Welcome! This is the fourth installment of the story Up in the Mountains. I hope you will read the first three chapters in order to have the best experience. However, if you want to jump right in, here is a brief summary of the story so far.
The narrator, Mark, met his new girlfriend on a trip to Italy, where they bonded over love of the outdoors. They both realized they wanted their relationship to continue. Mark turned down a position in a prestigious archaeology program in order to follow Lindsey to Boston, where she has started a new job. While they intend to continue to live together for the long term, Mark is away from her for a few months working on an archaeological dig for experience and credit in England. Will their blossoming relationship survive the strain of a temporary separation and temptation?
The early days of my time at the dig in England are a bit of a blur. I had been brought onto the team because I had rope experience and was willing to work for academic credit. It was apparent from the first day that I would be up against a steep learning curve in terms of my practical archaeological knowledge. I had a lot to learn, to say the least.
The site was a Roman fort and settlement on a green hillside close to the Scottish border. It lay along a Roman military road up in the hills that survives to this day as a long-distance hiking route. That part of northern England was a remote and beautiful place. Although mostly treeless, the rolling green hills were wild and rocky. The weather was more often than not grey and cool and rain was frequent. Some days it rained hard enough that work shut down and the archaeology was protected by heavy tarps.
One side of the hill was eroding away rapidly. A university in northern England, with sponsorship from the government, put on this expedition to document the site before it was lost. Initially, my work was setting up belay systems on the steepest parts of the dig for the more experienced archaeologists and other students. The area we were excavating was not so sheer, but it overlooked a deep ravine. A false step without a rope for protection could send a scientist sliding down the grassy slope to be dashed on the rocky outcrops below. Using ropes for safety was definitely advisable.
My supervisor was an English doctoral candidate named Gretchen who was leading the students working on the area of steepest hillside. She was very comfortable with rope skills herself and also had several years of experience in digs. She was severe with safety protocols and some of the other students thought she was too strict. I didn't mind because I understood the importance of the safety rules. I thought she was tough but fair. She was an attractive woman a few years my senior with red hair, which she wore up in a braided ponytail while she worked. She led with confidence and was highly competent. She was also a strong young woman in excellent shape who did not shy away from the hard work. She expected all of us to pull our weight.
As the days went by and team became more proficient with the safety procedures and equipment, I had less to do in that regard. Gretchen started to teach me some fundamental techniques for excavation and documenting our finds. What I lacked in experience, I made up in enthusiasm. Although I enjoyed working with all of my colleagues, some of the other graduate students were not as motivated to put in the extra effort. Gretchen clearly started to favor me and provided me with some interesting learning opportunities. I was definitely going to leave this dig with great experience for someone so new to the field. Gretchen and I also developed a fast friendship as we spent more time hanging out after work. We both enjoyed chatting about the history of the area and the archaeology.
I missed Lindsey very much and I had a hard time staying in touch with her. We worked pretty long hours on the dig, there was a five-hour time difference, and I had to conserve phone battery. I was only able to charge it every so often. I was living with the students in a tent camp close to the dig. Only some of the professors and senior professionals had lodging in the closest small community. A mile or so down the track from the site, there was a winding single-lane road that led to a charming little village.
A few shops lined both sides of the main street, including a charming little pub. On more than a few evenings, I accompanied a handful of my coworkers for a stroll down the hill into the village for a pint. Some of the people in the village may have grumbled about the invasion of the academics, but on the whole they were friendly. The publican certainly appreciated the increased business, as the tourist and hiker season was winding down. The pub had a few guest rooms available to rent. Groups of the students living in the tent camp would pool their resources every week or so to rent a room to get a hot shower. On these occasions that I came into town, I was usually able to plug in and reconnect with Lindsey.
One of my favorite memories of the early weeks of the dig was the night that I joined a group of my friends at the pub down the hill for a Newcastle soccer match. My friends were quick to remind me that it was called football in England. It was an evening game and the pub was packed full of fans in the black and white shirts of Newcastle. The atmosphere was great.
The crowd cheered when Newcastle struck first to take an early lead. When the other side drew level going into half time off a corner kick, the pub crowd cried out in dismay. They jeered at bad calls and whooped with joy when the Newcastle keeper nearly stood on his head to block a tricky shot. It looked like the game was headed for a draw when, in extra time, a hero in black and white launched the ball toward the goal. The kick was a was a laser beam to the top corner. The keeper got a hand on it, but it still tipped through into the net. The crowd in the pub must have roared as loud as the crowd in the stadium when the official blew full time. More than one pint glass was shattered in the pandemonium.
After the match, I stayed back with a knot of the student diggers who were all wearing white and black Newcastle shirts. They were in a celebratory mood after their team's literally last-minute triumph. The conversation was all football, and I didn't have much to contribute, so I mostly just observed and took in the new experience while sipping an ale.
Gretchen spotted me across the group and came over to chat with a pint of beer in her hand.
"So, what do you think of your first English football match?" she asked. Instead of her usual work clothes, she was wearing a soccer shirt and a pair of jeans. She looked cute with her bright red hair down and some makeup on.
"It was fun," I said. "There's a lot less point scoring than American football, but I liked that the action keeps moving and the clock never stops."
"Good atmosphere, right?"
"Oh yeah, it was cool to see the passion of fans."
"And Newcastle fans are the best!" This she said a little louder and more over her shoulder to the crowd than to me. Her statement was answered with cheers from the rest of the fans still lingering. "How are you liking your first dig?" she asked.
"It's been great so far," I answered. "You've been so patient and I'm learning a ton."
"Well, you're doing a great job. I was surprised when Dr. Smith-Rowe told me that you are not enrolled in a program in the States."
"No, this is my first experience in the field at all. I was supposed to start a graduate program in archaeology back home this fall, but something else came up."
"What was that?" she asked and took a sip of beer.
"A girl," I said with a grin and a shrug.
"Oh," said Gretchen. She hesitated for a second before asking further. "I guess it must be a serious relationship to walk away from that opportunity."
"Absolutely," I agreed with a nod.
"How many years have you been together?" she asked.
I laughed out loud, which seemed to confuse Gretchen. "When I made the decision, we'd been together about two weeks."
She raised her eyebrows at that. "Two weeks? That's mad. How long have you been dating now?"
"It was just about two months when I left for England."
"Two months? Jesus, but the dig is longer than that. By the time you finish here, you'll have been gone longer than you were with this girl."
"That's true," I had to admit.
"Do you think you'll manage the distance that long?"
"I think so," I said.
Gretchen looked amused and shook her head a little. "Well, I guess we'll see. Good luck to you, I guess." She raised her glass and we clinked our drinks together with a laugh. We rejoined the circle celebrating the win and I enjoyed one more pint with the crew before we all wandered back up toward camp.
As we walked up, one of the other students fell in beside me.
