TITANIC: AFTERMATH
Chapter Ten
INT. CAL'S BEDROOM - 1811 WALNUT STREET - DAY
Cal sits and reads a newspaper. Anna knocks
and offers him tea. For the past year, Cal has sequestered himself away in his
room avoiding contact with people, but he now welcomes Anna's company.
Cal and Anna hear two boys come thundering
down the hall, one close on the heels of the other.
CHRIS HARRIS (9) tackles GEOFFREY BUCHANAN
(10), knocking him to the floor. They land in front of Cal's doorway.
EXT. CAL'S BEDROOM - DAY
Chris pounds fiercely on Geoffrey, and
Geoffrey fights back. Mrs. Bingham catches up with them, huffing and puffing.
Anna comes running from inside Cal's room.
MRS. BINGHAM
Now, stop that this instant!
Each woman grabs a boy, and together, they
pull the two apart.
Chris and Geoffrey swing at each other, but
slowly calm down enough to stop wriggling.
Cal looks on, astonished by the ongoing
drama.
MRS. BINGHAM
I'm sorry, Mr. Hockley. They got away from
me.
ANNA
(firmly, but gently) Both of you come in here
and sit down.
INT. CAL'S BEDROOM - DAY
Anna sits on the settee with one boy on
either side. Geoffrey plays the role of victim, smoothing his dark hair, as he
glares at Chris with piercing dark eyes. Chris folds his arms tightly in front
of him, his sandy hair jutting out in every direction. He refuses to look at
Geoffrey.
ANNA
Now, I want each of you to introduce yourself
to Mr. Hockley.
Geoffrey is unsure how to approach Cal, but
decides to milk it for all it's worth. He presents himself proudly, giving a
little bow. Cal struggles to suppress his amusement.
GEOFFREY
I'm Geoffrey Calhoun Buchanan, sir.
Chris sits immobile on the settee, looking
ready to explode. Anna prods him gently.
ANNA
And yours?
Chris reluctantly rises. He fakes being
puffed up like Geoffrey. He bows ceremoniously, with a flourish.
CHRIS
Christian Harris, sir.
Chris glares at Geoffrey with a devilish
sneer.
CHRIS
Don't have a fancy middle name.
Geoffrey bristles. He returns his hateful
gaze, and advances toward him. Anna pulls the two boys apart. She looks
probingly at each boy as she speaks to him.
ANNA
Now Chris, why were you chasing Geoffrey
down, beating on him so?
CHRIS
He said terrible things to me...awful things!
He insulted my mother's character, Ma'am.
ANNA
Is this true, Geoffrey? What did you say
about Chris's mother?
GEOFFREY
All I said was she must be a real lousy
mother, leaving him in an orphanage. My parents died, that's why I was sent
there.
CHRIS
(angry, in tears) My mother would have kept
me if she could!
GEOFFREY
(sulkily) She kept your little sister, why
not you?
MRS. BINGHAM
(shocked) Geoffrey! That is quite enough! I
have a mind to give you a good walloping!
ANNA
Geoffrey, when you said these things, did you
stop to think of how this might make Chris feel? I'm sure you didn't mean to
hurt his feelings.
GEOFFREY
No, ma'am. I was trying to take his side, his
mother leaving him and all that, but then he started swinging at me.
CHRIS
That bit about my sister supposed to make me
feel better, too?
ANNA
Well, Geoffrey?
GEOFFREY
(ashamed) No, Ma'am.
ANNA
Then I imagine you're sorry that you said
that, and would like to take it back.
GEOFFREY
Yes, Ma'am.
ANNA
Geoffrey would like to apologize to you,
Chris. Will you accept his apology?
Chris crosses his arms defiantly, still in
tears. He shakes his head "no". Anna thinks up a new angle.
ANNA
(gently) Your name is Christian. To be a
Christian means to be capable of forgiving others for their transgressions.
Anna lays a gentle hand on his shoulder.
ANNA
This is no small task, but if you can forgive
him, he could become your friend, maybe even your greatest friend one day.
Wouldn't it be a shame if you were to pass up that opportunity?
