HERE AND NOW
Chapter Three

The girls spent an hour in the pub. Despite the occasion, Rose found it too early to drink anything too strong, so she settled for a nice coffee, while Mandy enjoyed a white wine.

They left at eleven, since the last call for boarding was 11:30. Getting to the ship was a nightmare, as what seemed like hundreds upon hundreds of people lined the dock, all there to say good-bye to their loved ones or watch history in the making, wanting to see the biggest, most luxurious, and unsinkable ship ever built set sail on her maiden voyage.

After what felt like ages of battling their way through the crowd, Rose and Mandy reached the boarding plank, where an officer was waiting to greet them.

"Good morning, Madams. Tickets, please." He greeted them politely, but gave them a look that said he clearly thought they were not destined for first class. Rose could tell he was itching to direct them the right way to the economy section of the ship, and she felt herself blush as she watched the other first class people mill around. They were all much better dressed than she was. Even the ones who looked casual were obviously in expensive designer clothing, and they just looked and acted wealthy and worldly. She did not.

Rose handed over her tickets and the VIP radio contest passes. The officer instantly changed his entire personality and fussed around them like they were royalty. On the officer’s command, a steward escorted them into the ship, taking their mega luggage--which was very mega, compared to the amount that most were bringing on--for them. Rose tried to put on an I’m an important person so respect me, please face as she walked up the gangplank, but it didn’t work for her, so she just decided to be herself and smiled and looked around as she went, trying to take everything in. It all seemed so surreal.

Rose tried not to be too wide-eyed as they were led through the ship’s corridors, where everything was gleaming and polished. The steward reached their stateroom and unlocked the door for them, and Rose gasped aloud at what she saw.

The room was the most beautiful room Rose had ever seen in her life. It was filled with gorgeous furniture that was an interesting mixture of modern and antique, with a brown and cream-based color scheme that worked very well. So far, she could only see the main lounge area, as the bedrooms were closed off with doors for privacy.

"Suite B16," said the steward. "Included are televisions with cable in the lounge and each bedroom, a stereo system, two computers with Internet connections, and your own private promenade deck. Room service is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and if you require anything at all, just pick up the phone and dial zero and we’ll send someone to assist you. Luncheon is served daily at one o’clock in the Cafe Parisian, although you can sit there and snack at any time between eight AM and five PM, and dinner is at seven in the a la carte restaurant. Breakfast can be had either in your room or in the Café Parisian any time between six AM and ten AM. There are maps of the ship in your study, but if you need anything, just ask a crew member and we will be delighted to attend to you. That about covers everything…will you ladies be needing anything?"

"No, thank you." Rose smiled and the steward left. Wanting to see the view, Rose hurried out to their private deck and grinned as she saw the harbor. The deck was nice. There was a lounger and even a table and chair set, should one want to eat or drink there.

"This is so fantastic," said Mandy. "I’ve never seen anything so posh in my life."

"Me, neither," agreed Rose. "I’m almost afraid to touch anything."

Both girls looked around the room in silence for a while, taking it in. Rose was desperate to get her camera out and start snapping pictures…she loved to record wherever she went through photographs, and she couldn’t wait to get some of the ship. She’d taken some of the Titanic from her hotel bedroom window very quickly that morning before they’d left, and regretted that she hadn’t thought of getting more.

"Let’s go out on deck–we should go now if we want to find a good spot!" said Rose as she noticed that it was almost 11:30 now.

Excitedly, and fighting the urge to run, Rose and Mandy walked quickly to the deck, managing to find their way by following other passengers. Again Rose noticed how everyone else was dressed much better than her, but she forced the worry of that from her mind. She had a right to be here, just like they did, and she was going to enjoy herself.

"Jack! Jack, wait!" Rose heard someone call, and then, a moment later, she felt someone bumping into her as they hurried past. She was knocked aside and almost fell over, but Mandy caught her as she stumbled.

When Rose recovered herself, she saw what looked like Jack DeWitt-Bukater storming off ahead. She scowled, and muttered, "I’m really beginning to hate that family."

"Hey, sorry. Are you okay?"

