“Here you are,” Kyle said. He poured the last bucket of hot water into the small bathtub in the captain’s washroom.
Sodam looked at the tub like he was going to his execution. “Why do I have to take a bath?”
“If you want to eat with us, you can’t be smelling like an alley,” Kyle said. He handed Sodam the bar of soap. “And be sure to wash your hair.” It was full of knots and tangles that would probably require scissors in a few places. Hopefully the washing would take care of most of the vermin.
Sodam sighed heavily and stepped into the tub. Kyle picked up the boy’s clothes. He wasn’t sure what to do about them. They were ragged and filthy, but they didn’t have anything else for Sodam to wear.
He left Sodam to his bath and went out into the main cabin. Hal was sitting at the table, pouring a drink from a bottle of rum. “He’s going to get fleas everywhere.”
“That’s what the bath is for.” Kyle went over to his trunk and opened the lid. He could let the boy borrow a shirt while he tried to wash the clothes, though he was afraid that the dirt was the only thing holding them together and they would probably disintegrate from being washed. He tossed the clothes on the floor. The crystal prism fell out of the pile and skittered across the floor. Kyle picked it up and set it on the table.
“Did he steal that?” Hal asked.
Kyle clenched his jaw and bit back what he wanted to say, something about the utter absurdity of pirates getting themselves into a moral outrage over orphaned children stealing things. “No. I bought it for him.”
Hal leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “You’re getting attached to him.”
“Why? Because I’m nice to him?” Kyle shook his head. At least Hal didn’t complain about him spending money on the boy. “The poor kid has had a pretty rotten life. Why does it bother you that I’m trying to help him?”
“If you only wanted to help him, you would have taken him straight to Kat and Tora.” Hal leaned forward. “I know what you’re going to do,” he scolded. “You’re going to go all moon-eyed and try to convince me that your monkey needs a brother.” Then his face softened and he looked at Kyle with sympathetic eyes. “I know you want a family, Kyle, but you can’t keep him. A ship is no place for a child.”
Kyle snorted. “The Navy would beg to differ. How many children were on your ship when you were serving His Majesty?”
Hal frowned. “And how many of those children did I sew up inside a sheet after a battle?” he said bitterly. “Far too many.”
“This is different, Hal,” Kyle said. “He would be safe here. Safer than on any other ship. Far safer than living on the streets. Or do you think he’d be better off back at the brothel, being whored out for the rest of his life?”
“You know I don’t think that, Kyle. And I do want to help him. Which is why we should take him to Kat and Tora. They’ll give him a good home and you’ll be able to visit him whenver we’re in port, just the same as Guy and John with their own children.”
“And I said I agreed to that, didn’t I?” Kyle grabbed a shirt out of his trunk and slammed it shut. Yes, Hal was right. Kyle did realize it would be best to leave Sodam on Tortuga, where he could grow up in a loving home with other children, but the boy reminded him how much he wanted a family of his own, to love and take care of and prove that he was a better man than his father.
He stood up and tossed the shirt on the table. “If he’s done before I get back, he can wear that,” Kyle said. He picked up the dirty clothes and another bar of soap. He also picked up the fork and plate from the table to take back to the galley. Sodam had been starving and gobbled the food so fast Kyle had to tell him to slow down before he choked on the bread. The poor kid hadn’t eaten since the day before, a couple stolen carrots from a garden. It was no wonder he was so thin. “And try not to scare him.”
“Kyle ...”
Kyle ignored him. He didn’t want to talk about it anymore, because he was sure he would say something now that he would regret later.
He washed the clothes in a bucket up on deck. The rest of the crew must have sensed his foul mood because they all left him alone, even Isamot, who usually came over to chat. There really wasn’t much for the crew to do today, so many of the men were playing cards or dice on deck, their conversation filled with laughter and good-natured ribbing. Salaak was at the bow of the ship, kneeling on a small rug to perform his afternoon prayers. Isamot had his violin out, playing folk songs from his home village, and Kyle noticed that Vath was tapping his foot along with the tune. Kilowog was perched on a barrel, carving something from a small piece of driftwood. Kyle smiled, wondering if it was a gift for Soranik. Would it really be so bad to grow up on this ship? They may be pirates, but they were also good men -- and woman, in Soranik’s case -- and loyal friends and ... And he really had to stop thinking about it, because it was only going to make it worse when he had to leave the boy behind.
