Chapter Three
170 Broken Hearts, Courtesy of Jack
Once we were back on board, a couple things happened.
It was midnight, and Jack was out steering while I was in bed, trying to get to sleep. A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in!" I called.
Indira came in. Now Indira is nice, but she's really attractive and often wears revealing clothes. She's also a little boy crazy, so I don't trust her with missions at Tortuga. But all in all, she's a loyal comrade that any captain would want.
"Hi, Indira," I yawned.
"Hello, Cap'n." She looked kind of nervous.
"What brings you here?" I sat up.
"Well…" she hesitated. "I need to talk to you about Jack."
"Oh," I said sympathetically. "Poor thing. Has he been trying to seduce you, too?"
"Actually, I kind of like him."
This struck me as odd. How was it possible to like Jack? "Okay, why are you telling me this?"
"Because Captain, the whole crew knows that he likes you. But we haven't been able to figure out if you like him, so…" her voice trailed off.
"You're asking me permission to pursue him."
"Yeah, I guess."
"Indira, I don't like him. But there are some things to know before you start falling head over heels for him. Go talk to Mr. Gibbs. I'm tired. Tell me all about it in the morning."
She nodded eagerly. "Thank you, Captain!" She left happily.
Poor thing, I thought. About to walk into the same trap at least another hundred had. My rage at him flared up again. Indira was a good loyal woman. She deserved better than that scum. And a couple months from now she could be crying her pretty gray eyes out over him.
I rolled over and closed my eyes…
. . .
"Another C in mathematics, Sade! You need to study right now! GO!"
"But Mom! Please? Why can't you just give me another chance? This is my first this week!"
"Because you're a smart girl and you don't need second chances!"
"Mom, everyone deserves second chances. Really. It's just what's right. I may be smart, but I'm not perfect."
My mother glared at me. "Sit at that table and study. Don't get up until I tell you to!"
"But…" I protested, then sighed. How could I get her to see that everyone needed another chance?
. . .
I woke up in the morning puzzling over the meaning of the dream. Then I got it.
"You've had all the second chances in the world, Jack." I rolled my eyes. That guy didn't deserve a second chance.
Speaking of Jack, he strode into the room just then. "I say, love, the sunrise is almost as golden as that lion's mane of yours."
"Ever hear of Indira?" I cross-examined him.
He glanced at me, startled. "Is she the one who wears bikinis?"
"Yes," I spat. "She is a good, loyal woman and you better not…"
"Love, don't worry. I'm not interested in her. I saw her glaring at me right after she was talking to Mr. Gibbs."
I relaxed. "Good," I murmured. "I don't need another problem."
I closed my eyes and leaned back on my pillow. Jack, meanwhile, had grabbed a brush and began stroking my tangled hair.
"Come on, love, the Song can't run without her captains."
"You're right." I stood up, preparing to face the world. "Breakfast, Jack."
He held out his arm to escort me and I hesitated. I was never sure of what to do when he did this, as it was a gentlemanly gesture and Jack was the exact opposite of a gentleman: a pirate.
I took it reluctantly and we strode to the table outside, where Karissa, Gibbs, Jack and I ate every morning. Our first mates were both there already.
"Good morning, Captains," greeted Gibbs.
"Hey Sade. Hey Jack," Karissa droned in a bored voice.
"Captain Jack," the pirate corrected as we sat down.
"So…" I contributed. The four of us hadn't been alone for a while.
"Gibbs, what did you tell Indira?" Jack asked. Then I noticed our prettiest crew mate glaring at him from a distance.
"The exact number of girlfriends you had."
Karissa and I leaned forward, eager to receive the exact statistics.
"Well?" my first mate prompted.
"A hundred seventy." Gibbs took a sip of wine as Karissa and I stared at each other wide eyed, and, in harmony, turned to study the desperate womanizer.
Jack smiled. "What can I say? I'm a magnet."
"You're a maggot," I insulted. Karissa and I had both risen.
"Honestly, I oughta…" Karissa was interrupted.
"Captain! Captain!" I swear the whole crew came running to Jack and me, swamping us. The attention was mainly fixated on me, however.
"What?!" I exclaimed.
"Captain Hector Barbossa is coming, Captain!" piped up Azariah.