The Pirate Queen (20 page)

Knowing that Emerald was coming in on top of a houseful of family members set a different tone in the house. The guys gossiped around the breakfast table the next morning.

They were all going out in the boat for the three-hour tour, much to everyone’s great relief.

Eddie was driving them crazy. “When are we leaving for the boat?” He said it for the twentieth time, Saphora was sure.

“When will you all get back?” Gwennie wanted to know. “Over three hours in the car with Aunt Em is my badge for the weekend. The rest of you sailor boys have to take a turn too.”

“She’s not that bad,” said Ramsey.

“Just melancholy, Gwen,” said Bender. He had once been Emerald’s worst antagonizer.

“Do I know her?” asked Liam. Being Ramsey’s oldest made him the most inquisitive.

“You’ll be back before us, Gwennie,” said Saphora. “Tell her she can rest in my room until we’re back at the dock. But tonight we’ll have to put her up in one of the B and Bs. There’s Ida’s B and B right across the road.”

“What’s wrong with Aunt Emerald?” asked Liam, shouting above the adults.

“One brick shy of a load,” said Turner.

Celeste tried to redirect Liam’s attention. “Have another bowl of cereal.”

“She’s odd, like those women you see sitting in remote coffee shops crocheting and talking about their lap dogs with other women who sit crocheting and talking about their lap dogs,” said Turner.

“I have a lap dog,” said Celeste. “I’m not crazy.” She laughed.

“Aunt Emerald’s crazy?” asked Liam.

“I didn’t say that. Don’t repeat me, Liam,” said Celeste. “Go wash out your bowl.”

“I’m still hungry. If Aunt Emerald’s crazy, why do they let her out?” asked Liam.

“Not that kind of crazy, you dope!” said Eddie.

“Quirky, Liam. Forget about it,” said Celeste.

By now Eddie was fully awake and tired of picking at his orange slices. “I like Great-Aunt Emerald. She’s fun.”

“There you go,” said Saphora. “Emerald is fun, Liam. Now stop talking about her.”

Liam was a sponge, soaking up everything the adults had to say, only to squeeze it all out again at inopportune moments.

“Nana, can Tobias come on the boat?” asked Eddie.

“What if he gets sick?” she asked.

“He won’t. I’ll make him swear.” Eddie was begging.

“I’ll call Jamie right now. It’s up to his mother,” said Saphora. After the swimming pool incident, Jamie had gotten more protective of where Tobias could go.

“He won’t get sick,” said Eddie. He sounded worried. But Eddie was a born worrier.

Captain Bart sent a text message to Saphora. “Clear skies all day—thought you’d like to know.” Turner drove them down the street to the Oriental Marina. Captain Bart waited on the dock.

Ramsey brought Liam and left the twins with Celeste. That was all for the best, Saphora decided. Liam argued with Eddie. He wanted to be first man on the boat.

“They quarrel like brothers,” said Turner.

“Like us, you mean?” asked Ramsey. “We were good kids.”

“Didn’t I hear Jamie say she’d bring Tobias?” said Saphora out loud to herself.

“Ahoy, mates!” said Captain Bart. He had his cane but didn’t seem to be relying on it this time. His morning coffee was in a mug that said USS
Titanic
. “Had your breakfast?”

“We ate before coming,” said Saphora. “But I brought a picnic for later.” She had put some of Sherry’s fixings in a picnic basket.

Ramsey hauled a cooler of drinks and beer from the car trunk.

“Brought you boys something,” said Captain Bart. He fished something out of the pocket of his windbreaker.

Eddie said, “I like your hat. Can my dad wear one?”

“Just my ball cap, Eddie,” said Turner. “We yachters don’t stand on ceremony. We wear what we want.”

“Got some pirate tattoos for you both,” said Captain Bart to Eddie and Liam.

“Stick-ons,” said Liam, not at all impressed.

