Second on the Right (6 page)

“Hey, Martin” he answered with an
undercurrent of irritation.

His parents had been concerned about his
social life, but were afraid to approach him. No such luck with his
brother, Martin, who had no problem saying what was on his mind.
If I hadn’t asked for the stateroom, I would have no mobile
service and no Martin.

“James!” Martin said, the grin evident in his
tone of voice. “You shag anyone yet?”

James groaned internally. If he were ever to
find his soul mate, he would make certain never to introduce her to
his brother. He loved Martin dearly, but the guy could be a real
cad.

“Martin,” James said in warning.

“You should have taken me with you,” Martin
interrupted. “I would have helped you find a chick, one with a nice
piece of —”

“Martin! Is there a point to this call?”
James asked in frustration. Normally, he would have let his brother
continue, but this time it felt wrong, as if Martin were speaking
specifically about Eileen.

“Fly me out to your next stop, and I’ll hop
on board,” Martin replied.

“Thank you, but no. I’m in no need of
company."

“Uh huh. I see. You found one. So? What’s her
name?” Martin asked, causing his brother to grin, but say nothing.
“Come on, mate. I need details. What’s she like…”

James rolled his eyes, waiting.

"In bed?” Martin laughed hysterically.

“Done?” he asked.

“Mum and Dad are worried. You've been so busy
with work, never taking time off. And that last date, yeah it was a
little rough. They just want to know how you are doing,” Martin
explained.

James sighed heavily. He shut his eyes and
tried to rub away the frustration with his fingers. He took in a
deep breath. Clenching his jaw, he answered in a low but menacing
tone, “It’s only been a day. The ship has barely gotten underway.
Rest assured my family will be the first to receive an invite to
the wedding.”

Martin laughed, “You have got to control that
temper, James. It’s likely to get you into a heap of trouble one of
these days. Which reminds me of this girl I met last night -”

“Goodbye, Martin,” James finished, ending the
call. Once again, he felt the pressure building. Opening up a
browser, James searched the topic of anxiety related to work and
family stress. After reading a few articles, he made a mental note
to explore the idea of seeing a therapist about it later. If not,
he was sure his family would be the death of him. He sighed again
and turned his attention to his presentation notes.

May 30, 1641, evening

When Eileen came to, Benedict was nowhere to
be seen. Wanting to take advantage of the moment, she swung her
legs to the floor and stood. Before taking a step, she made sure
her legs were steady enough to keep her upright. Sharp pains
riddled her body from head to foot.

On unsteady legs, Eileen made her way,
zigzagging to the door leading out to the deck. A cool breeze hit
her when she stepped out of the cabin. She shivered. The sight of
the moving horizon made her stomach turn. She moved as quickly as
she could, holding on to every rail, every piece of wood, every
crewman along the way to the edge of the railing nearest the helm,
where she proceeded to lose the entire contents of her stomach
again. She groaned in misery and wished she could just go back and
sleep it off. Looking to her right, she noticed Benedict and Smythe
standing nearby. As soon as she caught his eye, the captain turned
his back on her. Still gripping the railing, she slid closer to the
two men in order to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Th' witch lied," Benedict grumbled.

"Whadda we do wit 'er?" Smythe asked.

"Don't much care. Put her on an island. Dump
her overboard," he sighed, sounding disappointed.

"But cap'n…what if the fortune teller is
right?" Smythe questioned, concern resonating in his voice.

Benedict stood for a moment, and then replied
with an air of disgust, "A woman, found at sea, with no stomach nor
legs for it. Is goin' ta help me find treasure? Doubt it."

"Aye. But to throw 'er overboard, would'in it
be worse luck?"

Though nauseous, Eileen had enough of her
wits about her to pick up on the conversation. The first mate's
last words rang in her ears.
Treasure? What are they talking
about? Me?

The first mate took a quizzical glimpse of
her, then back at the captain. Benedict cleared his throat and
murmured something about the weather while striding towards the
helm.

"Make the lass part o' tha crew,” Eileen
heard Benedict order.

"A lady sailor? Cap'n, she knows nothin'. I
should be teachin' 'er?" Smythe asked incredulously.

"Aye. As long as she's on my ship, she will
work," he replied. "She can start with ye."

Eileen’s heart was heavy. She continued to
grip the rail, wishing that her nausea would stop or that she would
die.

"At nigh’, she stays with me," he finished.
With the look in his eyes, she knew the captain could not be
trusted. She watched him closely as he headed down the stairs. One
final glance at her, he shook his head and entered his
quarters.

Smythe jogged down the stairs. "Miss, ye will
be stayin' with the captain." He turned and shouted, "Steede!"

A skinny pirate trotted up to the first mate.
"Aye," he responded, offering a shy, but friendly smile to
Eileen.

"Get the lass a hammock. She be sleepin' with
tha cap'n," he said.