Rose saw that Parker DeWitt-Bukater was standing near her. Parker wasn’t really paying her attention, though; she was too busy staring in the direction her brother had hurried off in.

"Er…fine," said Rose, very taken aback by the unexpected display of concern. Parker nodded in pleased acknowledgement, then ran off after Jack and out of sight.

"That was weird," commented Mandy as she and Rose resumed their walking.

"Yeah. I wonder what’s going on there?" Rose was talking more about Jack than his sister. He had looked furious.

"Family tiff or something, probably. Who cares? Come on…" said Mandy.

Ten minutes later, they were out on deck. They had managed to snag themselves a good spot by one of the railings on the first class deck area, but it was getting more crowded by the minute, and they quickly found themselves getting crushed against the barrier by eager passengers who wanted a good view, too.

Looking down, Rose saw just how many people were gathered on the dock, and it overwhelmed her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen so many people in one place, all there for the same thing. There were countless press members, all flashing their cameras and yelling out things.

At five minutes to noon, the ship’s anchor was raised and the ropes that were securing her untied. Then, suddenly, the Titanic was moving ever so slowly, and an enormous cheer erupted from passengers and crowds alike as the huge vessel began to make its way out of Southampton Harbor.

By eight o’clock that evening, they had stopped off in ports in not only Ireland, but Cherbourg as well, picking up the last of the passengers in France. That was where Molly Brown came aboard, and Rose found herself getting a little star struck. Molly Brown was an activist, infamous for her fights for women’s rights. She campaigned around the world, focusing especially on countries that were at war, and she had a huge following. She was also very wealthy, but she was new money, having won her fortune through America’s national lottery game, and a lot of the high society people, like the Bukaters, snubbed her for that. Still, Molly Brown was one of Rose’s idols, and as Rose realized she would be dining with her on Sunday evening when she would be a guest at the captain’s table--another part of her VIP prize--she felt very nervous.

That evening, however, she and Mandy had a table to themselves in a nice quite corner of the a la carte restaurant. They had grossly underdressed for dinner; all the other women were in evening gowns or cocktail dresses and the men were in tuxes…as she felt people staring at her, she realized that the next day she would have to go to some of the shops that were on the Titanic and find a suitable dining dress, even though it would take a good chunk of her prize money.

Although Rose was, as of now, wearing a nice enough black dress that came to just below the knee, it still wasn’t flashy enough to stop people giving her those looks, and in the end she got so fed up with it that she hurried through dinner just so she could leave.

After finishing, she went out on deck, where she ran into Molly Brown, who was smoking a cigarette.

"Not one for all those airs and graces either, huh?" Molly asked as she saw Rose sigh stressfully, resting her arms on the barrier.

"I didn’t realize that dress codes were so important here. I feel so out of place." Rose didn’t usually burden strangers with her problems, much less famous strangers, but she couldn’t help it, and Mrs. Brown had asked.

"I wouldn’t worry about them. What’s important is what you think of yourself, not what others think. And you look fine…so what if you don’t have Gucci gowns coming out of your ears like they do?" Molly lowered her tone slightly. "If you want my opinion, they’re all a bunch of self-important posers anyway. Who wants to be like that?"

Rose couldn’t believe that someone like Molly Brown was so quick to run down the rich, but she certainly appreciated the support.

"I just feel like it’s so obvious that I’m only here because I won my ticket." Rose sighed.

"You won a ticket? Well, that’s great. You beat countless people to be here. That’s special," Molly told her. Of course, someone like Molly would no doubt support competitions after gaining her own lifestyle that way. "Just ignore those stiffs in there; they aren’t worth thinking about, much less worrying over. You know, I’ve got to have dinner at the captain’s table Sunday night…dreading it. I’ll tell jokes and they’ll all laugh, but I know they don’t respect me or even take me seriously…it’s going to be made worse that the Bukaters will also be around that table. Now, they really don’t like me."

"Why not?" Rose wasn’t too surprised. It seemed like the Bukaters didn’t like anyone.

