Jack scanned the bar-room hopefully for the two pirates from the night
before, but they were nowhere to be seen. However, it was still early and
there was still a chance they might come back tonight. They couldn't have
gone back out to sea yet, could they? No, of course not. Most seamen spent
at least a few days on land before heading off again. No one could land
after a journey of many months and leave immediately after one day's break.
Besides, hadn't Bill said that half their crew had quit, and Hawk would
need time to find men to fill their place? Yes, he felt sure he would see
them again tonight.
"Jack! There you are!" came the angry voice of his mother.
"Here I am," he answered. "Where else would I be?"
"Yer right. Of course yer 'ere, working as usual. What a good boy you are," she said sweetly.
"Thank you," he smiled.
Miss Thompson rolled her eyes and gave him a good cuff on the back his head.
"Hey! What was that for?" asked Jack, brushing his hair out of his face, the sweet smile gone.
"Where were you last night?"
Jack frowned and considered his answer carefully. She hadn't been at the tavern last night; she couldn't know if he had been doing his job or not. Why was she asking then? Was she merely assuming he had been up to something wrong and planned to catch him with her bluff? Or did she really know?
"Where were you last night?" he countered, raising an eyebrow slyly and folding his arms across his chest.
"I was working!" his mother shrieked in exasperation. "Unlike some!"
"Hmm," said Jack vaguely. "I know. It is really quite infuriating 'ow lazy some can be while good people like us actually 'ave to work for a living."
Miss Thompson looked as if she was about to scream for a second, and raised a hand threateningly. Jack flinched, then, when no slap was felt, stood watching the hovering hand with narrowed eyes. His mother breathed deeply and lowered her arm. Jack looked at her questioningly. She sighed and shook her head.
"I know what happened last night. Cecily told me all about it. She seemed to think it highly amusing." The corner's of Jack's mouth curled upwards of their own accord as his mother continued to glare at him. He lowered his head and stared at the ground, putting all his effort into not laughing. It didn't work.
"It's not funny, Jack! What if someone 'ad actually taken you up on yer offer, eh? I don' think you'd be laughin' then!"
"Well, it'd depend 'oo it was.." he mumbled, but he stopped laughing. She continued staring at him seriously, her brow furrowing and he sobered under her gaze, his face wearing an expression reminiscent of her own.
"There are an awful lot of shifty scoundrels 'round 'ere, Jack."
"Well, yeah, but no one," he laughed. "No one would do somethin' like that!"
A glare was his response. "You never know."
"Well they sure as 'ell wouldn' with all their mates about."
"Yer not gonna' always be able to count on things like that, Jack," she answered firmly. "Yer gonna' get yerself into heaps of trouble eventually, you know that? You can't jus' go through yer 'ole life in this manner, doin' whatever pleases you at that momen', not givin' any consideration to consequences. Luck will only take you so far, Jack! An' people 'oo take care of ya and give ya everythin' ya need don' take kindly to yer deciding' you'd rather not work one night, and instead, puttin' on a clever little show mockin' the very business yer livin offa' and spending the rest o' the night drinkin' like a fish and leavin' all we got open to 'ooever pleases to come and take some -"
"Tom was there too, mum!"
"Don' interrupt me!" she yelled, and Jack sighed in resignation. She looked like she was going to say more, but seeing Jack's bored look, she exclaimed, "Why am I wastin' my breath on your deaf ears, you damn fool boy!" She sighed and ran a hand through her dark hair. "Not words, not beatings, nothin' gets through. Well, since you can't be trusted to work with liquor it seems, you'll be doing dishes in the kitchen tonight."
Jack's eyes widened. "What?! No, no, I'm no good with dishes, I'll break 'em all," he argued, waving his arms wildly, as if in demonstration. "Please? Please, I'll do it all week next week, I swear."
Miss Thompson watched his reaction, eyes narrowing. "Why are you so eager to be out here tonight? What's happenin' tonight thas' so special?"
"Nothin', but..." He broke off, his dark eyes continuing to plead with her desperately. If he spent the whole evening washing dishes, his friends could very well come back again and leave, and he'd never see them. He wasn't sure why that thought was so crushing to him, it seemed irrational, but he somehow felt drawn to them, especially the captain. He had even thought maybe... just maybe... as they were looking for more crewmembers... But now he'd never even have a chance.
"Don't you give me those puppy eyes, Jack Thompson," she answered firmly and pointed a finger toward the door, the other hand on her hip. "To the kitchen."
