The Adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow

Ye Need to Find Yerself a Girl, Mate

Jack Sparrow came back from the ship. He went to the port into a tavern, playing with the black pearl he exchanged with Gabriela. He looked absent-minded, he was lost in thoughts. Mr. Gibbs was sitting next to him drinking rum. Jack's behavior worried him. He let Jack's father know what was happening to Jack.

Edward Teague, Jack's father, and his uncles Jack and "Ace" entered the tavern and walked towards Jack's table. Edward noticed how lost his son was. He was silent, he wasn't drinking and the bowl of peanuts on the table was untouched. He ignored the women who approached him. He thought that Mr. Gibbs was exaggerating when he read his message but seeing that scene in front of his eyes he realized Mr. Gibbs was right. This wasn't how Jack behaved.

"Ahoy Jackie!" Edward said, but Jack did not answer, he tilted his head, pouted, and frowned while he played with the black pearl with his fingers. Edward, Uncle Jack, and Uncle "Ace" looked at each other. Then Edward tried to call his attention by picking the black pearl, but before he could, Jack clenched his hand into a fist trapping the black pearl inside the palm of his hand. No longer dazed under the spell of the black pearl, he looked up to see who dared to try to plunge his booty [treasure] from him.

"Ahoy, me hearties!" Jack greeted his relatives with one of his silly smiles plastered on his face. They sat down at the table still looking at Jack worriedly.

Edward expressed his concerns about him. "Jackie yer mom and I are worried about ye. Here I am with yer uncles, we are here to help ye." He paused and then went on, "Is there anything bothering ye?"

Jack wondered why his father was worried about him, then he turned his face and looked at Mr. Gibbs waiting for an explanation. Mr. Gibbs looked guiltily to the floor, he didn't dare to look Jack in the eyes, "I'm sorry but yer acting strangely since ye saw that Spanish lass".

"Ye, bilge rat [an insulting expression of disdain]!" Jack scolded Mr. Gibbs.

"What Spanish lass?" Uncle Jack asked curiously.

"The lass that came on board of the HMS Victory the other day. The Duke and the Admiral welcomed her and an older man, maybe he was her father, since the moment she laid her big brown eyes on Jack he had been behaving strangely, he even took off his hat and took a bow at her and today we were walking on the street and when we saw her, he rushed to her. They talked in front of the duke and she exchanged that black pearl for one of Jack's rings, one that had a skull." Mr. Gibbs disclosed. "He has been playing with that thing ever since he got it!"

"I am the same as always!" Jack retorted.

"If that is the case..." Uncle "Ace" mouthed, "Why aren't ye drinking rum or eating peanuts? Why aren't ye loaded to the gunwales [to be drunk]?

"Aye!", Uncle Jack said, "since when ye don't eat peanuts?"

"Shiver me timbers! [expression of surprise]" Jack's father exclaimed, "yer in love!!!" Then he paused and rubbed the back of his head and went on, "Jackie yer mom always wants ye to have a family but after Angelica, Scarlett, Giselle, and Marina ye were... not well... But this lass is different, she is from a good family, she would never... I mean... look at ye..." He did not know how to tell Jack the truth afraid of hurting his feelings "... Yer a pirate son!"

Jack was dumbfounded "I'm not in love!!!" He declared emphatically.

"Please Jackie promise me ye will stay far away from that lass and whoever that man is."

"Jack, yer father is right, that lass is not fer ye!" Uncle Jack declared.

"To forget a wench [girl, woman] there's nothing like another wench, you need to find yerself a girl, mate!" Uncle "Ace" stated hopefully.

"Listen to them, Jack. They know what they are talking about and they care for ye!" Mr. Gibbs saw that Jack was not persuaded by his relatives' suggestions. "Why are ye so stubborn?"

"It isn't like that!" Jack was getting frustrated, "My tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature informs me that she is trouble..." he tried to explain himself.

Mr. Gibbs cut him off "Not with yer 'intuitive sense of the female creature’ again" Mr. Gibbs protested. Jack looked at him with murderous intent "All I want to..."

Jack was interrupted again by Marty who came rushing to him, he was breathless, and he grabbed Jack's untouched glass and swallowed the rum in one gulp. Jack couldn't believe Marty had taken his rum. "Why is the rum gone? Why have ye drunk me rum, mate?" Jack asked.

Marty apologized and after taking a long breath he informed Jack, "The lass has just arrived at the duke's house. He is throwing a ball in her honor, I've heard one of the servants say the duke is mighty interested in the lass. In the afternoon she visited the house on the cliff, the one overlooking both bays, she took some servants there and some trunks. Four male servants remained there. They must have something very valuable there because they locked the gates with chains and padlocks. It seems they don't want visitors" Marty took another long breath.

Jack looked pensive while he played with his goatee beard "Hmmm," he looked puzzled then he commanded, "Follow her everywhere she goes and tell Ragetti and Pintel to watch that property. If she is hiding anything I want to know what it is! Savvy, mate?"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Marty said. "I'm on me way now."

Jack's father, uncles, and Mr. Gibbs contemplated the whole interaction. They were speechless. Jack also remained in silence thinking, he arched an eyebrow upward and bit his lower lip while rubbing his chin "Hmmm, that's weird." He mumbled.

Jack's father, Edward, was the first to speak "Jackie are ye trying to get yerself killed? I get ye like this lass but think!!! This is impossible! It will never happen! Ye won't stand a chance! And even if ye succeed the duke, the admiral and her father won't allow ye close to her!"

"Yer father is right Jackie." Uncle Jack remarked.

"Forget about that lass Jackie, yer mum and I want a grandchild but to get that ye need to stay alive!" Edward said.

"This isn't what ye think," Jack insisted "I am just intrigued, she is hiding something..."

"Please promise me ye won't do something stupid!" Edward pleaded, "Now go to bed, rest, and forget about that lass, time to go Jackie!"

"We never drink together! Let's enjoy the night!" Jack said and asked for a bottle of rum and more peanuts."

Author's note: some phrases written in italics are quotes from the movie "Pirates Of The Caribbean" from Disney Studios or taken from Pirate's vocabulary glossaries.