A LIFE SO CHANGED
Chapter Fourteen

July 14, 1998

A bright clear day. Sunlight splashing across the promenade. Rose and Cal are having breakfast in silence. Rose is in her nightgown. The tension is palpable. Rose asked Cal if he wanted more coffee, he said no. Cal stares at her in silently.

"I had hoped you would come to me last night."

"I was tired." With a smile.

"I guess it was...dancing in third class must have been exhausting," he said cruelly.

"I see you had that undertaker of a manservant follow me." Stiffening. "How typical."

"You will never behave like that again, Rose. Do you understand?"

With a low sigh, "I can’t believe you are overreacting over this."

"Overreacting? Overreacting?" Cal explodes, sweeping the table right over with a crash. He moves to her in one shocking moment, glowering and gripping the sides of her armchair, so she is trapped between his arms. "Yes, I am! And don’t you forget it either! You are my daughter, and you will honor me. You will honor me, as a daughter is required to honor her father, because I will not be made out a fool in front of the church. And you will not to see Jack again, do you understand me?"

"Yes." Very frightened and meekly.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Excuse me." Cal leaves the promenade. Rose shrinks into the chair. She sees the mess that he had made, and decided to clean up. She gets on the floor, and as she is doing this, she sobs. Jack...Jack...why didn’t you let me die? Why?

Lea is helping Rose with her dress. They are alone, and getting ready for Sunday service. Ruth enters the room.

"Lea, I want to talk to Rose alone," she said plainly. Lea leaves. Ruth shuts the door behind her. She walks to Rose and resumes helping her dress. She is furious. "You are not to see that boy again, do you understand me? Rose? Rose, we forbid it!"

"Oh stop it, Mamma. I’ve heard enough!"

Ruth whirls Rose around to face her. "No, you haven’t. We have to repeat it, so you will understand." She lets go of her arm. "We know the truth, Rose. Jack did not save you."

"But, he did!"

Ruth sighs. "But I’m telling you, you have better do what your father says, and I mean it. He loves you, and he does not want you to get hurt."

Rose nods, and Ruth kisses her cheek. She turns her around and continued to help with the dress. Rose sighs.

At the service, Jerry Lee, the church song director, is leading a group in the hymn "Almighty Father Strong to Save." Rose, Lea, Jenna, and Ruth are singing in the middle of the group. Cal is in the back room, talking with Brother Parrish.

Jack is coming down on the staircase, and sees Thomas writing in his journal on the condition on the ship. "Hello, Mr. Andrews."

"Hello, Jack." With a smile.

Jack comes up to the Chapel door, two of the teens, Lewis and Robby are at the door, and stopped him. "Hey--" said Lewis.

"I just need to see Rose for a second."

"Well, Brother Black doesn’t want you in here, so you’ll have to leave."

Lea hears the commotion, and lightly tap Rose on the arm, Rose turns. Lea pointed the doors, and Rose moved slowly, to see the door, and gasped lightly as she saw Jack. Jack caught her looking, and Rose moved back to her place quickly, as Cal and Parrish went to the doors to put an end to it.

"My wife and I continue to be most appreciative of your assistance. But we give you this in gratitude--" He holds out a couple of twenties dollar bills, which Jack refuses to take.

"I don’t want your money--"

Cal interrupts him. "And to tell you that you will no longer see my daughter from this day forward, and that you hold a third class ticket, and your presence here is no longer appropriate."

"I just need to talk to her for one second..."

"Boys, will you please see that Jack gets back where he belongs." Handing the split money to the boys.

"Please, sir." Begging as they grabbed a hold of him.

"Come along you," said Lewis.

Rose, seeing again Jack being hustled out. Good-bye, Jack. She went back to the singing. "...hear us when we cry to thee for those in peril on the sea."

In the Gymnasium, there are machines they recognize, and some don’t. A woman pedals a stationary bicycle in a long dress, looking ridiculous. Thomas Andrews is leading the group, including Rose and Lea, who are in the far in away from the group as much as possible. Cal is working the oars of a stationary rowing machine with a well-trained stroke.

