Authors: Lynelle Clark
Captain Derek Blanq. He fell in love with Kayla and they
got married a month after us. Derek and Cisco became
friends on that journey.
†††
On the third day, Rosa-Lee came into Roberto's
cabin. He saw that her lips were dry and she hungrily eyed
him eating a peach, also stealing glances at the chicken on
the table.
'Can I help you, Señorita?' he asked without looking
up.
'Can I have some water and food, please?' her
mouth was so dry that only a whisper was heard over the
scratching of the tin plates.
'I cannot hear you, Señorita. Speak up.' He lifted his
head to meet her eyes.
'Can I have some water and food, please?'
'Will you sit at my table?'
She looked at him. Her expression still showed
defiance and anger but she tried to cover it with
exaggerated submissiveness. He smirked.
'Yes.'
'Sorry, I did not hear you.'
'Yes, I will sit at your table!'
'Pierre, please bring a chair closer for the Señorita.'
When a chair was place behind her, she had to stop
herself from grabbing food and water simultaneously. Her
lips burned with thirst.
'Do you want water, Señorita?'
'Yes, please.' While he poured the sparkling, clean
water, she watched his every movement. Every nerve
ending in her body shouted cravings for the sweetness. He
placed the water carafe back on the table and handed her
the cup. With shaking hands she finished the water in one
thirsty gulp. Droplets ran from the side of her mouth. Ochre
eyes followed the trail down her neck, over her full bosom
and onto her dress.
He had to hand it to her. She had held out for three
hot days. Brave and strong was this delicate little flower.
She reminded him of flowers he once saw blooming in the
desert: beautiful and alive with colour, but underneath,
hidden under the lush green leaves, thorns waited, and
when you tried to pluck one, it would sting you when you
least expected it. He had to shift for the stirring that he felt,
keeping his expression sternly on her.
She, however, did not notice the stare or the shift.
She ate until she was full, the delicious food a welcome
treat to her palate. It was quiet for a long time in the
captain's cabin with Roberto filling her plate and she
eating, hands trembling, taking sips of the wine he offered
to wash it down. Pierre had already left without her
noticing.
Once done, she relaxed, holding the glass of water
in her hands, not letting go of the precious fluid, taking
frequent sips.
'Meals will be served punctually, every day,' he said
lazily cleaning his nails with the knife. 'I hope, Señorita,
that we understand each other better from now on.' He met
her gaze.
'Without a doubt,' she snapped.
Ahh, the thorns,
he
smiled.
'Enrico is preparing a bath for you as we speak.
Enjoy, Señorita.' He smiled at her when she finally let go of
the glass.
For the last three days, she received no bath. The
heat was unbearable in her cabin, but she refused to go on
the upper deck in this state of filthy, unkempt hair and
alarming body odours.
These men, these savages, will not humiliate me!
The bath would be a welcome diversion. She felt
sticky from the sea air, her hair hanging listless on her
shoulders.
'Thanks, Señor,' she said, a bit friendlier. She felt
humiliated by the experience and she could see that he
loved her discomfort. Now she could not look at the smirk
on his face.
'I hate him!'
'It was a pleasure,' he said as she left. She could
hear his laugh following her all the way to her door.
'I really hate him.'
Two hours later, she felt refreshed and clean, her
skin soft and creamy. She decided to go to the upper deck
to dry her hair in the midday sun. For the first time since
she had come on board, she came up on the deck.
Walking to the bow, a man busy with ropes looked
at her with interest. She ignored him, touching the taffrail
to keep her balance. She could look far around her, the west
coast of Africa noticeable on the horizon. The ship clove
the clear waters. A light sea spray met her that was
welcoming in the heat. It was her first time taking a voyage
again.
Her mind wandered very far from her immediate
surroundings, thinking about a similar voyage twenty years
ago when she was only four years old. Memories flooded
back; of how they had met the giant they now knew as
Cisco Almaida. She remembered how she ran up to him,
telling him that she would be his daughter because he didn't
have one and looked sad. From that day forward there was
a bond between that sailor, now her father, and herself.
She remembered hugging his thick leg, feeling safe.
His hug in return was hesitant because the captain did not
allow any contact between the passengers and the crew. In
her young mind she did not know of the trouble she had
caused him, only that she had a longing for a father figure.
Her father was never interested in her, never around, or
when he was he was always drunk. She had always been
afraid of her biological father and had never had the liberty
to run up to him and hug him as she could with the giant.
Her young heart immediately reached out to him.
He talked to her in a soft, low voice, and even today, he
never raised his voice to her, even when she knew she
deserved it. He was a loving, gentle giant, and she loved
him fiercely.
In her eyes, he was everything a father, a husband,
and a man should be. She remembered how he was
whipped because he held her, the pain on his rugged face,
but not once did he cry out. His back ripped open from the
lashes.