"Well, firstly, because I’m what their type calls new money. Secondly, because I shut down one of George Bukaters factories last year because he was paying his female workers much less than the men…I had his female staff rally for fairness with equal pay, and when George wouldn’t change his policies, a judge closed the factory down because support from the opposition was so immense. I lost him a lot of money. He’ll never get over it." Molly threw her cigarette into the ocean. "Well, time to get back in there. You coming…what’s your name?"

"Rose Dawson. And you’re Molly Brown."

"You follow the news, I see."

"Well, I feel kind of silly for saying this, but you’re one of my idols. I really respect what you stand for. Women’s rights is an important cause."

"Well, thanks, Rose. It’s always nice to meet a supporter. And if you need any help while you’re here with anything, I’d be happy to. I know what it’s like to be in your shoes with those trolls in there. Later, kid." Molly smiled before leaving and walking back inside.

Not ready to go back herself, Rose decided to talk a little walk. It was freezing out and she had only a wrap to offer warmth to her arms and shoulders, so she figured a walk would warm her a bit.

Because it would be the quietest area of the ship, Rose headed for the stern. There were crew out on deck and she wanted to be away from people, even though the crew she passed smiled politely.

The ship was so big, it took her a while to reach the stern, and the walk tired her out, but when she got there, she found it was as empty as she’d hoped and she found a bench to sit on, where she gazed at the stars. For how long she didn’t know, but she was snapped out of it when she heard the sound of someone running past her, their shoes clanking loudly on the deck as they flashed by. She also heard what sounded like crying.

Always curious, Rose sat up and sneaked quietly towards the stern so she was only feet away from the man. To her complete shock, she saw none other than Jack DeWitt-Bukater standing there. He was fumbling for something inside his tuxedo jacket pocket, and when he pulled out what looked like a small handgun and began raising it to his head, Rose was aghast.

"No!" she screamed, and she leapt onto Jack before she could stop herself, knocking him to the deck and falling herself. Jack dropped the gun as they fell, the weapon clattering to the deck. Luckily, his finger hadn’t been on the trigger ,or something really nasty could’ve happened.

For a minute, they both lay there, Rose on top of Jack, both terrified and panting heavily from the shock of it all. Then Jack rudely shoved Rose off him and pulled himself up.

"You stupid girl! Are you crazy?" He was infuriated.

"Me? Says the man who was about to blow his own brains out!" Rose snapped back, angry that he didn’t appreciate her intervention that had stopped him doing something fatal to himself.

"You don’t jump someone when they’ve got a gun; damn, you are so lucky it didn’t go off…"

"Well, excuse me. Next time I see someone whose life needs saving, I won’t bother if this is the kind of thanks I’m going to get."

"Hello! I had a gun. I was alone in an area where nobody else would usually come to. I think it’s just a bit obvious that I don’t want saving. Whatever’s in that head of yours, it certainly isn’t brains…"

Rose saw Jack looking at the gun then, and before he could move, she had swooped down and picked it up from the deck.

"Give me that!" he ordered.

Rose laughed incredulously. "Ha. I don’t think so. How did you even manage to get a weapon on board? People aren’t allowed to travel with weapons."

"When you’ve got my family’s kind of power, rules don’t matter," Jack told her haughtily, looking at her like she was something that had just crawled out of the gutter.

"Sir? Madame? Is everything here all right?" A crew member who had overheard their loud argument had come over and was pointing a flashlight at them.

Rose quickly hid the gun behind her back. "Um…yes, fine…my friend and I were just talking. We can get a little loud. Sorry."

"So long as there isn’t a problem…" The crew member wasn’t convinced.

"No problem. But I appreciate the concern." Rose smiled. The crewman nodded back before leaving them alone again.

"Give. Me. The. Gun," Jack ordered her slowly the moment they were alone.

"No. Look, I don’t like you. I won’t pretend. I think you and your family are self-centered, arrogant pigs, but I’m not going to let you do…what you were about to do…" she told him, clinging onto the weapon firmly, even though it frightened her. Rose hated guns. She’d never handled one before and she was afraid of accidentally setting it off somehow. Still, she projected herself as strong and looked Jack in the eye the whole time, even though he did intimidate her a little. Why, she wasn’t sure, because she could see his eyes and they were filled with more pain than she’d seen in anybody’s in a long time. Something serious was going on with him. He was breaking. And Rose couldn’t find it in herself to just turn away, no matter how he treated her. She had made her mind up that she wasn’t leaving until she was sure he wouldn’t do anything stupid to himself.