"Reminds me of my high school days." With a laugh.

T.W. McCauley, the gym instructor, is a bouncy little man in white flannels, eager to show off his modern equipment, like his present-day counterpart on an "Abflex" infomercial. He hits a switch and the machine with a band on it starts to undulate. Rose walks up and puts her hand on it, in curiously.

"The electric band is very popular," said McCauley, and then turns to Ruth. "Care to try your hand at the rowing, Ma’am?"

"No." With a smile.

"The next stop on our tour will be the bridge. This way, please," said Andrews, guiding them out.

Jack, walking with determination, is followed closely by Tommy and Fabrizio. He quickly climbs the steps to B-deck and steps over the gate separating third from second class.

"She’s a religious girl, there’s no denying. But she’s in another world, Jackie, forget her. She’s closed the door," said Tommy.

Jack moves furtively to the wall below the A-deck promenade, aft. "It was them, not her." He glances around the deck. "Ready...go."

Tommy shakes his head resignedly and puts his hands together, crouching down. Jack steps into Tommy’s hands and gets boosted up to the next deck, where he scrambles nimbly over the railing, onto the First Class deck.

"He’s not being logical, I tell ya," said Tommy.

"Amore is’a not logical," said Fabrizio.

Harold Bride, the twenty-one-year-old Junior Wireless Operator, hustles in and skirts around Andrews’ tour group to hand a Marconigram to Captain Smith.

"And why do you have two steering wheels?" asked Molly.

"We only use this one near land," said Andrews.

"Another ice warning, Sir. This one from the Northern," said Bride.

"Thank you, Sparks," said Captain Smith.

Captain Smith glances at the message then nonchalantly puts it in his pocket. He nods reassuringly to Rose and the group. "Not to worry, it’s quite normal for this time of year. In fact, we’re speeding up. I’ve just ordered the last boilers lit."

A man is playing with his son, who is spinning a top with a string. It’s very popular at this year. The man’s overcoat and hat are sitting on a deck chair nearby. Jack emerges from behind one of the huge deck cranes and calmly picks up the coat and bowler hat. He walks away, slipping into the coat, and slicks his hair back with spit. Then puts the hat on at a jaunty angle. At a distance he could pass for a gentleman.

Andrews leads the group back from the bridge along the boat deck.

"Mr. Andrews, forgive me, I did the sum in my head, and with the number of lifeboats times the capacity you mentioned...forgive me, but it seems that there are not enough for everyone aboard," said Rose.

"About half, actually. My dear, you miss nothing, do you?" Rose smiles embarrassing. "In fact, I put in these new type davits, which can take an extra row of boats here inside this one." He gestures along the deck. "But it was thought...by some...that the deck would look too cluttered. So I was over-ruled."

"Waste of deck space as it is, on an unsinkable ship!" said Cal, slapping the side of a boat.

"Sleep soundly, my dear. I have built you a good ship, strong and true. She’s all the lifeboat you need." Rose smiles at him, and follows him. "Just keep heading aft. Next stop is the engine room."

As they pass Boat Seven, a gentleman turns from the rail and walks up behind the group. It is Jack. He taps Rose on the arm and she turns, gasping. He motions and she is being cut away from the group toward a door, which Jack holds open. They duck into the gym.

Jack closes the door behind her, and glances out through the ripple-glass window to the starboard rail, where the gym instructor is chatting up the woman who was riding the bike. Rose and Jack are alone in the room.

"Jack, this is impossible...I can’t see you." She went to the door, but Jack stopped her, by the arm.

"I need to talk to you."

"No Jack, no. Jack, I’m forbidden to see you. I have to obey Dad...I love Dad."

"Love, you’re no picnic, all right? You’re spoiled little brat even, but under that you’re the most amazingly, astounding, wonderful girl...woman...that I’ve ever known and--"

"Jack, I--" Trying to move away from him, but Jack caught her again.

