King Solomon's Journey (The Dominguez Adventures) (20 page)

            Antonio rolled his eyes and brushed his head with a left palm.

            “Damn it, Amanda. Answer this, you said you’re Jewish, it’s Levite right?”

            “Yes. What? You think I am right, and you are too stubborn to admit it.”

            “That’s not true.” He told her, thinking about her as the Levite entering the Holy Sanctuary.

            “Then, what are you thinking, Doctor?”

            “I’m going to have to plead the fifth on that question.”

            “No way in hell, Antonio, not since I agreed to be fair in this relationship. Your civil rights are not a part of our situation.”

            "Well I suggest we continue this conversation at home. We need to get those scrolls  protected, and I need my computer to verify my thoughts before I go on." Antonio quickly pushed himself up, and pulled Amanda up to stand beside him. Looking down at her pouty face, he figured he was going to lose this argument, but he would rather do it scientifically with known facts.

            "Come on honey, my head is killing me, and I need a shower." Playing the sympathy card never hurts. Amanda immediately looked him over and pulled him towards Raven. She opened the passenger door but instead of getting in, she stepped back, and motioned for him to enter.

            "If you are too ill to talk, you are too ill to drive. Hand over the keys Doctor." He looked down at that open hand and realized he had backed himself into a corner with no graceful way out. He reached in his pocket and handed her the keys, and sat down in the seat and buckled himself in.

            Once he was in the car, Amanda gave a little hop and shake of excitement as she bounced the keys on her palm. Making her way to the driver's side, she was going to enjoy every minute of this.

            For the next hour and a half, Amanda put Raven through her paces. At times she had to smile maniacally as Antonio grabbed the 'oh shit' handle, and other times he just groaned." She knew most of it was an act, she was an excellent driver and Raven responded like a dream.

            As soon as they entered the drive, Antonio was all seriousness. "Pull around the back, and we will unload the trunk through the back door." He directed her past the workroom, and down the narrow drive usually reserved for deliveries.

            Once they had everything inside, they mutually agreed to shower first and meet later to discuss their findings.  Once showered, Antonio took the Scrolls and other items and placed them next to his computer. Staring at them on occasion, he busily began searching.

            Lounging on the bed, Amanda waited for the polish on her toenails to dry. Antonio stepped in quietly and watched this most feminine task.

            "Hey, you gonna be done soon?" He asked from the doorway.

            Amanda gave a jerk at the sudden intrusion. Antonio moved to sit beside her on the bed.

            “Antonio, do not hit my toes, or you will have nail polish all over my bed.”

            “At least I’ll know you were here.”

            They both laughed at the implication.

             “Amanda, don’t distract me. Start sharing. Give it all up to me.”

             “Antonio, you are speaking some other language I do not understand again.”

            “The hell you don’t. Now - tell me all of it.”

            “Seriously, I do not know to what you are referring.”

            “I’m referring to your damn magical-manna, Hebrews, and volcanoes. I tried to cross-reference manna with volcanoes. It would seem that even the world's best and brightest haven’t written a thing on the subject.”

            “Really…?”

            “Did you know that?”

            “No.”

            “I surrender to you, take me where ever it is you learn this shit. I’m at your mercy, seduce me more.”

            “You’re funny, Antonio.”

            “Amanda, I’m not funning.”

            “What will you give me for this information?”

            “You have every single bit of me. I’ll give you whatever you want.”

            “Jump out of a plane with me, take a 30,000 foot leap of faith.”

            “Amanda! Damn it, are you insane?”

            “Is that a yes?”

            “That’s most likely one of the only things you could ask for that I can’t give you.”

            “Why?”

            “I can’t do it.”

            “Yes, you can. You repel and use the ski lifts.”

            “Yeah, and sometimes I throw up.”

            “Antonio, you are afraid of heights?”

            Her laugher was uncontrollable.

            “Damn you Amanda. I hate it. Tell me something else you want. I’ll buy you something.”

            “Antonio, never say that again, I’m not for sale. You will promise to skydive with me if you wish to have me explain the manna. My price is set.”

            “You’re not kidding. You’ll make me do it.”

            “I am not budging.”

             “Amanda, honestly I was under the impression you liked me.”

            “I do.”

            “Honey, I can’t do it.”

            “I will hypnotize you.”

            “Hypnotize me? Why in the hell do you want to do it so badly?”

            On second thought, if you really do not want to jump, then you can watch me.”

            “Okay, damn you. I’ll do it, if you don’t kill me first.”

            “Antonio, you'll love it.”

            “Right, you’re evil. Now give me the info so we can move on to other things.”

            “Do we have an appointment?”

            “Yes, we do. I’m scheduled to regain my manhood right after you kick my ass some more.”

            “Antonio, I find you very manly.”

            “Thank God for small favors. I’m still waiting for your explanation.”

            “Antonio, do you know about ‘Thera’, the volcano? It’s now referred to as ‘Santorini’.”

            “Yes, I know about it. I’ve visited it. I never had any volcanic ash for dinner, though. In fact, I’ve never heard a rumor that someone was partaking in the delicacies of manna, showbread, or transmutated gold, bestowed by God upon the region circa Thera.”

            “Antonio, you are acting ugly. Besides Big Boy, the Israelites ingested all of it. The Hebrew Bible says they did. The manna was gone. They failed to leave any for the hot Dr. Dominguez 3,000 years later. I guess they were being selfish.”

            “Now who’s feisty?”

            “Antonio, call someone or look it up…  Get the native soil content from near the volcano, and then we can talk more about the volcano’s manna. While you are doing that, you can also have tests performed on the manna I have scooped into your bags.

            After all of those are complete, get yourself a parachute and prepare to jump out of a plane.”

