August had come and gone, and September in Kentucky began to bring in the cool air of fall in the evenings with the warm sticky humidity of summer still trying to hold on to the bluegrass. I had just come home from the office, so I opened the door expecting the same old brick walled loft and the annoying pirate ghost on the couch. What I got instead was a room filled top to bottom with beautiful vases of long stemmed white roses. Every flat surface had a vase of flowers on it.
"Todd!" I breathed ecstatically looking around the room in shock. I spotted a card in one of the vases and rushed over. How could Todd be so sweet? I mean we had only been dating for a few weeks. And this must have cost a fortune! And how did he get in my apartment? But when I opened the card and read it, I realized that Todd hadn't sent me the flowers.
'Dear Alice,
I apologize for my behavior at the restaurant. Forgive me?'
It was Jack who sent the flowers.
'But how?" I asked confused. That's when I read the P.S.
'Turn around.' I did and saw Jack looking at me with his smug grin, his hands behind his back.
"How?" I asked him.
"When you call a florist, they are the ones who have to speak first." he said simply.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because it would be bad for business if they..."
"No, I mean, why the flowers?" I said.
"Can't you bloody read woman? I did it to apologize!" he said a little frustrated.
"But why go to all this trouble? I mean...you could have just said it!" I said.
"Now where's the fun in that?" he asked playfully. He brought his hands forward revealing a single white rose in his grasp. I smiled as I took it from him as he continued,
"Besides...beautiful women deserve beautiful flowers." I blushed in spite of myself.
"Um...how did you know white roses were my favorite flowers?" I asked. His smile widen,
"I didn't."
"Then... why white roses?" I asked.
"Well, white roses mean innocence and purity. And that is what you remind me of. An innocent and pure virgin just waiting for the right man...who's worthy of her." He said.
"Hey! What gives you the idea that I'm a..."I asked.
"Luv! Come on!" he said eyeing me. I deflated,
"That obvious huh?"
"Ain't anything to be ashamed of. In fact it's something to be proud of." he said as I fingered the full thorn less bloom.
"But you're not a virgin are you?" I asked.
"Heck no! What do you think I am a whelp?" he asked as I smirked and shook my head.
"You do realize that you just demonstrated the long established double standard concerning men, women and sexual expectations?" I said. He nodded,
"True, but as I think about it, I guess you could call me a second chance virgin. After all I haven't had sex in over three hundred years!"
"But you're dead! It isn't as if you could fully enjoy it!" I pointed out to him. He frowned,
"Don't remind me!" I giggled and asked,
"Changing the subject, how did you pay for all this?" He began to walk off saying,
"I have me ways, Savvy?" I turned towards his retreating form saying,
"You didn't use any of my credit cards did you?" He stopped on the stairs and leaned over the railing,
"I can honestly say, I did not." Then he went back upstairs leaving me to be very confused.
That evening, the twins came over for dinner and a movie. Christy stopped once she saw the flowers and said,
"Please tell me Todd has a single brother!"
"Or two!" added Crystal in awe.
"He doesn't and he didn't!" I laughed.
"What?" asked Christy.
"Todd didn't send you these flowers?" asked Crystal. When I simply smiled and started going towards the kitchen, Christy followed me saying,
"You little minx! One hottie isn't enough for you so you got TWO?"
"Who is he?" asked Crystal as I started tossing the salad. I looked down into the bowl and lied,
"I don't know."
"Ohh! A secret admirer huh?" said Crystal.
"Who do you suspect?" asked Christy eagerly.
"Nobody!" I lied again.
"But don't you know what white roses mean?" asked Christy.
"Yeah, innocence and purity." I said.
"AND it says 'I'm worthy of you.' PLUS thorn less roses mean 'love at first sight'!" explained Christy.
"What does a single rose in full bloom mean?" I asked pausing to hear the answer.
"One single full bloom, means 'I love you'. Why do you ask?" asked Christy.
"No reason." I lied. But I had a very good reason. And now, I was more confused by it than ever. That was when the doorbell rang. I went to answer it to find Todd.
"Hey!" I said.
"Hi!" he said kissing me on the cheek. He looked over to the twins and said,
"Ladies!"
"Hi Todd!" they said at once. Then Todd looked around the apartment and frowned.
"What's the matter Todd?" I asked.
