Jack stepped off of the train and breathed in the fresh, sweet air of his hometown of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Over the hill, the sun was shining brightly and the sky was a very vibrant shade of blue. The emerald green blades of grass swayed slightly in the summer breeze, and Jack enjoyed this picture as he took it in again after a long five years. And so, he departed the train station and headed towards his Aunt Josephine's home, where he was living currently until his own home was finished.
Opening the door, Jack was met with the scent of tomatoes and bread cooking in the kitchen. He smiled at the thought of his sweet, kind Aunt Josephine and leaned against the doorway of the kitchen. Though he hadn't seen his aunt in over ten years, she still hadn't changed a bit. She was still the same fussy woman with long, golden blonde hair normally tied up, who always had her hands doing something, whether it was cooking, knitting, or simply redecorating her home. And yet, today, there was a young woman whom he did not recognize. She had long, somewhat wavy brown hair that spilled neatly over her narrow shoulders, and her gentle hands were at work setting up tea.
The young woman shuddered as she felt a presence behind her, and when she turned, Jack found his sky blue eyes locking on his cousin Elizabeth's ocean blue ones. Elizabeth's features were no longer those of the little girl that Jack remembered from ten years ago, for now, Elizabeth had become a beautiful, elegant young woman. Her eyes were as blue and as deep as the deepest ocean, her hair as brown and full of life as the earth that they stood upon, her skin as white as porcelain, her hands unblemished. Elizabeth was the perfect image of a high society girl, which puzzled Jack. It was then that both Jack and Elizabeth noticed that their aunt had been speaking to Elizabeth.
"…when you marry this wealthy man, so do be sure that you don't burn yourself. That's the last thing we need, those beautiful hands of yours ruined," Josephine was saying in her fussy voice. "Don't you agree, Elizabeth? Elizabeth?" When Josephine turned, her signature Dawson blue eyes landed on Jack, and they narrowed as she tried to remember his face. And when the realization dawned on her, Josephine's eyes lit up and she let out a happy gasp. "Jack!" She pulled him into a tight embrace, which Jack gladly accepted.
"Aunt Josephine! How have you been?" he asked her once he was free of her tight grasp.
"Oh, everything is swell, darling! How have you been? I'm sure you must be busy with that artistic talent of yours! Do you still draw?" asked Josephine quickly. Yup, she was the same woman she was ten years ago. Always demanding something and questioning something else. Jack couldn't help but laugh at his aunt's questioning.
"I've been quite well! And yes, I do still draw, and I'm glad I do. And in my opinion, my drawings have only gotten better, for now I can draw a scene based on my memory," Jack replied, and suddenly, he paled. He didn't want his aunt knowing about his heartbreak. No, that was the last thing he needed. Josephine was quick to catch things out of the ordinary. After all, she was a working class woman who lived alone, raising her niece.
"Are you all right, Jack? You look pale all of a sudden," she said, and Jack snapped out of his thoughts on Rose.
"What? Oh, yeah, I'm all right," Jack replied, letting out a sigh of relief, his face returning to its normal color. Josephine nodded suspiciously.
"All right," she said before returning to her cooking. Then it was Elizabeth's turn to stand by Jack's side. She looked at him for quite a while, realizing that he, too, had changed a lot since she had last seen him.
"My, my, Jack Dawson," she said in her quiet, calm tone. "You've grown quite a bit over the past ten years." Jack laughed slightly and nodded.
"Have you seen yourself? I didn't even recognize you until I saw your eyes! The only thing that makes you recognizable as your old self to now are those eyes of yours," he told her. It was Elizabeth's turn to laugh. She even laughed like a lady. This wealthy man she was marrying must really be worth her time. But then again, Elizabeth was much like her mother.
Elizabeth's mother, christened Lillian Catharine Norman, was a high society girl of the late Victorian era, always wearing the latest fashions and always dressed in her best. It was around 1889 when she married a working class man by the name of James Dawson. James Dawson was a kindly man and wouldn't harm her nor touch her if she didn't wish, and at first, she didn't wish him to at all. And yet the Dawsons had six children, Lillian dying during childbirth when having Elizabeth.