Her mother thought that she did not witness it but
she did and when it was finished, she sat in a corner and
she cried about the unfairness of the grownups. Her
biological father stood close by and laughed when the giant
received the beating and she hated him. Never once did she
seek for his affection or love again throughout the voyage.
In the year and a half that they were in the bush
country of Africa and she got scared, she always ran to the
giant seeking safety and comfort in his arms.
Cisco was always there.
Ever since her mother and he met, they had loved
each other dearly. It did not matter how hard they tried to
ignore it. Their feelings became stronger over the period of
time. They never could openly express their love because
of the 'no contact' rule that the captain enforced harshly. No
one ever loved that man, not even her father, who was
always in a drunken stupor because of all the idle time at
sea. He had nothing to keep him busy except gambling with
the sailors.
This was the first time after their ordeal that she was
back on the open sea. Yes, there were many times that she
went on board ships because her father wanted to teach her
the science of chart reading and making knots, but she had
never gone on a voyage again.
She was happy on their estate, helping in the villa
and in the village. She loved nature and the smell of freshly
worked ground as well as the peace and tranquillity that it
brought to her soul.
Sadly, she wondered if she would ever set eyes on
that place again. Things at sea could change very quickly.
She knew the sea was never a friend.
She remembered when Manuel and Pedro were
born and how happy Mama and Papa were. Before they
were born, her father had always had a longing in his
piercing eyes. But after their birth it disappeared, replaced
by contentment and joy. He always told them how much he
loved them, and her mother had developed into a beautiful
woman because of the love he had shown her. Before their
marriage her mother had been called an 'ice queen.' She
lived a bitter and lonely life. That changed after she
married the gentle giant.
One day Rosa-Lee would also have a love like that.
At the age of twenty-four, she was still not married, but her
hopes for the right man to come had not wavered. Many
suitors came and spoke to her father about her hand in
marriage but he always respected her wishes. He never
gave in to the demanding men and she loved him even
more.
To be loved like that was her one goal. She wanted
to be protected and to feel safe in the arms of the man she
loved, to trust him. That was the love she sought.
Now she found herself on a ship going to the harem
of a pirate captain on an island very far from her beloved
family. There was no way that her life would end this way.
She would not accept this.
Tears of frustration ran down her cheeks. She never
thought that this would ever happen to her; that she would
be part of a price to set her brother free.
Finally, when the evening bell announced the
dinner, she was once again aware of her surroundings. She
wiped her face clean from the dry tears and went down to
the dining cabin. She did not keep track of the time she
spent on deck nor realize that it had gotten so late already.
With a gentle stroke to her still loose, wavy hair,
shoulders straight and back rigid, she walked into the
dining cabin. The men were already sitting down, but the
moment they noticed her they stood up, waiting for her to
take a seat in the middle of the table. She acknowledged
their gesture with a simple nod of the head and sat down.
The captain sat at the head of the table. Pierre, the
chief mate, Alexi, Enrico and two other men sat around her.
The captain nodded in her direction and they started the
meal. The men were deep in conversation. She listened
with half an ear, keeping her eyes on her plate, eating the
deliciously prepared food consisting of roast beef and
vegetables. When she was almost done with the meal she
heard the captain addressing her.
'Do you feel better after the bath and the stroll on
the deck, Señorita?' She was looking forlorn. There was a
sadness on her face and Roberto wondered about it. He
wished he could reach out to her but he knew that it would
be futile at this moment.
Remember the thorns.
'Yes, thank you.' Her eyes were still downcast on
the plate before her as she took small bites of the remaining
food. The men continued with the conversation and she
listen still half-heartedly.
Roberto watched her from across the table. Not
once did she make eye contact with anyone present. He
wondered what she was thinking about. From her brother's
stories, he knew that this was her first voyage after that
ordeal.
Could it still be difficult for her?
He had watched her the whole afternoon as she
stood on the deck, her thoughts was very far off. Emotions
played on her face that even brought her to tears. He
wanted to go closer and comfort her, but he knew he would
not have been welcomed. She never once noticed him, so
close to her, and he could enjoy her beauty without any
disturbances.
She reminded him of his mother. His mother was
also beautiful as a young woman and gentle. She had
strength in her that no one could break, and through many
difficult times she was the one who kept them focused. He
missed his parents; it was now sixteen years since he had
last seen them. Ever since he had met the young señorita he
found himself longing for a family; a family he could call
his own.
Yes, this woman intrigued him on a completely
different level. He knew many women in the different
harbours all over the known world; beautiful women who
captured his interest for a while. He would have his time
with them, but when he left, he never thought about them
again.
This one, Rosa-Lee Almaida, captivated him even
before he met her, but to know her as a warm, passionate
woman would be wonderful and fulfilling.
He could see himself on a farm with her by his side,
building a future with her. He even imagined a few children
running around, enjoying the fruit of his labour.
For so long he had suppressed thoughts like that,
but he thought about it more and more often, enjoying the
comfort it brought to him. Since he had seen her, he knew
she would be the one. She could be wild and passionate.