It was now December tenth, five months later, and Jack and Rose were back in Chippewa Falls with Cora.
Cora was staying at a friend's house tonight.
She had been begging to go for several weeks.
Rose had finally agreed, while Jack was at work.
Suddenly, Rose heard someone slam the front door.
"Jack?" Rose asked.
"What?" Jack replied, in a rough voice.
"I'm making dinner. Um...are you all right, dear?"
"Just fine!" he said, in an annoyed tone.
What's wrong with him? she thought.
About thirty minutes later, she came out of the kitchen and set the table.
"Jack...dinner's ready," she called out.
He came walking out. "Where's Cora?" he asked.
"I let her stay at Samantha's house tonight."
"What? Why?" he exclaimed.
"Don't scream at me, Jack!"
"Well, we don't even know them!"
"I know Samantha's mother. She is very nice."
"Fine! But you should have asked me first, Rose."
"Why? So you can control me? I won't take that from you, Jack Dawson!"
"Rose! Drop it!" he shouted.
She dropped her fork, and went into her bedroom.
Jack followed her.
"What are you doing?" he asked, when he saw her grab her suitcase.
"Nothing of your concern!" she said, as she threw some outfits into the suitcase.
"It is of my concern!" he exclaimed, when she tried to get past him.
"Get out of my way, Jack!" she said.
"No! We need to talk about this."
"No, we don't!" she said, as she pushed him into the wall.
"Rose!" He regained his balance, and grabbed her arm.
He looked into her eyes. He saw the extreme pain he put her through.
"Jack, you've been coming home every day like this! We barely speak! Jack, I don't want to have a life filled with stress. I don't need it, and the baby sure as hell doesn't!"
"Don't leave me, Rose. Please!" he begged.
"We've passed that part already, Jack," she said, through tears.
She escaped his grip and walked to the door, then turned around.
"Cora will be home in the morning. Tell her I love her. Good-bye, Jack."
Jack ran out after her.
"Rose, please! Don't leave. Please! I need you. Cora needs you."
Rose turned around. "Jack...I'm sick of you treating me like this! Leave me alone."
And with that, she walked to the train station.
When she got there, she asked if she could use the phone.
She called Molly.
"Molly? Yes, it's Rose. Is my mother there? When will she be back? All right. Can I come down there? I'll explain it when I get there. All right. Bye."
Rose bought a second class sleeper, and was on her way to Denver, Colorado.
The Next Day
9:00 PM
Next stop, Denver, Colorado. Repeat, Denver, Colorado.
Rose got her things together.
She barely got any sleep the night before.
She mostly stayed up and cried.
She had cried herself to sleep that night.
She got off the train and found Molly quickly.
She ran into Molly's awaiting arms, and began crying.
"Oh, darling, what happened?" Molly asked, with concern in her voice.
"Can I tell you when we get to your house, Molly?"
"Why, of course, darling."
At Molly's House
Molly got one of her maids to fix the guestroom up for Rose.
Rose and Molly sat on the bed.
"All right, darling. Now tell me, what's going on?" asked Molly.
"Molly, it's Jack," she began.
"I figured. Come on. Out with it," Molly said.
"Well, every day for the past two weeks he's been coming home in a bad mood. I just ignored it, but it became too much, and yesterday I just had enough."
Molly nodded.
"It was while we were eating dinner last night, and he got mad at me for letting Cora go to a friend's house for the night. He told me that I should've asked him first. Then I asked him, so you can control me? I also told him I wouldn't take it from him, and he started to scream at me, telling me to drop it. It was then that I dropped my fork onto my plate, and I went to our bedroom to get my belongings. He followed me, and asked me what I was doing, and I told him nothing of his concern. He told me it was his concern, and he wouldn't let me out of the room. I pushed him out of my way. And it was then he grabbed my arm. Molly, I never thought he would hurt me! I never in a million years ever thought Jack would hurt me like he did last night. I got away from his grip and walked to the door. I told him Cora would be there in the morning, and told him to tell her that I love her, and I told him good-bye. He was begging me not to leave, and he chased me out the door, begging me."
Rose was now letting Molly hold her, and comfort her.
Rose was shaking from her sobs.
"Are you sure Mother won't come back soon?" Rose asked.
"I'm sure, darling. I'm sure," said Molly.
Rose and Molly sat there for hours.
They heard the phone ring.
"I'll be right back, darling."
Molly went downstairs to the telephone.
"Hello?" she asked. "Oh, dear God, Jack. Do you know what you put that girl through?"
"Yes, Molly, I know. And I do regret it. She's been crying for how long? Oh, God! What have I done?"
"You made a mess of things, that's for sure! What happened, Jack?"
"Well, I was just stressed out from work," he said, then continued quietly, "and a little drunk."
"Jack Dawson! Because of your foolishness, you are making Rose and your own child suffer! How could you get drunk while you're married and have kids to look after?"
"I don't know, Molly. Do you think I can come see her?" he asked.
"You'll have to ask her, son. Or do you want me to?"
"I don't care. I just have to make these past two weeks up to her," Jack said solemnly.
"Jack, all she's doing is staring blankly in front of her. And when I asked her, she shrugged her shoulders. What will you do?"
"I don't know, Molly. But I have to go think things over, and make dinner for Cora and myself. Tell her I love her. Bye."
*****
"Rose. Rose, darling, Jack told me to tell you that he loves you," Molly said.
"No, he doesn't. He wouldn't have done that to me if he loved me," Rose said blankly.
"Now, Rose...you know as well as I do that Jack loves you more than anything in this world except for that baby you're carrying."
"He's not coming here, is he?"
"I don't know, Rose. He said that he needed think things over."
"I don't want anything to do with him!" Rose said, as she grabbed her suitcase.
"Where exactly are you going, Rose?" Molly stopped her.
"I'm leaving. I don't want to see him!" Rose said.
"No, dear, you can't leave. What good will it do for the baby to never know its father?" Molly asked.
"It will know. But I won't!" Rose said.
"Now, darling. Will that be good for the baby? Its parents being complete strangers?"
"Molly, I...I don't know. Jack Dawson is a complete stranger to me now."
"I understand, darling. Just work it out when he gets here. That is, if he does come."
"Molly, if he doesn't come in a week, I'm leaving."
"If that's what you want, Rose. But where?"
"Santa Monica, California."