"Why are you doing this? You don’t even know me. Why do you care?" Jack asked her, his voice lowering now. He seemed to have lost the will to shout.

"Because I’m involved now," Rose said firmly. "And once I’m involved in something, I can’t just walk away. Would you walk away if you saw someone doing what you were about to do?"

"Yes. Because I’d figure that if they were that unhappy, it would be better for them not to be here anymore. Like it’ll be better for me. So, please, just give me back the gun…"

He wasn’t as sounding desperate as before. The fight was slowly going out of him.

Rose knew if she just kept working, she’d be able to make him change his mind entirely. He looked incredibly tired, almost defeated. It wouldn’t be too hard now…any minute he was going to break down.

"Please…" he whimpered as his voice cracked. Tears formed in his eyes. Then he asked, unexpectedly, "What’s your name?"

That he wanted to know surprised Rose, but she answered anyway. "Rose. Rose Dawson."

"Please, Rose…" he said, almost sobbing now. "Just give it to me. I need to end this."

"End what?" Rose asked softly. She couldn’t help it, but she was beginning to feel for him. He seemed so pained and desperate. "What could possibly make someone in your position feel that way? You have everything. You have the world…"

"Do you know what it’s like to have my kind of life? Sure, the money’s good. Sure, I can do whatever I want, go where I please, buy literally anything, but it comes at a price. I can’t leave my house without a dozen cameras being pushed in my face and people demanding to know where I’m going. I can’t date a girl without her being hounded so much she can’t take it and dumps me. I can’t go anywhere without some asshole tipping off the press about it. I have to have bodyguards follow me everywhere, even into the men’s room. Every single thing I do is printed in some trash mag like the Star Daily or Rich and Famous, and when my life isn’t exciting enough for them, they’ll make things up. Like the other month, they somehow decide I was gay. Everyone loved that…you see, Rose? Don’t go thinking my life is all peachy just because I have money. Right now, I’d rather have nothing. At least then I’d get to be normal." Jack began to cry properly then, and sank to the floor, sobbing. "I just want to be left alone. That’s it…I just want some damn freedom…is that so much?"

"No…" Rose agreed quietly, and found herself sitting down next to Jack. She couldn’t believe it when he leaned into her, crying on her shoulder. Unsure of what to do, she put her arms around him. "Shh. You’ll be okay. I promise, I’ll try and help you. You can talk to me whenever you like…day or night, any hour…I’m in suite B16."

Jack forced himself to stop crying, feeling stupid. He wiped his eyes and took in calming breaths of the crisp night air. When he was feeling a bit more stable, he got to his feet again.

"Thanks, Rose…I don’t want to die. I honestly don’t…I just couldn’t see any other way out. All the pressure to be perfect all the time…I feel like it’s killing me…" He sounded like he was going to start crying again, but he didn’t. "I’m still going to need that gun back, though."

Rose was cautious. "Why?"

"It’s my father’s. If he sees it’s missing, he’ll go ballistic," Jack said, then added, for good measure, "I swear that’s the truth. I won’t do anything. Honest. I just want to return it before he notices."

"Okay…" Rose agreed, but she still felt reservations even as she handed it back to him. Jack put the gun back into his tuxedo pocket and gently squeezed her shoulder.

"Thanks. Seriously, if there’s ever anything I can do for you…you’ve saved my life. I owe you," Jack told her.

"No, you don’t. I don’t believe in favors. Just come to me whenever you need to talk. That’s all I ask, okay? And before you say it, I promise I won’t tell a soul about this. You have my word."

"Okay." Jack smiled awkwardly and cleared his throat. "I’d better get going. People are probably missing me. I still can’t believe I managed to ditch the bodyguards. See you around."

"I hope so," said Rose. Suddenly, she was beginning to like Jack DeWitt-Bukater quite a lot.

Chapter Four
Stories