Chapter Two
Thirty minutes later, two disgruntled, hungry individuals were still wandering aimlessly around the streets, searching and, yes, bickering.
They dragged themselves along the sidewalk, feeling hot and bothered, and glared enviously at the cool, collected couples who sat behind the thick windows of various restaurants and cafes. These people talked in a most annoyingly contented manner, sipping chilled beverages and eating wonderful culinary concoctions which would taunt any taste buds, let alone those of a pair of people as ravenous as Rick and Evelyn were by that time.
'You, Rick O'Connell, are the most irresponsible, arrogant, and egotistical man I have ever had the misfortune of meeting!' Evie snapped, exasperated, when Rick suggested he could always get them in at one of the many establishments they had passed, instead of searching endlessly for the one which had 'ocean' in the name, as he'd remembered it had. 'I cannot believe you actually think yourself capable of getting us into a reasonable establishment without a reservation! Just who do you think you are?' she continued, while Rick cursed himself for remembering the damned word 'ocean', when he could have just steered her into a place and bluffed it out. Now they had to traipse through the whole bloody town looking for a restaurant which could, for all knew, just be a figment of his imagination. was it 'ocean', or 'sea'? Or was it neither? He wasn't entirely sure he'd hit upon the right word, but voicing this thought aloud would not have been a good idea. Judging from her mood, Evelyn would not be likely to laugh it over.
'.and now you're not even listening to me!' she complained, her voice taking on a whining quality which distressed him immensely. She had never complained this much before, and it was getting on Rick's nerves.
'Why don't we just ask someone?' he asked, feeling relieved as the idea occurred to him, and scouring passing locals for signs that they were geographically gifted. Now she would praise him endlessly for his wonderful idea and things would go back to normal, as he found the restaurant in a matter of minutes and saved the day again, maybe even throwing in a kiss or two for good measure.
'NO!'
Or not.
'Why not?' he asked testily, after his pleasant fantasy was shattered by her screeching refusal.
'Because then we will look like ignorant tourists.'
'But we ARE tourists.' Rick pointed out.
'Ooooh! Speak for yourself, you.you silly American! I am British to the bone!'
'Sure you don't mean to the voice box?' Rick muttered under his breath. He considered Evy to be very unconventional by English standards. She was too independent, headstrong and ambitious to be the proper English lady. Even her looks were all wrong- she did not have any of the anglo-saxon features that were a trademark of the English. Really, her accent was the only English thing about her.
That, and the high and mighty act she sometimes put on.
'What did you say?' Evie demanded.
'Nothing. I just think -'
'I know it was some sort of insult, Rick. I may be deaf but I'm not stupid!'
'- if I asked someone-'
'I suppose you think I will just put up with any old treatment, because I am so desperate to hold onto you!'
'-we might not have to waste the whole damned day-'
'Well, you are obviously quite as stupid as you look, because-'
'ARGUING!'
Evelyn looked up at Rick, astonished. He couldn't decide if she was astounded because he'd interrupted her, because of what he'd said, or because until he'd shouted she hadn't realised he'd been talking at all.
'Look, let's not fight any more, Evie, OK? Wouldn't you like to just relax and have a good time for once?' Rick asked, choosing his approach and hammering it for all he was worth.
'Of course.' Evelyn said meekly, nearly causing Rick to fall over in astonishment and incredulity. Since when did she admit he was right withought some sort of a fight? Even if they agreed, Evie seemed to deliberately resist as much as possible, just to show him she wasn't going to go along with anything he suggested solely because HE had suggested it.
'You know, that's the first time you've ever agreed with me withought being bribed! Must be some sort of record.' Rick said, putting his arm around her shoulders as they walked along the road, now with no envious glances in shop windows.
Evie smiled gently. 'Just don't get too used to it, Mr O'Connell.'
