CHAPTER 29
Sunrise
Maleen stood at the bow of the ship, her arms crossed as she leant on the rail as the golden rays of the rising sun made her hair and face glow and warm up just that little bit more. The sea was calm, with just the occasional lapping of the waves as they hit the wooden ship, and the wind was hardly noticeable, but it was there.
It was tranquil; a beautiful scene to behold and something that Maleen had never really appreciated before that moment. But then again, before now, she hadn’t had the one thing she had wanted.
And even though he had run out on her mother and herself, Maleen could only hope that Leroy had a real reason for not returning like he promised. She wanted to know the answers to so many things, but this question was the most important to her. Why had he left and why did he presume that there was a chance he would never return?
Many people had told her that Leroy was the right man to answer her questions properly, and that was why she was waiting. Waiting that little bit longer.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Leroy asked, and Maleen turned to see him standing with a large piece of cloth holding his arm in a horizontal position against his stomach; supporting it, like he had been doing earlier by himself. She smiled when she saw him, before turning back and looking at the view they were admiring.
“Indeed,” She said, “I’ve never really noticed before now.”
He stood next to her and leaned against the rail casually, turning away from the sun so they could see each other just a little better.
“How’s the shoulder?” Maleen asked, glancing down at the cloth that was holding his injured arm in place. She winced slightly, noticing that it had small spots of blood on it.
“Better by the minute, you know,” He said cheerfully, wiggling the fingers to show that at least he could do that without it hurting, “Oh and, this isn’t mine” – he indicated to the stains Maleen had just noticed – “Joe just said it was the only thing he could find; he said it’d help. It’s supposed to take the weight off it, I presume; and it’s working.”
“You gave me quite a scare, earlier,” She admitted, “when it happened, that is. I thought that everything I’d been through would have been wasted if the worst happened. I thought...”
“You thought death’d catch me?” Leroy smiled, “Shows how much lack of faith you have in me. I’m still as strong as I once was, you know. If not stronger. However, I do believe that the everything that happened could have been avoided – fighting over a ring! You’d think people would want to go for a bigger prize...”
“A ring?” Maleen questioned.
“Yes, that was what Sarah was after; waste of time, if you ask me.”
“But Pedro said it was one of the most valuable objects in the world; and that you got it from a shop on Silver Street; and the only shop there was a pawnbroker.”
“Your point being...?”
“How can you find one of the most valuable items in the world in a pawnbroker?”
Leroy chuckled, “As I told our dear Sarah, the treasure is more valuable to me than it is to her...oh, and that reminds me; I brought you a little something,” he slipped his good hand inside his coat, with that devilish smile on his face yet again, and produced something from the inside pocket. He held it between his thumb and forefinger for a moment, before taking Maleen’s hand and placing it in her palm. She looked down at it, then back up at him; amazed.
“Is this...?”
“The ring?” He finished, “Aye, it is – and it’s yours. I was going to give it to you on the day I left, but forgot to.”
“But...I thought Sarah took it,” Maleen whispered, looking down at the gold band again.
“Aye she did, but whilst waiting for you, I think she must’ve given it to that boy Joe...something or other. He hadn’t it to me a moment.”
“I still don’t understand why it was in a pawnbroker though,” Maleen said.
“Because I left it there,” Leroy explained, side tracked, as he began to wander around the deck a little; looking for something, “A few months ago, I passed by this island and was in need of money. Saw the shop and gave in something I could afford to lose – but wanted to get it back, of course – it was mine – so I did.”
He rummaged around in a nearby crate with his good arm, frowned, and then moved on to another, “I guess you’ll want to keep it then,” Leroy added, “seeing as though you still have that necklace I gave you.”
Maleen glanced down at the chain around her neck that she had successfully managed to fix with a little bit of string and patience. It hadn’t taken long, but she couldn’t have clicked the links back together as a few had been broken when Jozan had sliced at her neck. It made her smile when she saw her initials on the dull surface – the shine now ruined after everything it had been through in the past week or so – and realised that, having something else to remind her of Leroy wouldn’t be that bad at all. She opened it and looked at the small picture inside; the parchment had been ruined and the picture was hard to make out.
“Ah ha!” Maleen heard Leroy say, and she turned to see him lifting a bottle from one of the grates; delight showing clearly on his face, “knew there was some around here somewhere.”
