An Officer but No Gentleman(89)

“None of the men talked to me. They didn’t like me. Maybe twice a year German George would invite me to go ashore with him if my father wasn’t taking me with him to take care of business matters. My father rarely engaged in recreation when we were in port. We spent most of our time in warehouses and shipping offices buying and selling or trading goods. But then I overheard my father talking to Dr. Kirk. He paid German George to take me so they could go into town and find a couple of women for the night.”

Charlie took a breath and continued.

“Things weren’t getting any better on watch until one day a rope had jammed in a pulley. It was at the end of a yard and no one wanted to go out there to fix it. So I volunteered and when I got there I could see the rope had come off the wheel. It was wedged between the wheel and the housing. I don’t know who had been pulling on that rope, but it was stuck good and tight. I pulled so hard when it finally came free; I lost my balance and nearly fell in the sea. You never saw a kid hold on for dear life as much as I did.”

“They let you do it without a safety rope?” Jaxon asked crossing the room and pouring her a glass of water.

“Where were you when I was ten?” She force a small laugh, wondering if the men would have saved her if she fell in. She doubted it. It was why she struggled so hard to hold on. They would have been glad to see her gone.

She took a sip and continued the story while he took a seat in the ladder back chair behind her desk.

“I got so many ‘good jobs’ and ‘atta boys’ that I started volunteering for everything. Soon I was up there reefing the sails with the rest of them. I may not have been much help pulling in the anchor, but most of the time I held my own. Unfortunately, I was still a boy among men and I didn’t fit in.”

“You were a girl among men,” Jaxon corrected.

Charlie shrugged, dismissing his correction out of hand. “When I was thirteen, I took my test to be an able seaman. Shortly after that was when Morty joined the crew. He was seventeen, fresh from the farm and didn’t even know a sheepshank from a belaying pin. I remembered what it was like to be the one polishing the brass, feeding the animals and cleaning their cages to be kept out of the way, so I took pity on him and taught him everything he needed to know. Morty doesn’t pick up new things easily, but with patience he can learn just about anything. A few months later, when we got to port, he wanted me to go to shore with him and every time after that. And for the first time in my life, I had a friend.” Charlie’s voice cracked and Jaxon saw her eyes were awash with tears.

“Oh, Charlie,” he said coming around to where she stood and gathered her up in his arms and held her.

“He wanted me to go to shore with him because he liked me, not because my father gave him money to keep me out of his way for the evening. And when Michel Dupre joined the crew and wanted to go to shore with Morty without me, Morty told Michel, he could come with us or he could go by himself.”

She looked into Jaxon’s eyes. “Morty didn’t let Michel come between our friendship. But I let you. And I don’t know how to make that up to him. I love you so much, but I love him too and I know I have to give up that friendship. After I became second mate, my father wouldn’t let us fraternize anymore so the night of our engagement party was the first time in three years we really got to go on the town together.”

Jaxon kissed the top of her head. She loved Morty because he befriended her as a lonely child and was loyal to her. Again she made him realize how much he took his childhood for granted. He’d always had friends and siblings. He couldn’t imagine never having a friend until his teenage years. How lonely she must have felt to never have someone, but her father to talk to. And he got the distinct impression she couldn’t really talk to him either. Until he was keelhauled, he didn’t have a sense of what loyalty was. Or loneliness for that matter. But even then, Jaxon had always had his family.

“There will be times when both ships with be home at the same time, Charlie. We’ll figure out a way for you to spend time with him.”

Charlie analyzed Jaxon’s face and when she knew he meant it, fat tears fell over her lashes. “I know how hard that is for you, Jaxon. Thank you.”

He kissed her forehead and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “What time do you want me to come for you to walk you home?”

“I’m going to stay aboard until I can find a captain. I’m the only officer.”

Jaxon frowned, the scar on his cheek turned white as the skin pulled downward. “I have extras,” he reminded her.