What if ...

Carson and McKay went fishing on Sunday?


"What a lovely weather it is today."

"It´s hot, the sea smells of rotten algae, I´m sticky and-"

"Ah, come, enjoy yourself! It´s so nice out here. Sitting in the lab all day is unhealthy. Even for a hypochondriac you."

Carson was quite content, and not even a bickering Rodney could break his happy mood. The sun was shining, if there were fish they didn't bother disturbing them, and everything was peaceful and still. Mostly.

"Ah! Something stung me!"

The scientist almost flung himself into the water whilst stripping of his T-Shirt and trying to get the bee from his back.

"Oh my god, a bee – what if I´m allergic?"

"It´s a bee, no lemon, lemme pull out the sting. There it is, what a nasty little bugger. Hand me the empty jar over there, I want to dissect it later on."

"It hurts! Oh, and it´s swelling! Look Carson! Do something! What – why are you laughing?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. Lay down and let me examine this 'lethal' sting of yours, will ya."

Butterflies were fluttering around them, trying to nip at the apple juice they brought over to the mainland, and small birds were bathing nearby in the salty water. Rodney lay flat on his stomach, talking to himself and the dried seaweed about the injustice of mother nature, while Carson put an ice cube on the purple swelling.

The flight home took always longer than get to the mainland, especially when one was not taking part in the conversation but staring wonder struck at the ceiling.

"Hey, are you listen to me? Carson?"

"Uhm, aye?"

"Never mind, I´ll just ask you again maybe you listen now. Not everybody can be brilliant enough to understand a simple question on the first try. So, just tell me. We have sat three hours in scorning sunshine, barbecuing ourselves, not catching one damn fish, being stung by mosquitoes and bees and stuff, and finally being shooed away by the villagers for scaring off their cows. So, how comes you actually enjoyed this crappy Sunday?"

Rodney turned around to face his friend, how lay comfortably on the bench in the puddle jumpers rear. For a moment the Scot was silent, lost in thought, but then he smiled brightly.

"I just feel happy to be alive."