Jack's gaze fell to the floor and his shoulders sagged. He shuffled through the back door into the kitchens with none of his usual flamboyant grace. His mother dismissed it as an act, for he was always trying to con her somehow, and having raised him from an infant, she knew his tricks inside and out. However, she could not help but feel a small twinge of guilt as he quit the bar-room, his whole body seeming to radiate sadness and disappointment. She wondered what on earth he could be so anxious to see there tonight.
"Jack! There you are!" came the angry voice of his mother.
"Here I am," he answered. "Where else would I be?"
"Yer right. Of course yer 'ere, working as usual. What a good boy you are," she said sweetly.
"Thank you," he smiled.
Miss Thompson rolled her eyes and gave him a good cuff on the back his head.
"Hey! What was that for?" asked Jack, brushing his hair out of his face, the sweet smile gone.
"Where were you last night?"
Jack frowned and considered his answer carefully. She hadn't been at the tavern last night; she couldn't know if he had been doing his job or not. Why was she asking then? Was she merely assuming he had been up to something wrong and planned to catch him with her bluff? Or did she really know?
"Where were you last night?" he countered, raising an eyebrow slyly and folding his arms across his chest.
"I was working!" his mother shrieked in exasperation. "Unlike some!"
"Hmm," said Jack vaguely. "I know. It is really quite infuriating 'ow lazy some can be while good people like us actually 'ave to work for a living."
Miss Thompson looked as if she was about to scream for a second, and raised a hand threateningly. Jack flinched, then, when no slap was felt, stood watching the hovering hand with narrowed eyes. His mother breathed deeply and lowered her arm. Jack looked at her questioningly. She sighed and shook her head.
"I know what happened last night. Cecily told me all about it. She seemed to think it highly amusing." The corner's of Jack's mouth curled upwards of their own accord as his mother continued to glare at him. He lowered his head and stared at the ground, putting all his effort into not laughing. It didn't work.
"It's not funny, Jack! What if someone 'ad actually taken you up on yer offer, eh? I don' think you'd be laughin' then!"
"Well, it'd depend 'oo it was.." he mumbled, but he stopped laughing. She continued staring at him seriously, her brow furrowing and he sobered under her gaze, his face wearing an expression reminiscent of her own.
"There are an awful lot of shifty scoundrels 'round 'ere, Jack."
"Well, yeah, but no one," he laughed. "No one would do somethin' like that!"
A glare was his response. "You never know."
"Well they sure as 'ell wouldn' with all their mates about."
"Yer not gonna' always be able to count on things like that, Jack," she answered firmly. "Yer gonna' get yerself into heaps of trouble eventually, you know that? You can't jus' go through yer 'ole life in this manner, doin' whatever pleases you at that momen', not givin' any consideration to consequences. Luck will only take you so far, Jack! An' people 'oo take care of ya and give ya everythin' ya need don' take kindly to yer deciding' you'd rather not work one night, and instead, puttin' on a clever little show mockin' the very business yer livin offa' and spending the rest o' the night drinkin' like a fish and leavin' all we got open to 'ooever pleases to come and take some -"
"Tom was there too, mum!"
"Don' interrupt me!" she yelled, and Jack sighed in resignation. She looked like she was going to say more, but seeing Jack's bored look, she exclaimed, "Why am I wastin' my breath on your deaf ears, you damn fool boy!" She sighed and ran a hand through her dark hair. "Not words, not beatings, nothin' gets through. Well, since you can't be trusted to work with liquor it seems, you'll be doing dishes in the kitchen tonight."
Jack's eyes widened. "What?! No, no, I'm no good with dishes, I'll break 'em all," he argued, waving his arms wildly, as if in demonstration. "Please? Please, I'll do it all week next week, I swear."
Miss Thompson watched his reaction, eyes narrowing. "Why are you so eager to be out here tonight? What's happenin' tonight thas' so special?"
"Nothin', but..." He broke off, his dark eyes continuing to plead with her desperately. If he spent the whole evening washing dishes, his friends could very well come back again and leave, and he'd never see them. He wasn't sure why that thought was so crushing to him, it seemed irrational, but he somehow felt drawn to them, especially the captain. He had even thought maybe... just maybe... as they were looking for more crewmembers... But now he'd never even have a chance.
"Don't you give me those puppy eyes, Jack Thompson," she answered firmly and pointed a finger toward the door, the other hand on her hip. "To the kitchen."
Jack's gaze fell to the floor and his shoulders sagged. He shuffled through the back door into the kitchens with none of his usual flamboyant grace. His mother dismissed it as an act, for he was always trying to con her somehow, and having raised him from an infant, she knew his tricks inside and out. However, she could not help but feel a small twinge of guilt as he quit the bar-room, his whole body seeming to radiate sadness and disappointment. She wondered what on earth he could be so anxious to see there tonight.