A Pirate's Life For Me

Chapter 7 - 'Us'

BAILEY

On Sunday, Olivia brought the boys back at around eight PM with another handful of strange coins.

Actually, no, scratch that. Olivia did not bring the boys back. A complete stranger did.

He didn't even come up to the house. He just opened the door of his SUV and let the boys out. They didn't seem at all frightened though.

"Hi mommy!" Peter cried, taking a breath. "We went on the boat again and Aunty Olive climbed up the big telephone pole with knives! And then she fell off," Peter frowned. "But then we swung on ropes!" I squinted at him. The swinging on ropes bit was still throwing me off a little.

"What does that mean?" I asked Aiden, but Peter beat him to answering.

"They were really long and we landed on another boat! It wasn't as big as Aunty Olive's, but it was big. And there was lots of treasure!" Again, I narrowed my eyes. Treasure? Boats? Pirates . . .? I shook my head. No. There was a very rational explanation to all of this.

"Peter," I said, kneeling down to eye level with him. "When you say 'ship', what do you mean?" Peter looks confused.

"I mean a ship!" He exclaims, jumping a little. "Like a big boat! Do you know what a boat is, mommy?" He asked me with a certain amount of concern. I found it in me to chuckle.

"Yes, I do."

I was still confused. Why, why would Olivia have a ship? Maybe . . . maybe she really--no! I tell myself. No, my baby sister is not a pirate, that would be stupid. That would be very stupid. No. She took the boys on a cruise ship, yes, that's it. That's all! But then I had to remember the sheathe on her belt and the coins the boys bring home and the whole 'swinging on ropes' thing . . .

"Can we have ice cream?" Peter asked, jolting me from my thoughts.

"You didn't have any with Aunt Olivia?"

He shot his brother a glare. Then he looked back to me, grinning with all the charm he could summon. "No."

I knew he was lying, but didn't feel like arguing. "Fine. If you can reach it." Before I even finished talking, the boys darted out of the foyer and into the kitchen. I sighed, wishing I could connect with them like I used to.

While the boys raided the freezer, I grabbed my cell phone. It rang twice before she answered.

"Ahoy, who be 'tis?" Said a gruff voice on the other end of the line. I raised my eyebrows, taken aback.

"Erm . . . who are you and why do you have Olivia's phone?" I asked, my voice sounded like I felt: startled and confused.

"I have 'er long distance parrots be'cres she's fallen off th' mast." I narrow my eyes. The hell was that supposed to mean? 'Long distance parrots'?

"Um, right," I said frowning. "Could I speak to her?" There's a faint mumbling on the other end of the line.

"Aye, I don't spy wit' yer eye why not. Yarr ye c'n shout t' cap'n fer a few." I was so confused by this jumble of speech that I just nodded, rather than replying. After some more faint mumbling, a familiar voice met my ear.

"Hallo?"Olivia says. "Who be tis?" I shake my head. Why is she talking like a . . . pirate?

"Olivia!"

"Oh, be tis Bailey? Sorry, Lass. I mean, sorry." Olivia all too flustered by realizing who she was talking to.

"Olivia, what is wrong with you?" I exploded. "The boys are saying that you took them on a ship and that they 'swung on ropes' and got treasure and if you keep letting them eat this much ice cream they're going to get fat and die of heart disease and they got dropped off by a stranger who I've never seen before and the man who picked up the phone was talking like a pirate and Corey still hasn't contacted me and--"

"Sis! Calm down." At her words, I break off, sobbing. What is wrong with my life? "Look, I'm sure Corey's fine, okay? He probably just can't contact you right now."

I want to believe her, but I can't. "But what if he's-- what if he's--" I can't say it. The word hangs on the tip of my tongue, black and biting. If I say it, I admit to it. I accept it. I can't do that.

"No, Bailey, he's not. I assure you, most of us would never kill anybody." I started to answer, but then I realized what she'd said.

"'Us'?" I demanded. ''Most of us would never kill anybody'?" My voice rose to a shout. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN US?"

I heard Olivia gasp on the other end of the line. "I have to go, babe. See you."

And then she was gone, leaving me to dissolve into my sorrow, bitterness and confusion.