Subtle Waves • James Kidd/Mary Read

chapter six

The next day, I woke up bright and early to go bid my father and his crew goodbye. For they will be going out to sea for quite a bit of time and I've decided to stay back here for another day, before going out on my own ship. Over the last week or so, I've been putting together a crew and, so far, I have a fair amount of men willing to join me out at sea.

I snuck out of the house before anyone was awake and started making my way over to the Queen Anne. Once I approached the beach, I noticed that all of the crew was awake and carrying cargo onto the ship. I saw my father also standing on the beach, barking orders, and I decided to walk over towards him. "So how long do ye plan on leaving for?" I suddenly ask.

He gives a quick chuckle and says, "Not quite sure, Rose. Perhaps a few months." If I wasn't staying, he would definitely leave for a longer period of time, but he worries about me. Also, he doesn't quite know that I have my own ship. I'm hoping to tell him soon though, so he at least knows that I'm not going to be staying here the whole time he's gone. Hopefully, he understands my need for adventure and let's me out on my own. After all, I know everything you can know about a ship and I know these waters like the back of my hand, so he's unable to use my abilities as a reason not to go out. I am a twenty year old woman. I am an adult. I can make my own decisions. I do not need my father's approval for everything I do.

"Father," I say, "I'm not staying here." After a moment of silence, I quickly look up at him to see a glimpse of his emotions. He stays looking out towards sea and let's out a small sigh.

He then looks over at me and sadly says, "I know, Rose." This was not the reaction I thought I was going to get. I expected yelling, screaming, and curses, not this. I look up at him again, only for him to continue talking. He calmly says, "I knew ye'd never be able to stay here fer that long. Ye got adrenaline pumping in yer veins. Ye got passion in yer soul. Ye need ya be out there, taking chances and risks. What kind of father would I be if I tried to stop ye from fulfilling yer dreams, Lass?" I give him a huge smile, before jumping up and giving him the biggest hug. This is it. He's giving me my first shot at actually going out on my own. Not only that, but he actually believes that I can succeed. I give him a quick kiss on the cheek and he chuckles, before I quickly break away and run towards the tavern.

Before I get too far, I turn my head over my shoulder and yell, "Goodbye, Father! See you soon!" I seen him laugh again and I continue on my way towards the Old Avery. Once I get there I frantically look around for a very specific person. I see her standing behind the bar and I run over to her.

"Oh my lord, Ez. Are you okay?" Anne asks, giving me a worried look.

I give her a wild grin and then say, "I'm finally going out on my own! I have my own ship and everything!" She looks at me in shock, before wrapping her arms around me and pulling me towards her. Her hug is a little awkward, due to the counter top between us, but I still accept it nonetheless. When we let go, we both give each other wide smiles.

"Well, it's time for celebration." She happily says, before pulling out a mug and filling it with rum. She adds by saying, "It's on the house." I go to grab the mug and I'm just about to take a swig when I hear a very familiar voice approaching. Before they can get too close, I quickly put the cup down and jump over the counter top and hide beside Anne. She looks down at me with a confused look, before I point in the direction of the young pirate and she suddenly realizes why I'm hiding. She laughs down at me and continues on with washing some cups.

"What are ye smiling about over here, Lass?" James asks. You can hear the amusement in his voice.

Anne then pauses for a moment trying to think of something to say. Finally coming up with something, she quickly says, "Oh I just heard a funny joke."