NOW & FOREVER
Chapter Four
At the end of the day, when
Rose's chauffeur came to pick her up, she introduced him to Jack, and announced
that there would be a change in plans. She would not be going home. She and Jack
would be going on a tour of the town. She stopped by at her house for a moment
to pick up an outfit suitable for sailing. She ran out of the house, ignoring
protesting shouts from her mother.
"I'll be back after sailing!" she
yelled. "All right. Let's go, Jack. Where would you like to go
first?"
"Well, I don't really know where to
start. Come to think of it, I don't know where any of these places are, so lead
the way, Rose!"
"Marvin? We would like to go to
Centennial Park, please, and hurry, if you don't mind."
When they arrived at Centennial, they parked
and started on their walk through. They stopped at the fence to feed the
horses, and went into the barn to see the chickens, chicks, and other little
animals. They fed the cow and rabbits, and saw the ducks and geese. Afterwards,
they went to the playground. Made almost completely of wood and built like an
old log cabin, they amused themselves running through it and sliding down the
slide. They took turns pushing each other on the swings. With her clothes a
dirty mess and her hair fallen from her sophisticated coiffure, she tried to
put herself together as they took a relaxing miniature train ride through the
woods. They saw the old logging cabins and machinery used in 1912 to log the
forest. After the train ride, Rose led Jack up a path near the chalet. They
climbed up and up, and when they reached the top, they got the most wonderful
view of the Mackenzie River.
"Isn't it the most beautiful sight
you've ever seen, Jack?"
"It's beautiful. But not as beautiful as
the girl I'm with."
"Excuse me? You don't know me, and I
don't know you. Don't presume I'm going to fall under the spell of those blue
eyes of yours, because if that's what you think, you have a lot to learn!"
And with that, she stalked back down the
trail, and left Jack dumbfoundedly standing at the top of the mountain.
Rose tried to maintain her composure as she
directed Jack around the rest of the town.
Why did his words upset me so much? He
thought I was beautiful. Why did I snap at him like that? I have to act normal
for the rest of the tour. Come on, Rose. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
Whenever she thought about this, the reason
was always...Cal. Her old boyfriend. He was one of society's greatest
catches...or so her mother put it. When she had dated Cal, she was miserable.
She always had to act like a perfect little lady. In public, if she stepped out
of line, he would put up a front and act like nothing happened, but later—that
was when she had to worry. He would hit her if she talked back, and he grabbed
her arms so hard he left bruises. Her face had sometimes felt as if it were
broken. That was how hard he hit her. Finally, she just flat out dumped him, in
public at a society dinner.
"Sweetpea? Sweetpea? Would you please
pass me the filet mignon?"
She accidentally knocked over a cup of
wine. As she watched the red wine seep through several feet of the white tablecloth, getting
closer and closer to the edge of the table, she realized that she was
like that wine, getting closer and closer to the edge every time she went out
with Cal. She decided to just end it there and then. That way everyone would
know, and Cal would not be able to cover it up. She announced to the whole
table that she was going to break up with Cal. When they asked her why, she
said that she was tired of being beaten for every little mistake, and with that
she wiped the makeup off her face to reveal the ugly purple bruises, rolled up
the sleeves of her gown, and later showed the women the marks on her back. Cal
was publicly humiliated and shamed before everyone. It was one of her happiest
moments.
But something about being with Cal changed
her whole perspective of men. She had presumed that all the men were like Cal.
That had to be the answer! That was why she was afraid to have someone love
her! That was why she snapped at Jack!
The rest of the tour was uneventful. Some of
the people walking on the boardwalk gave her funny looks because her hair was a
mess and her clothes were dirty. She had no doubt that these rumors would eventually
get to her mother, but right now she was too happy to care.
"Wow, Rose, look at that sunset! Right
over the Sleeping Giant! It's like an artist's dream!"