He walked back over to her, removing the cork from the bottle using his teeth, before spitting it out over the side of the ship and taking a long swig. Maleen waited patiently, but couldn’t help but stare at how thirsty he seemed to be.
“So what’s going on between you and that lad, eh?” Leroy finally asked, wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve.
“What lad?”
“You know that Joseph fellow...or Jamey or...Jacob or...something...”
Maleen looked up at him, “Jozan,” She corrected, “and what do you mean by that?”
“He obviously likes you, I was just wondering...”
“Whether I like him?” Maleen stared at him in disbelief, was this what Pedro had been suggesting earlier? She didn’t love Jozan...or, at least, she didn’t believe she did, “He doesn’t love me anyway – not that it matters – we’re just friends.”
And that was when she suddenly realised it. There was no longer hatred when she said his name there was no feeling of betrayal. She’d forgiven him and, yes, she did think of Jozan as someone she could trust – a friend.
But how she had managed to get over the hatred so quickly was another mystery she now wanted to solve; something she would never, truly, get to do.
“He seems like a nice lad, though. Pirate, yes, but a good one at that –”
“I’m not looking for love,” Maleen interjected, not harsh, but just letting Leroy know that she wouldn’t change her mind and that the conversation had taken a turn for the uncomfortable.
“Sometimes that’s the best way to find something; by not looking for it.”
“Depends on what you’re looking for,” Maleen replied, and looked up at him with glint in her eye; hoping he would take the hint.
There was an awkward moment of silence as Leroy looked back at her, thinking about what she’d said, no doubt, and wondering what it meant – or wondering whether to explain why he had left. But, instead, he changed the subject back all together.
“Well, are you going to put it on or not?” Leroy asked, looking down at the ring that Maleen was fiddling with between her fingers, “If you don’t like it I believe Sam had a young lady waiting back in England for him...”
“No, I love it,” She assured him, and slid it on the middle finger of her left hand, before he had chance to take it from her, “See?”
“Hmm,” Leroy said, smiling, and then taking another swig from the bottle; this time for not as long.
And another question popped back into her head.
As well as all the memories that lay behind it; the island, Simon, the river and the bridge and the lizards – all of them came flooding back to Maleen at once making her look up to her father’s face once more.
She stared at him for a while intently, while trying to come up with the answer on her own.
“What?” Leroy questioned, looking about him.
“The box,” was all Maleen said.
Leroy looked back at her, confused, before his eyes lit up as everything became clear again. He smiled devilishly and took another sip from his bottle.
“So you lost it, ay?” He finally said, “Honestly I didn’t believe you would; you promised.”
“I know,” Maleen said, almost regretfully, but not quite, “and I felt so bad afterwards...”
“Well, did you at least open it?”
“I...” Maleen looked away, ashamed. It just went to show how bad she was at keeping promises. “Yes. Yes, I did – but I couldn’t help myself! I’d help on to it every day since you gave it to me, not opening it, but then a few days ago –”
“Whoa; stop just a second,” Leroy said; a look of surprise and confusion on his face, “I gave you that box when you were...five?”
“Six.”
“Yeah, whatever,” He said, discarding the irrelevant fact, “And you didn’t open it for eight years?”
“I promised I wouldn’t unless I needed to.”
Leroy tilted his head back and looked down at her, quizzically, but also as if he was immensely proud, “In some ways, you’ve not changed a bit since I last saw you,” He muttered, before smiling with just one corner of his mouth, “If I had been you, I would have opened that box the moment I was alone. I wouldn’t be able to help myself.”
“Wait, so...you’re not angry?”
“Angry? Why would I be? Maleen, you were a child! I gave you the box and told you not to open it so as to keep the wonders and mysteries of childhood going. I told you not to open it unless you absolutely needed to and, if you were six at the time, you would have found that ring comforting. And I thought that, even if you did manage to control your curiosity for a few years – which I am incredibly impressed by, by the way – then at least you would always have that magic with you; that small part of you would always believe that whatever was inside that box was a real fantasy; something that would help you when you truly needed it. I was allowing your imagination to fill in the blanks...” Leroy paused and gave her his a grin once more, “I guess some of your mother did pass down to you then after all.”
“And by that you mean...?”
“She was never that curious about things either; believed that some things should just be left where they are...unlike Sarah, who never leaves any leaf unturned. Never has done, never will.”
