A LIFE SO CHANGED
Chapter Thirteen

Crowd led and alive with music, laughter and raucous carrying on. A band called Gaelic Storm is gathered near the upright piano, honking out lively stomping music on fiddle, accordion and tambourine.

People of all ages are dancing, drinking beer and wine, smoking, laughing, even brawling.

Fabrizio is dancing with Helga. "Is it okay if I put my hand here?" putting his hand on the small of her back. She nods. "Okay." With a smile.

Rose is seated with Tommy, and Bjorn. Jack is dancing with Cora, or trying to.

Bjorn is saying something to Rose.

"What?" asked Rose, putting her hand over her ear. Bjorn repeats it. "I’m sorry, I can’t understand you." Then looks at Tommy, funny. Boy, he’s drunk.

Tommy hands Rose a beer, she drinks it, but made a face. Rose watches Jack and Cora dance. All of the sudden, she hears a crash on her left. A man had fallen and got up to take his beer from a friend. Rose laughs. He’s sure having a ball, falling, and drinking at the same time.

A song had ended, everyone cheered. Then the next song is being played.

"I’m gonna dance with her now, okay?" asked Jack to Cora. She nods. "Come on." To Rose.

"What?" Not knowing what he wants.

"Come on. Come with me." Grabbing her hand and leading her to the dance floor.

"What? Jack! Wait Jack!" Now realizing that he wanted to dance with her. She looks him in the eye. "I can’t do this."

Jack ignored her. "We’re gonna have to get a little closer." He pulls her close to him. "Like this." Rose and Jack face each other, so close that he could kiss her. She is trembling as he takes her right hand into his left hand. His other hand slides onto the small of her back. It is an electrifying moment. Jack looks at Cora, who is frowning at him.

"You’re still my best girl, Cora." With a smile. She smiles back and turned to her father.

Jack and Rose start dancing. "I don’t know the steps," said Rose.

"Neither do I. Just go with it. Don’t think!" She laughs.

The music starts and they are off. A little awkward at first, then she starts to get into it. She grins at Jack as she starts to get the rhythm of the steps.

"Wait Jack. Jack! Jack! Stop Jack!" Starting to lose the steps. Jack just laughed, so did she. "Woohoo."

They plunge into the fray, dancing faster as the music speeds up. Jack leads her toward the cargo ramp in the middle of the room. He is feeling dangerous. Moving with the music. Jack steps apart from her and dances a traditional Irish footwork dance. Rose laughs, and hurriedly removes her shoes and tosses them to a woman, and takes her place next to Jack and did the same dance.

The steps are fast and she shines with sweat. Jack is surprised that she would know the dance. She stuck out her tongue at him, and he claps his hands in excitement. He did another dance to see if she could do that one. She did. Only she was the only one dancing at that time, with everyone clapping and cheering for her.

Jack takes her arm and spins her around, as the other people did, they reserved, and then Jack took both of her hands, crosses with his, and spun her around.

"Jack...no!" Smiling.

"Waaaahhhhh!" Jack loves this.

"Aaaaagggghhhh!" Then she laughs.

In the Girls’ room, a door opens and Cal stuck his head in and saw Jenna, Lea, and Vicki talking.

"Is Rose in here?" With a concern look on this face.

"No," said Lea.

"Okay." Then he shuts the door.

"Where is Rose, anyway?" asked Vicki. Lea and Jenna just struggled.

Jack and Rose walks at the table, flushed and sweaty. They are next to an arm wrestling match between Tommy and Bjorn. Jack grabs two beers and gave one to her, and he takes a small drink. Rose chugs hers.

"What?" Looking at Jack’s surprised statement. "This isn’t Coke?" They laughed. Suddenly a man bumps into Jack, and his beer splashes onto Rose. "Get out of here!" said Jack to the man, and then turned to Rose. "You all right?" Rose laughs, not caring. "I’m fine. Really, I’m fine." Jack tries to wipe off some of the beer off her dress.

"So!" said Rose, standing between Tommy and Bjorn in front of the table. "You think you’re big tough men? Let’s see you can arm wrestle me." Bjorn gets up, and lets her sit down.

"Love. Don’t," said Jack, with a concern look on his face.

"It’s all right. He’s going to beat me anyway." With a grin.

Rose and Tommy arm wrestles, and Tommy won. Rose got up. "Ow." Shaking her hand. While she was laughing, she forgot that Bjorn was next to her, so she trips, Jack caught her. Everyone cracks up laughing.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," said a woman.

"Are you all right?" asked Jack, with a smile.

"I told you. I always slip." They both laugh.

A door opens from the well deck, and someone is coming down to the stairs, but stops half way, because he saw someone there. It is Lewis, looking at Rose, who is in the arms of Jack, both of them laughing. Lewis leaves to tell Cal. Cal had sent Lewis to find her.

The next song is being played, and Fabrizio grabs Rose’s hand, and she grabs Jack’s hand too, so they can dance a circle like with people holding hands. Rose’s face shows she is having a blast.

The stars blaze overhead, so bright and clear, so you can see the Milky Way. Rose and Jack walking along the row of lifeboats. She has on Jack’s coat. Still giddy from the party, Rose does not want the night to end.

Jack is singing a song. "Come Josephine, in my flying machine going up she goes, up she goes." Rose joins him.

They fumble the words as they sing it again, and break down laughing. They have reached the First Class Entrance, but didn’t go straight in. Through the doors, the sound of the ship’s orchestra wafts gently.

"Where did you learn to dance like that?" asked Rose.

"My folks were professional dancers, and they taught me when I was a kid."

"Wow, you were so good."

"So did you. How did you know the steps? I thought you weren’t allowed to dance?"

"I’m not. I just followed your foot steps." Laughing. "Can you do it again for me?"

"Sure." He did his traditional Irish footwork dance again, and Rose did too. They both did at the same time. They laughed after they finished.

"We could become professional dancers," said Jack.

"Yeah. We could." But sadly she grabs a davit and leans back, staring at the cosmos. "Isn’t it magnificent? So grand and endless." She goes to the rail and leans on it. "They’re such small people, Jack. My crowd. They think they’re masters on the earth, but they’re not even masters in God’s eye. They live inside this little tiny champagne bottle, and someday the bubble’s going to burst."

Jack leans at the rail next to her, his hand just touching hers. It is the slightest contact imaginable, and all either one of them can feel is that square inch of skin where their hands are touching.

"You’re not one of them. There’s been a mistake." With a straight look on his face.

"A mistake?"

"Uh huh. You got mailed to the wrong address." Smiling.

"I did, didn’t I?" Laughing. "Look. A shooting star!" Pointing suddenly.

"That was a long one. My father used to say that whenever you saw one, it was a soul going to heaven."

"I like that. Aren’t we supposed to wish on it?" Looking at Jack. Jack looks at her, and finds that they are suddenly very close together. It would be so easy to move another couple of inches, to kiss each other.

"Is he going to kiss me? Do I want him to? Yes, I do." She thought.

"What would you wish for?" Staring deep into her eyes.

After a beat. Rose pulls back. "Something I can’t have, but it’s not your world I wish for." For she knows that she will never see him again, after she saw Lewis, after she straighten up from falling. She knew that he would tell Cal where she has been.

"Good night, Jack." Giving his coat back to him. "And thank you for the best night, I have ever had in my whole life." She gave him a quick hug, and leaves the rail and hurries through the First Class Entrance.

"Rose!" With a puzzled look. But the door bangs shut, and she is gone. Back to her world.

Chapter Fourteen
Stories