My father realized he could never go back to the lifestyle he’d been accustomed to before. He told me once, in one of the rare moments when he felt like talking about his past, that it had been like waking up from a beautiful dream and finding out life was really a nightmare. There was no going back after that.

So he’d run away, abandoning his family and their expectations for him, making his living by stealing from the same people he’d once rubbed elbows with and then giving their money to the poor. This man who knew all the verses of Shakespeare by heart and could discuss at length Aristotle’s philosophies was now a murderer and a thief. In short, he was a pirate. But he was also our teacher. He’d taught Violet and me everything we knew – not just reading, writing, and arithmetic but the deeper lessons – pride, loyalty, and family.

I asked him once, “Do you miss your family?”

He’d been steering the ship, his pipe hanging out of his mouth. He looked me briefly and said, “I have all the family I need now.”