Pellesi's life be the same after meeting the old sea captain, Salty Skip.
"Aye, I need work. I have a wife and a babe to feed along with this bad leg. I'm not of use to anyone I have come across to this day. What is it that I might be able to do for you?"
"A deck hand is what I need. Someone to help man the sails, hoist the anchor and cook for the crew. My last cook jumped ship in the south for warmer weather." Salty Skip laughed.
"How soon will I be paid? I can't just up and leave my family with no means for survival."
Salty Skip grasped on to his money pouch hanging from his belt and poured a bunch of coins into his hand. Gold galleons and silver coins were held before Pellesi to take. "You will get the rest of your share when we return to dock. This should hold your family for the rest of the year."
Pellesi thought his eyes would pop out of his head while he looked down at what he held in his hand. It was more than enough to take care of his family for two or more years on what they had been surviving on at this very moment. And, there was more where that came from too?
"When do we leave?"
"Be at the dock by sunrise tomorrow. I can’t promise you when we will return. We will sail south to the islands. There is a lot of spices and such we sail there to trade for."
A wide grin covered Pellesi's face. His struggles were over. "I will be here at sunrise," he yelled over his shoulder, hobbling away to tell the grand news to his young wife.
"What do you mean you are going to set sail in the morning? Who is going to take care of us? Are you going to abandon us over a mere coin?" Mrs. Pellesi stood with a hand on one hip and the babe cradled against her other hip.
Pellesi thought she would be as excited as he was that their struggles were finally over. He figured all he needed to do was show her the gold galleon and she would be happy knowing that that one coin would give her enough funds to take care of her and the baby for a year. Why was it so hard to make a woman happy?
"But dear, there is so much more." He held the rest of the coins out in his hand to show her what he had. She eyed them and looked about their small cabin consisting of a sitting - eating area - a fireplace to cook over and to keep warm. Along with a straw bed in the corner and a wooden crate to lay the babe down to sleep.
"There's more," he repeated.
She held out her hand to accept the coins. "You say there is more?"
"Aye, the rest will be paid upon my return."
"How long will you be gone?"
"He did not say. All he said was that we were to set sail to the south islands to do some trading and then return. It can't be that long. How far away do you think the islands are?"
She laughed, "I hear they are on the other side of the world. You will be gone for most of the year at the least." She handed the coins back to him only because the baby had begun to cry. It was feeding time. "The coins will buy food and clothing for Treea and me. But you must promise us that you will return."
Pellesi just about did a jig. The woman was warming up to the idea of his trip, which he had never thought possible a few minutes before by the look on her face.
"Aye, woman, I will not only return, but I will bring us great fortune. I will build you a grand home that will model the greatest castle." He kissed her forehead holding her close to him while she struggled with the babe to find a teat.
"Captain, I can see from here, that they await us." The voice of the guard broke through Pellesi's thoughts of his past. A past of nearly twenty years, where had the time gone? The babe was now a grown woman and his own woman was a ghost of his past. He missed his wife dearly and feared she was scowling down on him for letting things come to what they were. Her words in his mind, "Think before you act," haunted him since the day the guards had arrested him.
Chapter 24
The sight of him dueled in the pit of her stomach. A part of her wanted to rush to him and
"Aye, I need work. I have a wife and a babe to feed along with this bad leg. I'm not of use to anyone I have come across to this day. What is it that I might be able to do for you?"
"A deck hand is what I need. Someone to help man the sails, hoist the anchor and cook for the crew. My last cook jumped ship in the south for warmer weather." Salty Skip laughed.
"How soon will I be paid? I can't just up and leave my family with no means for survival."
Salty Skip grasped on to his money pouch hanging from his belt and poured a bunch of coins into his hand. Gold galleons and silver coins were held before Pellesi to take. "You will get the rest of your share when we return to dock. This should hold your family for the rest of the year."
Pellesi thought his eyes would pop out of his head while he looked down at what he held in his hand. It was more than enough to take care of his family for two or more years on what they had been surviving on at this very moment. And, there was more where that came from too?
"When do we leave?"
"Be at the dock by sunrise tomorrow. I can’t promise you when we will return. We will sail south to the islands. There is a lot of spices and such we sail there to trade for."
A wide grin covered Pellesi's face. His struggles were over. "I will be here at sunrise," he yelled over his shoulder, hobbling away to tell the grand news to his young wife.
"What do you mean you are going to set sail in the morning? Who is going to take care of us? Are you going to abandon us over a mere coin?" Mrs. Pellesi stood with a hand on one hip and the babe cradled against her other hip.
Pellesi thought she would be as excited as he was that their struggles were finally over. He figured all he needed to do was show her the gold galleon and she would be happy knowing that that one coin would give her enough funds to take care of her and the baby for a year. Why was it so hard to make a woman happy?
"But dear, there is so much more." He held the rest of the coins out in his hand to show her what he had. She eyed them and looked about their small cabin consisting of a sitting - eating area - a fireplace to cook over and to keep warm. Along with a straw bed in the corner and a wooden crate to lay the babe down to sleep.
"There's more," he repeated.
She held out her hand to accept the coins. "You say there is more?"
"Aye, the rest will be paid upon my return."
"How long will you be gone?"
"He did not say. All he said was that we were to set sail to the south islands to do some trading and then return. It can't be that long. How far away do you think the islands are?"
She laughed, "I hear they are on the other side of the world. You will be gone for most of the year at the least." She handed the coins back to him only because the baby had begun to cry. It was feeding time. "The coins will buy food and clothing for Treea and me. But you must promise us that you will return."
Pellesi just about did a jig. The woman was warming up to the idea of his trip, which he had never thought possible a few minutes before by the look on her face.
"Aye, woman, I will not only return, but I will bring us great fortune. I will build you a grand home that will model the greatest castle." He kissed her forehead holding her close to him while she struggled with the babe to find a teat.
"Captain, I can see from here, that they await us." The voice of the guard broke through Pellesi's thoughts of his past. A past of nearly twenty years, where had the time gone? The babe was now a grown woman and his own woman was a ghost of his past. He missed his wife dearly and feared she was scowling down on him for letting things come to what they were. Her words in his mind, "Think before you act," haunted him since the day the guards had arrested him.
Chapter 24
The sight of him dueled in the pit of her stomach. A part of her wanted to rush to him and
Similar Books