“Why was she so harsh with you?” Maleen asked, remembering the scene from when Sarah had Leroy in shackles when, really, he was never any threat to anyone.
“Sarah? Oh, she’s always been harsh,” Leroy took another swig from his bottle, “Ever since I first met her; she’s not changed much at all.”
“How did you two meet?” Maleen asked, still curious as to what her father had been up to for the past eight years.
“Tortuga, of course; where else? And we took quite a liking to each other; got along better than most other people I meet,” He took another swig from the bottle he still held in his hand; less than half its original contents now remaining, “but, of course, all that changed after I left her; as it does, I’m afraid to admit...”
“Whoa, back up a second,” Maleen said, shaking her head, “what do you mean ‘left her’? Is that why you kissed her? Were you together or..?”
“For a time, yes;” He answered, “not that it’s any of your concern,” He examined his finger nails briefly.
“So...she liked you...once?”
“Of course. Who doesn’t at first glance?” Leroy revealed his teeth again, cheekily, “but, I feel kind of bad now, because of your mother and all – I didn’t realise that Lord Graham would go back on his word – how is she, by the way?”
Maleen looked at him, searching her father’s face for any signs of telling a joke. She couldn’t believe that he could be so cruel, if he did know. Leroy wasn’t like that...was he?
“You mean, you don’t know?”
“Know what?”
Maleen stared at him for a moment, sorrowfully, and wishing that by some means she could make everything how it was supposed to be – wishing that she didn’t have to show Leroy the truth about her mother. She didn’t know how he would take it – how he would accept it – but there was no real way of avoiding it now.
Without a word, she pulled the worn letter out from the sleeve of her shirt once again and Leroy watched with a growing expression of suspicion and confusion. She handed the thin, weathered parchment over to him and he took it without taking his eyes off her face at all until the letter was in his hand.
Using only his good arm, he unfolded the parchment and took one last look at Maleen’s worried face before reading the words that she had managed to memorise.
Maleen watched as his eyes skimmed the paper, guessing what words he was reading at the same time. She watched him, expecting a reaction, but found that his face just stayed thoughtful and stern.
After no more than a minute – even though it seemed much longer as the seconds ticked by slowly – Leroy refolded the paper and handed it back. Not one word passed through his lips and that far-away, thoughtful expression remained.
More seconds passed and still there wasn’t a sound from either of them. Maleen began to feel worried as Leroy looked out to sea, thinking – seemingly not remembering she was there at all.
“I’m sorry,” Maleen finally said quietly, unsure as to why she felt she was to blame.
Leroy looked down, at the waves below, but didn’t look back at her; not even a glance, “Don’t be, sweetheart,” He replied, in the same hushed tone, “it isn’t your fault.”
And then there was a long silence. One that seemed to last forever; the seconds stretching longer and longer as each one ticked by. Maleen had no idea what to say. She had never needed to comfort her father before. He had always been Captain Leroy Tresanillos; the brave and the fearless. But now, seeing him look so sad and...almost lost, Maleen had no idea what to do.
“I thought...” Leroy began, but stopped again as he tried to search for the right words inside his head. “When I left I thought that Lord Graham would...”
He squinted, appearing to struggle to get out what he was trying to say. Maleen watched him with worried but confused eyes. Only then did he turn from the horizon and look into Maleen’s face.
“And then I saw you. I didn’t believe it at first...but I...I presumed that if you had survived then...Emily...”
He looked back into the ocean and his voice was nothing but a whisper, “Well, you know...”
“Yeah, I know,” Maleen said, in an equally quiet tone. The tension in the air seemed to be building and she wasn’t entirely sure what to say next. The seconds lengthened, and Maleen began to wonder whether or not she should leave Leroy to cope with the news on his own.
“What are you planning on doing next?” He asked suddenly, causing Maleen to jump slightly. His voice was still low and he was looking out at the horizon. His eyes were still slightly distant, but Maleen was glad that at least he was trying.
“I’m not sure,” She answered, smiling slightly, “I was just concentrating on getting here. It was that hard and challenging and there were so many people who told me things about you that there were times where I just thought about giving up, to be honest.”
Now he finally did look at her properly and now his expression was somewhat confused; “Why’s that?” He asked.
“Well, to begin with I thought it was impossible. I couldn’t imagine where I would even start to look for you and even if I did, I would never know of any way go get to you. And then I was told things by people – bad things – about you. And because of what they said I thought that maybe it wasn’t worth all the hassle of coming to find you...but that wasn’t it.”
