professor. Take photos. A lot of photos, and don’t mind the hour. Call me any time. If I don’t pick up, then I’m either far from my phone or very busy. But I can’t ever be too busy for you, so just know if I don’t reply, I’m probably far from my phone.”

“Alright, then. And call me anytime, too. I promise, no matter how enchanting the view is before me, I will always love to talk with you.”

“Thank you. And we miss you back here at the office.”

“I miss you all too. Send my regards to the students, staff, and non-academic staff in the department.”

“I will. Goodbye.”

“Bye.”

And with that, Miriam hung up. The professor stared at the phone fondly, loving every moment he spent with Miriam. She was a very good friend, one he felt blessed to have. Shaking his head to rid it of the fond thoughts, he returned to thinking of the country to visit.

Two days later, William stood watching a group of archaeologists work on the ruins of the ancient city of Ubar in Oman. With the brushes, buckets, gloved hands, and digging pieces of equipment, they searched for past human activities.

William had taught his students about this place before, and even with most of what the textbook had said, it was nothing like being here…having to bathe in the light of the sun, feeling the warmth, letting the heat of hard work soak him and cause him to sweat, a sweet reminder that he was contributing to unearth the past, and let humans know that they have a past, one they could look into, form a story, and learn from.

An archaeologist got out a bone, brushed it, and handed it over to another archaeologist, and Williams found himself wondering what the story of the bones of the person they just found was. He bet it was interesting. One day, would he be an interesting subject to dig up?

There were too many extraordinary professors and people on earth. Perhaps, people would look for those. After all, he wasn’t after the life of fame or glory, not that if it was offered to him, or if he found a way to grasp it, he wouldn’t. Everyone needed some sort of praise. Perhaps, he was getting the deserved kind for his years at Harvard.

Thirty years, right from when he was thirty. It didn’t make him the youngest professor, but it sure made him one of the longest teaching professors in the school. And this trip was like the perfect send-off for him.

Now, he was back to the life which made him feel young, and he was quite convinced that instead of aging, because of the joy he felt, he would begin to get younger and younger again.

Nothing thrilled William more than this – looking to find the reasons behind the fall of early civilization. With a brush and a few work instruments, the ground could speak and tell all the stories lost to history. And even better, now, they had machines that re-created some of the structures of the past.

Williams smiled. He toured every other part of the site, and he took photos, hoping to later go through them, and send the nice photos to Miriam. After that, he returned to the room in his hotel and went to his window to look out.

Williams returned to his table and got out his map. He looked at it and wondered which thrilling historical sites to visit next. Deciding, he got out his phonebook and phone and dialed the airport, and someone answered.

“Hello!” A lady said.

Williams said with an elated voice, “Hi!”

“How can I help you, sir?”

“I’m calling to find out if all the flights to China have been booked.”

“Just a second.”

A few seconds passed.

Then the lady said, “No, sir.”

“I’d like to book a passage to China.”

And so, the next day, he took a flight to China.

There were so many people and so many things Williams wanted to tell about his trip and his inexplicable experience, but somehow, he couldn’t believe he was alone in this adventure.

He wanted to scream off the edge of the world if the world had an edge. He wanted to jump high into the air and become one with time. He wanted…so many things.

And so, a few days later, William visited the Great Wall of China, which had been erected during the Han Dynasty.

After that, he visited the tomb of Shi Huangdi, who ruled China in 200 B.C., and taking a few steps forward, he saw the clay figures of ancient China soldiers and horses found in 1974 in burial pits near Xi’an, and indeed, they formed an amazing assembly of artifacts.

Williams smiled. Perhaps, his retirement hadn’t come at the wrong time at all. Save for all this friction and aches in his old joints, he still felt alive and was ready to move on to the next site. This was amazing, only it made him a bit tired, but he wanted to overlook that tiredness for when he was done with this trip, he would have countless stories to tell. And it would be fun to write that, for he intended to remind himself of these stories when his tired bones could no longer continue.

Williams’s next trip was to Caesarea, near Hadera. There he saw the excavated foundation of an ancient Roman bath, and it sure did speak age.

He visited the underwater site on the west coast of Australia, and in his blue swimming suit, with an oxygen mask and goggles, he enjoyed the view beneath. He was with other archaeologists also in swimsuits, and like them, he used a vacuum device to scoop up coins and other small objects at the bed of the sea that would most likely have gone down when a Roman vessel sank from a storm. These were back from the Greek and Roman times when conquerors wanted to conquer and when the world seemed too big for them.

Williams had so many places to visit, but first, he decided to visit the ancient archaeological gold mine in the Middle East, linked to Africa, and that was Israel.

He visited the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Every museum of value, he paid a visit to, seeing Roman art, which eventually made him get out his jotter and note Italy to be the next place he had to visit.

Williams visited Golgotha and the renovated Edicule at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, which housed the purported tomb of Jesus. He saw it all, and he was in awe. Nothing felt to be more breathtaking than this.

He later moved to offer prayers at the remaining wall of the temple in Jerusalem, and there also he gave thanks. He enjoyed Jerusalem and walked on the streets, as well try their different meals; for the very next day, he would be on a trip to Italy.

And this made Williams stay up late, for he felt like there was so much to see that he hadn’t, and he wanted to take it all in.

He eventually went to Rome and paid a visit to the Colosseum. Italy had so much to see, with the Roman ancient landmarks and the grand structures still standing like cathedrals and sculptures of old.

All these had his attention, and really, he was deeply humbled to stop staring.

He took photos and sent them to Miriam. And when he was done, he stayed a bit more just to take in some mental picture.

Knowing he would be leaving for Egypt the next day, he needed to get some sleep, so he returned to his room.

The next day, a plane touched down at Alexandria International Airport, and amongst those who stepped out of it was Professor Williams.