HERE AND NOW
Epilogue
One Year Later
"Okay, Rose. One more time,
and then we’ll have it. Ready? From the top."
From her position in the
recording booth, Rose smiled and nodded. Singing was a lot more hard work than
she’d ever thought it would be, but she was actually enjoying it. In just a few
more weeks, her first album would hit store shelves, and her first single, I’ll
Never Let Go, had gone on sale that morning.
Rose had never imagined that
she’d have a career in music. She’d never even really wanted one, and it had
taken a lot of pushing from her aunt’s husband after he’d heard her singing in
the shower and had become convinced that she had something. Rose had always
hoped that if she’d ever managed to get involved in the arts, it would be as an
actress, but then she realized that a singing career didn’t necessarily have to
end that dream. A lot of singers were actresses, too…like Bette Midler, Barbara
Streisand, and Whitney Houston, to name a few. There was no reason why she
couldn’t do both, and maybe by getting exposure through singing, she’d grab the
attention of someone who would be able to help her achieve her movie-making
dream.
But singing wasn’t so bad.
Critics who had reviewed her single had praised it well and had labeled her as
being a talented new star to look out for. This week alone, Rose had been
interviewed by four magazines and two tabloid newspapers. It was actually fun,
though very tiring. It felt like it had all happened overnight and didn’t seem
real. It was beginning to all get a little stressful, but Brendan was a
wonderful manager, and Jack, who was busy trying to get himself a law degree at
the local community college, was supporting her every step of the way.
Outside of their business lives,
she and Jack were still going strong. Three months after arriving in Iowa, they
had managed to get enough money and rent their own place. It was small; a tiny
apartment on the outskirts of Chicago, but it was theirs. By four months, Jack
was slowly getting back on speaking terms with his family again. His mother had
become ill, and he’d gone to his childhood home in the Hollywood Hills in
California to visit. He had stayed for a fortnight, then returned to Iowa
because there wasn’t anything he could do. While even now Ruth DeWitt-Bukater
was still alive, she was dying and, if the doctor’s predictions were right,
wouldn’t last the year.
As well as attending college,
Jack was working as a clerk in the gift shop at an art museum. It wasn’t the
best job in the world, and the pay could be better, but it wasn’t really all
that awful. And besides, Rose knew that once he got his law degree he would
make a fine attorney. It would just take a little time to happen, like all good
things.
About a month after the Titanic
sinking, there had been court hearings looking into the disaster. Rose and Jack
had been asked to attend, but both had declined, as it wasn’t much more than a
media circus anyway. Molly Brown had gone, though, and Rose had watched her
speak about it on TV. Soon after the sinking, Brown had set up a charity to
help anyone affected by the disaster, and it had been a roaring success. Rose
still vowed she would pay back the two thousand dollar loan, as well as the
money Molly had loaned her for that dress she'd bought on the Titanic as soon
as possible…which, if her single and album did well, would hopefully be in the
near future.
Three hours after arriving in the
recording studio, Rose finished up and was preparing to leave, putting on her
coat and hat, when her cell phone went off. She picked it up and took the call.
"Hello? Jack. No. No, I
haven’t forgotten. I’m on my way to the airport right now." Rose waved to
Brendan as she exited the studio.
In her recently purchased Mini
Cooper, Rose drove in a rush. She had a six o’clock plane to New York to catch
and couldn’t miss it. At first she hadn’t wanted to go, but curiosity had
gotten the better of her, and she figured that maybe she and Jack would be able
to slip in quietly and avoid the press bonanza. Besides, maybe attending the
event would be a good way to put some true closure on that particular chapter
of her life.
*****
The day after she and Jack arrived
in New York, Rose was in their hotel room, putting on a beautiful little black
dress. The event they’d flown here for was a formal one, and she didn’t want to
look out of place. Likewise, Jack had just put on a tux and was busy in the
bathroom styling his hair, which now looked once again like it had when she’d
first met him.
"Ready?" Jack asked,
emerging from the bathroom looking all set to go.
"Almost," said Rose,
who was just making some last minute checks to her makeup. She put on some more
blush to try to brighten her cheeks. Her face had been unusually pale lately,
and it didn’t suit her. She frowned, feeling that almost travel-sick type
feeling in her stomach again…something else that had been bothering her
recently. Putting the sickness down to nerves, even though in her heart she
already knew what it was—a very unexpected, yet special delivery—Rose brushed
the feeling aside, finished up, and got her coat.
They went by taxi, still not
being wealthy enough for limos or private car hire. But she didn’t mind, and it
would attract less attention anyway. They could park a few streets away and
then just stroll in the side entrance without making a big fanfare about it.
The plan actually worked. Inside
the movie theater, Rose sat with anticipation and waited with bated breath as
the lights dimmed. Then, the credits began to role.
Based On A True Story, they boasted. Then a list of well known
and respected actor and actress names, where people in the audience applauded
for each one when it appeared. And then the title of the movie—The Ship of
Dreams.
And really, it had been just
that. Even with the hardships she had faced, even with the loss of Amanda
Phillips and the tragedy of it all, Rose wouldn’t take back what had happened.
Meeting Jack had been the best thing to have happened to her, even under those
circumstances. She wouldn’t change it for anything.
The End.