For a few minutes they walked in companionable silence, savouring their newfound harmony. They passed the window of a men's tailor, where Evie excitedly pointed out a truly awful outfit to Rick. This caused his eyes to bulge in panic, lest she force him to purchase it, or worse, wear it. When Evie began laughing uncontrollably at his reaction his eyes narrowed and he feigned annoyance, but inside, relief was his most prominent emotion. Further down the strip of shops he returned the favour, but with a considerably more revealing item of clothing. This earned him a slap which continued to sting for a full ten minutes, and ebbed his enthusiasm considerably. However, soon after he caught sight of a building that caused his pulse to quicken. Maybe there were still opportunities to save the day after all.
'You still hungry?'
'Not really.'
'Good, because I just saw a place on the corner called 'Ocean Breeze', and our table seems to be empty still. Hey, that's pretty good service, considering we're an hour late.'
Rick grinned at Evie, whose eyebrows were raised, but whose mouth was twitching at the corners.
'Not a bad sense of direction for a 'silly American', is it? Told you I'd find it.' Rick said, causing Evie's eyebrows to go so far up her forehead that they were in danger of joining her hair.
'You certainly have an exaggerated sense of your own importance, Rick! I can see your brain is swelling as we speak, and just because we stumbled across a restaurant we couldn't find in the first place because of your utter lack of common sense.'
Rick pretended to be hurt. 'That hurt, Evie. That hurt a lot.'
Evie laughed dismissively. 'Oh, It would take a lot more than that to dent your good opinion of yourself than me pointing out your level of intelligence, or complete lack thereof.'
They had reached the restaurant by this time, and stood near the entrance giving the snooty doorman stare for stare. After looking them up and down again, he sniffed and glanced away.
Rick would rather have faced a dozen resurrected priests who knew how to use a sword than walk into that restaurant and be patronised and belittled, as invariably occurred when he and Evie went to this type of place without visible proof they were wealthy.
'Ready to go in?' he asked, steeling himself. Evelyn turned to him with a mischievous glint in her eyes, the cause of which he could not fathom. He only had time to hope fervently that she had not come up with another idea likely to get them saving the world, a handful of starving orphans, or themselves as they ran away from a handful of angry shop owners, gardeners, or police, before she spoke.
'I have a better idea.'
Thirty minutes later, two disgruntled, hungry individuals were still wandering aimlessly around the streets, searching and, yes, bickering.
They dragged themselves along the sidewalk, feeling hot and bothered, and glared enviously at the cool, collected couples who sat behind the thick windows of various restaurants and cafes. These people talked in a most annoyingly contented manner, sipping chilled beverages and eating wonderful culinary concoctions which would taunt any taste buds, let alone those of a pair of people as ravenous as Rick and Evelyn were by that time.
'You, Rick O'Connell, are the most irresponsible, arrogant, and egotistical man I have ever had the misfortune of meeting!' Evie snapped, exasperated, when Rick suggested he could always get them in at one of the many establishments they had passed, instead of searching endlessly for the one which had 'ocean' in the name, as he'd remembered it had. 'I cannot believe you actually think yourself capable of getting us into a reasonable establishment without a reservation! Just who do you think you are?' she continued, while Rick cursed himself for remembering the damned word 'ocean', when he could have just steered her into a place and bluffed it out. Now they had to traipse through the whole bloody town looking for a restaurant which could, for all knew, just be a figment of his imagination. was it 'ocean', or 'sea'? Or was it neither? He wasn't entirely sure he'd hit upon the right word, but voicing this thought aloud would not have been a good idea. Judging from her mood, Evelyn would not be likely to laugh it over.
'.and now you're not even listening to me!' she complained, her voice taking on a whining quality which distressed him immensely. She had never complained this much before, and it was getting on Rick's nerves.
'Why don't we just ask someone?' he asked, feeling relieved as the idea occurred to him, and scouring passing locals for signs that they were geographically gifted. Now she would praise him endlessly for his wonderful idea and things would go back to normal, as he found the restaurant in a matter of minutes and saved the day again, maybe even throwing in a kiss or two for good measure.
'NO!'
Or not.
'Why not?' he asked testily, after his pleasant fantasy was shattered by her screeching refusal.
'Because then we will look like ignorant tourists.'
