ROSE DAWSON: AN OJAI WIDOW
Written by Janet Marie Smekar
Based on some situations originated by James Cameron.
After the death of her husband,
John, after sixty-five years of marriage, Rose moved from her home in Santa
Monica to Ojai, California to live with her son, John, Jr., and his wife,
Trudy, and daughter, Lizzy, and son, Chris. JJ was a businessman and professor
at UCLA. Trudy was a stay-at-home mom with a very active Lizzy and Chris.
Rose became interested in pottery
and art. It was a way to spend her spare time, and forget her grief. Trudy took
Rose to art shows to display her pottery.
The grandchildren loved being
around Rose. They loved her stories of her adventures as a young woman living
in Santa Monica and a brief stint as a silent film actress.
"Grandma, tell us about how
you and Grandpa met," said a young Lizzy.
"We met in Santa Monica in
May of 1922. I was working as an extra in silent films, and supplementing my
income working as a photographer. We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant as our
first date. He proposed to me a few months later. Then we married and moved to
Cedar Rapids."
Jackie still kept in contact with
Rose. She and husband, Steven, traveled the world as journalists for major
magazines and newspapers. They had two children, Steven, Jr. and Madeleine.
Jackie taught school for a short time before settling down to raise children,
then took up writing to follow her husband when the children were grown.
Rose kept busy, and the family
dwindled little by little in size. She enjoyed her pottery and the many dogs
kept as pets at the house. She had several Pomeranians and an Irish Setter. She
also enjoyed her goldfish.
She stayed at home, dressed in
simple African-style dresses and jewelry to work on pottery creations. She
enjoyed good health and luck. Lizzy ensured that Nana Rose always had what she
needed. Lizzy took a job as a writer for a magazine that allowed her to work
from home and help Rose as needed.
Lizzy would never forget the day
in April of 1996 when her Nana told her to "Turn that up, dear" when
Brock Lovett was discussing the Titanic expedition.
"I’ll be Goddamned,"
Rose said when the drawing was shown on TV. It was she on that the piece of
paper on an April night eighty-four years before.
Lizzy was going through Rose’s
things after her death and burial with her Aunt Jackie and Uncle John, Rose’s
surviving children. They came across a wooden trunk with many things in it.
Among them was a long black man’s wool coat, a white and pink chiffon dress, a
pair of art deco pearl earrings, several boxes of photos, and envelopes
containing letters from her family and copies of letters written to members of
her family that she kept and treasured.
Lizzy took out the envelopes with
the letters in them and began to read them to the family gathered around her.
*****
From the Desk of Mrs. Rose D.
Calvert
April 15, 1996
Ojai, California
To My Darling Lizzy,
Thank you, dear, for taking me
in when your mom was placed in a rest and care home. I really liked that you
were always there for me and Freddy.
In my trunk are many journals
and letters. Please read them carefully and treasure them. Do show them to your
nieces and nephews, and any other relatives, as they are part of our family
history. I did not have the courage prior to our trip to tell you about my life
prior to meeting your grandfather. Once you read everything, you will
understand, my dear.
I will leave you with a last
word. Make each day count. If you can, find a husband and make babies so that
they will know my stories. Please let Mr. Lovett know I appreciate his kindness
in allowing my story not to go untold.
Do make sure nothing happens
to my pictures and my mementos. I will go to Jack soon. I had a dream where
your grandfather John told me to go to him.
Good-bye, and Love Always,
Nana
*****
April 30, 1996
The Akademik Keldysh
North Atlantic Ocean
Dear Mr. Brock Lovett,
Thank you for allowing my
grandmother to share her stories before her passing. I was glad that I got to
hear it. If you come out to California, I will show you some of Nana’s
belongings and other things before the estate reading in May.
I really enjoyed your company
and those aboard the Keldysh. Please pass this news to them.
I wish you continued success
in your Titanic expedition and anything further you may do.
Do remember to make each day
count! My grandmother ensured that I would do that always!
With Much Fondness and
Remembrance,
Ms. Elizabeth R. Calvert
*****
From the Desk of Ms.
Jacqueline Dawson
January 15, 1965
Paris, France
Dear Mom,
Steven and I are in Paris. It
is a beautiful city. I am covering the spring fashion shows for several major
designers. We will be here for a few weeks. Then we are going to Milan, Italy.
Steven surprised me with a beautiful necklace while we ate at a wonderful old
café for our anniversary. Madeleine joined us in Paris for a brief time with
her fiancé, Jerry, a newscaster. She will be getting married in April. Steven
called us from his home in Florida. He is doing well in the law firm.
Thank you for the present of a
necklace and money for my birthday. Steven took me to dinner at a beautiful
century-old restaurant along the Seine to celebrate my birthday.
Please get your journals
together so that I can type them up so that they can be preserved.
