A LIFE SO CHANGED
Chapter Eleven
Rose and Jack strolling aft, passing people
lounging on deck chairs in the slanting late afternoon light. Stewards scurry
to serve tea, beer, soft drinks, or hot cocoa.
"You know, my dream has always been to
become an actress. Live in a mansion, be rich, but free!" Rose said,
girlish and excited.
"I don’t know if your parents will let
you become an actress," Jack replied, laughing.
"Listen you...I’m tired of people, and my
parents telling me what to do, or can’t do!" Rose was angry in a flash.
"I’m sorry. Really...I am." Holding
her hand to prove he was sorry.
"That’s all right. There’s something in
me, Jack. I feel it. I don’t know what it is, whether I should be an actress,
or I don’t know...become an artist like you," she said sadly.
Jack suddenly looks at a couple. Daniel and
Molly Marvin. Daniel is holding his cam recorder, as Molly poses stiffly at the
rail.
"You’re sad. Sad, sad, sad. You left
your lover on the shore. You may never see him again. Try to be sadder,
sweetie."
Jack looks at Rose. "Hey, maybe you
can."
He takes her hand and runs, pulling her along
the deck towards them. Jack shoots into the shot and strikes a theatrical pose
at the rail next to Molly. Molly bursts out laughing. Jack pulls Rose into the
picture and makes her pose.
Marvin grins and starts yelling and
gesturing. They acted as he told them to. Rose posing tragically at the rail,
the back of her hand to her forehead. Jack on a deck chair, pretending to be a
Pasha, the two girls pantomiming fanning him like slave girls.
Jack, on his knees, pleading with his hands
clasped while Rose, standing, turns her head in bored disdain. Molly holding
the cam recorder with Rose by her side, while Daniel and Jack have a western
shoot-out. Jack wins and leers into the lens, twirling an air mustache like
Snidely Whiplash.
They all gather around to see what a great
job they did. They laughed.
"What’s your names?" asked Daniel.
"Jack Dawson."
"Rose Black."
"Well, you two are great...ever thought
about acting?"
"She does." Jack pointing to Rose.
She blushes.
"Okay, well, give me a call, Rose, and
we will arrange your screen test."
Daniel took out a piece of paper and wrote
down his name and number, and handed it to her.
"Thank you very much."
"No problem. We need more
actresses."
They shook hands with each other, and Daniel
and Molly left.
Painted with orange light, Jack and Rose lean
on the A-deck rail aft, shoulder to shoulder. The ship’s lights come on. It is
a magical moment...perfect.
"Well after that I worked on a squid
boat on Moniere, then I went down to Los Angeles to the pier in Santa Monica
and started doing portraits there for one hundred dollars a piece."
"Why can’t I be like you, Jack?"
Looks at the dust sky. "Just head out into your world whenever I feel like
it." Turning to him. "Say we go there, sometime...to that pier...even
if we only ever just talk about it."
"No, we’ll do it! We’ll drink cheep
beer, we’ll ride on the roller coaster until we throw up." Rose laughs.
"And we ride horses on the beach...right on the surf. But you have to ride
like a cowboy, none of that dress code stuff."
"You mean, me in pants? I’m too scared
to ride on the horse alone, but can you show me?"
"Sure. If you like."
"Teach me to ride like a man!"
Smiling at him.
"And chew tobacco like a man!" Jack
in a bad Texas accent.
"And spit like a man!" Rose in a
same accent.
"They didn’t teach you that in the
religious finishing school?" he asked, laughing.
"No!" Rose was laughing, too.
"Come on. I’ll show you. Let’s do
it." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the side railing.
"What?"
"I’ll show you how. Come on."
"Jack! No Jack! No! Wait Jack! I
couldn’t possibly Jack!"
"Okay. Watch closely."
He spits. It arcs out over the water.
"Ugh, that’s disgusting!" She
laughs.
"Your turn," he said, smiling.
She looks at the couple next to her and
quickly spit. Not very good.
"That was pitiful. Come on, you really
got to hawk it back...(he sniffs deeply) you know. Get some leverage to it. Use
your arms, arc your neck. (Hawks a loogie) Did you see the range on that
thing?" Rose nods. "Okay, go."
She goes through the steps. Hawks it down,
etc. She lets it fly.
"That was better. You got to work on it.
Really try and hawk it up and get some body to it."
"Really?"
Suddenly Rose blanches. Ruth, Claire, and
Molly were walking and saw them. Jack was getting ready to spit again. Rose
taps his arm hard. He sees her statement and turns. When he saw them he
swallows his spit.
"Hi!" Rose moves slowly away from
Jack to Ruth. "May I introduce Jack Dawson?"
"Charmed, I’m sure," said Ruth,
looking at Jack, then at Rose.
Jack has a little spit running down his chin.
He doesn’t know it. Molly is grinning, indicates the spittle which he promptly
wipes away. Rose proceeds with the introductions.
Rose: "The others were gracious and
curious about the man who’d saved my life. But my mother looked at him like an
insect. A dangerous insect which must be squashed quickly."
"Well, Jack, it sounds like you’re a
good man to have around in a sticky spot," said Molly, with a smile. Jack
smiled back.
They all jump as a bugler sounds the dinner
call right behind them.
"Why do they insist on always announcing
dinner like a cavalry charge?" said Molly.
Rose laughs. "Shall we go dress,
Mama?" She pulls Ruth forward. Claire follows them. "See you at
dinner, Jack." With a smile over her shoulder, as she went.
Molly and Jack are alone. Jack stretches
mightily to get a last look at Rose as she is walking away, enchanted by her.
"Uh, Jack...Jack!" getting his
attention, he finally looked at her. "Do you have the slightest
comprehension of what you’re doing?"
"Not really." Smiling.
"Well, you’re about to go into the snake
pit. What are you planning to wear?"
Jack looks down at his clothes. Back at her.
He shrugs. He hadn’t thought about that.
"I figured. Come on." Molly takes
Jack’s arm and leads him to their staterooms.
*****
Men's suits and jackets and formal wear are
strewn all over the place. Molly is having a fine time. Jack is dressed.
"I was right. You and my husband are
about the same size!" Smiling.
"Pretty close."
Jack turns to look at himself in the mirror.
Molly is next to him taking him in.
"My, my, my...you shine up like a new
penny." They both laughed.