Chapter Three
"Now you run off to school now and don't dawdle in the market or else
you'll be late," Katie was on her knees, fidgeting with Annie's dress as
she prepared her for school.
"Mother, I'm fine, really!" she insisted, pulling out of her mother's
grasp.
"I tried tellin' her that, but would she listen, nooooooooooooooooo!"
Katie glanced over her shoulder at Mary and Sarah, who were bustling
about the tavern getting ready to open.
"Alright," she sighed, poking Annie's nose. "Have fun today, luv."
"I will!" Annie chimed, running for the door. She was about to open it
when it opened on its own, a tall man in his late 40s walking in.
"James!" she shouted, dropping her lunch pail on the ground and jumping
up into his open arms.
"'Ello, lil' poppet!" he kissed both of her cheeks before setting her on
the ground again. Katie rolled her eyes at her father, a warm smile
gracing her face, just thankful that Annie had some sort of male guidance
in her life. "How's my favorite child??"
"James, I'm the only one you know!" Annie grinned, picking her lunch pail
off the ground again.
"All the more reason for you to be my favorite then, no?" he poked her
nose. "Now you run off to school and I'll see you later."
"Okay!" she ran out the door and down the street. James Michaels owned
the tavern and decided to rent the second story apartment when Katie came
into town, alone and with child, so she would have a place to stay at
night.
"Hullo, ladies! How are we all doing on this glorious summer day, hmm?"
he hung his jacket on a hook next to the door and ventured further into
his tavern, pecking Katie on the cheek and her two friends as well.
"Well it'd be even nicer if we could have the day off and go spend the
day at the market in the sunshine," Sarah hinted as she took the last of
the chairs off the last table and flipped the wooden sign in the window
so that it read 'OPEN'.
"Nice try, Sarah, don't count on it though," he grinned and pulled out
several beer glasses, setting them on the counter and waiting for the
first arrivals of their daily customers to come pouring in.
---- --- ----
"Searchin' for anything in particular, Captain?" Gibbs asked as his eyes
wandered around the open-air market place. Novelty goods, produce, spiced
fruits, jewelry, livestock, fish, toys and candies were spread out over a
row of wooden tables, merchants shouting offers to passerby's as the
early morning sun slowly rose in the sky.
"Eh, I promised Annamaria, wherever she is, I'd buy her more wine," Jack
replied, quite uninterested in the whole thing. Almost every town in
every country he visited always had a little market downtown that was
always the same.
They stopped at a table offering a variety of candies and bottled
beverages, both their eyes scanning the assortment of goodies.
A little girl, about 11 or so, ran up beside him, crying out a greeting
to the vendor. "Hullo, Madeline!" the plump, middle-aged woman spun
around and smiled to see the girl.
"Why, Miss Anna Pearl! How are you today, dearie?"
"Can't complain, how 'bout yourself?" the girl asked, her eyes staring at
the candies and her hands picking them up, examining each one carefully.
"I think I'll buy these today."
"Alright, dearie, that'll be two shillings," the girl dug through her
lunch pail and handed the woman her shillings. She turned away from the
table, bumping right into Jack.
"Oh! Sorry sir!" she stared up at him and her mouth dropped. The shock
almost instantly passed over and soon she was smiling, eyeing his outfit
up and down in utter amazement. "Oh my goodness......... you're pirates, aren't
you?!" she gasped.
"Heh........." Jack stalled with his answer, knowing that not all people loved
pirates the way children did.
"Oh, don't worry about it, gents!" the plump woman smiled. "We serve
everyone just the same 'ere in Tortuga."
"Well, in that case, he sure is, young missy," Gibbs said, turning to the
little girl.
"Wow!! I can't wait to tell my mummy! She used to live with pirates, you
know," the little girl grinned.
"Did she now," Jack grinned and stooped down onto his knee so that he was
eyelevel with the girl. "Well, I tell ye what Miss Anna Pearl........."
"Annie."
"Alright, I tell ye what, Annie," he cleared his throat. Gibbs just stood
in awe, shocked that this was the same man. He'd never seen Jack interact
with a child before and didn't expect it to come so naturally for him.
"Tomorrow is Saturday, right?"
"Right."
"And that means ye won't have school, right?"
"Right."
"Well, why don't ye meet me back here tomorrow at the same tame and I can
teach ye everything I know about bein' a pirate. I could even take ye
'board my ship. Would ye like that?" he asked, grinning at the child. For
some odd reason, he didn't really know why, but for some reason he felt
like giving this child special attention.
"Would you really??" she asked, her face lighting up with excitement.
"If ye promise to keep it our little secret," he told her. "Then ye can
surprise yer mum with everythin' ye know. Savvy?"
"Savvy!" she chimed. "Thank you, sir!" she ran off, holding her candy
tight in her hand.
"Cute kid, eh?" Gibbs grinned as he watched the little girl disappear
into the sea of people grazing amongst the different stands of goods at
the market. Jack just nodded his head, watching the child he didn't know
was his own daughter, slink away into the crowd.