             “You already see the truth Antonio - veritas omnia vincit, truth conquers all, even you, Doctor.”

            “Fine, I’ll get the tests. I’m fairly sure it’s time for our appointment.” He stood up and started to walk towards the door.

            “See if my toes are dry first.”

Chapter 19

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it well and serenely...”

Robert Frost

            Antonio was in a deep sleep, dreaming of crystal caverns that sang to him, when the soothing song changed to one of chattering annoyance! The sound drove him from his dream world to discover its existence in the real world. What the hell was that noise? He took his glasses from the night table, putting them on. It was 5:00 – A.M. Getting up he started towards the hallway, when he noticed the faint light beneath the office door. He opened the door and found her.

            Sitting in the large custom designed office chair he had purchased, she looked like Alice after she had sipped the 'Drink Me' potion. He smiled at the sight of Amanda bent over his desk writing on a legal pad. The computer was on, and showed several open pages she had been reviewing. The sound he had heard was coming from the speakers; it was a random selection of noises and music. He had read that stimulating the mind with fluctuating auditory therapy could help the mind pick up sounds the ears commonly missed. Perhaps this was her way of heightening her senses or elevating her thinking.

            "Whatcha doing?" He asked softly, not wanting to startle her.

            Amanda spun around, her face was glowing, and her vivid kaleidoscope eyes were shining. She was bursting with energy. “Antonio, I think I made an important discovery. I would love to share it with you.”

            “How important, Amanda? What is it gonna cost me?” He said jokingly.

            “I think it is huge, but I also think I should let the doctor make the decision. I want coffee, lots of it.”

            “You drive a hard bargain. Let’s get back to the huge discovery. Is it that monumental?”

            "For me it is as big as your ability to read the scratch marks of ancient civilizations."

            "Well, in that case I will get the coffee going and you can explain it." Antonio went downstairs, and thought how wonderful life could be if he could see her animated every day, for the rest of his life. He knew her research abilities were important to her, and hoped one day to convince her to take it to a level where she would gain her rightful recognition.

            Returning with the coffee, he saw Amanda had changed from her sleep wear to a flowing skirt and top. The skirt appeared to be almost translucent, and as she walked over, her skirt revealed her legs. Antonio enjoyed that, especially if he could touch them. Damn, he was getting distracted.

            Amanda grabbed the folder she created, and sat on Antonio’s desk. Now in front of him, he’d get to touch her legs after all. He had to take a breath as she situated herself, and he caught a glimpse of her panties. He had to drag his wandering mind back to the subject at hand when she spoke.

            “Professor, help me with this first. Here are your notes on the translation from the Scrolls. Instead of ‘columns’ here, would you be able to translate this word to ‘obelisk’? If you can, do it, and then this will become a very exciting moment,” she declared with pride.

             Antonio’s eyes met with hers. “I’ll need to do some referencing first. My gut reaction is yes, but if we have a revelation based on the smallest change in translation, we should first be sure. This is Ancient Hebrew.”

            She wiggled her finger for him to come closer. He stood between her legs as she sat on his desk. They were both about to laugh, and she put her hands on his shoulders.

            “I think you want to do that right now. That is; right after you kiss me.” He obliged, and then got busy. Amanda sat, watching with anticipation.

            Antonio unlocked a drawer, took out some keys, and picked up the pertinent papers. He leaned over, kissing Amanda.

            “Come with me. I have better reference materials in my workroom. Put your shoes on.”

            She hurried with her shoes, and then followed his lead onto the balcony and outside.

            “What do you mean workroom?”

            “It’s a room I do work in, duh.” He gave her a hard time as they walked to the back of the guesthouse.

            “You know, Antonio, sometimes I am daft. Nevertheless, if a person needs two sets of keys to open a room and one set is under another lock, it is neither a normal room, nor work. What, there is also an alarm?”

            She watched him disarm the security.

            “Do you think that’s unusual, Amanda?” He teased.

            “I sure as hell do.” She wanted an answer now.

            “I have things here that belong to other people, pricey artifacts and some equipment that’s also quite pricey. Not to mention, I had to convince an insurance company to insure it. Even with all of that hassle, some of the pieces still have to have an extra insurance policy, just to cover them while they’re in my possession.” He explained.

            Amanda was astonished. It was a damn lab. He had artifacts tagged on shelves, a vault, giant lab tables, and tons of references books. It was all a bit too much to handle.

            “It never entered your thick damn skull to mention this backyard lab of yours?” Her tone was sarcastic.

            “It did not.”

            “Antonio, it looks to me as if a lot of people want a piece of you, some are even dead.” She was jealous. He had lots of work out there. Hell, he had no time to play with her.

            “Amanda, what are you angry about?” He was shocked at her reaction.

            “I thought King Solomon was enough. It looks as if you won’t have any time for messing with me.”

            He realized her jealousy, and some component from the future attached to her jealously. He approached, and smoothed her hair with his hand.

            “Amanda, you come first. The biggest part of this is finished, waiting for someone to claim it. You see, I won’t ship or receive any of the pieces. They have to come do it themselves. Joe takes care of that, often it takes them months to claim an item, especially the museums.

            When you want me, I’ve always got time for you.” He smiled and she nodded. He continued his referencing.

            “Amanda, I need to make a couple of calls to get this done, so look around or something. You’re sitting on that stool like a punished kid.”

             Amanda thought about her own life. The baggage and obligations were too much to mess with Antonio. She feared it would restrict him, and he was important to so many people. She felt nauseated. Hearing him talk to a colleague about a couple of Hebrew words and possible translations, she felt guilty for being selfish. She was crazy about him. Regardless, some of the problems couldn’t change, even if she did want to eliminate them.