Chapter 33

The Powers that Be descended on me and Seven said, “Monster Millions x-x-xx-xx-x monster ball xx. The sole winner drowned before the drawing. Body never recovered. You have three days to do a time bunk to the past and purchase a ticket and claim the money. Your annual income from the winnings will be 3 hundred thousand a year after taxes. Here is your birth certificate, state license, library card. Your ID says you are 18 as of 180 days ago. You bought the ticket as a birthday present to yourself and forgot about it.

They delivered me to Thrall, Texas. I bought gas and remembered it was my birthday. I spent two dollars for a ticket. One hundred and seventy eight days after ... I rode my Kona to the 18 bus stop on MLK, took the 18 bus to to the Metro Line connection, took the Metro to the terminal and walked my bike to the lottery headquarters. I locked my bike to a parking meter and walked in the building.

“I think I have a winner,” I said. I handed my signed ticket to the clerk. She did what they do to authenticate the ticket.

“You do. Let me get the director.”

She left the ticket on the counter. I watched it like a hawk eyed his next meal.

The director did what directors do and said, “Annuity or cash?”

“Annuity, please.”

I walked out with a cashiers check for $326,000 dollars.

I recovered my bike and rode to the terminal, and went home. That was interesting.

The boulder, and flakes, was photographed. The sand was collected, bagged and transported. The point made the cover of the Smith magazine. The British published the pictures in a collection along with my interview as discoverer. It took the efforts of both Professor Dent and Professor Waters to force the interviewer to question me ... the 16 year old ditzy girl. The reporter refused to admit that ‘a kid’ had made such a monumental step in the evolution of the Americas. Two thousand years added to the Paleocene.

The excavation crew from Texas A&M spent the summer taking the dome sand floor down to bedrock. They would be back in the fall to do the breakdown. Small tents and large tipis had been set up along the woods west of the runway.

The river above the dam became the bathing location.

The dining tent, a massive screened canopy I bought from my hangar supplier, was in use from 4 am until 9 at night. The 18 x 38 wood floor was included and assembled by the company. I had them set it up between the woods and my digs.

I also bought a 10x26 half screened ex army cook tent. That became the koffee klatch. Dr. Waters spent three quarters of his time on-site entertaining visitors and drumming up donations.

Parents bound for European vacations dropped off their budding archaeologists as paying workers. Only seventy five hundred dollars for the summer ... or fifteen hundred a week.

Several parents didn’t understand why I wouldn’t move out so their children could live in my house. Daddy was no less vocal about his half.

I finally explained that Flintkote Farms supplied the food they ate and I was the heir of Tyche Flintkote.

Everything was transported to Doctor Waters’ climate controlled storage in the basement of the University Museum. Two doctoral candidates were writing and three Masters degrees were in progress.

At the end of the season my canopy was struck. And the party planed.

The after party was enormous. My hangar was conscripted as the best level spot for the tables. They DID NOT barbecue under canvas. I wouldn’t allow it. My canvas was white ... I wanted it to stay white.

I did my level best to stay away.

James is still not speaking to me.

However ... I did enjoy the company of the guys at the dig.