"Where did all this come from?" he asked pointing to the flowers..
"Oh, nobody I know!" I lied.
"Well obviously they know you, or they wouldn't send these flowers!" said Todd.
"Todd...are you jealous?" I asked.
"No! I just want to make sure you're not getting stalked but some ugly nut job!...OW!" said Todd as he rubbed the back of his head.
"What's wrong?" I asked. Looking around the room, he said,
"Something hit me!" My eyes opened wider. When Todd and the twins weren't looking, I mouthed,
"JACK! STOP IT!"
"Anyway, I was going to cancel our date because I have this divorce case coming up, but I'll reschedule! Call me?" he asked.
"Of course!" I smiled giving him a small peck on the lips.
"OW!" said Todd rubbing the back of his head again.
"JACK!" I mouthed in warning. Only this time, Christy saw me and frowned.
"Well I'll see you girls later. Bye!" he said heading out the door.
"Bye!" all three of us chorused. But the second Todd stepped into the hall, invisible hands pulled his pants down revealing Todd's tighty whities! He blushed red in embarrassment and pulled up his pants as I whispered,
"JACK!" Only Crystal heard me and frowned as well. I shut the door, and said,
"So...who's hungry?"
Later, I was typing at my computer when I became stuck on how to phrase something.
"Dear Not a Desperate Loser,
I imagine losing your job, the love of your life and both of your parents within a month of each other is rough. It definitely makes others problems pale in comparison. But what happened is not, I repeat not your fault. It sounds like to me, that you are suffering from a form of depression, and need to seek the help of a counselor. In the meantime,'
And that was where I was stuck. What else could I possibly tell this poor soul to make life more bearable? As I sat contemplating this, I felt a pair of strong hands massage my shoulders.
"I'm still not speaking to you Jack!" I said coolly.
"Aw, come on Luv. What do I have to do? Send another room full of roses?" he asked smiling gently.
"Just say you're sorry and promise never to bother Todd again!" I said.
"Fine. I promise never to bother the whelp Scott again!" he sighed.
"And?"
"And what?" he asked confused.
"Say you're sorry!" I commanded. He filched and gulped,
"I'm sor...I'm sorr...UM! I'm sss..."
"You can't say it can you? You can say it with flowers or write it down, but you just can't say it!" I said.
"I'M SORRY! Alright!" he snapped.
"Thank you!" I said.
"What is it about you that completely throws me off?" he asked.
"Beats the heck out of me!" I said turning my attention back to the screen. He was silent for a moment before saying,
"Tell him to make his own happiness."
"What?" I asked locking my eyes with his.
"I was once like him. No friends, no kin, no ship, no hope. So I just picked myself up and got involved with things. Eventually, I found what made me happy. And that was just being me enjoying life. So tell him, the only one who can bring back happiness in his life, is himself." he said.
"It's a woman writing." I said.
"Oh. Same difference!" he said.
"Jack, I've never heard you open up like that before!" I said in wonder.
"Neither have I!" he said standing and walking out of the room.
Two months later, It was November and fall in Kentucky was still in her glory. Chilly evenings, gloomy days, and glorious splashes of reds, gold's, and fiery oranges. Jack was tired of reading Southern Belle and sick of my History textbook, so he convinced me to accompany him to the library to check out some literature.
"Why didn't you keep any novels you had to read in college?" he asked thumbing through the shelves.
"Because I either had to sell them back for cash or starve to death!" I whispered back. Jack picked up a volume and said,
"'The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes'. Hmm! Heard nothing but good things about this bloke Doyle!" When he put the book in my hands I whispered,
"You know, I thought most pirates were illiterate!"
"Most of them! But I was the exception Savvy?" he said putting a collection of Voltaire in my arms.
"How did you learn?" I asked careful not to catch the attention of the watching librarian.
"I was the apprentice to a mapmaker once, alright?" he said as if embarrassed.
"So? What's the big deal? He helped you get an education didn't he?" I asked.
"Oh yeah! Look at where that got me! Dead as a doornail and nothing more than a myth to a few historians who do remember my name! Ooh! Shakespeare!" he said handing me book after book.
"A little bitter are we?" I whispered sarcastically.
