Ch. 4

Eleven years later...

I am 28 now and I'm sitting down in the "Faithful Bride" tavern sipping a cheap rum that I only just managed to pay for. I had traveled up north from Port Fontaine to the sinful Tortuga alone and on the verge of being destitute. Over that last few months, I had been working by cleaning ships instead of being the true pirate that lay inside of me. Ma father had passed on some years ago. So once in a while I would come to Torturga hoping that one of ma brothers would pass through and visit me.

So there I was sitting by a window in the some what quiet bar and that's when I saw it. There was Jack Sparrow, or Captain Jack Sparrow as he was known to go by theses days, lining up pirates for a crew I suppose. I wanted to go outside and just hug and kiss him over and over, but I was remembered in the high seas for anything but being nice. Also, I remembered that the day Jack left, he didn't truly say goodbye and the Beautiful Rita had never been returned to me. I decided to surprise him instead as an evil grin spread over ma face. I snuck to the back of the line of pirates pulling ma three-cornered hat low and I waited.

I almost screamed with excitement when I finally heard his voice after all of these years. He was talking to a mute man's parrot and I started to wonder if the stories of the heat driving him mad were true afterall. I couldn't wait anymore until he reached me, so I yelled out 'And what's the benefit for us?' bringing his attention to me. Cautiously pulling ma hat from ma head, probably because he still remembered ma voice, he said ma name. I wasted no time to hear his explanation as I slapped him full on. He still looked the same to me so I suppose the years had been kind to him.

"I suppose you didn't deserve that one either." A very young and handsome man who was standing next to Jack said making me wonder what they had up their sleeve but I stayed silent.

"No that one I deserved." Jack said to the other man before I shook ma head agreeing totally with him.

"You stole ma boat!!" I yelled not letting him think he was clear of the deed after all these years.

"Actually-"

I slapped him again for having the nerve to try and explain why he did it. I think now that I might have done that just to satisfy the lost of him from ma young life when he had meant so much to me.

"Borrowed. Borrowed without permission, but with every intention of bringing it back."

"But you didn't!!" I screamed at him getting closer and really having to fight the urge to kiss him now.

"You'll get another one!" He offered me smiling and making me want to grin too but I kept tough. I pointed a threating finger at him and he back off a bit.

"I will!!"

After that Jack and the other man got into an argument about which ship I should be allowed to have and we soon came to an agreement. I snatched ma hat back from him and sauntered away but not before smiling when another one of his friends told him it would be a bad idea to have me on board. Or as he said it:

"No no no! It's frightful bad luck to bring a woman on board!"

"It be far worse not to have her." Jack said and I would have laughed if the statement didn't make me a little shocked that he actually wanted me on board just a little.

I quickly learned that we were sailing from Tortuga to track down the, rumored to be cursed, Black Pearl to save Will Turner's friend Elizabeth Swann. We fought hard and we eventually defeated Barbossa and his cursed crew, however, Jack was captured and sent to hang for his crimes at Port Royale, Jamaica.

After much needed persuasion from me and Mr. Gibbs, we turned back to save him. It has been two years since the day that Jack was tossed back into ma life, and I am still the acting first mate.

One day out of the blue, Jack called me to his cabin to talk. I went thinking he was going to make me do more on deck work or perhaps; looking over charts again with him like I had been doing but I was wrong.

"What is it Captain?" I asked shutting the door behind me and he walked over to me. I backed up a bit confused and yet curious as to what he was going to say.

"Anamaria luv, I never got to truly make things right between us."

"There is nothing to make up for Jack."

He shook his head and took ma hand in his, and I tried to pull away but he would not let me go. I gave up knowing I couldn't win.

"I'm sorry for leaving you like that so long ago and for uh...borrowing your boat and not telling you why but can't we put that behind us now?"

I only nodded looking away from him still trying to remain indifferent to the way he made me feel sometimes. As I was leaving he spoke again.

"You really are lucky Ana dear."

I only smiled as I closed the door behind me knowing he was right.