Authors Notes: Whoever made up writers block should be shot dead.
Chapter 23
"I'm gonna go to bed...love you." Zandra whispered in Jim's ear before slipping away to her room. His eyes followed her up the stairs until she disappeared around a corner.
"She's so beautiful..."He murmured under his breath.
"That she is, Jimbo, that she is." Jim froze and glanced over at the chuckling man.
"I'll make comments about her. Not you." Silver smiled again.
"You got yerself a deal boyo."
"Where have you been all these years, Silver?"
"Oh, hear an' dere."
"Zandra said you were on Drake's ship...?"
"Aye, in all me years I never imagined I'd end up on a pirates ship 'gain."
"How'd that happen?"
"Oh...Well, I had finally decided ta stay on land fer a bit. Was workin' as a cook in a tavern, suddenly dis man shows up, hollerin' day he needs some men to work on 'is ship. I agreed ta be cook. Had a hankerin' fer space still in me. He fergot ta mention dat it twas a pirate ship. A few months later, twas work or die."
"That's horrible!"
"Ain't so bad, after a bit. Now tell me what ya been up to since I last saw ye." Silver didn't like talking about pirates, not anymore.
"Well, I went to ISA on Captain Amelia's recommendation, probably wouldn't have gotten in if it weren't for her."
"How's that old girl doin' anyway? Still spacin'?"
"Naw, she quit after the kids were born. She and Doppler still take an occasional trip, but just as a vacation, nothing big."
"Too bad. The woman was quit a spacer. On with yer story."
"Right after my junior year ended, Zandra showed up. I'll tell you about that later. I graduated from ISA a year later. Had my own ship by then so I could start spacing right away."
"And how'd dat go?"
"Trust me, you don't want to know the details."
"Lad, I haven't seen ya in five or six years an' I've missed ya sumptin awful. Ya'll tell me every single detail iffin it take all night!"
"Are you sure? Some of it's pretty bad."
"All of it."
The rest of the night was filled with the other's adventurous.