"Well you would be too if you spent half your living life with your nose in textbooks only to find out, that if you came from London's East End, you had no chance at being anything more than a poor tradesman's assistant! Thank goodness the chance to get into piracy came along or I'd really would have lead a sorry life!" he said handing me a copy of Don Quixote.
"But you were a thief!" I said a little too loudly as people began to shush me. Leaning into my red face, Jack said,
"True, but I was a thief who saw the world, had glorious adventures, and met extraordinary people. Besides, I did do the occasional good deed every now and then. I have no regrets!" he said.
"Then what's keeping you here?" I asked softly. At this, his expression darkened and he said,
"When ye find out, be sure to tell me!" He lead the way to the checkout counter with me trying to keep up since I had numerous books under my chin. As the librarian scanned the books, I whispered to Jack,
"IF you could have a second chance at life, would you be a pirate again?"
"Depends on the other options Luv." he said as the librarian gave me a dubivious gaze as I sheepishly handed her my library card.
A month later, I tried to go to my room to change for a date with Todd, when I saw the door closed. Hanging on the back of the doorknob was a complete ensemble with a note from Jack that read,
'Don't try to pick the lock Darlin', I had the lock changed. Pirate!'
I crumpled up the note and tossed it to the ground, taking the outfit with me to change in the guest bathroom downstairs. A half hour later, I came out to see Jack coming down the stairs. With a hand on my hip, I asked him,
"So are you just going to keep the door locked twenty four/seven?"
"No, I will let you go in to shower every now and then!" he smirked. I rolled my eyes and put on my earrings saying,
"And since when did I hire you to be my personal dresser?"
"Well Milady, if you would prefer I could be your personal UNdresser!" he insinuated huskily.
"Don't even think about it!" I said.
"So what are you and the whelp going to do this winter's evening?" he asked helping me on with my coat.
"We're going to a Christmas concert." I said.
"You don't sound too excited about it!" he observed.
"Well, it's just that, around Christmas, I want to do more childish things. Like, playing in the snow, looking at houses lit up with Christmas lights, visiting toy stores, baking cookies, wrapping gifts! Christmas concerts with champagne and horderves sound so...grownup!" I said.
"But you are a grownup!" pointed out Jack.
"Yeah, but Christmas is the one time of year adults are allowed to act like children! I just wish Todd wasn't so serious!" I shrugged.
"You know something? If I were able, I'd play with you in the snow, show you a million houses lit up with electric lights, visit every toy store, and fatten you up with cookies while you wrap some Christmas presents!" he said as I laughed,
"ANYWAY! What are you going to do this evening?" He shrugged,
"Just watch it snow."
"You're not going to do anything else?" I asked.
"Not tonight." he said pulling up a chair by the windows.
"But aren't you going to get lonely?" I asked.
"After three hundred years, I'm used to being alone." he said turning his attention to the window. I bit my lip as he continued,
"You best be running along. Your young man is waiting for you." That was when I made my decision. I pulled out my cell phone and called Todd.
"Todd? Yeah, I'm not going to be able to make it tonight. No, nothing's wrong...a friend just needs some company tonight. Okay, bye!" Jack looked at me and said,
"You didn't have to do that you know!"
"I wanted to." I said taking off my coat. He shrugged nonchalantly,
"Your funeral!" I sat on the arm of his chair and silently began to watch it snow with Jack. A few minutes later, I felt his hand on the small of my back rubbing affectionately. Catching my breath, I said,
"Uh...Jack? Would you mind if I gave you my Christmas present now?"
"You bought me a present?" he asked confused.
"Well yeah! Here!" I said getting up and walking over to the tree. A second later, I handed him a small package wrapped in green.
"Now what could this be?" he asked shaking the box next to his ear. He tore at the wrapping paper but became very silent when he saw the model tall ship laid gently in tissue paper. He held it up and sadly said,
"A twenty gunner square rigged galleon. Just like the Black Pearl."
"What was she like?" I asked speaking of his ship.
"Beautiful black mahogany! Delicate craving everywhere! And the fastest ship in the Caribbean, hands down! When I was at the helm, I felt like I could take the waves from Poseidon himself! Every horizon was mine. A ship was more than just a keel and a haul, a deck and a lot of sails. What a ship was, what the Black Pearl really was, was freedom!" he said smiling sadly.
"So I guess you like your present?" I asked.
