Chapter 2: Getting to know Auntie Giselle
Later that night Mom had invited Giselle to our home. Now I was sitting at the table with Giselle while my mother got us all some rum. Giselle smiled at me. "So Soph. Ever think about becoming a pirate?" I just scoffed at the question. My mom however gave me a warning glare and I answered her.
"Yeah, but mom'll never let me go. I'll ask her if she thinks I should and she yells at me. Then she'll walk away mumbling about something about a jackass captain." Giselle rose her eyebrows in question.
"Female or male captain?"
I thought about it a second. "Male." Giselle just laughed and shook her head. Just then my mom came in carrying the booze. I took a mug and poured some of it down my throat. "So Giselle, was that your ship?" Giselle had taken a sip and was just setting down her own mug.
"Why yes. Yes it is." She had a smug smile on her lips. "I've got 99 crew member, all female. Unless you don't count Annie." I was confused, wasn't Annie a girl name?
"Isn't that a girl name?" Giselle just laughed at me.
"Oh Annie's a girl name. My Annie however is a boy. Annie's real name is Andrew." My eyes went wide.
"One guy among that many girls!? He must be…um…busy."
"No, no, no. You see, Annie's gay." She broke out laughing again as I coughed down another swig of rum. I took one more swallow and acted like it didn't happen. "Well. That certainly explains a lot." She just smirked at me.
"Yes, it certainly does." I was really itching to ask her more about her boat.
"So Giselle…" Giselle cut me off.
"Don't call me that. Call me Zellie, Auntie Zell or Captain." I rose my eyebrows at her.
"Ok, um…Zellie, why do you call your boat the Pink Pearl?" This time she rose her eyebrows at me. She tilted her head and looked at my mom.
"Mina, you didn't even tell her the story of the name of my boat?" My mom just shrugged and sat down. Auntie Zell rolled her eyes at her. "Ok. I'll start from the beginning."
"That's usually the best place to start," I joked. She just gave me a sarcastic smile and continued.
"It was about 16 years ago. I was about 16 my self. I was just going home when a ship with black sails pulled up to the docks. Being the curious whipper snapper I was, I went to have a look see. I got there and a man with a drunken look on his face and a wobble in his step came down to the docks. I went right up to him and asked him his name. Know what he said?" She looked more excited than she probably should have.
"I haven't the faintest," I said with fake enthusiasm.
"He didn't say anything! He just stared at my chest!" She laughed and hit her hand on the table like it was the funniest thing in the world. "Anyways, after I gave him a well deserved slap to the face he told me his name was Captain Jack Sparrow." I nearly choked on the air I was breathing!
"Well, naturally, I asked if he wasted a drink, which he answered yes to immediately." The name kept ringing through my head. Jack Sparrow… Where have I heard that name before? Zellie took a sip of her rum before starting again. " So we went and got something to drink. Later that night we…uh…well we had some fun." Just made a face. I didn't need to hear about her love life, especially not from 16 years ago. "When I woke up an hour later he was gone. I had taken a mighty fine liking to this Jack fellow. I looked all around Tortuga to find him. When I finally found him he was making out with," She was interrupted by my mom jumping into the conversation.
"With some whore! I remember that. I was helping you look and we spotted him making out with a whore." Auntie Giselle looked at her strangely, then a look of comprehension crossed her features.
"Right, that whore! I blinked and they were gone, obviously off to have fun. I asked around and found out he had left on his ship. I'm one of the worst people to hold a grudge. Soon I had almost every girl in Tortuga that had "had some fun" with Sparrow ready to go after him. So, just because I'm a bitch," She winked at me and I gave a small laugh. " I got a ship to commandeer and a crew and named it the Pink Pearl. Not only to insult Jack but also because there were only girls. What girl doesn't like pink?" Me. In fact I hate pink.
"Wait, if it's all girls why is…Annie? Yeah, why is Annie in the crew? Even if he is gay."
"All the girls love Annie, not to mention he's looking for one of the men on the Black Pearl. Every one says Annie and him had the best…" I stopped her there. Do I look like I care about these people's sex lives? No.
"So you're still after Jack huh? If you're just after him why are you guys, girls sorry, called pirates?" I finished my rum and licked my lips, awaiting the answer.
Giselle gave me a wry smile. "Girls gotta make a living somehow. We pillage and plunder, and we also make a living as bounty hunters. Jack's not the only thing on our minds 24/7 you know." I was about to ask another question, but Zellie interrupted me before I had the chance, again. "Tomorrow you should come see my crew before we leave. I'm sure they'd all love you." I shrugged my shoulders.
"Sure. Why not?" I yawned out. It was getting late. It had to be at least 11:00. "Well, I'm going to hit the hay. See you in the morning." I stood up and gave them hugs and went to my bedroom. That night I had dreams of sailing the 7 seas.