'But we ARE tourists.' Rick pointed out.
'Ooooh! Speak for yourself, you.you silly American! I am British to the bone!'
'Sure you don't mean to the voice box?' Rick muttered under his breath. He considered Evy to be very unconventional by English standards. She was too independent, headstrong and ambitious to be the proper English lady. Even her looks were all wrong- she did not have any of the anglo-saxon features that were a trademark of the English. Really, her accent was the only English thing about her.
That, and the high and mighty act she sometimes put on.
'What did you say?' Evie demanded.
'Nothing. I just think -'
'I know it was some sort of insult, Rick. I may be deaf but I'm not stupid!'
'- if I asked someone-'
'I suppose you think I will just put up with any old treatment, because I am so desperate to hold onto you!'
'-we might not have to waste the whole damned day-'
'Well, you are obviously quite as stupid as you look, because-'
'ARGUING!'
Evelyn looked up at Rick, astonished. He couldn't decide if she was astounded because he'd interrupted her, because of what he'd said, or because until he'd shouted she hadn't realised he'd been talking at all.
'Look, let's not fight any more, Evie, OK? Wouldn't you like to just relax and have a good time for once?' Rick asked, choosing his approach and hammering it for all he was worth.
'Of course.' Evelyn said meekly, nearly causing Rick to fall over in astonishment and incredulity. Since when did she admit he was right withought some sort of a fight? Even if they agreed, Evie seemed to deliberately resist as much as possible, just to show him she wasn't going to go along with anything he suggested solely because HE had suggested it.
'You know, that's the first time you've ever agreed with me withought being bribed! Must be some sort of record.' Rick said, putting his arm around her shoulders as they walked along the road, now with no envious glances in shop windows.
Evie smiled gently. 'Just don't get too used to it, Mr O'Connell.'
For a few minutes they walked in companionable silence, savouring their newfound harmony. They passed the window of a men's tailor, where Evie excitedly pointed out a truly awful outfit to Rick. This caused his eyes to bulge in panic, lest she force him to purchase it, or worse, wear it. When Evie began laughing uncontrollably at his reaction his eyes narrowed and he feigned annoyance, but inside, relief was his most prominent emotion. Further down the strip of shops he returned the favour, but with a considerably more revealing item of clothing. This earned him a slap which continued to sting for a full ten minutes, and ebbed his enthusiasm considerably. However, soon after he caught sight of a building that caused his pulse to quicken. Maybe there were still opportunities to save the day after all.
'You still hungry?'
'Not really.'
'Good, because I just saw a place on the corner called 'Ocean Breeze', and our table seems to be empty still. Hey, that's pretty good service, considering we're an hour late.'
Rick grinned at Evie, whose eyebrows were raised, but whose mouth was twitching at the corners.
'Not a bad sense of direction for a 'silly American', is it? Told you I'd find it.' Rick said, causing Evie's eyebrows to go so far up her forehead that they were in danger of joining her hair.
'You certainly have an exaggerated sense of your own importance, Rick! I can see your brain is swelling as we speak, and just because we stumbled across a restaurant we couldn't find in the first place because of your utter lack of common sense.'
Rick pretended to be hurt. 'That hurt, Evie. That hurt a lot.'
Evie laughed dismissively. 'Oh, It would take a lot more than that to dent your good opinion of yourself than me pointing out your level of intelligence, or complete lack thereof.'
They had reached the restaurant by this time, and stood near the entrance giving the snooty doorman stare for stare. After looking them up and down again, he sniffed and glanced away.
Rick would rather have faced a dozen resurrected priests who knew how to use a sword than walk into that restaurant and be patronised and belittled, as invariably occurred when he and Evie went to this type of place without visible proof they were wealthy.
'Ready to go in?' he asked, steeling himself. Evelyn turned to him with a mischievous glint in her eyes, the cause of which he could not fathom. He only had time to hope fervently that she had not come up with another idea likely to get them saving the world, a handful of starving orphans, or themselves as they ran away from a handful of angry shop owners, gardeners, or police, before she spoke.
'I have a better idea.'