CHANGES
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rose glanced over at Amanda's sleeping form
and then back at the diner she had just stopped in front of. They had been
driving aimlessly for hours, Rose unsure of where to go or what to do. They had
to eat, that much she knew, but was reluctant about waking Amanda. Finally, her
reasoning took over and she gently shook her daughter awake.
"Wake up, Manda Bear. Time to eat."
Amanda opened her eyes, rubbing them
sleepily. "What, Mommy?"
"Dinner time. You hungry?" Rose
asked, ruffling her hair affectionately.
"Starved!" Amanda declared
sincerely, causing Rose to smile.
"Well, come on, then," she replied,
getting out of the car. Once Amanda was snuggled into her arms, they went in.
*****
Six hours. For six long, painful hours, Jack
had sat in the bedroom he and Rose had shared since they moved to Boston. The
room was now void of any emotion other than despair. Gone was the love, the
cheerfulness, the happiness. And it was entirely his fault. He knew he deserved
everything he had gotten, but that only increased the hole that now resided in
his heart. Rose, the love of his life, the mother of his child, was gone, and
took everything with her.
Swallowing hard, Jack gazed around the room,
every nook and cranny reminding him of her. The pile of books stacked in a
corner, the forgotten robe hanging over the desk chair, the high heels sticking
out from underneath the bed. The bed...how was he supposed to sleep there now, without
her curled up beside him? Burying his head in his hands, Jack let his emotions
flow.
*****
"Love you, Mommy," Amanda said
tiredly as Rose tucked her into the bed. It was nearly midnight, and they had
just crossed the border into New York when Rose finally stopped at a motel. It
wasn't necessarily the type she would opt to stay in, but they had limited
resources, since she had forgotten her credit cards at home.
"Love you, too, Manda Bear," Rose
whispered, kissing the child's head and crawling into bed next to her.
An hour later, Rose still lay awake, staring
unseeingly at the ceiling, images of Jack in the arms of another woman playing
continuously in her mind. She was crying, tears falling at an alarming rate,
but didn't realize or acknowledge it. Twenty-four hours ago things had been
great. She and Jack had still been together and things still made sense. But
even then he had been lying to her. Stifling a sob, Rose rolled over onto her
side, watching the rise and fall of Amanda's sleeping body. She had to stay
strong. She couldn't crumble to the ground and beg God to put her out of her
misery, because her daughter needed her. And she needed her daughter. Wiping
some hair out of Amanda's face, Rose's heart broke all over again at the sight
of her bare left hand.
*****
Sunlight was streaming through the window,
driving a broken man to pull the blanket up over his head, an attempt to block
out the rays. How dare the sunshine, how dare the world keep going after he had
lost everything that held any meaning? The blanket did little to shield him
from the intrusive light, so he threw it off in defeat, the pain in his back
from sleeping on the couch was no match for the pain his heart and soul held.
Sighing, he got up and wandered into the kitchen. He wasn't hungry, his
appetite completely gone, but coffee was sounding increasingly good. After
setting up a pot, Jack noticed the blinking light on the answering machine and
pressed the play button.
"Hey, guys, it's Jess. I'm just
calling to let you know Thanksgiving is going to be at our place this year.
Figured we'd give Mom and Dad a year off. Anyway, see you in a week. Bye."
Beep.
"I hate this blasted machine. Anyway,
it's Simon. Ashley wants you guys to come home early so we have time to catch
up...yeah. Holler back when you get this. Peace."
Beep.
Jack sighed, listening to the chipper voices
of his sister and best friend. They sounded so happy, unknowing of what had
taken place the night before. Sinking down into a chair, his head connected
with the table and he let out a strangled cry.
*****
"Dammit," Rose muttered, recounting
the money she had in her purse. Forty-five dollars. She and Amanda couldn't
survive on forty-five dollars. And she wasn't about to turn around and go home
to get her credit cards and checkbook. There was only one answer. Sighing, she
pulled out her cell phone and dialed the familiar number. After three rings,
Joseph's voice picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Daddy."
"Rose! How are you?"
Rose fidgeted with the blanket nervously.
"Not too good..."
Joseph's voice grew concerned. "Whats
wrong, Princess?"
"I...I left Jack."
"What? What happened?"
"It's a long story," Rose said
sadly. "But...I need money, Dad. I have Mandy with me and we're running
out of funds real quick."
Joseph nodded to the phone. "Okay, I'll
wire you some. Where are you?"
"Vender, New York."
"New York? What are you doing
there?"
"I just ended up here last night. I
didn't know where to go, so I just drove," Rose explained.
"I see. Well, how far are you from
Frankie's?"
"Um...maybe an hour."
"Do you think you could make it there?
It would be easier to wire him the money than to find you."
Rose bit her lip in contemplation.
"Yeah, I think that'll be okay."
"All right. I'll give him a call and
explain things. What are you planning to do now?"
"I...I'm coming home, I guess."
*****
Grumbling, Jack, in his severely desolate
state, made his way to open the door. Unfortunately, as soon as he did, he
cursed himself. Standing before him was Kaci.
"What do you want?"
"We need to talk," she said.
"There's nothing to talk about."
Kaci pushed past him, an irritated look on
her face. "Look, whether you like it or not, we're having a child
together."
Disbelief crossed Jack's features. "How
do I even know it's mine? Or if you're really pregnant, for that matter."
"What? How dare you?" Kaci
exclaimed.
"How dare I? How dare you come waltzing
in here and single-handedly blow my entire life apart? We had a one night
stand. One night, one huge mistake that cost me everything!"
"It takes two people to tango, Jack. You
brought this upon yourself."
Jack's blue eyes flashed with anger.
"Get out. I don't want to ever hear or see you again."
"Oh, but you will. This is not
over," Kaci smirked, before slamming the door behind her.
Jack stared at the door, his mind swirling.
His life couldn't get any worse, could it?
*****
"So, what happened?" Frankie asked,
as he and Rose sat in the living room of his apartment.
Rose sighed, her eyes filling with tears.
"He cheated on me," she revealed sadly.
Frankie's face hardened in anger. "He
cheated on you?"
Flinching at the tone of her brother's voice,
Rose nodded meekly. "He slept..." she paused, choking back a sob.
"He slept with someone else and now she's pregnant."
"That son of a bitch!" Frankie
seethed, clenching his hand into a fist. "I ought to..."
Rose gently touched his hand and shook her
head. "Frankie, don't. This...I just want to forget it."
Frankie's look softened as he gazed at his
broken-hearted little sister. He hated seeing her like this. "How's she
doing?" he asked, nodding towards Amanda, who was sitting on the floor
playing with some blocks.
"She's okay, so far. She doesn't really
understand whats going on...but she misses him." Rose paused. "So do
I," she choked out.
Sensing another round of tears, he scooted
closer and enveloped her in his arms, wanting nothing more than to break Jack
Dawson's neck.