“I’ll take them,” said Eddie, “for me and my friend Tobias.”

“Give me mine!” said Liam.

It came to Saphora that Jamie first told her she would keep Tobias home. Then Jamie called back. Tobias was giving her what for, telling her that he wanted her to treat him like other kids. She caved in. But there was no sign of her car in the lot.

Saphora imagined Tobias on board with his weak stomach. “They have those tattoos in all the shops, Eddie. Go on and give Liam one, and we’ll buy one for Tobias.”

Eddie halfheartedly gave up the tattoo to his cousin.

“I’ve got bags of them. One for you too,” said Captain Bart. He pulled out another tattoo and offered the Jolly Roger to Saphora.

“Nana’s a pirate queen,” said Eddie. “Tobias calls you that, Nana.”

Turner laughed.

“Tobias thinks the next-door neighbor’s a pirate,” said Saphora.

“We watched you and Luke next door digging late one night, under the moon,” said Eddie. “He kissed Nana.”

“Not that kind of kiss!” said Saphora. Eddie made it sound like something it wasn’t. “He thanked me for helping him with a chore.”

“Mama, you were in the neighbor’s yard digging at night?” asked Ramsey. “And kissing?” he asked, laughing.

“He’s a grieving man. And very young. Lord knows what you all would do if you were in his shoes,” said Saphora.

“Time to shove off,” said Captain Bart. He kept the schedule like an English nanny.

“All aboard, everyone,” Saphora said.

Eddie was the first on board. Turner led him to the mainmast while Saphora ran down the dock and untied the dock line.

“Where you headed?” asked Bart.

“We’ll go to Luken’s Cemetery,” said Saphora. “Old Town. I know that route now.”

Ramsey took the wheel. He put on a captain’s hat. Liam stood beside him, holding the wheel with his daddy.

A shout went up from the dock. Jamie waved, standing behind the open door of her car. She was honking her horn while Tobias yelled, running up the dock and waving his arms like a little squid. “Wait, I’m here!”

Jamie stood down from the dock on the walk. She shrugged at
Saphora and held up her cell phone. “Have him call me.” She looked fresh and happy to see him try out boating.

Eddie said, “Hey, you didn’t chicken out!”

“I wouldn’t,” said Tobias. He came aboard.

Eddie whooped and startled the sea gulls hitchhiking along the stern. He pulled another pirate tattoo out of the bag and gave it to Tobias.

Ramsey steered them toward Pamlico Sound. Saphora showed him the chart points toward Old Town. She sat on deck facing fore, not far from Turner and Eddie.

“Put on your pirate tattoo, Nana,” said Eddie. When she closed her eyes and did not answer, he kept saying it until she sat up and moaned.

“Eddie, leave Nana alone,” said Turner.

“It’s all right.” She pulled the tattoo out of her pocket. “Where do I put it?”

“On your arm, like a sailor,” said Eddie. He was hoarse from giggling.

“You won’t see it there. I’m wearing a jacket.” She bent and peeled it back and then pressed it onto her calf.

That sent Eddie into spasms.

Tobias dragged a chair next to Eddie. He put on a big pair of Mafia black sunglasses. Then he started pouring on sunscreen so thick that Saphora got up and squatted next to him. “Let me help.” She took his lotion and squeezed some into her hand. As she took his thin left forearm, she noticed that she could see nearly every vein inside his arm. His skin was so pale, like a fish floating upside down on the surface of the water.

“Other arm,” she said.

He gave her the arm, surrendered to a woman he had known only a few weeks.

Not about to be left out, Liam pushed his chair next to Tobias, beside where Saphora squatted.

“Next, shoulders and back.” She could feel every spinal stem down his back. “Eddie, I’ll do you next and then Liam.”

“We need to get some meat on your bones, boy,” said Turner.

“He has AIDS, Daddy,” said Liam. He was grinning as if happy to finally beat Eddie to the announcement. “What is that anyway?”

