Made To Be Broken
Chapter One
3:42 P.M.
Rose sighed after looking up at the clock again. More than an hour left of work. She continued to wash treys in the back of the restaurant. She was sweating from the heat and she was quite tired.
"Rose! Got them treys done yet?" Brenda, the owner of the restaurant yelled back to her.
"Almost!" Rose wiped her forehead with her hand. When she finally finished with the treys, she carried them up front.
"You got some tables to wait on," Brenda muttered before taking someone's order.
Quickly, Rose exited the kitchen and began waiting on tables. She couldn't complain, she did make fair money. Minimum wage and tips was not bad at all. It was enough for her to afford a decent apartment and provide for herself.
Eventually, it was 5:00 P.M. and she was finally done. She hung up her apron in the back and walked out the backdoor. She lit a cigarette as soon as she was outside. She didn't smoke that much, only right after she got off work to relax. It wasn't really a habit yet.
Rose observed her surroundings as she walked past the hospital, as she always did on her walk home. She only lived a mile away from work and enjoyed her peaceful walks. Her happiness showed as the redhead walked down the streets of Miami.
She looked up at the sky and noticed that it might rain. While she was doing this, a young man was looking down at his feet, walking toward her. Neither of them saw each other and both bumped right into one another.
"Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry," Rose muttered.
"I'm sorry, too," the main said with a concerned face. Rose then took a good look at him. He looked about 27, her age. He had blonde hair and a deep color of blue in his eyes. She smiled at him weakly.
"I never seem to watch where I'm going," Rose said with a nervous laugh. She then noticed he had been walking from the hospital, but asked no questions.
"Yeah, same here." He smiled sweetly. "I'm Jack Dawson."
"I'm Rose Hockley."
"Nice to meet you, Rose," he said, shaking her hand. "Maybe next time we meet we won't nearly kill each other." They both laughed at his comment. "It was nice meeting you."
"Yeah," she replied, and walked off with a smile.
He had been a charming man. She wondered if she'd ever run into him again.
Rose came home to find her husband sitting on her couch.
"Cal? What are you doing here?"
He looked around her apartment in disapproval. "Rose...would you look at this place? It's a dump!"
Rose gave him a rude look. "It is not!"
"Compared to the house we bought when we were married it is."
"I can't take this anymore!" Rose said. "Caledon, we are separated. Give it up. You are never going to get me back and I will never love you again!"
He then fell to his knees and hugged her legs. "Please...Rose...forgive me for everything. All of those times I hit you...I wasn't me...it wasn't me...I promise you. I love you with all my heart. I just want one more change."
"That's what you said the last time!"
"I'm a changed man."
"Tsk," Rose replied. "You always say that."
Cal then stood up and hugged her and kissed her gently. "Look...have dinner with me tomorrow night. We'll talk about it."
"No..."
"Just dinner. If you don't change your mind then I will leave you alone for good. That's a promise."
"You promise?" Rose asked for reassurance.
"I promise."
"Okay."
"Good, settled then," Cal said, kissing her lightly again. "You'll see, Rose, I really am a changed man."
"I hope you're right."
Getting into a hot bath always made Rose feel so comfy. With candles lit and classical music playing. It was perfect. She often did this when she had something to think about. This was an important decision.
Should she take Cal back? No. She knew that. But, her mother wouldn't even answer her phone calls since she left Cal. It had been about four months. The bruises had finally got to Rose. He hit her almost every day.
Rose finally decided that she was going to go to out to dinner and see what happened. Maybe her and Cal could start all over, date again. Before they were married things hadn't been too bad. He was almost a gentlemen.
After she was done with her bath, Rose called her mother.
"Hello?"
"Mom...it's me...don't hang up. I'm going out with Cal tomorrow."
"You are?" Ruth asked happily. "Does this mean you're going to move back in with him?"
"I don't know," Rose said simply. "I'm just going to go and see what happens. I was thinking that Cal and I could have a fresh, new start."
"That's wonderful!"
It made Rose happy to hear that her mother was happy again. Everything Rose did seemed to disappoint her. Her mother almost had a heart attack when she heard that Rose was a waitress.
"I've gotta go, Mom," Rose said. "I'll call you again, soon."
When Rose was done with her pleasant phone conversation, she curled up with a book in bed. She had to be at work tomorrow at nine. She read for a few minutes and then the lights went out.
She didn't know why, but she had a dream about the blonde haired hospital boy that night.
