It was lunchtime by the time he ordered food, so John’s favorite Chinese food restaurant was ready to deliver it to him.  Everything was vegetarian since the Pirate didn’t eat meat, but he was glad she wasn’t militant about it; it didn’t occur to him until after he’d ordered that there wasn’t much on the menu that didn’t have fish sauce or oyster sauce in it. John felt her eyes on him as she sat at his feet on the floor with him occupying the lounge chair. He was eating with a plastic fork and she had the wooden chopsticks that had come with the food (of course! he wouldn’t expect anything less from her than this little bit of ethnic familiarity …). “Why ‘Captain Jack?’” she asked.

John chuckled. “Whiskey, dope – whatever; I’m addictive, aren’t I?” She laughed at his bad-boy look. “Come to think of it, I think he was a pirate too! Sailed around with his mistress, oh, I forget her name.”

“Anne,” she said promptly. She pulled noodles out of the white container in her hands with her chopsticks. At his look, she added, “I googled it! Anyway, that’s why I picked the name ‘Anna’. I thought it was the ‘pirate’ part you were on about.” They sat eating for a moment.

Finally he asked her, “So, um, are you a hacker?”

She looked at him with surprise. “No,” she said without hesitation. “Would it matter to you if I was?” she asked, slipping more noodles into her mouth.

“Just wondering,” he said casually. “I make a living out of keeping up with people like you. Hackers, I mean.” He fished a bit of celery out of his own white box.

She smiled, clearly amused by his slip. “Why would you think that?”

“Just the name: Cyber Pirate. How’d you come up with it?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. It sounded cool; I must have heard it somewhere. Does it mean I’m a hacker?” John nodded, his mouth full. “I didn’t realize; maybe I should change that – wouldn’t want anyone to think I’m naughty.” John snorted at that. “The 875 is my birthdate, month and year. How boring is that?”

John sputtered. “No. Fucking. Way.” His mouth was hanging open. “Serious? That means you’re, like …” he did some math quickly in his head. “You’re over thirty???”

“Ye-ah,” she said slowly, unsure if she should be flattered or insulted. He resolved that for her.

“But you don’t look it,” he started. “I mean, you look much younger than that. I mean, you look pretty damn good for someone who’s old. I mean, not that 30 is old.” She smiled at him because this wasn't the first time she’d seen him truly at a loss for words, and she found it endearing, but he wisely kept his face buried in his food and didn’t try to say anymore. Then she thought some more on it, and put her own food on the table in front of her.

“Jack -,” she started, but he stopped her, waving his fork in the air.

“Don’t,” he warned her.

 “Jack, listen – ”

 “No, don’t,” he insisted.

 “Just shut up and listen!” But when she had his attention, she suddenly didn’t know where to start. “Um, look – I was dumped. Not too long ago.” She breathed in deeply. He stared intently at his food, though he’d stopped eating. “We were together … for a while.” She faltered. It bothered her that he didn’t want to hear this. “I thought it was serious,” she whispered. “I thought …”

“You thought it was your fault,” he finished for her, suddenly putting his own food aside. “You