Interlude 3

Interlude after Chapter 49: All Tessie's Children 3

Anamaria approached what was being called the "Women's Building" with no small amount of trepidation. She hated the idea of being separated from the crew by virtue of her gender, and she hated the idea of being around the type of labour that was going on in the building, which was less of a building than it was a roof made of woven leaves and branches, held up by sturdy posts, open on all sides but the south to let in the cooling breeze. Under the leafy shelter sat several women, her mother included, doing what Anamaria reckoned was beneath her personal dignity. Sewing clothes. For a good purpose, since there was a boatload of poorly clad escaped slaves requiring protection from the elements, and some demanding more modest attire. Good cause or not, however, Anamaria was a pirate, not a seamstress.

Anamaria was also quite inept at sewing. Whenever she had taken part in it as a youth she'd only been allowed to sew outer leg seams or coat hems – not the more delicate inner seams or areas that might chafe or scrape the wearer. She envied her sisters' seemingly natural ability, yet took comfort in the knowledge that neither of them could sail or pillage or slit throats with Anamaria's flair. With that in mind, she walked, or rather limped, toward the shelter, unable to work on the more manly tasks suited to her abilities having had a rather heavy beam dropped upon the whole of her foot by the clumsy, and likely half-drunk, Mr. Gibbs, who most certainly did not belong on dry land.

It was a very good thing that she had been forced to take a break at that moment, for the conversation among the sewing women was embarking on a topic of grave concern to the pirate.

"I think it's a wonderful idea, dearie. I always welcome new grandchildren!" Tessie's fingers flew as she sewed a perfectly even seam along the inner leg of a pair of trousers.

Charlotte sat beside her, gathering fabric for the yoke of a blouse. "I thought you'd like it, mum."

Mum? Since when was Charlotte calling Anamaria's mother "mum"? Anamaria didn't even call her mother "mum".

"You'll be a wonderful at it, I just know you will. And is Anamaria as excited about it as you are?" Kay asked. Kay was somehow balancing one nursing baby and one toddler, who was enjoying a plate of some sort of hideous looking orange mashed tuber, while she sewed a hem on a thick skirt.

"Am I excited about what?" Anamaria demanded as she sat next to Okonkwo's wife, Rina, who was placing the most intricate stitches Anamaria had ever seen around the neckline of a beautiful shirt.

"Why, Charlotte having a baby, of course." Tessie bent to bite through the thread she'd just finished sewing with, then straightened to face her daughter. "It's exciting, don't you think, dearie?"

Anamaria choked even though there was nothing to choke on. They'd discussed it once or twice, but Charlotte never told her she was…

"Oh, silly, I'm not pregnant yet. Don't look so shocked!" Charlotte laughed, that silvery soft laugh, so much less harsh than her usual accent. She probably laughed like that on purpose, to make Anamaria melt. Anamaria just knew it.

"How would she get pregnant from you? Anamaria, really, I realize your experience with men is limited, but I would have thought you knew…" Kay giggled. Had she been into the rum already? No, apparently not. She was just being irritating because for the sake of it.

"Now, now, don't tease. The task now is to find a father who is suitable," Tessie stated.

"And willing," Kay added.

"And available," Charlotte said.

Anamaria just stared.

"What's wrong, luv? Oh, you hurt your foot, is it all right? Do you need something?" Charlotte fussed over her girlfriend for a while. Eventually everyone took up her work again. Even Anamaria had a coat to hem.

"So, what are the choices?" Rina looked out at the various men working across the clearing. They were raising the first proper building of the settlement. It was to be a long, open structure with enough room for almost everyone to sleep in, until houses could be constructed.

A tall, large woman sitting on the other side of Rina, looked up from her work. This was Darria, born and raised on the plantation Matthew had been sent to in Virginia, and sent south with him because she fought with the overseer when he tried to bed one of her daughters. Fortunately, the daughter had been sent with her. A lovely, energetic girl, Elsie was running back and forth in the camp fetching water and materials for the building crew. Darria smiled when she saw her daughter pass a mug of spring water to one of the pirates who was chopping wood. She was grateful for this chance at a free life, and the idea of Charlotte, whom Darria knew had escaped her own form of servitude, having a baby seemed a particularly appropriate way to start this community.

Darria's eyes lit on Franklin, handsome and tall, as he lifted a timber up into place above his head. "What about Franklin? He seems nice…"

Kay frowned.

Charlotte giggled. "Don't look so upset, Kay! No, Franklin has lots of children already. We can't have all the children here having the same father."

Kay sighed in relief.

"Wouldn't it be nice if one of Anamaria's brothers could be the father?" Rina deftly folded the neckline and stitched, creating a pleat that would expand as the wearer reached and stretched.

"But Jacob is leaving in the morning, and Okonkwo says the best time would be three or four nights from now." Charlotte sighed. "I don't want to have to wait. He could be gone for months."

"How about Alphonse?" Darria asked, pointing to the handsome preacher. He was teaching a lesson in reading. It had been agreed at once that everyone would either work on building the settlement or be in school. Most of the children old enough to learn sat in a circle around the deep-voiced preacher, listening avidly to his lesson. Mr. Cotton, having never learned to read and not being fond of construction work, had joined them. Perhaps being able to write would free him from dependence on his parrot for communication.

