Page 110 of Flirtasaurus
“She can be blunt,” Ralph explains to her.
“I’m picking up on that.” Lou chuckles.
Wow. They sort of have the same laugh.
“I thought Ralph said you were at school in California, not New Jersey,” I add.
“I am. I’m out here for the next month, taking a special course on prehistoric marine life. I should have called Ralph to let him know I’d be so close, but I just… well, I didn’t. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t exactly make it easy for you to call.”
They take that moment to hug each other a second time.
I’m happy to see they’re tackling whatever drama was between them, but my brain is stuck on that magic word she said a moment ago: prehistoric.
“Well,” Lou continues, “what do you say? You guys ready to dig?”
“Dig prehistoric marine life?! Is that why we’re here!?” I practically squeal.
I’m suddenly acting like a little kid whose mommy just told her she’s having ice cream for dinner.
It’s then that I look up at the sign that reads “Cretaceous Mantua.”
“No shit!?” I turn to Ralph. “You took me to Cretaceous Mantua? Do you realize that sixty-five million years ago, this very place where we’re standing was completely under the Atlantic Ocean? That’s right, sucka! Mosasaurs, ammonites, ancient sharks and rays, and all kinds of now-extinct crustaceans were doing their thing right here in this spot! I’ve been meaning to take a megabus out here, but I’ve been so busy since my internship started! Ahhhh! You’re amazing!”
I’m so friggin’ psyched at that moment that I surprise straddle jump my boyfriend—boyfriend, doesn’t that sound nice?—and kiss the hell out of him.
“Wow!” Lou laughs. “I can’t tell if you’re super into prehistory, or super into my brother!”
“Both,” I say as I hop down. “Definitely both.”
“Calliope is a paleontologist,” Ralph explains. “We met at the museum.”
“Oh, wow, then you’re going to love this!” Lou says with a bright smile. “Let’s get you some tools and get started.”
Two hours later, we are deep into our dig. This place is a total dream. Scientists and students like Lou are here doing official studies, but the quarry is also open to the public for civilian digs. That’s what Ralph and I are today… civilians. We’re not working. We’re not concerned with impressing any of our higher-ups. We’re just digging and exploring for the sake of it. For fun. And the best part? You can keep whatever you find!
Ralph just headed to the snack tent to get us some provisions.
“Thank you for encouraging him to call me,” Lou says when Ralph is out of earshot.
“Is that what he told you? That I encouraged him to call?”
“No. I guess I just assumed. He hasn’t spoken to me in over a year, then you come into his life and boom! I have my brother back.”
“A year?”
“Yeah. It’s been rough.”
“What would make him stop speaking to you for a year? Sorry. Not my business. You don’t have to tell me.”
“No, it’s fine. Ralph is the most giving, selfless person I know...”
“Yeah, I’ve picked up on that,” I say with a smile.
We both watch Ralph from a distance where he’s gathering bottles of water for us from the snack tent, chatting and smiling with someone who works here.
“But,” Lou admits a bit sadly, “he can be pushed too far.”