Leroy looked at her, urging her to go on.
“I was scared.”
He leant back a bit, still looking at her in curiosity and waiting for further explanation.
“I’ve always thought of you as this...brilliant man who always did everything right and you weren’t scared of anything – and after you left that image only grew stronger. I thought that you were always there for me – even though you were out at sea – and that you’d help me if I needed you...I guess...I guess I was worried that you’d changed. That what Simon had said would be true and...you wouldn’t be the same Leroy you used to be,” She looked at him, straight in the eye to make sure that her words were clear to him, “I was afraid that the great image I had held onto for so long would be shattered and...you’d disappoint me – and a part of me knew that I wouldn’t have been able to cope with that. So...I guess I should say I’m sorry – for doubting you.”
There was a slight pause as Leroy looked back at her, a small smile appearing on his features. Maleen didn’t know that he was smiling because of the way she had spoken – and the way she had spoken was exactly the same as her mother used to do when she was sorry about something; and that was something, deep down, that he would always secretly loved.
And, for some reason, it reminded him of something. Just one night, many years ago, he had been lying under the stars with Maleen on one side of him and Emily on the other. They had been gazing upwards at the never ending blackness and he had told Maleen that the stars were beautiful and that, whenever he went away – delivering cargo to different countries – the same sky was always above him. That when she looked up at the stars, he would be doing exactly the same thing; looking at exactly the same ones. That sky was what connected them; what closed off those hundreds of miles and made them seem so much closer together. Leroy still couldn’t believe that he had ever been so...happy with just staying still. Staying on just one island with the same people, doing the same things; nothing ever changing in his life – he didn’t believe that he could have ever done that; not after everything he had been through since that day he had left. Maleen would only have been small; five perhaps? Maybe less? Now that he came to think of it, he had no idea how old she was now. He looked at her, curious and guessed about fifteen; give or take a few years.
He couldn’t believe how fast she had grown up.
A young woman, she was; or thereabouts, and somehow he had missed everything. Because of one trip to Africa. One trip that changed his entire life forever.
Mistakes had been made in Leroy’s life, and many of them too, but at least he still stood firmly on two feet and had some hope at a future. A future of piracy that he could not avoid; full of dishonesty and thievery and bargaining...
And Leroy wouldn’t have wished for it any other way. Why would he? It was what he was used to, it was what he was good at...in some ways...and now there was a small light that lit up whatever darkness had been following him.
Maleen.
Leroy had never believed he could love someone as much as he loved her. But it was a different kind of love of that he had for the rest of womankind. He cared greatly for her merely because he was his daughter – and had done ever since the first time he had held her in his arms.
Of course he would never tell a soul his innermost thoughts; not even Maleen who, he knew, would keep them a secret. Leroy believed that emotions were a sign of weakness and, as he had learned in the past, if you showed openly how much you cared about someone, that love could also be used as a weapon against you.
But the thing that warmed him the most inside was the fact that his daughter hadn’t pushed him away; even after those lies he told her those many years ago. After going back on his promises and breaking her heart in numerous places, she still went looking for him, never giving up and still embraced the thought of him just standing there, beside her; she wanted him to be there – after everything – and that was something that made him smile.
Leroy glanced down at her once again and found that she looked troubled; her expression showing she was thinking hard about something.
“Why did you leave?” She asked, not angry; confused, “and why didn’t you come back again, like you promised?”
Leroy chuckled, “That’s a long story, sweetheart...”
“I still want to hear it,” Maleen answered, “you owe me an explanation, at least.”
He looked down at her for no more than a second before looking out to sea; bringing back all the memories he had tried hard to forget. This would be the last time, though, he promised himself – and Maleen had been right; he did owe her at least that much.
“Well, I suppose it all began on the Guardian...” He began.
Maleen’s eyes sparkled brightly and her lips curved upwards into a smile as Leroy began to paint the picture of what had happened on that last day in Port Domicile. She listened intently to the words he spoke and memories of her own came flooding back as he explained; memories of when he had been saying goodbye to her, and when he had been stood on his ship looking so sad and lost.
And he was her father – hers alone to share with no one – Captain Leroy Tresanillos.
And as she listened to his voice, and the sun began to rise higher and higher into the sky, Maleen realised that she was, for one of the few times in her life, truly happy.