Chapter Five: Destination

Cordelia finished the cleaning the next morning. There wasn't much salvageable food but she made do with what she had. The simple potato stew got a surprising amount of compliments from the stew. Not one of them made a crude remark to her. Probably Jack's doing. At least he understood what she found so offensive. She spent most of her evenings like that, cooking and receiving compliments. During the day she used her sewing skills to repair clothing, sails, and whatever lese was in need of repair.

One such day, a few weeks at sea, Cordelia stood at the stern thinking about what she should do with her life once the ship arrived at a harbor. It occurred to her that she had no idea where they were headed. She rushed to the helm where Jack was whistling his usual tune, 'A Pirate's Life For Me'.

"Hello luv. How are you this fine day."

"Jack, where are we going?"

"Tortuga, luv."

"Where is Tortuga and what is it like?"

"Well let's see. Tortuga's in the Caribbean, just north of Hispaniola. It's a small island with one port city under the same name. It's a pirate haven. A bit of a dodgy place but I'm well known and respected so don't be worrying about me."

"What? Tortuga! I can't live in Tortuga and I can't stay here. Where are you going after that?"

"Well luv, you may not like the answer, but we're heading to the Far East, towards India or maybe Singapore. We might even sail across the Pacific to the western coast of South America. Hope you're not too disappointed, we are pirates and treasure's what we're after."

"Jack, do you know how many months that will take!"

"Yes I do, it'll take quite a fair amount of time. More if the weather's bad. We could be blown off course if we're unlucky."

Cordelia couldn't believe her ears. She can't escape these pirates.

"Jack, are you saying that I either stay in Tortuga or sail to the East?"

"That's about it luv. Hope it's not too inconvenient."

"Well how far from Tortuga are we?"

"A couple of days, two if we sail straight through and the wind keeps with us. We'll take on supplies and make repairs, get the ship ready for a long voyage. We'll be there a day or two providing everything's in order. Then we set sail. This'll be a whole new world for you right?"

"Yes," she muttered. "This is not what I wanted at all."

"Oh? Well don't be too hard on yourself. How were you to know that it was a pirate ship you were stowing away on. Just count yourself lucky I have a big heart and didn't throw you overboard. I'm sure you'll find something good about the situation."

"Jack you just don't understand," she said, walking away.