It's My Life

Jack listened as Anna, who was draped in a bolt of burgundy silk, let her voice spiral up and slide down and spiral up again. There seemed to be something about the silk that had acted on her like catnip on a cat. Ever since Jack had made good on his promise to strip her and drape her in silk, she hadn’t stopped singing. Fortunately, Jack had made sure Gibbs had gone off to move furniture before he had even started with the silk, because the last thing Anna needed was Gibbs sticking his head in and counting all the ways a singing woman on board a ship was bad luck. Jack wasn’t of that opinion himself, but in the interest of keeping the peace, he had dispatched Gibbs with specific instructions about furniture. So specific, in fact, that it would probably take most of the day for him to carry them out.

“So you like the silk, then?”

“Oh, Jack, it’s wonderful! I had no idea what it was like to wear. It’s like it isn’t even there at all!”

“That’s a good thing.” Jack’s thoughts took a distinct turn for the gutter, led by the thought of women walking around fully clothed and feeling naked. Anna saw his face change and would have swatted him, except the silk between her and the rest of the bolt wasn’t quite long enough to let her reach him. “I know that look, Jack. If you’re going to think about it, at least think about me.”

“That could be mutiny, too, y’know. Telling a man what to think, while he’s on his own ship?”

“Still doesn’t work, Jack. I’m still not a member of your crew.”

“It was worth a try, anyway. So there’s that bolt, and then there’s some blue and some green and some black. Which ones do you want?”

“Yes. Can I say that?”

“Why not? Silk’s good for you.”

“Oh, I won’t argue with that! Right now I don’t want to argue with anything.”

“Remind me to drape you in silk every time I see you, then. What is it about the stuff?”

“Ever since I was a scullery maid, I’ve wondered what it would be like to wear silk. They had silk tablecloths they used sometimes, and I used to wish I could steal one and have a petticoat made out of it. Of course, they never let us have any chance to steal them. So it was only a dream, and now it’s not a dream any more. And it feels incredible. I feel beautiful, for the first time I can remember. I can walk around feeling that way.”

“Well, it took you long enough.” Anna glared. “No, that’s not what I meant. What I mean is, it’s a good thing. So now you’ve got a home to go to, and even if it took getting you tattooed and wrapping you in silk, I got you to start living in it. It’s a great thing, having a life to do things with.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Anna grinned, and kissed Jack. “You’d know; they’ve tried to take yours away from you in enough ways.” Whatever else she was going to say was interrupted by a series of thuds on the deck above them. “I thought you sent Gibbs and company off to move furniture?”

“I did. Better put on some real clothes, luv. He’ll probably be sticking his head in here wanting to know where to put the stuff he took out of your place.” Anna squeaked and dove for her chemise again, arguing with the silk, which suddenly slid down her front and bared her from the left shoulder down. She got decently attired again and was just winding the silk back onto the bolt again when Gibbs, as Jack predicted, stuck his head in and asked what to do with the furniture.

“Last chance for that bed, luv. You sure you don’t want it?”

“Positive.”

“You know, where that bed came from, they sleep on silk sheets.”

“Tempting.” Anna thought for a couple of minutes. “But no. Give me the silk to wear, not to sleep in.”

“All right, luv. Gibbs, put that bed back in the lower hold, and put the rest of it wherever it’ll fit. And if it won’t fit, sell it.”

“Aye aye, cap’n.” Gibbs disappeared again.

“Damn! I forgot. Be right back, luv. Gibbs!” Jack left the cabin, bellowing for Gibbs, and Anna was left alone with four bolts of silk and her thoughts. The silk was gorgeous, and the thoughts were at least tolerable.

“Jack was right. I do have a life, and walking around in silk will maybe remind me to live it. I just hope it doesn’t go from letting me live to buying my life. I’m not meant to be a kept woman, so I bought my own house. Hm. I wonder what my walking around in silk will do for the tavern’s business? That’ll be interesting. I feel gorgeous in that stuff. I wonder if feeling gorgeous is always scary if you’re not used to it? Oh, hell, I don’t care. I think I’m just going to enjoy it for a while. And I let go yet again.” Anna smiled to herself, and let her brain wander off into thinking about nothing in particular until Jack came back in, dragging a trunk behind him.

“And a trunk to keep it in, was it?”

“I think I said something like that, yes. “ They loaded the silk into the trunk, got it up onto the deck, and Jack got Cotton, who had somehow gotten out of moving furniture, to bring the trunk back up to Anna’s house. Anna and Jack stayed on the Pearl, because the trunk was in good hands. Cotton’s parrot had perched on top of the trunk and would bite anyone who tried to steal it before it got where it was going.

“So Anamaria comes back tomorrow. Will you go back to sea tomorrow too?”

“We’d better. If I don’t get the rest of the crew back soon, I’ll never see them again.”

“Tortuga will do that. So when you come back again, you’ll come find me?”

“Count on it, luv. I want to see what you look like in the rest of that silk.”

“I think I can manage that. Jack?”

“Hm?”

“I miss you between times, you know. And now I don’t know whether I’ll miss you more, living this life you showed me how to get, or whether it’ll keep me busy enough not to. But I do know that if you hadn’t done it, I would still be living in that tavern and I’d probably still be miserable. So…thank you.”

“You’re welcome, luv.” Anna leaned against Jack, who put an arm around her waist and held her there until Cotton and his parrot came back again.

“I suppose I should get back home again; if you’re leaving tomorrow, you've got things to do. Good luck, and come back.”

“I will, luv. The Pearl will take care of that. And next time, I’ll teach you to swim.”

“That’s a promise, is it?”

“It is.” Jack kissed her until her knees would barely hold her up any more. “And that seals it. Now get off home and leave me to see to my ship, hm?” Anna went, wondering if the world had really shifted a foot to the left, or whether she just felt that way. Whatever else he was, Jack was a very good kisser.