Chapter Three
We always took our meals at the Faithful Bride. Breakfast usually consisted of bread and cheese. While dinner was salted meat, bread, cheese and occasionally some fruit.
Agatha was a wonderful cook. At least I thought so. Everything she made always tasted so good. That was probably why I tended to gobble down me meals.
"Slow down, Jack, the food's not going any where," Agatha would tell me.
Besides eating, what I liked most about the bar was listening to the tales told by the pirates.
"Don't trust everything you hear," me mum would tell me.
"Why not," I would ask her.
"Jack, darling, not everything they say is honest. Be careful what you believe and learn what is true and what is not."
"Yes, mum," I said and would truly try to know the difference. There was however one pirate, a captain who would come to Tortuga every now and again, whom me mother trusted completely.
Every time he came to town he always asked for her. She would spend her entire evening with him. And he was always generous to her. He would pay her more than anyone else I knew. Either that or it would be some precious gift of silver, gold, lace or silk.
"Listen to Captain James, Jack, he's honest and you can believe what he says," she would tell me.
I loved listening to his tales. I always felt like I was right there with him as his story unfolded. The things he had done were so exciting and best of all they were true.
He was also kind to me. He would let me sit at the table with them as he told his tales. Sometimes he would even bring me a gift. Most of the other pirates didn't even want me around let alone bring me a gift.
So I always looked forward to seeing the good Captain come into the bar. There was one rule however and actually it wasn't anything new, it was the usual rule. Even with James once they went up to our room, I was to stay out and stay in the kitchen with Agatha.
I didn't mind it so much though. Agatha would give me some special treat to eat and keep me company while I ate it.
Later as always I would go up stairs and into our room knowing what ever pirate was there, including James, was gone by then and I could safely go in for bed.
And so it went on. Me and me mum, the pirates, Mr. Mimms, the Faithful Bride, the other women who worked there and Agatha. Our lives continued day in and day out month by month year-by-year.
Nothing much changed until me 13th year of life.