"I love it! Thank ye!" he said kissing the back of my hand. Putting the ship aside, he took off one of his rings and placed it on my finger.
"Happy Christmas Miss Rivers." he said as I caught the glitter of the black stone with a greenish tint in the moonlight.
"Oh Jack! It's beautiful!" I breathed.
"And it has quite a tale! Stole it off this agent of the EIC right before I gave him and his six companions the slip!" he said smiling at my happy face.
"Is everything about you a reminder of one of your adventures?" I asked him.
"Oh yeah! See these beads in my hair? Each bead tells of a different raid across the seas. This sash I got from India, and this ring..."he stopped gazing at the blue stone with a distant look in his eyes.
"What?" I asked.
"...This ring is the reason I died." he said quietly.
"THAT ring?" I asked looking at the curious Celtic design.
"Aye, I had the Pearl back for five years when I heard of this great treasure from the Eire shores being kept by this Sheik in the Red Sea. So I raided his boat, but all I found was this ring and a scroll warning the bearer that he who wears the ring, would become the dead, the body never to be seen by loved ones again. I paid no heed. That night as I sat in bed, I put on the ring only to fall asleep a moment later. I never really woke again. When my "spirit" came to, my first mates Gibbs and Anamaria were searching the Pearl for me. Eventually, they declared me lost at sea. Six months later, without my hand to guide them, they drove the Pearl into a cliff leaving no survivors. That bloody bed washed ashore, the only thing left of the Black Pearl." he said looking out the window.
"Oh Jack, I'm so sorry!" I said. Jack smiled up at me and wiped the tears off my face with his thumb.
"Shush! No tears now! I already had many a friend weep for my passing!" he said.
"Still, I don't like to hear about it!" I said.
"And I don't like to dampen your Christmas mood with your tears. Now...what do you say we start baking some Christmas cookies Savvy?" he said standing and pulling me up.
"Trying to fatten me up?" I smiled at him.
"Aye!" he said laughing. Then his eyes caught something above our heads and he grinned.
"What?" I asked.
"Ain't that mistletoe?" he asked as I looked up at the spring of winter greenery hanging from the overhead fan. I blushed,
"So it is!"
"Well? Don't I have a right to steal a kiss?" he said looking at my downcast red face.
"I guess you do!" I said looking up into his handsome face. He leaned down and gently brushed his lips with mine, my insides quickly turning to Jell-O. It was so warm and tender and so much nicer than Todd's kiss which always seemed to be dry and sloppy all at once. Jack pulled away and said,
"So is Mr. Scott as good a kisser as I am?" I meekly shook my head no, too stunned to deny it. He smiled and pulled me into the kitchen where we spent the rest of the night talking about everything else but the kiss.
A month later, Todd canceled our date at the last minute, the third time in the past two weeks by the way. So instead, I decided to rent a few good movies and watch them with Jack. He scoffed at Titanic, laughed at Sleepy Hollow, and became very interested with an old movie I had loved since childhood when I watched it with my mother. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.
"I can't get over how much this Captain Gregg and Lucy Muir remind me of us!" he commented as we watched Rex Harrison do his thing.
"Only I'm not a Victorian era widow with a child and pushy in-laws, and you're not a cantankerous Victorian era sea captain ghost who had a legitimate sailing career..."
"Thank God!" he smiled.
"...And we're not in love!" I finished. He looked over at me and said,
"Perhaps..."I looked at him out of the corner of my eye when I turned my attention back to the screen.
"OH! I always hated and loved this scene all at once!"
"What happens?"
"Watch! He's going to make her forget everything about himself and leave her to get on with her life! I hate it because he leaves but I love it because you realize how much he loves her!" I said.
"Farewell...my darling." said Rex Harrison on the screen.
"OHHH!" I swooned grabbing the tissues out of the Kleenex box.
"I imagine you would rather have the fair Mrs. Muir and the good Captain spend the rest of her days together?" he asked.
"Oh yeah, but then it wouldn't have as good an ending as it does!" I told him as I blew my nose, Jack's face scrunching up in disgust next to me.
"I wonder if Captain Gregg saw Mrs. Muir at her worst." he said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because the real test of if a man loves a woman is if he can still think her the most perfect woman after she does disgusting things like blowing her nose like a fog horn!" he said before I promptly whacked him with a pillow.