LIFE AFTER JACK
Chapter Two
Rose could still hear the band
playing that beautiful music as the Titanic sank out from under her and Jack.
It was amazing that over all the gunshots and bombs from the war she could
still hear that heavenly music. The bombing has stopped, Rose thought to
herself. Opal started crying when the bombs and gunshots silenced.
"Let’s go to bed,
Opal." Rose sighed.
As Rose walked from the kitchen
to Opal’s room, she remembered the drawing. "I would love to see that
drawing again," whispered Rose to herself. As Rose put Opal in her bed,
she stared in amazement at how much she looked like Jack.
"Your daddy would have loved
you very much," Rose said to Opal, who was asleep. "Good night. I
love you," Rose said to Opal as she walked out of the room and into her
room.
*****
It was the dawn of a new morning,
and Opal was already up crying. Rose got up to bathe her and feed her. After
they had eaten, Rose got ready, and she and Opal went into town for some
groceries.
"Excuse me, Madame. You look
very familiar," a man said to Rose.
"Well, I don’t recognize
you," said Rose in a soft voice.
The man was dressed in rags and
had dried blood on his face. He had scratches all over his body. Rose knew the
voice. It was very familiar, a deep voice.
The man talked about his past a
little, but it was what had happened to him in 1912 that made Rose realize who
this man was. "What is your name, Madame?" asked the man.
"Rose is my name,"
answered Rose, very softly, as if she did not want the man to know. "May I
ask what your name is?"
"Oh, Rose, you mean you
don’t remember me?"
"I don’t want to remember
you!" cried Rose.
"Perhaps we could meet over
dinner and talk about old times," said Cal. "You can even invite Jack
if you like."
Rose started crying. "Jack
died when the ship sank," said Rose, still crying.
"Oh, Rose, I am sorry,"
said Cal very understandingly.
"I will have dinner with you
tonight if you like, but I have no money."
"That is all right. I have a
friend who will let us eat for free at his restaurant," said Cal.