Chris peers up at Anna, then over toward
Geoffrey. Geoffrey looks genuinely sorry.
ANNA
We must always make the most out of everything
in life, and we must always do our best. If we don't, we cheat ourselves and
everyone else around us.
Anna addresses Chris, but is directing
communication to Geoffrey as well. Geoffrey rises to the challenge.
GEOFFREY
I'm sorry, Chris. I didn't mean it like you
thought. What you say we go outside and play some soccer?
Chris begins to smile. He nods.
ANNA
Now shake on it, like young gentlemen.
Chris and Geoffrey shake hands and grin at
one another. They start to tromp off, but Geoffrey turns around.
GEOFFREY
What does the name "Geoffrey" mean,
Ma'am?
ANNA
(chuckling) I'm not sure, but you can make it
mean anything you want it to mean. If you live up to your own expectations,
you'll do fine.
Anna again impresses Mrs. Bingham and Cal.
Mrs. Bingham cheerfully follows the two boys out.
Anna and Cal laugh.
ANNA
Children are just wonderful, aren't they, Mr.
Hockley?
Anna smiles good-naturedly, but with a tinge
of sadness, as she remembers her own child. Cal doesn't pick up on this.
CAL
If one is as skilled at diplomacy as you are,
Mrs. Livingston, I suppose anything is possible! But, I don't understand this
business about his mother leaving him in an orphanage. Why would she do such a
thing to the boy? Why, it is simply outrageous! Uncivilized! His mother must be
found and questioned!
Anna is struck, somewhat amusedly, by Cal's
lack of understanding of the real world, and the plight of the poor.
ANNA
Mr. Hockley, it sounds to me like she can't
afford to keep him. She might have been able to raise one child, but not two.
The poor boy...and the poor mother! Imagine having to decide between your two
children!
CAL
(incredulous) But, I've seen very poor people
with more than two children.
ANNA
I suppose she wanted to give him the best
chance possible, and she is probably a widow.
Once Cal understands, he must decide what to
do. He is caught between his desire to not disappoint Anna, and risking
appearing patently generous.
CAL
Well, this won't do. We'll have to do
something to correct this ridiculous situation. She might as well raise him,
since we are paying to do it anyway.
Anna smiles, seeing through Cal's attempt to
downplay his generosity. She rises from the settee to exit.
ANNA
That's very kind, sir. I will contact the
boy's mother.
INT. PARLOR - DAY
Cal and Anna discuss arrangements with MRS.
HARRIS. Chris leans lovingly on his mother's shoulder, ecstatic at being
reunited with her. His sister, GERTRUDE (4), clings to her other arm.
CAL (VO)
Arrangements were made for the boy to live
with his mother, but, as usual, I found myself committed to more than I had
bargained for, and appeared far better than I really was. To my chagrin, I had
accrued yet more ardent admirers.
Cal hands Mrs. Harris a sizable wad of money.
The Harris' infinite gratitude is unimpeded by Cal's gruff manner.
CAL
Oh, and please don't mention anything to the
press, if they should approach you. They have the annoying habit of making a
spectacle of our lives at every opportunity.
MRS. HARRIS
Oh, yes, sir!
CHRIS
Thank you, sir. Thank you!
Hiding nearby, Geoffrey marvels at Cal's
ability to intervene in his friend's life, setting it straight with a wave of a
hand. He resolves henceforth to be like Cal. He even looks somewhat like him.
CAL (VO)
Indeed, one of my admirers went to extremes,
crossing the bounds of adulation into the realm of imitation, or some sort of
attempt at such.
Anna sees Geoffrey peering around the corner.
ANNA
Well, come on in! Mrs. Harris, this is
Chris's best friend, Geoffrey.
Geoffrey emerges, and presents himself to
Mrs. Harris. Emulating Cal's stiff manner helps him face losing his friend. He
bows ceremoniously.
GEOFFREY
Charmed to meet you, Madam.
All struggle to suppress laughter.
ANNA
I know Chris' departure will sadden you a
great deal, Geoffrey, but he can still come to visit us...every other weekend,
perhaps?
CAL
Um, yes.
