The Captains Brother

I was wondering around the house today and decided to look in some of the other rooms and see if there was anything of interest in them. On the second floor is where the immediate family slept and had their rooms. The Captains room I took over because I loved it from the first time I saw it. Then there were other rooms to look into. One had  a large picture of what looked like a pirate on the wall. I stood there and looked at it for a long time trying to figure out where he fit in this family. As I was lost in thought, I started to notice a very manly scent filling the room and it smelled like a musk cologne that men wear. It seemed to fill the room and I started to feel a presence in the room. I was a liitle scared as I turned around and looked behind me and let out a whoosh of air as I saw that it was only the Captain standing there in the doorway and smiling at me. He walked in and pointed up at the picture and turned to face me.

"That scroundrel on that wall is my brother, Jim. " "he was the Captain of many of my fathers ships and quite a sailor he was." "He could sail any ship that was made and handled her like he knew every inch of her by heart." "A good man my brother Jim was." "He lived to be an old sailor and I had this picture made of him so I would have something to put in this room of his when he came for a visit." "When he saw it he pretended like he didn't care but I knew that he really liked it that we had it made and put in his guest room." "My Katherine loved him and he loved her too.""She was a kind and generous woman and loved all that came here and was a great hostess to all my family and friends." "You see that album over there on the shelves?"

"Yes," I said, "I do."

"Well, if you want to see some things about my brothers life go and get that album down and take in  your office and have a good look at it." "I think you will be happy to see all the ships that he captained and pictures of him and his wife and kids.""Oh! Yes! he had a wife and kids and they are all gone one now too." "He had two girls and twin boys. hellions I called them." The Captain smiled and watched as I took down the old tattered album very carefully. This was quite a treasure he was letting me look into. I turned around to thank him and he was gone. Darn! that man had a way of coming and going before I was finished talking to him and besides I enjoyed being with him.

I took the book down to the office and sat in my chair and very carefully turned the pages. They were yellow with age but still you were able to see the pictures very good. There were two lovely young girls and two mischevious looking twins in one picture with his brother and his wife standing behind them. As I turned the pages I saw the family growing up and all the things they did for enjoyment. The parties and people they loved. There were pictures of others and there was one that said mother and father.So this is what his parents looked like. What a handsome pair they were. He looked just like his father . Same dark wavey hair and dark mysterious eyes. That small smile on his face and the look in his eyes as he looked at his wife gave me goose bumps. I felt like I was intrudeding on a private moment between two people so much in love. I sat and looked at that picture for a long time. Such love, you could feel it. I sighed and sat back and closed my eyes and started to drift off into my own daydream. Me and the Captain alone in that room where his parents were.

I don't know how it happened but I fell asleep and when I woke there by the patio window stood the Captain with the book in his hands and he too was looking at the picture of his parents . When he saw that I was up , he turned and started to speak.

"I had forgotten that my mother and father were in this book too." "They were very much in love and they were very good parents to me and my brother and sisters. " "Oh! I didn't tell you I had two sisters and a brother before." "My older sister was named Mary and the younger one was Jen short for Jennifer"''. My brother you know was named Jim."

I got up and walked over to him and looked at the book as he showed me his two sisters and his brother and him with their parents at the park. They were in a handsome buggy being pulled by huge black horses. The whole picture was magnificent. Together we looked through the rest of the book with him telling me all about each picture and where it was taken and what event they were at and celebrating. I loved the one with the family by the Christmas tree and they were all dressed in their best clothes and going off to church for mass. What a beautiful family he had. HIs brother and sisters were all attractive but he was the best looking of all of them.  He was the spitting imagine of his father. I kept looking at the picture and at him. I didn't notice him smiling at me, and then he put his hand on my shoulder and gently ran his hand down my arm and up again. I could feel chills and stood very still . I didn't move a muscle just enjoying his gentle touch. He turned me around and looked at me very intently and leaned over very close to my ear and whispered,"You are as lovely and outshine anyone in that book."

I was speechless, and just looked into his eyes as he stood up and took his hand off of my arm and smiled and very slowly disappeared before my eyes. must have stood there for at least ten minutes just looking at the spot he had stood in and I put my hand and rubbed my arm where he had so gently ran his hand and I could still feel the goose bumps there.

I decided to take a walk down to the cove and sit on the chair there and just look out into the ocean and dream a dream. It has been such a wonderful day. I love the ocean and soft breezes and the peacefullness of the whole cove. I knew how the Captain felt about this cove and his home and I was feeling the same way.