Chapter 6

Once the sun set, food was brought from nearby pubs and we ate a hardy dinner, sitting on crates and eating from tin plates. It was better than I ever expected it to be. After food and drink (Jack did drink a bit of rum, which I expected) we got up and began dancing again. We danced into the early morning hours, Jack drinking a considerable amount of rum as we did so. By the time the first rays of twilight were sneaking over the horizon, everyone who was drunk passed out on the ground. Only Anamaria and I were left sober.

"Well, I've partied enough and now I'm ready to sleep. I'm goin' back to the ship to bed. When Jack wakes up tomorrow, tell him where to find me," I told Anamaria.

"Alright, I'm goin' t' my house inland a ways. But I will tell him when I come into town for bread." Anamaria replied. We went our separate ways, me back to the docks and Anamaria to her house. Once I reached my cabin, I was so tired, I pulled off my boots and fell asleep before my head hit the pillow. I slept for hours, not wanting to wake up. When I did wake up, it was to a knock at my door.

"Come in," I said into my pillow. I didn't even bother asking who it was. Since I was awake, it didn't really matter who it was. The door opened and Jack stepped in.

"G'mornin' love," Jack greeted me with a smile.

"Mornin' dad," I replied through a yawn. When I said 'dad', Jack's face lit up. He sat at the foot of my bed and looked into my eyes in the way he had when he told me I was his daughter the day before. I wondered if he could see into my mind when he looked at me like that, his deep brown eyes staring into mine.

"You ready to go home?" Jack asked after a moment of silence. "I mean...to the house."

"I'm ready. Although I'm a bit hungry. Can we get some bread or something?" I replied, just as my stomach growled rather loudly. "See what I mean?"

"Yeah, I see what you mean. We'll grab some rolls from a nearby bakery if ya want," Jack laughed. He told me to pack my clothes in the trunk that sat at the foot of my bed because Anamaria and Gibbs would bring it to the house later. So I packed everything that was in my chest of drawers in no time flat. Once my clothes were packed, Jack and I set off for his house. We walked to a nearby bakery and got a few rolls to eat for breakfast and ate them on the way. They were delicious sourdough rolls that had just came out of the oven.

After walking for about 25 minutes, a small single story house on a hill came into view. As we continued to walk toward the house, I noticed a couple of palm trees with a hammock strung between them and a small garden in front of the house.

"Is that the house?" I asked.

"Yep, home sweet home," Jack replied, smiling. "Your room is all set up for ya. All you need is your clothes and they'll be here later." Once we walked up the gravel path leading to the house, I saw the garden in detail. There were beautiful rose bushes with red roses blossoming nicely as well as white and pink roses. There were lavender plants as well, even some jasmine. The aroma of the flowers was heavenly.

"Your mother planted that garden especially for you. The flowers go all the way around the perimeter of the house and are underneath your bedroom window. Before she died, your mother would have you out in the garden with her. You always loved the roses the most," Jack said, as he came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. My eyes began to tear up at the thought of the mother I would never know.

"And I still love roses," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady as tears began to slowly fall from my eyes. Jack must have sensed I was crying or something because he pulled me back into him, so my back was against his chest and his arms were around me. My eyes closed, the tears still falling. Jack rested his chin on my head and I couldn't think of any person I'd rather be with at that moment.

Author's Note:
Reviews are welcome – Artemis