JACK AND ROSE: PRESENT TIME
Chapter Sixteen
Rose woke in the
middle of the night screaming. Ruth ran as fast as she could to her daughter's
room.
"Sweetheart,
you just had a bad dream...Rose?" Ruth said as she shook her daughter.
"Oh, mother it
was awful! I saw Tonya die in the car...and Tommy couldn't help her...and"
Rose trailed off as she started to sob harder.
"Rose, I know
you're shaken from all of this. Just remember that Tonya's in a better
place," Ruth said as she held her daughter.
"Oh,
Mommy," Rose said as she hugged her mother. Rose had never gotten along
with her mother, but at this time it didn't matter.
Ruth smiled and
wiped away her daughter's tears. She hadn't called her mommy since she was a
little girl. "Go back to sleep, Rose. You need it," Ruth said as she
kissed her daughter's forehead and covered her up with an extra blanket.
"I love you
Mom," Rose said as her mother headed for the door.
Ruth turned around.
"I love you too."
Rose woke up at
6:00 AM for school. It was her first day back at school. Christmas vacation was
really over.
Rose's mother drove
her to school that morning.
"Rose, aren't
you going to take drivers ed in April?" Ruth asked, trying to cheer her up
a bit.
"Tonya was
supposed to take it with me..." Rose said as she continued staring into
space.
Ruth sighed.
"Rose, I know that Tonya was your best friend, but you have got to move
on," Ruth said. She regretted saying it after Rose looked at her. Maybe
she should have rephrased it better.
"Oh Mother,
shut up!" Rose said as she slammed the car door and ran into school.
Ruth sat there
stunned, until finally pulling away. She didn't know how she was going to
handle this one...
Rose was happy when
she spotted Jack close by her locker. When he saw her he came up to her and
they hugged.
"How you
doing?" Jack asked as he kissed her gently.
"Jack...how do
you think I'm doing? Everything I do, everything I see, EVERYTHING reminds me
of her. How am I supposed to go on when her death keeps coming back to remind
me?"
Jack paused.
"Rose, you don't have to forget about Tonya. You just can't spend the rest
of your life crying about her death, she wouldn't want that."
Rose smiled
slightly. "She was such a good person..."
"I know she
was Rose," Jack said as he hugged her tighter. "Rose, have you seen
Tommy yet?" Jack asked.
"Um no, the
last time I saw him was at the funeral," Rose said, looking up at Jack.
"I talked to
him on the phone last night," Jack said. "His last words were
strange, he said 'On the day it counts it will be over'" Jack said,
clueless.
"Day that
counts?" Rose asked.
"What would
count to him?" Jack asked.
"Um a
birthday, or anniversary..." Rose said as her head popped up.
"Today was
their one month anniversary," Rose said.
Jack looked at her
for a second. "But then he said that it will be over..." Jack trailed
off.
Rose and Jack both
looked in surprise at the same time. Rose put her hand over her mouth.
"Jack is he
going to commit suicide?"
"Oh my
God..." Jack said.
"We've got to
find him! He's probably at home," Rose said.
"Rose, we're
in school. First period starts in less than 15 minutes," Jack said.
Rose took Jack's
hand and ran to the front doors of the school.
"Jack, the
doors will still be open," Rose said as she started to run faster.
"Where are you
two going?" the security guard asked as they were almost out of the door.
"We left our
science project in his car," Rose said. He let them go, and they ran as
fast as they could to Jack's car.
Jack drove as fast
as he could without speeding to Tommy's house.
The ran to his
front door and knocked. Tommy's parents both had jobs and were never home
during the day.
"Jack, his car
is here," Rose said as she pointed toward the open garage.
"Excuse me
Rose," Jack said as he took Rose's hand and backed her off the rug they
were standing on.
Jack reached down
and lifted the rug. There was a small key.
"Jack how did
you..."
"I've seen
Tommy do it tons of times," Jack said as he put the key in the hole and
turned it.
"Tommy?
Tommy?" they called.
They noticed the
basement door was opened. Jack took Rose's hand and walked slowly down the
steps. Tommy had a big basement.
The lights were
already on. There was no one in the first room, so they went to the next.
"Tommy!
No!" Jack said as he saw Tommy standing on a table with a rope tied around
his neck, looking as if he were just about to jump.
"Jack? Rose?
Go away, this is something I have to do," Tommy said. "I have to be
with Tonya, she needs me."
"Tommy, do not
do this." Rose said calmly.
Tommy looked at
her, "Rose, Jack, get out of here! You can't stop me!"
"No we
can't," Jack said. "But, Tommy. Think about the situation. Would
Tonya want you to kill your self?"
Tommy paused.
"Of course not, she was the kindest, sweetest, prettiest, girl I've ever
known."
"Tommy. Don't
do this," Rose said. "Untie the rope slowly and carefully."
Tommy looked at
them for a second and did what they told him to do.
Tommy got down and
stood next to them. Jack and Rose were expecting him to do anything but what he
did. He gave them a hug at the same time.
"Thank
you," was all he could say.
The three of them
stood their hugging for a while. Little did they know that their lives would be
full of surprises.