Chapter 8: Lecture

"May I?" Teague asked formally before sitting down next to his son, although he didn't wait for the answer. It would've never come anyway. "What's wrong with you?" He didn't really expect a straight answer either, but he had to start somewhere.

"Nuttin's wrong with me apart from you playing the devoted father. Fe Elizabeth's sake is it?"

"I've never been at ease in the role of the father, I'm no good at it. Ne'er said I was. But may God, if he exists, never curse you with anything worse than me as a father. I was hard on you because you needed it. You had unbelievable potential and it breaks me heart seeing you waste it. What do you mean there be nuttin wrong with you? This is not you!"

"How would you know who I am? How much time have you ever spent with me?"

"I didn't need to. You were well able to look after yourself, let's just say I was half as able m'self. But not now, today you seem to depend on whatever string some wench's pulling."

"Don't call her that. She's funny, she's sharp, she's bonnie, she's the only one I could call my equal."

"Not anymore son, did you forget you're sliding down from grace? Listen, your mother was married before I met her. She was married when she came with me and she was married to another man when she had you."

"Neat." Jack didn't take his eyes off the horizon, "so chose the time to tell me I'm a bastard. Wherefore?"

"Perhaps you might want to consider the same. The lass loves you. You can run away not believing, but it is very true. She chose the eunuch and she will again," he continued knowing Jack would never admit to even wanting to be with her, "when the time comes and she'll go to meet him. Several years to go till then Jack and she agreed to last out with you. Don't believe me, ask her."

"Stay as me what?"

"The same as you mother was to me. Just how isn't that not enough? Get yourself together because the lass's not going to get the proper care of you're blind drunk all the damn time. You need her if you two are going to take the assignment the Brethren Court gave you."

"The Brethren Court can't hold a meeting without me."

"No, but I can fill in for you."

"I'm doing none of their undertaking. Got me ain priorities."

"Yes you are son, yes, you are. Code says so. And you want to as well. You are the only one Calypso will listen to. She's grown too unpredictable and the Court wants her in human form so they can forget about her. The pirate way, no being thankful."

"I will no help you with that."

"I was hoping you would say that. Go, act as an intermediator, make her understand where her priorities lay."

"What makes you think she's listen? Calypso's mourning the death of her love."

"But you don't have to, son," Captain Teague stood up to give the boy some time to think.

"Wait! There was Brethren Court meeting? Does that mean that Barbossa and the Pearl...?"

Captain Teague smiled. That was starting to look like they were on the right track, "still there if we are going to put in some speed."

"Reducing drag," Jack ran to the centerboard.

Tbc