Lillian Norman had been known as a bit of a scandalous woman as well as an elegant one. She wore dresses that exposed her breasts almost to her nipples, wore corsets that were laced too tightly, and wore the wrong dresses at the wrong occasions. This was truly the only difference between Elizabeth and her mother. Elizabeth refused to wear dresses so small and scandalous and her corsets were never laced to the point where she could no longer breathe. Elizabeth was a very impressive, elegant, kind young woman, almost like Melanie Calvert herself. But Elizabeth just wasn't as small nor as delicate as Melanie.
Elizabeth grew up with barely any sisters, though she had five. Two of them were gone before she was even born, and by the time she was five, another had been lost as well. Just recently, Elizabeth's eldest and only remaining sister had died of consumption, and now, only Elizabeth and Jack remain of their generation in their family. It was still unknown whether or not Jack's brother, Joshua, was alive or dead.
"Aunt Josephine, is my room still available?" Jack asked, suddenly having a desire to be alone.
"Yes, dear, exactly where it has been for ten years," Josephine replied from a steaming pot of soup that she'd been stirring. Jack nodded, looking at Elizabeth.
"I've been traveling all day. I think that I am going to go and lie down," he told her. Elizabeth nodded and left his side to return to the now screaming teapot. Jack escaped to his bedroom, closing the door and locking it behind him. It wasn't a large bedroom, but it wasn't small, either. The floors were oak, as well as the walls and ceiling. On the wall opposite the door and closet stood a large, arched window that had a great view of the Wisconsin forest. In front of the window sat a bedside table with two unlit oil lamps on top of it, and on either side of the table were two twin-sized beds. The one on the right was Jack's, and the one on the left had been Joshua's. Jack sat down on his bed and looked around the bare bedroom that he knew would soon be filled with drawings of his beloved Rose.
Rose…not a moment went by that he didn't think about her. He loved her terribly, but all she did was break his heart. Did she feel bad? Did she want him? Was she coming after him this very moment? Jack didn't know, but he was sure that the answer to all of those questions was no. Why would she want him, anyway? After all, all he was to anyone was a piece of worthless shit. Soon, he felt himself lying down, and sleep consumed him.
*****
"Jack, are you awake?" came Josephine's voice, along with a knock at the door.
"Huh?" Jack sat up and rubbed his eyes. The room was darker now and the sun was setting. How long had he been asleep? That didn't matter. Jack's stomach rumbled slightly, and the sweet, pungent scent of tomatoes wavered in the air.
"Jack, it's time for dinner," said Josephine, and then her footsteps died away. Jack stood and stretched, lighting one of the oil lamps, before leaving his bedroom and joining his aunt and cousin at the kitchen table. Josephine looked at Elizabeth, who had her hands folded neatly in her lap. "Elizabeth, dear, would you like to recite the blessing?" Elizabeth nodded obediently and folded her hands over the table. Jack and Josephine did the same.
"Great God, thou giver of all good, accept our praise and bless our food. Grace, health, and strength to our afford through Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord. Amen," she recited perfectly.
"Amen," Josephine and Jack said at the same time before beginning their dinner.
*****
After dinner, Jack, Josephine, and Elizabeth were sitting in the kitchen, Jack entertaining the two women with some of his wild stories of Paris. As Jack finished his story, he remembered Josephine mentioning something about Elizabeth marrying a wealthy man, and his curiosity could no longer be contained.
"Elizabeth, I couldn't help but overhear Auntie saying something about you being engaged. To whom, may I ask?" Jack asked her as politely as he could.
"Oh, a very kind wealthy man from Pittsburgh, by the name of Caledon Hockley," Elizabeth replied. Suddenly, Jack's gentle blue eyes were wide with shock, surprise, and a tint of anger and hatred.