“I’ll have Lamb Kleftiko please.”
The waiter beamed and took the menus away.
“Is that nice?” Louise, the other rep asked.
Natalie was just taking a swig of her drink. She released the straw.
“Kleftiko?”
Louise nodded.
“It’s beautiful. The best Kleftiko in all of Zakynthos. The lamb kind of melts in your mouth. I’ll let you try some of mine when it arrives.”
“Do we have a big group tomorrow Natalie?” Alex asked.
“Twenty two,” she looked at the empties on the table “I don’t mean to be a killjoy but you’d better not get too drunk.”
George was the only one of the group sitting quietly staring into his glass. Natalie guessed at what was wrong with him but asked anyway.
“Have you heard from your wife George?”
He turned a dark eye to her.
“Yes.”
The others were trying not to smirk. George and his wife Rosa’s fights were legendary. They lived on the neighbouring island of Kefalonia and George hadn’t been home for two weeks.
“She’s accusing me of cheating on her. Of having affairs which is keeping me away from home. I tell her that I’m always working hard to provide for her and the little one. She says if it wasn’t for little Costas she would kill herself for the misery I cause her. Then the line went dead. So I ring back and she no answer. So I ring and ring and ring and when she answers she crying, so I tell her I love her which is why I’m never home and she doesn’t believe me.”
“George take tomorrow off. Take a few days. Take the speedboat tomorrow and spend some time at home.”
“I can’t afford to take time off. I can’t afford to lose the money.”
“I’ll pay you. Don’t worry, no one will have a problem with it,” she said looking at each individual in turn. No one raised an objection. George had tears in his eyes.
“We have a big group tomorrow. It’s not fair on the others.”
“We’ll manage,” Natalie said knowing they would be stretched without a third diver. The others would understand. George was looking at his colleagues.
“I can’t Natalie. It wouldn’t be right.”
“George look at me,” she held his gaze “I’m your boss and that is an order. I’m telling you to take time off. You’re no good to anyone in this state, especially yourself. Get some rest, you’re tired and I won’t have you diving while you’re like this. Do you understand?”
George smiled at her.
“Yes Natalie thank you. I’ll do as you say.”
She looked at the others for reassurance. None of them dared to object.
“Now,” she said “When the food arrives would anyone like a drink? The next round is on me.”
Natalie waved once more from the top of the steps as Alex and Tom sped away in their open top Jeep. Once inside her door she kicked her shoes off and got herself a glass of water from the kitchen and went into the lounge. She threw herself down onto the sofa and picked up the T.V. remote and pushed the power button. The television came on and she pushed the correct number for satellite. She flicked through half a dozen channels or so and not finding anything of interest she turned it all off again. Glancing at the clock she saw it was just after 1a.m. Tired, she got up, emptied her glass in one gulp and refilled it to take it to bed. On her way past the telephone answering machine she saw the red light flashing. Glancing down at the little digital screen she saw a two. Two new messages. Despite her tiredness she pushed the play button. First came the bleep, then in an excited voice.
“Hi Natalie it’s Jim Hutchinson. If you’re there can you please pick up. Something very exciting has occurred. You’re not going to want to miss this. Call me as soon as you hear this. Bye.”
“End of message,” the machine said “Next new message.”
“Natalie it’s Jim again. Did you get my previous message? Can you please call me. I’ll be in my office until at least ten tonight. If not can you please call me at home. Don’t worry about what time you get this. Please call it’s urgent. I’ve tried your mobile.”
“End of messages. To delete all messages, press delete.”
She played them through again. There was an urgency in his voice she’d never heard before.
Jim Hutchinson, was an American by birth but had lived in England most of his life. He was the head of the small research company that employed Natalie and her crew, the Oceanic Archaeology Institute, otherwise known as OAI. He was fifty eight, tall with a neatly trimmed beard, typical university lecturer in his corduroy suits with elbow patches.
She took her Nokia out of her bag. Three missed calls. She hadn’t heard the mobile ringing in her bag on the floor in the bar. She brought up the number for the Institute, then remembering the time, she found Jim’s home number and yawning pressed the green button. After six rings a sleepy female voice answered.
“Hello.”
‘Jim’s wife,’ Natalie thought ‘I bet I’ve woken her.’
“Hello Carol It’s Natalie Feltham.”
“Oh hi Natalie.”
“Carol I’m sorry it’s late. Did I wake you?”
“Yes you did. What time is it?”
“It’s a quarter past one. I’m sorry but Jim left a message for me to ring as soon as I could and I’ve only just got his message.”
“He’s not here Natalie. He rang at about ten thirty to say he wasn’t coming home. He was waiting for a call from you. If you ring his office he’s staying there tonight.”
“OK I’ll ring the Institute. Once again sorry for disturbing you Carol.”
“That’s all right. Goodbye Natalie.”
“Bye,” Natalie rang off. She felt bad about having woken Carol, Jim’s long time suffering wife. He, like all Archaeologists she knew, spending more time in the field than with his wife. Natalie selected Jim Hutchinson from her mobile’s phone book and rang. The telephone ringing woke him with a start. He had been asleep on a couch in his office at the headquarters of the OAI in Alexandria, Egypt. He pushed the blanket that was covering him off and sprang up to answer the phone.
“Hutchinson,“ he called into the mouthpiece.
“Jim it’s Natalie Feltham.”
“Excellent. Natalie thank you for ringing. You’re never going to believe what’s happened.”
Natalie knew of Hutchinson’s enthusiasm for his work. It was, in the institute, legendary.
“I’m fine thank you Jim, how are you.”
“What! Oh I’m sorry, how are you? Natalie I’m so excited about this.”
“Jim it’s nearly half past one in the morning. Can this not wait. What could possibly be so important?”
Hutchinson paused to compose himself.
“How about the location of the tomb of Alexander the Great.”
There was a long silence, it lasted for nearly half a minute.
“Natalie are you still there?”
“Yes of course Jim. Just letting it sink in. You’ve actually found it? In Alexandria?”
“What? Oh no. Not here. It’s not as simple as that. Um listen, are you at home?”
“Yes,” she replied all tiredness now forgotten as the impact of what she’d just been told finally hit her.
“Let me ring you back,” he said “You might want to get yourself some coffee. I need one.”
Natalie got up and quickly went to the loo and on the way back fetched herself a can of Red Bull. Hutchinson on the other hand poured himself some strong black coffee. He then dialled Natalie’s apartment in Tsilivi. He felt an overwhelming excitement fill him as he thought about what he was going to tell her.
“Hi Jim.”
“Now the tomb or rather his sarcophagus was apparently discovered by a German team of archaeologists during World War II in Tunisia.”