The clothes survived the washing and Kyle draped them over a a rope to dry. He dumped the dirty water overboard, then went back below. Hal was writing in his log book at his desk and didn’t even look up when Kyle came in. Kyle wasn’t sure if he was upset about that or not. He grabbed the shirt from the table, then peeked into the washroom. Sodam was still in the tub. He looked like a drowned rat with his long hair dripping over his face, but at least he was clean. “Can I come out now?”
Kyle smiled at Sodam’s piteous plea. “Yes, I think you’re presentable now.” He helped the boy out of the tub and handed him a towel, then reached over to pull the plug so the dirty water could drain out the hole into the water below. When Sodam finished drying off, Kyle handed him the shirt. “I’ve washed your clothes, so you can wear one of my shirts while they dry.”
Sodam took the shirt and put it on. “My mum always made me take baths. I haven’t had one since she died,” he said sadly as he fastened the buttons.
“When did she die?”
“In the summer. She was coughing blood.”
Kyle nodded. Probably consumption. It was fairly common among the poor in England, so it shouldn’t be so different here. He only hoped the boy had escaped catching it.
Sodam finished the last button and sighed. “I miss her.”
Kyle patted his head. “I’m sorry. My mother died, too. Last year. And I still miss her.”
The boy’s lip trembled and he blinked his eyes, as if fighting tears, but then he drew himself up and set his jaw.
“Now, how about we do something about this rat’s nest?” Kyle said, tugging at a tangle to get Sodam’s mind off his grief. They went back out into the main cabin. Hal was gone, probably up on deck. Or just avoiding Kyle and Sodam. “Sit,” Kyle said, pointing at a chair. He went to the dresser to get the comb and scissors.
It took a bit more effort than he expected to get the tangles out of the boy’s hair. Of course, it didn’t help that Sodam was squirming so much. “If you hold still, I’ll let you play with Mona until it’s time to eat.”
Sodam did his best to stay still after that, with only the occasional flinch, and soon he no longer had a tangled mop over his face. “Done,” Kyle said.
Sodam bolted out of the chair and over to Mona’s cage to let her out. Mona flicked her tail and scampered up onto Sodam’s shoulder. “Can I give her a cookie?”
“Only half of one. We won’t be able to get anymore until we reach England.”
His face brightened. “Can I go to England, too?”
Kyle sighed. “No. We’re going to take you to stay with a nice family here on Tortuga.” He forced a smile on his face. “They have a bunch of kids and I think you’ll really like living there.”
Sodam frowned, his lower lip pouting. “But I want to stay with you.”
“I’m sorry, Sodam. But ships are dangerous and the captain thinks you’ll be better off staying on Tortuga.” He set the scissors and comb back on the dresser. In front of the mirror was Alan’s letter, the letter he had worried over because he didn’t want to return to England. He didn’t want the house or the money. He glanced at Sodam. But maybe now he had a reason to leave the ship and stay in England ...
He touched the pendant at his neck, not quite believing the seed of an idea that was forming in his mind, that he was actually contemplating leaving Hal to take in an orphan he’d met only a few hours ago. He shook his head. No. Hal was right. The boy would be better off with Kat and Tora.
The door opened, startling Kyle. Hal strode into the room. “Dinner will be ready soon.” He went over to his desk to retrieve his coat from the back of the chair.
Sodam bit his lip, then stood up. “Captain Jordan, I want to stay on the ship.”
Hal shot Kyle a glare. “Did you put him up to this?”
“No, I did not.” Kyle clenched his fists. Why was Hal being such a prick about this? He hadn’t said a word to the boy since they had left the wharf, talking to Kyle about him like he wasn’t in the room. Kyle went over to Sodam. “Let’s go up on deck and see if your clothes are dry yet.” He scooped up Mona and locked her in her cage, then turned to face Hal. “He asked if he could stay, but I told him we were taking him to a family on Tortuga.” He took Sodam’s hand and led him from the cabin.