The Pirate and the Poem Lover

Chapter 7

*****

The next day, Eliza found her mind captivated by her own embarrassments and couldn't bring herself to leave the confines of the kitchen walls. This turned out to be rather troublesome since the day turned out to be dry and blistering hot until the late hours of the afternoon. Eliza could hear the crew members as they jumped off the ship and swam around in the cool, soothing ocean. She desperately wanted to join them but she kept herself hauled up in the kitchen even still.

The whole day, she was was sweating and festering in the kitchen. It wasn't until late in the afternoon when Lafayette came back and as soon as he walked through the door, a putrid smell filled his nose. I low grown escaped his lips and he stepped out of the room, taking a deep breath before stepping back into the kitchen. Eliza felt her stomach ache with embarrassment and she bit down on her lip, nervously swaying back and forth with the ship.

"Wizzy.... Why didn't you come out wiff us and swim tuday?" Lafayette stated as he pinched his fingers over his nose.

Eliza began to chew her lip and she refused to meet Lafayette's gaze. How was she supposed to explain to him that she couldn't swim? Stuck on a ship in the middle of any given ocean, she couldn't even wade in water. Most of the other children in Eliza's village made fun of her for it, which was part of the reason why she preferred books to people. And after all the embarrassment it had caused when she was little, it solidified her desire to stay indoors. Until now.

"Well I.... I.... It's sort difficult to explain, Lafayette.... You see.... I..... I.... I can't swim," Eliza sadly stated as she lowered her head, her chin resting against her chest. She was so embarrassed that she didn't know what she would do. Would Lafayette make fun of her? He had never appeared to have a cruel bone in is body but there was no way that Eliza could know for certain.

"Oh Wizzy, why didn't you say so befowe. I'ww teach you 'ow to swim, tomowwow aftah everyone ewse has had der swim," Lafayette stated in a nasally but soft tone.

Eliza's head stop up as she looked over at him with wide eyes. She was surprised by the fact that Lafayette wasn't making fun of her or teasing her. Her eyes welled up with tears and she jump at him, quickly wrapping her foul-smelling arms around him. She could feel him holding his breath but he slowly wrapped his arms around her tiny frame. After a few minutes, Eliza let him go and shuffled into the corner while he prepared dinner for that night.

As Lafayette cooked, Eliza looked down at the papers of poetry that rested beside her. She realized it had been some time since she had gone to the dinning hall to read Shakespeare to the crew of the ship. But she was too embarrassed by her stench that she didn't want to even image leaving the sanctuary of the kitchen. She was trying to think up an excuse when Lafayette started walking to the kitchen door with his large pot full of food.

"Lafayette, I think it would be best if I stayed in the kitchen tonight."

"Wizzy, I fink you bettah stay in dah kitchen fo' now," Lafayette and Eliza stated at the same time. They laughed to each other for a moment before Lafayette opened the door and took a step out.

"I'ww juss teww dah Capt' dat you weren't feewing weww tuday. He'ww undahstand, I fink," Lafayette stated with a smile.

Eliza smiled back at him as she nodded in agreement and waved him goodbye as he stepped out of the kitchen. Eliza slowly stepped over to door and closed it shut behind him. She listened to his footsteps disappear across the deck before walking over to her little corner and flipping through the different papers of Shakespeare's play. She'd ended up losing herself in the words, reading them aloud over and over until she felt satisfyed with how she sounded.