"Now you run off to school now and don't dawdle in the market or else
you'll be late," Katie was on her knees, fidgeting with Annie's dress as
she prepared her for school.
"Mother, I'm fine, really!" she insisted, pulling out of her mother's
grasp.
"I tried tellin' her that, but would she listen, nooooooooooooooooo!"
Katie glanced over her shoulder at Mary and Sarah, who were bustling
about the tavern getting ready to open.
"Alright," she sighed, poking Annie's nose. "Have fun today, luv."
"I will!" Annie chimed, running for the door. She was about to open it
when it opened on its own, a tall man in his late 40s walking in.
"James!" she shouted, dropping her lunch pail on the ground and jumping
up into his open arms.
"'Ello, lil' poppet!" he kissed both of her cheeks before setting her on
the ground again. Katie rolled her eyes at her father, a warm smile
gracing her face, just thankful that Annie had some sort of male guidance
in her life. "How's my favorite child??"
"James, I'm the only one you know!" Annie grinned, picking her lunch pail
off the ground again.
"All the more reason for you to be my favorite then, no?" he poked her
nose. "Now you run off to school and I'll see you later."
"Okay!" she ran out the door and down the street. James Michaels owned
the tavern and decided to rent the second story apartment when Katie came
into town, alone and with child, so she would have a place to stay at
night.
"Hullo, ladies! How are we all doing on this glorious summer day, hmm?"
he hung his jacket on a hook next to the door and ventured further into
his tavern, pecking Katie on the cheek and her two friends as well.
"Well it'd be even nicer if we could have the day off and go spend the
day at the market in the sunshine," Sarah hinted as she took the last of
the chairs off the last table and flipped the wooden sign in the window
so that it read 'OPEN'.
"Nice try, Sarah, don't count on it though," he grinned and pulled out
several beer glasses, setting them on the counter and waiting for the
first arrivals of their daily customers to come pouring in.
---- --- ----
"Searchin' for anything in particular, Captain?" Gibbs asked as his eyes
wandered around the open-air market place. Novelty goods, produce, spiced
fruits, jewelry, livestock, fish, toys and candies were spread out over a
row of wooden tables, merchants shouting offers to passerby's as the
early morning sun slowly rose in the sky.
"Eh, I promised Annamaria, wherever she is, I'd buy her more wine," Jack
replied, quite uninterested in the whole thing. Almost every town in
every country he visited always had a little market downtown that was
always the same.
They stopped at a table offering a variety of candies and bottled
beverages, both their eyes scanning the assortment of goodies.
A little girl, about 11 or so, ran up beside him, crying out a greeting
to the vendor. "Hullo, Madeline!" the plump, middle-aged woman spun
around and smiled to see the girl.
"Why, Miss Anna Pearl! How are you today, dearie?"
"Can't complain, how 'bout yourself?" the girl asked, her eyes staring at
the candies and her hands picking them up, examining each one carefully.
"I think I'll buy these today."
"Alright, dearie, that'll be two shillings," the girl dug through her
lunch pail and handed the woman her shillings. She turned away from the
table, bumping right into Jack.
"Oh! Sorry sir!" she stared up at him and her mouth dropped. The shock
almost instantly passed over and soon she was smiling, eyeing his outfit
up and down in utter amazement. "Oh my goodness......... you're pirates, aren't
you?!" she gasped.
"Heh........." Jack stalled with his answer, knowing that not all people loved
pirates the way children did.
"Oh, don't worry about it, gents!" the plump woman smiled. "We serve
everyone just the same 'ere in Tortuga."
"Well, in that case, he sure is, young missy," Gibbs said, turning to the
little girl.
"Wow!! I can't wait to tell my mummy! She used to live with pirates, you
know," the little girl grinned.
"Did she now," Jack grinned and stooped down onto his knee so that he was
eyelevel with the girl. "Well, I tell ye what Miss Anna Pearl........."
"Annie."
"Alright, I tell ye what, Annie," he cleared his throat. Gibbs just stood
in awe, shocked that this was the same man. He'd never seen Jack interact
with a child before and didn't expect it to come so naturally for him.
"Tomorrow is Saturday, right?"
"Right."
"And that means ye won't have school, right?"
"Right."
"Well, why don't ye meet me back here tomorrow at the same tame and I can
teach ye everything I know about bein' a pirate. I could even take ye
'board my ship. Would ye like that?" he asked, grinning at the child. For
some odd reason, he didn't really know why, but for some reason he felt
like giving this child special attention.
"Would you really??" she asked, her face lighting up with excitement.
"If ye promise to keep it our little secret," he told her. "Then ye can
surprise yer mum with everythin' ye know. Savvy?"
"Savvy!" she chimed. "Thank you, sir!" she ran off, holding her candy
tight in her hand.
"Cute kid, eh?" Gibbs grinned as he watched the little girl disappear
into the sea of people grazing amongst the different stands of goods at
the market. Jack just nodded his head, watching the child he didn't know
was his own daughter, slink away into the crowd.