Page 54 of In Just a Year
Ben inhaled sharply and his eyes met Greg’s.
“I’m needed on deck.” Greg made for the door.
“No, stay.” Ben had nothing to hide.
Greg stood uncomfortably in the corner of the cabin, his back to Ben and Vati feigning ignorance of their presence in such close quarters.
“Vati, my family is surely expecting me to come back. And Esther.” He sighed.
“She’s a very lucky woman.” Vati raised her gaze to Ben. “I’ve learned much from you Ben-Ben. Thank you.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you, Vati. You set me free to return home with my mission completed.”
“I wish I hadn’t.” A tear rolled down her cheek. She turned her head seemingly embarrassed by the sign of weakness.
“You helped me to return with the treasure I was meant to find, and not just the sapphires. Without you, I’d never have understood.”
Greg cleared his voice.
“Goodbye, Ben-Ben.” Vati laid her hand on his chest just over his heart. She stepped forward to kiss him, but Ben turned his cheek.
She placed the peck on his cheek, then withdrew and left.
Moments later, Greg broke the silence. “A beauty like her”—Greg tsked—”most men wouldn’t have turned away.”
“I’ll turn away from anyone who’s not Esther.”
“I know. You’re a Klonimus.” Greg patted Ben on the back. “Let’s get you home to your love.”
CHAPTER25
St. Helena Island, off the African coast.
Dear Ben,
Ditto about imagining what you’d do. I figured it out, and you do owe me now.
Love,
E.
Ben groaned as he stuffed the letter in his vest pocket. He couldn’t send or receive any letters from St. Helena Island and reread the ones he already had. Except that rereading the same letters over and again made his longing for Esther unbearable. The salty wind assaulted his heating face and he sucked in his cheeks. One by one, the crew had gotten sick and he’d taken on some of the boatswain’s tasks. Ben twisted a rope and inspected its wear and tear. Since the boatswain had a rash on his arms and legs, he hadn’t been able to look after the cordage and ropes on the ship, including splicing, securing, and repairing them.
“Word from home?” Greg came to his side and set his hands on the ceiling next to Ben.
“Yes.”
“Are you sorry that you came now?” Gred asked. “It’ll take us at least three weeks to London now, if at all.” Greg shook his head. “I don’t think the Lieutenant will live.”
“That bad?” It had been a few weeks since the crew started getting sick. They had putrid gums, rashes, feebleness, and some of them had spat out whole teeth. Ben inspected his own hands. He had no rashes besides the rough skin stretching over his knuckles from the hard work on deck.
Ben’s gaze swept over the schooner’s deck, each crease on the sailor’s faces etching deeper with their unspoken suffering. A mysterious malady had gnawed at their vigor, reducing stalwart men to ghosts of their former selves. Greg still held onto a thread of resilience, but even his once vivacious spirit was fraying. The once bustling deck was now desolate, the air heavy with a grim silence only punctuated by the occasional groans of discomfort. Ben, a jeweler by trade, stood helpless amidst this unfolding tragedy. His skilled fingers, so accustomed to crafting beauty from raw stones, were woefully inadequate in easing the torment. And the realization that the journey home was turning into a futile race against time weighed on him like a millstone, a cruel irony that instilled fear in him every time Ben’s eyes met those of the frail sailors, exchanging wordless conversations echoing the gravity of their predicament.
Ben inhaled. “We’re almost there.” He was sorry to miss Esther and to take two terms off from his studies, but he wasn’t sorry to contribute to the treasure hunt, especially now he’d return covered in glory. He was a Klonimus and wouldn’t give up.
“How do you feel?” Greg asked.
Ben dropped the ropes and rubbed his hands, calloused from the work on deck. “I expected a smoother journey back. There hasn’t been any time to cut the gem roughs.”
