LOVE BY CHANCE
Chapter Two
Ruth DeWitt-Bukater stood in the Philadelphia
airport, her foot tapping impatiently on the floor. Rose’s flight was five
minutes late and she was becoming more annoyed by the second. What could be the
problem? Just a slight delay, nothing to worry about. She noticed the plane
taxiing in out of the corner of her eye. Finally. She could get Rose then get
back to work.
She stood watching and waiting to see Rose
emerge from the exit of the plane by herself so that they could rush off for
her luggage. Much to her surprise, she walked out holding hands with a
blonde-haired man. She squinted her eyes to try and see if she could recognize
him. A wave of hatred hit her as she remembered the face. Jack Dawson. The man
who ruined her daughter’s life. If she would have gotten with Cal Hockley, she
could have bettered the man and made a good life for me, er I mean her. The
scowl lingered on her face as they walked over to her.
"Mother," Rose said with a smile on
her face and a hug. "So good to see you!"
"You too dear," she said with a
forced smile on her face and her gaze still lingering on Jack.
Rose noticed this and spoke up. "Surely
you remember Jack Dawson."
"Yes," Ruth replied curtly. "I
remember."
Rose smiled to try to ease away her mother’s
apparent apprehensions to Jack Dawson reappearing and turned to Jack.
"Isn’t that your grandmother over there?"
Jack leaned over her shoulder. "Yeah it
is." He waved to her and she nodded. "Well, Mrs. DeWitt-Bukater, it
was nice seeing you again. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon." He extended
his hand, which she took in a very brief handshake. "You have my number,
right Rose?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I’ll call you later
tonight." She gave him a kiss. "See you later."
"Oh you bet," he replied with a
grin and walked over toward his grandmother looking back three times.
"Rose!" her mother’s shrill voice
cut into her gazing at Jack.
"What, Mother?" Rose’s voice
sounded annoyed since she already knew what her mother would say.
"Don’t take that tone with me,
Rose."
"Mother, I’m going to say this and I’m
going to get it out of the way. I’m with Jack and I love Jack. I always have.
There’s nothing you can do to dissuade me from him. And if you can’t accept
that then I’m not going to stay with you on this vacation. I won’t tolerate
you’re bickering and complaints on how I could do better or how I should have
been with Caledon Hockley." She paused for a moment. "I’m a grown
woman and can make my own choices. I’m not seventeen anymore."
Her mother looked at her with an angry look.
"I can’t believe you just did that to me in public. Humiliate your own
mother like that. If that’s how you really feel then go to your precious Jack
and stay with him. You’re not welcome in my house."
"I’m sorry you feel that way,
Mother."
Ruth turned and walked away from Rose, tears
beginning to run down her face. She was so embarrassed that Rose had done that
to her. She thought she had raised her better than that.
Rose turned around and was delighted to see
that Jack hadn’t left yet. She ran over to him with hot tears running down her
face.
When he saw her coming, he knew it related to
her mother. "Rose, honey, what’s going on?" he asked gently as she
flung herself in his arms.
"Mother," she said, her voice
muffled by his shirt.
"Okay, um, well you can come with
us..." Jack said looking hopefully at his grandmother.
She nodded and indicated that they should go,
having caused enough of a scene already.
"Why does she do this to me?" Rose
cried as she paced on the floor of Jack’s bedroom at his grandmother’s.
"Every time I try to defend myself to her, she just belittles me or makes
me feel guilty for speaking my mind when I’m right!"
"She needs to feel in control,"
Jack replied calmly. "By telling you what to do and who to date she feels
she’s in complete control of her entire life which includes you." Jack
grabbed her hand and pulled her down to sit by him on the bed.
"I don’t know what to do about
her!"
"So, don’t do anything. She’ll
eventually come around, especially if you don’t give in to her. She’s probably
anticipating a call from you apologizing for your behavior and blah blah blah.
Don’t give in and let her win. Show her that she doesn’t control you and that
you’re your own woman."
"You’re right. How have I managed to
live without you so long?"
Jack laughed. "Oh come on! And besides
we’ve so much more time together too."
"I can’t wait."
Ruth sat by the phone in the living room that
night after work. She’ll call. She always does. She can never stand to make her
mother unhappy and so help me if Jack Dawson changes her, I’ll squash the bug
myself.