Steede flushed and grinned. "Oh, aye
sir."

"Not that kind o' sleepin'!" Smythe snapped.
"Now get the hammock!"

This isn't a dream? It's 2001, isn't
it?
Eileen was doing her best to adjust to life at sea in
another century. Her struggles were intensified by the feelings of
extreme loneliness and inadequacy. The crew watched carefully, but
none approached or engaged her in conversation. They each had a job
to do and did it quite well without much direction from the
captain.

When Eileen felt slightly more confident in
her steps, she began her training. The first mate delegated the
responsibility to other crew members. Eileen initially was sent
below decks to learn the proper ways to secure items aboard the
ship with various knots. Though many other tasks overwhelmed her,
Eileen had some knowledge of tying knots from her time in medical
school. It was well into the night when she was finally pushed by
Smythe to return to the captain's quarters for rest. Yet, even in
her corner of Benedict's quarters, Eileen quietly sat in her
hammock, turning, pulling and twisting each knot in turn until she
felt secure in her knowledge. She would have continued to practice
if Captain Benedict hadn’t demanded she go to sleep.

The next day, Eileen was assigned to learn
under the ship's carpenter and doctor, Anders, an older man set in
his ways. She had difficulty working with him initially. When he
asked what, if any skills, she might possess, she mentioned her
knowledge of medicine.

Anders scoffed at her, "Woman doctor? Tha'd
be tha day."

He laughed uncontrollably, while Eileen stood
by, arms crossed, annoyance written on her face. But as he
continued to laughed, her annoyance slipped away into despondency.
P
erhaps he's right. Perhaps they’re all right. I failed
to become a doctor. It isn't a skill I could partially claim.
She frowned, glancing away as her confidence continued to slip.

"Ah…" His laugh faded as he caught the look
on Eileen's face. "Oh Lass…"

Anders cleared his throat and showed her how
to maintain the ship's wood, patch leaks, and so on. Uncomfortable
with offering apologies, he brushed aside his coarseness in the
hopes all would be forgiven and forgotten. In a short time, Eileen
did, and the two worked as if they had been master and apprentice
for years.

Each day brought new tasks for Eileen to
learn, as well as additional sore muscles and joints. Her body
ached from one day into the next until she grew accustomed to the
feeling. Though she was in some pain, she pushed through,
determined to learn as much as possible for as long as the crew was
willing to teach her. She desperately wanted their approval.

Joseph Steede, one of the skinniest pirates
on board, was particularly affectionate towards Eileen. He treated
her like he might a sister. After a while his close friend, William
Smith, a short and more rounded pirate, grudgingly admitted his
fondness for her as well even though it was evident he was not at
ease with having a woman on board. Their support strengthened the
bond between the crew and Eileen and, at the same time, gave her a
boost in self-confidence.

Captain Benedict expressed concern to Smythe
regarding the need to maintain order on the ship. He made it clear
that she would need to stay in his quarters at night. Having her
sleep anywhere else on the ship would leave far too much temptation
for the crew. He seemed to trust no one but himself. Though he
provided her with a safe place within his quarters, she still did
not trust him. She had overheard what initially she thought were
rumors. But as time went on, the crew was of one mind. They treated
her as the means to treasure. None laid a hand on her.

That evening, Eileen knocked on the captain’s
door and received gruff permission to enter. She dragged her feet
as she made her way into the captain's quarters. Benedict sat at
the table, enjoying a mouth-watering meal. He pored over maps
spread out on the table. Though she was still hungry, even after
eating with the crew, she knew it was not appropriate to help
herself to the food unless invited by the captain. She had mixed
emotions; gratitude that he allowed her to stay on board, but anger
that he was treating her so coolly.

Eileen headed over to her corner of the
cabin, separated by a sheet used as a screen if she were to change
or bathe. Luckily for Eileen, she also had access to the captain’s
private head; it offered a small amount of privacy aboard the ship.
She recalled him firmly saying, "Ye are part o' me crew and will be
doin' as ordered. At nigh', ya stay with me. That be yer spot. The
head be at the stern." He had been inches from her face and eye to
eye, waiting for her to challenge him. Eileen never did. She was
too timid, too used to others walking all over her.

Weeks passed by as Eileen learned from each
of the crewmen Benedict designated for training. Through
improvements and accomplishments, her confidence in her abilities
grew. Determination set in and she put all of her effort towards
learning everything she possibly could about life on the ship.
Eileen felt like a sponge, soaking up all of the information she
received yet wanting more.

She worked harder than she had ever worked
before. If she did not pick up a skill immediately, she tried again
day and night until she learned. Eventually, she perfected it. She
needed and wanted to prove to Benedict and to herself that, if she
put her mind to it, she could accomplish anything. The crew noticed
Eileen's hard work, and treated her with more respect.