Ella Oaks

Chapter four

The sun was at its highest. There were but a few clouds hanging in the sky. They were still no match for the sun's blazing rays that fought its way down upon us. Mother Nature herself enjoyed this comedy and musical of dehydrated moans. She would blow a few breezes in our faces and stopped when she saw our smiles. Nobody wanted to work under these conditions, so just about every brave sailor listened to their sinful mind.

My mom and I are not courageous we are much rather smart. We attended the sink, washing dishes, after every one has finished scarfing their throats with today's lunch. I just finished collecting the rest of plates from the table and placed them on my side of the sink. After rinsing a dirty I grabbed my rag and started scrubbing at it.

The air is so still and quiet, the ship hardly creeks. My thoughts begin screaming at me with questions. 'What was Ezra talking about? Who would hurt me? Was it Isaac? Why would he take my journal too? Can my mom hear me?' I look over to my left where my mom was standing and working herself hard on a stain that won't come out. I look to my right to look out the window that opens to the deck. Without even searching I saw Ezra standing against the deck's rail while looking into the ocean's beauty.

My focus stays on Ezra when I start to slow my work pace. I feel my mom's beautiful eyes looking at me with such gentleness as she places her hand on my left shoulder like a feather. I quickly turn myself back to the sink and attend to my chore once more.

"I'm sorry." I apologize to her for my distracted mind.

"Ella, I know you like him. Why don't you go talk to him?"

"I can't. I need to finish this with you. Besides, what if Isaac gets out of his cage?"

The soft smile on her face turns into a look only your mom could make when she hates what you just said and stares down at me.

"He is your father and I suggest you address him as such! Now I want you to drop that plate, now, before I change my mind about him!"

I am confused but I refuse to question her logic and do as she says. I look at my mom and kiss her forehead and tell her, "I love you, mom." She fixes my hair out of my face and tells me that she loves me too, as she slides her hand down my face and rubs her thumb across my cheek. I place my hand over hers and, with my other hand, place it over her wrist. We each look into our identical hazel eyes until she broke our eye contact by releasing her hand from my cheek.

"Go. Go now."

I give her a kiss, one more time, on her forehead and directed myself out of the kitchen.

While I walked my way towards him I started fixing my lower class dress and tried to think of things to say to him. My mind is too focused on approaching him without any embarrassing casualties. He is still looking out into the ocean this holding the ladder, the crew uses to climb to the sails. He seems to be the only one who is not effected by this heat that has caused many of us to give up on their duties and looks like even their own lives.

When I walk up right next to him I place my hands on the rail and look out as well. I feel him give me a look through his dull hat.

"Mother nature seems to be wicked today." I say, trying to come up with some kind of topic.

"I wouldn't agree on that." He replies with his deep voice.

"And what would be your suggestion then about her bragging?" He doesn't look at me this time, he just keeps looking straight ahead.

"I suggest she is being a blessing to us all with what she can provide us with. I would also suggest that you wouldn't talk about her being 'wicked' as you put it."

How could he talk about something that's supposed to be a symbolic figure for nature's appearance as if it was a real person?

"El-"

"What are trying to protect me from?" I demanded an answer.

"Ella, I'm afraid you're not ready for the answer."

"I'm not a child, Ezra! Perhaps by comparison but I assure you I can handle whatever it is. Ezra, I need to know."

He looks down and let's go of the rope to face me directly. I turn my body towards him and try to look into his eyes, but his head his bent down. He looks back up to me and our eyes finally meet. I now have access to look into his deep brown eyes and beautiful face that has started to re-grow its facial hair.

"I don't want you sleeping below the deck tonight. I want you to sleep in my room tonight so I know you're safe."

I take a step back and break our eye contact so mine is at the floor as I break a sweat from my forehead.

He takes a step closer to me and places his hands on my arms and searches for our contact once more, but I refuse.

"Ella, please? I am begging you to do what would be the best for you. If you go down there you won't be safe."

He takes his thumb and index finger below my chin to direct my face to face his.

"Ella, please?"

I give in and look into his eyes. I see that he is serious and known him as long as I have been on this ship and am able to trust him.

"Okay. Just for this night."

His face becomes a little relaxed after I have finally agreed to him. He leans over to me and kisses me on my forehead. Letting go of my arms he then wraps his around me and never let's go. I start to enjoy his comfort, for I felt safe and comfortable being in his arms. I feel myself becoming more attached to him and start to push him off by putting my hands on his chest. He loosens his arms but still wrapped around me. His eyes fix themselves on me but I look down before I could fall even more for this man. He lets go and we both return ourselves to the ocean as the sun starts to lower itself little by little.