With Love From Your Eldest,
Jackie
*****
Mr. James Calvert
January 1975
Frankfurt, West Germany
Dear Mom,
Sorry I haven’t written in
sometime. The Navy can keep you busy. I have been doing a variety of things. I
am glad that I can retire soon so I can spend more quality time with Jacob and my
wife, Emily. He does seem to enjoy the traveling, though. He likes to brag that
he has been to three or four continents in addition to North America. Emily
misses California, but she loves Europe, too.
Jackie wrote me recently.
Shortly after she sent a letter to you, she came to Frankfurt, Germany with her
husband for a brief visit. I will be coming home in the summer. My retirement
papers go through in August.
With Much Love to All,
James
*****
From the Desk of Mrs. Rose D.
Calvert
January 15, 1985
Ojai, California
To My Darling Jackie,
I want to tell you more about
your father. Please do not tell anyone else about this letter until after I am
gone to heaven. I wish I had told you more about it, but I never wanted to
bring up the topic. I regret it to this day.
I met your father, Jack
Dawson, aboard the steamship Titanic. He saved my life after I tried to kill
myself by throwing myself off the ship. He was caring and kind, unlike my
fiancé, Cal Hockley. I thanked him for saving my life the next day. He was an
artist who had traveled the world and was fabulously talented. He wanted me to
experience many things, like riding horses in the surf, riding roller coasters,
and more. I wanted to deny my feelings initially because no man seemed so real.
Cal invited him to dinner, where he told his story. Afterward, we went to a
third class party where there was great music, dancing, and beer. Then we
strolled the deck some more before I had to leave.
On Sunday, April fourteenth, I
had breakfast with Cal and we argued again. My mother forbade me to see Jack
again. Jack approached me after the divine services to convince me to stay with
him. I turned him down, but deep down, I wanted Jack more than Cal. Eventually,
I changed my mind and went to see Jack at the bow of the ship. We were
inseparable for the remaining hours, up to the iceberg collision that I
witnessed. He drew my portrait, and then we ran through the ship to the cargo
hold, where we became one flesh, literally, in a maroon Renault. We were
separated after Cal tried to frame him for stealing my necklace. I rescued him
from certain death in the room where he was cuffed. I was placed in a boat by
Cal, but I was unwilling to leave without Jack. I got out and rejoined your
father. We stayed together to the end. He saved my life by placing me on a
large piece of wood floating in the water. He died about twenty minutes later
due to the freezing water. I promised him that I would go on with my life and
have children. The Carpathia rescued us. In New York, I told immigration my
name was Rose Dawson. Molly Brown saved me by getting me clothes and a place to
stay. I made my way to California, where I kept promises to your father to do
things we would have done together.
In case you wonder, his
gravestone is in the Chippewa Falls Cemetery. I got it a few months after the
sinking. Do not tell anyone about it until after I am gone!
With Love From Your Mother,
Rose
*****
From the Desk of Mrs. Rose D.
Calvert
Lizzy, Jackie, and the Rest of
My Family,
My name before coming to
America on the Titanic was Rose DeWitt Bukater. If you read my other letters
and journals, they will explain everything to you. I changed my last name after
the sinking of the Titanic. Sorry to keep this secret from you, but my life as
a Bukater is no longer.
I will always be a Dawson
Calvert as long as I live! The Heart of the Ocean necklace has returned to the
bottom of the Atlantic to be with Jack, my true love. Soon, I will rejoin him
for eternity. I keep having dreams of what will be and what should have been. I
loved your father dearly, but my heart always has the largest spot for Jack.
Mom
*****
Lizzy finally read Rose’s final
will and testament, which she had added to while on the Keldysh. It was very
simple, and written on plain paper.
I, Rose Dawson Calvert, give
my worldly possessions to be divided equally among my living children and
grandchildren.
To my granddaughter, Lizzy,
please keep my pictures and Freddy the dog. My monetary savings are to be
donated to charities supporting the arts and freedom. For those things that
were retrieved from the Titanic, please keep them and tell my story to the
world.
Please bury me at sea so that
I may be reunited with Jack. I had a dream where your grandfather told me to go
to him, and he was there waiting for me on the Titanic’s Grand Staircase.
Love to All,
Nana and Mom
Lizzy kept the promise to share
Rose’s story with her family and friends. Everyone would be thoroughly touched
by the story that had courage, love, cowardice, and more in it. Many were
reduced to tears when Lizzy told it. It had a special meaning to Lizzy’s Aunt
Jackie, since she got the chance to learn more about her biological father, who
she would have wanted to meet.
Lizzy would marry six months
later to a man named Jack. They named their only children--twins--Jack, Jr. and
Rose in remembrance of the young lovers aboard the Titanic. She did this to
keep their memories alive. Lizzy knew that Rose and Jack’s spirits kept an eye
on them at all times.
The End.