Cruise Thoughts
It's been two years after Rick and Evelyn O'Connell's encounter at Hamunptra, city of the dead. Rick O'Connell a former colonel of the French Foreign Legion still kept his dashing appearance, strong jawed, steely blue eyes, bronzed by the sun, shock of unruly brown hair, collegiate good looks aging well. He wore a dark blue shirt, collar open, sleeves rolled up and a pair of blue jeans.
Sitting by his side on a lounge chair set along the rail of a cruise ship was his lovely wife, Evy. Tall, slender, shapely, dark-manned, she was still as beautiful the first time Rick O'Connell had met her. She wore a black-brown-and white painted Egyptian dress and a pair of black low cut healed dress-shoes.
August 17, 1925, Rick and Evy's second wedding anniversary. Evy laid her head against her husband's shoulder as they both gazed out at the starry night sky set over the ocean. Nether had said a word since they had placed their lounge chairs by the boat railing just sitting and enjoying the night.
Evy was the one to break that silence as hazel brown eyes peered up at her husband, who was just sitting there, dazed.
" Rick . . ."
" Yes Evy," Rick replied as he turned his attention to her.
" I've been thinking," Evy said simply as she sat up in her chair.
" You've been thinking? Oh no, Evy's been thinking!" O'Connell said in a sarcastic tone.
Evy, not liking the sudden sarcasm gently hit Rick's shoulder with the back of her hand.
" You know what I mean."
" Yeah, I do, go on," O'Connell said rubbing the semi-sore spot where Evy had hit him, mostly for effect.
" We've been married two years now," Evelyn started.
" Yes dear. This is our anniversary cruise, remember? My present to you," O'Connell added before Evy could continue.
" Yes, and what a wonderful present it is at that," She replied then stopped abruptly. O'Connell rose a slender eyebrow at her wondering why the sudden pause.
" Don't you think it's about time we have children," Evelyn O'Connell stated. O'Connell started at his wife dumbstruck before bolting up right in his chair.
" Children? Evy, I can handle your brother and his drunken friends, I can even handle walking-talking maggots but children is an entirely different story."
" Oh, come now," Evy said trying to lighten the subject.
O'Connell looked at his wife and those big hazel brown eyes that could talk a man into doing anything, " I don't know baby," He started apprehensively.
" Parenting is one of those things that you have to get right the first time. If you get it wrong, you screw up the kid for life. Besides, what'll we do when we go on expeditions?"
" Jonathan could look after the child."
" You would trust our kid with Jonathan?"
" Well, yes. He took care of me for quite a few years and look how I turned out."
" No comment," O'Connell muttered to himself.
" You really would make a good farther," Evy said matter-of-factly placing her slender hand atop his and rubbing it gingerly.
" Do you think we would have a boy or a girl?"
" Boy"
" Girl"
They both stated at the same time.
" Why not a girl?" Evy asked.
" Well, why not a boy?" O'Connell argued back at her.
" What's wrong with girls?"
" What's wrong with boys?"
" We aren't getting anywhere," Evelyn said with a sigh.
" Nope," O'Connell responded his arms now folded over his chest.
" Well, lets start with girl's names."
" Why can't we start with boys?"
O'Connell gave Evy that stern look but it didn't stop her.
" Because I said were starting with girls, that's why," Evy said forcefully giving Rick that look that made him shut up on the subject.
" How about Melinda?"
" Uh," O'Connell said mostly to himself as he thought the name over briefly before coming to his decision.
" No."
" Ok, then, maybe Anne?"
" Too common."
" Jennifer?''
O'Connell shook his head. " Nah. How about Jessica?"
" Too American," Evy said in a whisper to herself. O'Connell then gave her a puzzled look,
" Pardon me?"
" Nothing, nothing. How about Danielle?" Evy said quickly changing the subject.
" A little too American, isn't it?" O'Connell replied with a big grin set across his face.
Frustrated Evy blurted out, " You're not helping much!"
" Alright, alright. How about Victoria? After the queen, she's from England."
" Just because Queen Victoria is from England that doesn't mean I want our child named that. Maybe Natalie."
" Natalie? We can nickname her Nat. Nat O'Connell," O'Connell declared.
" Nat? That sounds a like a bug."
" You dare call our child a bug?!" O'Connell said appalled by what his wife said, although he was just acting upset.
" No I meant that Nat sounds like a bug," Evy said trying to get it straight.
" I don't like Natalie anyway."
" You are completely impossible!" Evelyn said waving a free hand up in the air for dramatic affect.
" Thank you," O'Connell replied with a big smirk.
" Your welcome."
"OK done with girls let's go to boy's names now," O'Connell said breaking the lingering silence between the two.
" Alright then. How about Bob?"
" Bob? Are you insane? You'd name our kid Bob? Do you know how idiotic that sounds? It sounds like some unwanted custodian in a small, secluded boarding school," O'Connell said his eyes huge.
" You make it sound so horrid. How about Robart?"
" Change it Bobart and I'm OK."
"Absolutely not!"
" Fine, I hate Robart anyway."
" How about Henderson? After one of our American friends?" Evy asked. She had always felt pity for the Americans and it was the least she could do to help in their memory.
" Evy, baby, Henderson is a last name."
" Then, Daniels?"
" Lose the 's' and you got Daniel, but I don't like that name."
" O'Connell! That's it will name the baby O'Connell," Evelyn declared with a big smirk.
" That's a last name too, honey. And who the hell would name their kid O'Connell O'Connell?" O'Connell said with a furrowed brow. Was his wife loosing it?
" I've got it!"
" What?"
" Rick Junior!"
" No way! No way Evy. Kids hate that. I hate that," O'Connell argued.
" Alright. Jonathan?"
" Jonathan? After your brother? The last person we want our kid taking after is your brother."
" You're right," Evelyn said with a soft sigh. She was running out of names. Then it hit her.
" Alexander?"
" Too long. How about Alex?"
" Alex O'Connell," Evy said mostly to herself to see how the name sounded on her tongue.
" Sounds good."
" Yes."
O'Connell then let out a big sigh as he leaned back in his lounge chair, his arms folded across his stomach, eyes closed.
" Besides, this is all just talk?"
Evy though didn't get comfortable again as she sat up right eyeing her husband.
" Just talk?"
" Well you aren't really pregnant."
"Who said I wasn't pregnant?"
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