It was as if Liam had announced that he had just put away his toys and lit a dynamite stick.

Ramsey came up out of his stupor in the captain’s chair. He was looking over the top of his sunglasses at Tobias. “Liam, why did you say that?”

Liam pulled his feet up off the deck and tucked them close to his body.

Saphora imagined the boys had been up in the tree house when Eddie blurted it out to Liam as if he knew everything in the entire universe.

“He must have heard that somewhere. Liam, it’s not nice to say that,” said Turner to his nephew.

“Why did you say that?” asked Ramsey.

Tobias’s face was without any expression. His eyes were hidden behind the sunglasses. “Do I have to go back to the dock, Mrs. Warren?”

“Of course not, Tobias,” said Saphora.

“Mama, what are you doing?” asked Ramsey.

“I’m getting a tan,” said Saphora. She used the tanning lotion on her exposed calves, doctoring carefully around the Jolly Roger so as not to tatter the edges.

“He can’t have AIDS. That’s not possible,” said Turner. He had a nervous laugh.

Tobias was so accustomed to adults talking over his head that he sat still, perched on the edge of his chair, staring down at the deck.

“What’s going on? Someone tell me. It’s a joke, right, Liam?” asked Ramsey.

“Sure, a big joke,” said Tobias.

“Liam, come back over here,” said Ramsey. “Help me steer.”

Liam sat up but did not jump up. He was torn between his daddy and his friend.

Saphora poured more lotion into her hands. She rubbed it on her nose and into her cheeks. “I want everyone to calm down and talk about other things.”

“You can’t get it by touching me,” said Tobias. He was trying to curry a little favor with Ramsey behind that stretched smile of his.

A lost butterfly alighted on the stern. It was white with black spots.

“You don’t have to explain yourself, Tobias,” said Saphora.

“So he really has it?” asked Turner.

“Why is everyone acting so weird?” asked Eddie. “Liam has a big mouth.” He was batting back tears, fighting an emotion he could not explain.

“Shut up!” Liam exclaimed. “You told me.”

“We should have been told,” said Ramsey. “These are our kids, Mama.”

“Tobias is my friend, Uncle Ramsey,” said Eddie.

“What do you think, Ramsey?” asked Saphora. “That this little boy is going to breathe and you’ll get it out here in this wind? I’m not kidding. Let’s talk about something else.”

A sea gull was screeching like a crazy hawk. It dropped down
from the sky, dive-bombing the cruiser. It snatched away the white butterfly and was gone.

South River wound through the Outer Banks like a twin ribbon to the Neuse, emptying out at Old Town. Saphora picked a spot where they could weigh anchor, and Ramsey parked the craft in the deep-water lagoon. Saphora got out the fishing poles from below and gave one to Eddie and Tobias. Tobias was cheery.

“I’m sorry that we’re idiots,” said Saphora.

“I can tie on my own lure. I watched you do it,” said Tobias. His fingers worked the line around the lure, a popper that might attract a bass if the boy would impose some patience on his line.

Ramsey had fallen quiet, pouring all of his attention on Liam—not a bad thing, in Saphora’s estimation. She hated the way young parents wound their lives around busyness and competitive activities instead of sharing from themselves. Fishing broke out of loud culture and forced the attention on the simplicity of seducing small, elusive, submerged creatures. Ramsey worked with his boy on improving his wrist action.

Once Tobias dropped his line, Saphora helped Eddie pick out a lure. “There could be some trout still left out here in these waters,” said Saphora. “Use this furry black one. It’ll look like a juicy bug to a trout.”

Turner kicked back in the shade of the mainmast with his ball cap over his face. He was snoring already.

An hour passed and only Ramsey had caught a fingerling. He threw it back. “This spot is fished out.”

“I’d like to take the raft inland,” said Saphora.

“I’m starving,” said Liam.

“There’s sandwiches down below.” Saphora was hungry too.