the site! The first one that might confirm the early, sustained presence of the English in New England before the Pilgrims! I managed to get control of myself, however, because Meg should have the pleasure of getting to call me over to see her find. I wondered if she'd be the type to yell it out, once she was sure, or come over quietly and get me. In either case, it was her right. I also wanted her to be certain, just in case it was another later feature and not part of the fort. That was also her right, so I sat as tight as I could, under the circumstances.
"Check it out!" she said a moment later. "It sure looks okay!"
"Wow." Neal was appropriately awed. I saw her beaming at him and his faraway look at the realization of what she might have found. And then the pleasant tableau was shattered when Neal shook himself and then reached over into her unit.
"Look, I'll just clean this up for you and you go tell Emma."
His words hit me just a nanosecond before they sunk in for Meg. Oh Neal, don't! I thought. Don't rob her of this moment, her moment, with your obsessiveness.
As Meg realized what Neal was going to do, the smile faded from her face and she put her hand on his arm before he could touch anything. "You don't need to clean anything up." She spoke quickly, deliberately casual. "It's fine the way it is.
I watched as Neal furrowed his brow in the face of this unexpected resistance, and I prayed he'd just let Meg alone. "There's a lot of loose dirt," he insisted, trying to be helpful. "I'll help you take care of it." He reached forward again and Meg stepped in front of him.
"Don't." Meg ran a hand over her forehead and through her hair, leaving a dirty stain in the sweat that looked like war paint. "Look. The floor is pristine, nice and level. If it wasn't I'd fix it." She shrugged.
I thought about going over, but realized they needed to have this out. Neal was not used to being challenged, and was getting flustered. "What is your problem? I've told you before, I'm trying to help you!"
"Like I said yesterday, I don't need help, and I don't want you to mess with my work without asking." She paused, obviously struggling with her temper. "It's rude. It's unnecessary."
"I'm rude? I'm rude? You're whacked!" Neal was almost shouting. As interesting as I found his unusual display of temper, I knew that name calling was my cue to get in there and referee. They weren't going to sort this out on their own.
"Hey, guys--" I began in an authoritative way, but I was interrupted by a loud clanging from down south of us. It was Dian signaling noontime by bashing her trowel against her metal dustpan. Meg and Neal looked at me expectantly and guiltily, aware that they'd been caught fighting.
"Lunchtime," I called out brightly.
Chapter 4
NEAL SHOT MEG A LAST DIRTY LOOK. "WE CAN DISCUSS this later."
"I'll be here." We both watched as he stalked off for the cooler.
There's the bell, head back to your corners, I thought. I ambled over to where Meg was. "Something up?"
I watched, amused, as she struggled to remember what had occasioned the disagreement and her face suddenly lit up again. She held her prize out to me. "Yeah, piece of ordnance. I think it's the right size for Fort Providence. And"-- she stepped out of the way so I could see better--"it came out of this area. It looks like a posthole." This was all done with the immense, jaded cool of the self-satisfied. But then she raised her eyebrows and smiled at me in triumph. "Right where you saw that soil change."
I was taken aback and pleased; I didn't expect her to be so gracious. "Well, you found it and defined it quickly enough. Good job, first rate." I looked at the piece of lead, holding my breath. "Yep, it's looking like Fort Providence all right. Way to go." I smiled back at her and then cupped my hands into a megaphone. "Hey guys!" I called to the rest of the crew. "C'mere a second!"
I handed the piece of lead back to Meg while the others gathered around.
"The clock's
"Check it out!" she said a moment later. "It sure looks okay!"
"Wow." Neal was appropriately awed. I saw her beaming at him and his faraway look at the realization of what she might have found. And then the pleasant tableau was shattered when Neal shook himself and then reached over into her unit.
"Look, I'll just clean this up for you and you go tell Emma."
His words hit me just a nanosecond before they sunk in for Meg. Oh Neal, don't! I thought. Don't rob her of this moment, her moment, with your obsessiveness.
As Meg realized what Neal was going to do, the smile faded from her face and she put her hand on his arm before he could touch anything. "You don't need to clean anything up." She spoke quickly, deliberately casual. "It's fine the way it is.
I watched as Neal furrowed his brow in the face of this unexpected resistance, and I prayed he'd just let Meg alone. "There's a lot of loose dirt," he insisted, trying to be helpful. "I'll help you take care of it." He reached forward again and Meg stepped in front of him.
"Don't." Meg ran a hand over her forehead and through her hair, leaving a dirty stain in the sweat that looked like war paint. "Look. The floor is pristine, nice and level. If it wasn't I'd fix it." She shrugged.
I thought about going over, but realized they needed to have this out. Neal was not used to being challenged, and was getting flustered. "What is your problem? I've told you before, I'm trying to help you!"
"Like I said yesterday, I don't need help, and I don't want you to mess with my work without asking." She paused, obviously struggling with her temper. "It's rude. It's unnecessary."
"I'm rude? I'm rude? You're whacked!" Neal was almost shouting. As interesting as I found his unusual display of temper, I knew that name calling was my cue to get in there and referee. They weren't going to sort this out on their own.
"Hey, guys--" I began in an authoritative way, but I was interrupted by a loud clanging from down south of us. It was Dian signaling noontime by bashing her trowel against her metal dustpan. Meg and Neal looked at me expectantly and guiltily, aware that they'd been caught fighting.
"Lunchtime," I called out brightly.
Chapter 4
NEAL SHOT MEG A LAST DIRTY LOOK. "WE CAN DISCUSS this later."
"I'll be here." We both watched as he stalked off for the cooler.
There's the bell, head back to your corners, I thought. I ambled over to where Meg was. "Something up?"
I watched, amused, as she struggled to remember what had occasioned the disagreement and her face suddenly lit up again. She held her prize out to me. "Yeah, piece of ordnance. I think it's the right size for Fort Providence. And"-- she stepped out of the way so I could see better--"it came out of this area. It looks like a posthole." This was all done with the immense, jaded cool of the self-satisfied. But then she raised her eyebrows and smiled at me in triumph. "Right where you saw that soil change."
I was taken aback and pleased; I didn't expect her to be so gracious. "Well, you found it and defined it quickly enough. Good job, first rate." I looked at the piece of lead, holding my breath. "Yep, it's looking like Fort Providence all right. Way to go." I smiled back at her and then cupped my hands into a megaphone. "Hey guys!" I called to the rest of the crew. "C'mere a second!"
I handed the piece of lead back to Meg while the others gathered around.
"The clock's
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