LIFE AFTER JACK
Chapter Three
Over dinner the next night, Rose
and Cal talked about how she and Jack had gotten to the piece of wood.
"Jack froze to death,
Cal!" exclaimed Rose, tears running from her eyes. "And what has
happened to you? You look like you haven’t had a bath in weeks."
"Well, I am broke and
homeless," said Cal.
"Broke? How could that
happen?" asked Rose.
"Well, it happened after I
got married. My wife and I were always fighting, so she packed up and left. She
got everything, including the money."
"Cal, that is awful,"
said Rose. All of this made Rose feel very sorry for Cal, even after all of the
horrible things he had done to her. "Cal, would you like to stay with my
daughter and me until you can get back on your feet?" asked Rose politely.
"Rose, that would be
wonderful!" Cal replied in a cheery voice. "Do you still have the
Heart of the Ocean?" asked Cal suspiciously.
"Why do you ask?"
replied Rose in a harsh tone.
"I was just wondering if you
had sold it, or had lost it."
"Of course I still have
it," replied Rose.
*****
The next morning, Rose woke up
and started thinking about Jack. What would he think if he knew that Cal is
living with me? Would he think I was doing the right thing by helping Cal? she
asked herself.
Opal started crying, but then,
all of a sudden, she got quiet. Rose immediately got up to check on Opal. When
she walked into her room, she was surprised to see Cal.
"What are you doing in
here?" asked Rose.
"I was holding Opal. I
thought her crying might wake you," replied Cal.
"Well, I guess that is all
right," Rose muttered.
"She looks a lot like Jack,
doesn’t she?" asked Cal, a big smile on his face.
"Yes, she does,"
replied Rose.
*****
Rose and Cal got ready to go into
town to buy Opal’s new doll for her birthday. When they got there, they started
talking about Rose’s family. Rose was surprised to find out that her mother had
died in 1913 of pneumonia.
Cal and Rose went back home after
they got the doll for Opal. When they got there, Cal started questioning Rose
about the Heart of the Ocean. She answered all of the questions except for one.
Cal asked where the necklace was.
Rose replied by saying, "Why do you want to know? It is none of your
business."
*****
Before Rose went to sleep that
night, she hid the necklace. She thought she did not know why Cal would want
it. She actually did, but she didn’t want to believe it.