Chapter Four
Later that day, after Annie had come home from school, Katie looked
around the produce section of the market, desperately looking for
something to cook for her daughter that night. She looked around at a
table with baskets upon baskets of vegetables.
"'Ello Marguerite," she barely glanced up as another woman came over and
started talking to the vendor.
"Hi Madeline, how are you doing?"
"Have I got some gossip for you!" the woman continued. "I'm sellin' me
candies this morning when who should walk up and by some spiced wine but
none other than that Captain Sparrow fella." Katie swallowed and shot her
head up. She tried to go back to shopping, eavesdropping to their
conversation to make sure her ears weren't deceiving her.
"Don't be daft, dear, you know as well as I do that that pirate died
years ago," the other woman replied, not taking her concentration off her
work as she bagged some vegetables.
"What, you didn't hear?"
"Hear what?"
"Why, dearie, he made it off that island a mere four days after being
marooned. Apparently something about sea turtles, but that's not
important." The woman continued. "The important thing is, he got his ship
back, and now he's back in Tortuga."
Katie swallowed hard again and looked back up at the two women. They
stared her in the face. "I guess that means he can go back to that
simpering wife of his," one of them said, glaring at Katie in a way that
made her stomach curl.
--- --- ---
Katie flew up in bed, sweat dribbling down her forehead, panic setting
over her. She took several deep breaths, knowing it was all a dream. She
glanced back down at Annie, who lay sleeping beside her peacefully.
She reluctantly climbed out of bed and lit a candle, giving her just
enough light to see what she was doing as she walked down the stairs into
the tavern. Once she was downstairs, she poured herself a stiff drink and
sat by the fire that was just beginning to die out in the back of the
room.
A tear rolled down her cheek and splashed onto her knee. Her heart
pounded with emotion......... all she wanted to do was sink away into nothing.
She missed Jack with all her heart but at the same time knew she was
never going to see him alive ever again. All she could keep thinking was
about why she hadn't moved on; it'd been 11 years, why hadn't she found
someone else yet? She told herself that all she wanted was a father for
Annie. And that was true, but she didn't want just any guy who was good
to them and who had a good income. She wanted Jack. She wanted him to be
there to be her father.
"Jack, I miss you," she whispered to herself, hoping that wherever he
was, he could hear her. Her dream told her that it meant something. Was
there a chance that he had gotten off that island? Could he be alive out
there somewhere? And if he was, was that somewhere in Tortuga?
She had to know. She scribbled a note for Annie in case she woke up and
made sure that the doors to the tavern were securely locked before she
got dressed and left the house.
She walked down the streets, surprised at how cold it was outside. She
wrapped her coat tighter around her body as a soft breeze blew past her.
The streets were crowded with people, as they always were at night in
Tortuga. Drunken men brawled in the streets and hors stood on street
corners flaunting all that they had to try to get some attention.
--- --- ---
"Jack, ye look sick," Gibbs and Annamaria both stared at Jack as they sat
at a table in the corner of a noisy pub, tall glasses of ale in front of
each of them.
"There was somethin' about that kid today........." he bit his lip and took a
big sip of his drink. "She reminded me of Katie, ye know." His lips
curled up into a smile.
"Ye've been thinking about her a lot lately, Jack. Care to tell us why?"
Annamaria cocked her eyebrow and looked at Jack. For a few moments he sat
in silence before chugging down the rest of his drink and slamming down
his thick glass. He tossed a couple of shillings down on the table and
got up.
"I gotta get her off my mind," he muttered at them. Several prostitutes
stood by the door. He beckoned one of them over and slinked his arm
around her waist as they walked out of the pub.
"Did he do what I think he jus' did?" Gibbs asked, his forehead wrinkled.
"Typical Jack," Annamaria replied, taking a swig from her own drink. "Get
one woman off his mind by sleepin' with another one. And he wonders why
he feels so guilty about not findin' Katie yet."
----- ------- -------
Katie's heart skipped a beat as she practically ran through the streets
of Tortuga. The moonlight illuminated the bay, making the Pearl's
presence obvious. Jack was alive. And in Tortuga.
She'd been through every pub, every bar, every restaurant that was still
open looking for him. He wasn't on the Pearl, that was obvious. The
lights on the insides of the cabins weren't on and Jack was never one to
go to bed early. That meant he had to be on the streets of Tortuga.
Alive.
She was so confused, how did he get off that island? But all she knew was
that he was alive. And she could have another chance to be with him. They
could have the chance to have the family that Katie had always dreamed
of.
She pushed through another crowd of people and came into a courtyard,
four pubs on either side of her. Her heart was racing, knowing that this
was it. He had to be in one of these pubs. She spun around, looking at
each one questioningly, wondering which one to try first. She turned
around again and her heart dropped.
There he was. He was exactly the way she'd remembered him. His hair, his
clothes, everything was the same. She wanted nothing more than to run to
him, kiss him all over and just find the heaven that she had found in his
arms so long ago. But she couldn't.
He wasn't alone.