Kay laughed so hard her breast popped out of the baby's mouth, provoking an angry wail. "Oh, hush love, latch back on, their you go," she soothed her child. She raised her hand to wipe a tear from her eye. "I'm sorry, Darria, I wasn't laughing at you. It's just…well…"

She began to laugh again so much she could not continue.

"What my sister means to say," Anamaria said dryly, "Is that our brother Alphonse is not inclined that direction."

Tessie nodded. "It's true. I can't imagine Alphonse, I mean, really. No offence, Charlotte. It's not a judgement on you. But Alphonse would be less likely to be able…with a woman I mean… than Anamaria could with a man."

Rina raised an eyebrow in Anamaria's direction but said nothing. All these strange people with their strange ways. But if they were willing to help her, an escaped slave probably with a price on her head, make a new home for her family, well, who was she to judge?

Kay pointed over to the opposite side of the compound, where Matthew was planing flat boards cut from a felled tree. Matthew exuded strength and virility, all shining dark skin and bulging muscles. Very distracting for poor Alphonse who was struggling over part of his lecture to the students. "How about Matthew? He's a lovely looking man, you'd have a fine child with him."

Darria shook her head. "You can't. The master forced Matthew to do that, to breed children with the other slaves. You couldn't ask him. It wouldn't be right. It was horrible for him to be forced to do that. The women didn't blame him, but he felt so guilty for it. He is a decent man. Please, think of how he felt."

Charlotte nodded. "I agree. It would be improper to even suggest it." She had no desire to bring up bad memories for anyone, especially not Matthew, who she found to be unfailingly charming and friendly to all.

Tessie finished the trousers and picked up what looked, to Anamaria, like random scraps of fabric. Tessie began to sew the pieces together. "Well, there's no shortage of men around. We're bound to find someone suitable."

At that point, Captain Jack Sparrow careened around the corner of the shelter. "Hello, ladies." The captain swayed much as he always did on dry land. "Lovely afternoon, is it not? I wonder if you could direct me to the nearest path leading to the lagoon. My ship is in need of my talents far more than your charming campsite could ever be." Jack smiled and squinted in that Jack Sparrow way, as if he knew he was embellishing the truth and knew you knew it too but that didn't stop him because it was what he wanted to do in the first place and all he really wanted to do was to get the hell away from all that building and noise and bother.

All eyes turned to the rogue, who responded to the stares by gazing about himself with a concerned grimace on his face, looking for the focus of all this attention for it could surely not be him. His beads clacked as he swung his head this way and that, searching for the source of all the interest.

Several women pointed to the same narrow path, and Jack half-nodded, half-bowed his thanks and lurched off in the direction of the Black Pearl, anxious to be free of the vaguely disturbing feminine stares.

The women stared after his retreating form.

Charlotte cleared her throat. "I think not."

All the women heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Juni, a painfully thin woman who'd been in the group who came from Africa, had been following the conversation to the best of her ability, given her limited knowledge of English. She nudged Darria and pointed to the west corner of the compound. Darria made an approving noise and pointed as well. Soon all the women were staring at the same man.

Will Turner worked at a makeshift smithy. He had stripped down to the waist, and was hammering away at a metal rod, sweat pouring off his back making him gleam in the sunlight. His hair hung in damp curls across his straining shoulders, and every woman in who watched would have had to admit they had seen few comparable backsides.

"Oh," was all Charlotte could say.

Anamaria felt something rise up from deep inside, up into her throat. Jealously?

"Oh, my," Kay added.

Rina nodded. "Hmmm," was all she could say.

"Well, that would be nice. I mean, Anamaria, your child would be the child of my husband's son. That's keeping things in the family, which is nice." Tessie watched Will bend down to pick up a different hammer, and knew exactly why Jack had had that helpless look on his face that time she watched Jack watch Will scramble up the rigging of the Black Pearl. Goodness, but the boy was a younger, slightly firmer version of her husband, just a little longer and leaner. Oh. My. Indeed.

Anamaria growled. Audibly.

"An excellent idea. You know, Charlotte, I would suggest my William. I know he would do it if I asked him," Tessie said magnanimously, "But I'm not comfortable with my grandchild being my husband's child. I like to keep the generations straight."

Anamaria wondered how that squared with Jack's tangled relations with her husband and his son, but did not want to raise the issue with so many people, particularly unrelated people, present.

"He's a fine young man," Kay reasoned. "Handsome, strong, clever, and a generous soul. I'd say he's the perfect choice."

Will took a mug of water from Elsie and flashed her a brilliant smile of thanks. Elsie looked as if she might faint from the brilliance of it, a fact not missed by Darria, who reminded herself to have a talk with the girl about acceptable behaviour and other relevant topics.

"Can't see it," Anamaria scoffed. "He doesn't even like girls."

Charlotte laughed. "That's not a problem."

Kay sat up straighter. "What do you mean? If it's a problem with Alphonse why is it not a problem with Will? Is there something wrong with my brother?"

"Not at all." Charlotte couldn't take her eyes off Will. "It's just that Alphonse definitely, resolutely and decidedly only likes men."

"Good way to put it," Tessie had to agree.

"But Will, he doesn't really know, does he? I mean he's in love with Jack and all…"

Rina shook her head. What a bunch.

"…but he's never really had a girl, so he doesn't even know what he likes. I'm sure he'd be willing to try."

Anamaria grimaced. Once Charlotte made up her mind about something it was hard to divert her attention. But she was sure Jack would have something to say about this.

*****

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