"No, let me try to get this out. You’re amazing...I’m not an idiot. I know how your world works. I’ve got one hundred bucks in my pocket and nothing to offer you and I know that." Grabbing her shoulders by his hands. "But I’m too involved now. You jump, I jump, remember? I can’t turn away without knowing that you’re going to be all right. That’s all that I want."

Rose feels the tears coming to her eyes. Jack is so open and real, not like anyone she has ever known.

Oh, Jack, you’re making this hard on me to end our friendship, or something more. She looks at him with an effort. "Well, I’m fine. I’ll be fine. Really."

"Really? I don’t think so." She knows he was not stupid enough to know that. "They’ve got you trapped, Rose. And you’re going to die if you don’t break free. Maybe not right away, ‘cause you’re strong." He puts his hand on her cheek. "But sooner or later that fire that I love about you, Rose. That fire is going to burn out."

Rose looks at Jack, tears coming down her face, and Jack close enough to have tears coming on his, for he cares for her, deeply.

"It’s not up to you to save me, Jack." With a serious statement.

"You’re right. Only you can do that." Still stroking his hand on her cheek.

Rose looks at the floor, not willingly to look at him any longer. Jack’s hand on her cheek moves to her chin, and slowly lifted up, so she can see Jack’s eyes filled with love. He puts his hand back on her cheek and slowly leans his face to her, to kiss her, but she stopped him, and putting her hand over on his hand. "I’m going back. Leave me alone."

Rose lightly pushes Jack away from her, and exited out, leaving him, he watches her leave from the window, putting his hand on it.

As Rose was walking to the engine room, she was crying. Why didn’t I let him kiss me, oh how much I wanted that, now, I will never see him again. She caught up with the group, standing next to Jenna, she saw her, and mouthed "Where did you go?" Rose shook her head, then saw her father, looking at her. When the tour was over, Cal went over to her, lifting his arm to escort her, she took it.

"Where have you been? You didn’t talk with Jack, did you?" With an angry statement.

"No, I did not. I wanted to explore the ship by myself a little, okay?"

"Okay. Let’s go and have lunch."

The most elegant room on the ship, done in Louis Quinze Versailles style. Rose sits on a divan, with the group of other women arrayed around her. Lea, Jenna, Ruth, Vicki, and Molly are taking drinks. Rose is silent and still as a porcelain figure as the conversation washes around her.

"Tell us the disaster about Avon?" asked Molly. A shop, they order from catalog, very popular in church.

"Of course, my bible cover had to be sent back twice. And the hand cream. Let me tell you what an odyssey that has been..."

Rose looks over at all the people around her in the group, "Her world." Slowly as Rose studies the faces and laughter, she hears Jack’s voice inside of her head.

Jack: "They’ve got you trapped, Rose. And you’re going to die if you don’t break free."

Rose quickly gets up, and starts to leave, her mother stops her. "Where are you going?"

"I’m going to take a walk, if you don’t mind." Starting to head out.

"Rose?" Rose turns and walks to Ruth, and Ruth puts her hand on her shoulder to get her to lean on Ruth’s shoulder, and whispers. "Do not, I mean, do not attempt to see Jack."

Rose slowly straight up. "I’m not. I just want to go for a walk, that’s all."

"All right, I expect you to be back before service."

"All right."

Rose turns and exits out. For she knew she was going for a walk. She was going to make her fateful choice.

In Third class steerage, as always, the people were having a good time, but Rose. She looked everywhere for Jack, but could not find him, almost given up; she saw Tommy and Fabrizio. She went over to them.

"Hi, have you guys seen Jack?"

"Yea, he’s at his favorite spot, at the bow," said Fabrizio.

"Thank you, Fab." She turned to go, but Tommy stopped her. "What happened? I’ve never seen him so sad."

"I told him to leave me alone, but I’ve changed my mind." With a smile.

"You know, he’s a crazy about you," said Fabrizio.

"I know, and so am I."

Chapter Fifteen
Stories