Geoffrey sees how happy Chris is. He takes it
all in, bravely.
ANNA
You may go play now, but remember Chris's
train leaves at 4:00.
BOYS
Yes, Ma'am.
The boys run off together.
EXT. UNION DEPOT TRAIN STATION - KANSAS CITY
- DAY
A locomotive chugs to a stop.
Rose disembarks alone, unsure which way to
head in this unfamiliar territory.
LIZZY (VO)
Next, Rose headed toward California. She had
enough money to get as far as Kansas City, but that was all.
EXT. CLOTHING SHOP - KANSAS CITY - DAY
Rose asks for a job, but the shopkeeper turns
her down.
LIZZY (VO)
It wasn't long after she parted with Carl
that life became very difficult for her.
EXT. JEWELRY STORE - KANSAS CITY - DAY
Rose pulls a scrap of food out of her bag and
eats it hungrily.
LIZZY (VO)
She hated the idea of having to rely on
someone else, especially Cal, but reality set in earlier than she expected, and
the temptation was great.
Rose glances down at the bag, and secretively
removes the Heart of the Ocean. She quickly conceals it once again. She summons
her courage, and ventures inside another clothing store.
INT. ANOTHER CLOTHING SHOP - KANSAS CITY -
DAY
Rose presents a reference from Mrs.
DiGuiliani to the shopkeeper.
ROSE
Please, Ma'am. I'm a good seamstress, and I
have excellent references. My last employer says I'm a real artist when it
comes to designing clothes.
SHOPKEEPER
I said I don't need anybody...and certainly
no damned "artist".
Rose trudges out, supremely discouraged. She
is getting a taste of what it means to be poor.
LIZZY (VO)
Her sewing skills were a valuable asset, but
she was desperate for work, and had to take a job as a laundress.
INT. LAUNDRY - KANSAS CITY - DAY
Rose furiously irons a shirt alongside other
female workers of various races. Some workers are children who are too young to
be working legally. Rose is expected to iron a shirt a minute, and she can't
keep up.
LIZZY (VO)
The working conditions were horrible, and she
made little more than she needed just to feed herself and buy a bed for the
night.
Rose wipes beads of sweat from her face.
Despondency overtakes her. She slows down, and gazes off into the distance.
Rose's wiry supervisor, MRS. PEABODY, strides militantly toward her.
MRS. PEABODY
Can't you move any faster than that? You
think you're on some sort of holiday?
Rose tries speeding up, but badly burns her
finger on the iron. She cries out. Tears come to her eyes.
Mrs. Peabody peevishly slaps Rose's head.
Rose is shocked by this barbaric act.
MRS. PEABODY
Oh, none of that! Wherever did you come from,
little princess?
ROSE
Why, you have no cause to strike me! You're
just a mean old witch!
Mrs. Peabody grabs Rose's arm and yanks her
away from her work. Some of the other workers glance up, but keep on working.
MRS. PEABODY
That's the last straw! You're fired! I want
you out the door this instant!
ROSE
But you owe me back wages!
MRS. PEABODY
OUT! Or I'll have the police after you!
Rose gets in Mrs. Peabody's face. She gives
her an evil glare, as she formulates her response.
ROSE
Yes, I'm sure they'd like to get a look
inside this hellhole, eh? Y' stunad, ya!
Rose gesticulates at her oppressor in grand
Italian fashion, then slaps her in the back of the head.
She stomps out. Mrs. Peabody gapes in
amazement. A few Italian women chuckle under their breath. Some women feel
sorry for Rose, but most can't imagine what she's thinking, standing up to the
supervisor like this. Mrs. Peabody cracks the whip.
MRS. PEABODY
Back to work! All of ya!
The women scurry to look busy.
EXT. UNION AVENUE - KANSAS CITY - SUNDOWN
Near tears, Rose swiftly navigates her way
through a neighborhood of decadent saloons, toughs, and con men toward Union
Depot.
INT. RAILWAY BOXCAR - DUSK
A lone stowaway, Rose crams herself in
uncomfortably amongst various cargo.
LIZZY (VO)
Rose decided to head west. She had one last
hope.