The outcrop

By DW Brownlaw

Copyright © DW Brownlaw 2019. All rights reserved.

See this photo of some old rocks? Have you ever wondered why I have it framed and on the wall? Well, I guess you're old enough to tell, but you have to sit down and listen to an introduction first.

I first met Harry at Flannagan’s where I served behind the bar. We seemed to click together, and it wasn’t long before we were dating. He was definitely my type - drop dead gorgeous, athletic build, and a cheeky dimple in his chin every time he grinned. Every time I saw it, I went weak at the knees. He was fairly new at the University, working in a team that found and analysed fossilised remains from prehistoric times. Well, that was the translation he gave his ordinary work-a-day girl. I couldn’t understand the original words he and his colleagues used in their research papers; even the titles were beyond me, never mind what followed. Oh, I recognised some words, like “Mesozoic Age” and -um- that really long word academics use for DNA. Dino-something-acid? Luckily for me, he wasn’t as dry and dusty as his work!

Anyway, that’s enough introduction. 

I’ll jump straight to the day he drove me out into the hills where he often did his fieldwork. The way he asked me to go with him, and blushed while he did it, I kind of got my hopes up. You know what I mean, girls? So, when he drove round that morning to pick me up, I had some overnight stuff hidden at the bottom of my shoulder bag. We girl guides are always prepared, am I right? As we drove out of the city, I saw large bags on the back seat and some of them looked like they might be camping gear. They made me think my preparations were justified. 

After a couple of hours driving out into the wilds, we finally parked, and he took me on a walk up a hillside. He held my hand on the way up. I must admit that I didn’t notice much about my surroundings, other than it was warm and I hoped it was going to get warmer, especially between us.

When we got to the top, we drank some water while sitting amid a pile of old rocks. These were huge, well-rounded, and kind of shaped like body parts, which made me giggle. Harry didn’t ask why. Maybe he was getting used to my giggles; or he had something on his mind. The rocks made our nook very secluded and cozy. I smiled with approval, maybe with some eagerness too, and waited for his next move.

“I’m glad you agreed to come out here with me, Anya. There’s something I’ve been meaning to say to you all week, but I thought this would be the ideal place. I’m so excited about what I am going to say. It’s been so hard keeping it to myself all the way out here.”

Oh. My. God! 

Was he about to propose to me? 

My mind went into overdrive, doing a fast rewind to review of our relationship so far. We had been dating for a few months now, and yes it had been sweet and wonderful. But my academic boy was too shy for a certain something to have happened between us yet. Though I had to wonder: was it shyness? Or was he maybe a bit old-fashioned? You know, no sex before marriage?

How considerate; oh, he was definitely a keeper.

My heart lurched, and I sucked a deep breath as realisation hit me. My God, I was ready to say “Yes”! I was head-over-heels in love with my guy, and simply couldn’t wait to move in with him.

It looked like he was waiting for me to say something, so I obliged. I could hear the invitation in my voice and hoped he could too.

“So. Here. We. Are. What do you want to say to me, honey?”

“Well, there’s something rather special and wonderful about these rocks…”

I know, my thoughts cut in. Big. Also private and intimate, like I want to get with you.

“We’ve taken some samples and run them through every system we’ve got. There’s no doubt about it. They contain mixtures of vegetable DNA from the middle Mesozoic Age, which is simply amazing! You know what that means, don’t you?”

I was stunned. I felt like I was deflating inside and I could feel my smile drooping.

“What? What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that these are coprolites; droppings, if you like. They are the biggest ever found. The dino that dropped this particular pile will, if we can find its remains, turn out to be the largest dinosaur this continent has ever seen; more than twice as massive as anything else we’ve found. This will be the most important paper I’ve ever worked on, and I am so excited, I just had to tell you.”

My heart flat-lined and I felt utterly empty.

“What? You brought me all this way just to sit me down in a pile of… dino poo? Well, you certainly know how to show a girl a good time.”

But there was more. It turned out that the forthcoming paper was a really big deal. It meant he would have better tenure at the University, maybe a professorship in a few years and better pay quite soon, enough to… to propose to me!

Which he did. On one knee, too.

So, I then showed him a good time. And that pile of rocks, my darling daughters, is where you two were conceived.