Later that day, after Annie had come home from school, Katie looked
around the produce section of the market, desperately looking for
something to cook for her daughter that night. She looked around at a
table with baskets upon baskets of vegetables.
"'Ello Marguerite," she barely glanced up as another woman came over and
started talking to the vendor.
"Hi Madeline, how are you doing?"
"Have I got some gossip for you!" the woman continued. "I'm sellin' me
candies this morning when who should walk up and by some spiced wine but
none other than that Captain Sparrow fella." Katie swallowed and shot her
head up. She tried to go back to shopping, eavesdropping to their
conversation to make sure her ears weren't deceiving her.
"Don't be daft, dear, you know as well as I do that that pirate died
years ago," the other woman replied, not taking her concentration off her
work as she bagged some vegetables.
"What, you didn't hear?"
"Hear what?"
"Why, dearie, he made it off that island a mere four days after being
marooned. Apparently something about sea turtles, but that's not
important." The woman continued. "The important thing is, he got his ship
back, and now he's back in Tortuga."
Katie swallowed hard again and looked back up at the two women. They
stared her in the face. "I guess that means he can go back to that
simpering wife of his," one of them said, glaring at Katie in a way that
made her stomach curl.
--- --- ---
Katie flew up in bed, sweat dribbling down her forehead, panic setting
over her. She took several deep breaths, knowing it was all a dream. She
glanced back down at Annie, who lay sleeping beside her peacefully.
She reluctantly climbed out of bed and lit a candle, giving her just
enough light to see what she was doing as she walked down the stairs into
the tavern. Once she was downstairs, she poured herself a stiff drink and
sat by the fire that was just beginning to die out in the back of the
room.
A tear rolled down her cheek and splashed onto her knee. Her heart
pounded with emotion......... all she wanted to do was sink away into nothing.
She missed Jack with all her heart but at the same time knew she was
never going to see him alive ever again. All she could keep thinking was
about why she hadn't moved on; it'd been 11 years, why hadn't she found
someone else yet? She told herself that all she wanted was a father for
Annie. And that was true, but she didn't want just any guy who was good
to them and who had a good income. She wanted Jack. She wanted him to be
there to be her father.
"Jack, I miss you," she whispered to herself, hoping that wherever he
was, he could hear her. Her dream told her that it meant something. Was
there a chance that he had gotten off that island? Could he be alive out
there somewhere? And if he was, was that somewhere in Tortuga?
She had to know. She scribbled a note for Annie in case she woke up and
made sure that the doors to the tavern were securely locked before she
got dressed and left the house.
She walked down the streets, surprised at how cold it was outside. She
wrapped her coat tighter around her body as a soft breeze blew past her.
The streets were crowded with people, as they always were at night in
Tortuga. Drunken men brawled in the streets and hors stood on street
corners flaunting all that they had to try to get some attention.
--- --- ---
"Jack, ye look sick," Gibbs and Annamaria both stared at Jack as they sat
at a table in the corner of a noisy pub, tall glasses of ale in front of
each of them.
"There was somethin' about that kid today........." he bit his lip and took a
big sip of his drink. "She reminded me of Katie, ye know." His lips
curled up into a smile.
"Ye've been thinking about her a lot lately, Jack. Care to tell us why?"
Annamaria cocked her eyebrow and looked at Jack. For a few moments he sat
in silence before chugging down the rest of his drink and slamming down
his thick glass. He tossed a couple of shillings down on the table and
got up.
"I gotta get her off my mind," he muttered at them. Several prostitutes
stood by the door. He beckoned one of them over and slinked his arm
around her waist as they walked out of the pub.
"Did he do what I think he jus' did?" Gibbs asked, his forehead wrinkled.
"Typical Jack," Annamaria replied, taking a swig from her own drink. "Get
one woman off his mind by sleepin' with another one. And he wonders why
he feels so guilty about not findin' Katie yet."
----- ------- -------
Katie's heart skipped a beat as she practically ran through the streets
of Tortuga. The moonlight illuminated the bay, making the Pearl's
presence obvious. Jack was alive. And in Tortuga.
She'd been through every pub, every bar, every restaurant that was still
open looking for him. He wasn't on the Pearl, that was obvious. The
lights on the insides of the cabins weren't on and Jack was never one to
go to bed early. That meant he had to be on the streets of Tortuga.
Alive.
She was so confused, how did he get off that island? But all she knew was
that he was alive. And she could have another chance to be with him. They
could have the chance to have the family that Katie had always dreamed
of.
She pushed through another crowd of people and came into a courtyard,
four pubs on either side of her. Her heart was racing, knowing that this
was it. He had to be in one of these pubs. She spun around, looking at
each one questioningly, wondering which one to try first. She turned
around again and her heart dropped.
There he was. He was exactly the way she'd remembered him. His hair, his
clothes, everything was the same. She wanted nothing more than to run to
him, kiss him all over and just find the heaven that she had found in his
arms so long ago. But she couldn't.
He wasn't alone.