A LOVE FOR ETERNITY
Chapter Six

Beautiful Day

Rose awoke and saw the sun shining through the window. She turned her head, expecting Jack to be by her side, but the space on his side of the bed was empty. She her put her hand on the sheet—it was still warm. He couldn't have been gone for a long time.

It was their wedding day, and he probably was already at Jim's. Anne and Joanna would soon come over to help her get dressed, and so she got up and went downstairs to have some breakfast, though she knew that she wouldn't be able to eat much.

Now she was nervous, not like she would have been if she had been marrying Cal—but she was, probably because she didn't know a thing about being a wife, but she would manage it somehow.

The ringing of the doorbell interrupted her thoughts. She went to answer it, and Anne and Joanna stood out there.

She let them in, and half an hour later, she was fully dressed. Rose decided to let her hair fall freely down, because she liked it most that way.

While she was sitting in front of the mirror, doing her makeup, Anne and Joanna put on their bridesmaid’s dresses. They were lavender.

In the meantime, Jack was at Jim's house, also getting ready for the wedding.

"Are you nervous?" Jim asked while he searched for his shoes.

"Yeah, kind of. I don't understand why. I really do love her, but I never thought that I would settle down so soon," Jack explained. He put on his tuxedo, which he had managed to get just in time. He looked at himself in the mirror, wondering if he should slick his hair back, like he had done during the Titanic dinner, but he decided against it.

"Ready to go?" Jim wanted to know.

"Ready." Jack took one last look at himself in the mirror. He was satisfied with the way he looked, and so he and Jim left the house to go to the church.

Jack felt nervous, even though he knew that it was right to marry Rose and settle down with her, have children, begin a family. His parents would be proud of him and his bride, he knew for sure. But he was sad that they would never know Rose, would never have the chance to meet her. But somehow he had the feeling that they were watching over them and smiling at them right now, happy that he had found someone to love.

Ah…today wasn't a day to grieve over them. He should be happy—it was his wedding day, after all.

When they arrived at the church, everyone else was already there. Jack went to the front, up to the minister, who was going to marry them in a few minutes.

Jack didn't have to wait long for Rose. Just a few moments later, the doors of the church opened. First Anne and Joanna walked in, so Jack couldn't see Rose, but when he did, he gasped.

There she was, standing at the back of the church, a huge smile on her face. Her white dress was flowing down to the ground, and Jack could see every curve of her beautiful body. The sunlight was flowing in through the windows and was framing her. Jack thought that she looked like an angel who had come down to him from heaven.

When she began walking towards the altar, everyone turned around, and her immense beauty impressed them all.

Rose walked slowly, almost too slowly, but her eyes were fixed on Jack. He was standing there, wearing a black tuxedo, his blonde hair falling into his ocean blue eyes. She was glad that he hadn't slicked it back--she liked it more this way. He smiled brightly at her, and when she finally reached him, he took her hand and kissed it.

Then the ceremony began. They both barely listened to what the minister said until one point.

"Rose, do you take this man, Jack, to be your husband? Do you promise to love and honor him in good and bad times, for richer and poorer, until death tears you apart?"

Rose looked at Jack, and within a second, she answered, "I do." She slipped a gold ring on his finger and smiled at him.

"Jack, do you take this woman, Rose, to be your wife? Do you promise to love and honor her in good and bad times, for richer and poorer, until death tears you apart?"

Jack's answered came very fast, too. "I do." He gave her the ring so that she could read the words inside—trust me. She felt tears come to her eyes as he slipped it on her finger. Trust was important for both of them.

"If anyone in this room has any reason why these two shouldn't be married, he may speak now, or be forever silent."

Rose and Jack looked around. There was silence in the church. It seemed as though no one even breathed.

"Then I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Before the minister had finished the last sentence, they were already sharing their first kiss as Mr. and Mrs. Jack Dawson. This kiss was more passionate than it had ever been before. They didn't even notice that the whole church exploded with applause.

When they parted, Jack whispered so quietly that only Rose could hear it. "I love you."

"I love you, too," was Rose's simple answer.

In the meantime...

Everyone was at the wedding, so nobody saw the carriage pull up on the main street, nor the woman who got out of it. She was dressed prettily, with her dark red dress and her big hat, obviously first class. Her name was Margaret ‘Molly’ Brown.

She hadn't want to stop here, but the driver had wanted to take a break, and so they had stopped in the nearest town, where they hoped they would find a restaurant to eat at and maybe even a place to stay overnight.

Molly looked around the town. She saw no one. It looked like Chippewa Falls was a ghost town. Suddenly, she spotted a piece of paper tucked in the door of the nearest shop. Molly went closer to read it. There were only a few words written on it. Gone to the wedding. So there was a wedding today. That was where everyone had gone.

She turned around and went back to the carriage. "We'll stay here. There's a wedding and I want to congratulate the couple. Please take good care of my things so that they won't be stolen."

The driver, Bruce Dickens, only nodded. Molly was satisfied with that and went straight to the church.

She sneaked in through the back door and heard the minister say, "Then I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." They young couple kissed, and everyone applauded, but Molly didn't join them. She just stared at the newlyweds.

A young, very beautiful girl with long, red curls, and a man, sandy-haired and blue-eyed. Molly knew who they were. Rose and Jack. The first class Rose and the third class Jack, who had fallen in love on the Titanic. Molly had thought they were both dead, and now they were here, very much alive, and married!

After a few moments of total shock, she also started applauding. She didn't know how they had survived, but she would find out.

A couple of seconds later, Jack and Rose broke apart. Molly saw them say something to each other, but of course she couldn't hear what. Then they went to the back of the church and past her without noticing, and then out into the bright daylight. Everyone followed them, and Molly went out behind them.

Joanna's restaurant was very crowded with so many people in it.

Jack and Rose were sitting at the middle of a long table in the center of the room, talking to everyone at the same time. Nobody left out congratulating them.

The women were mostly crying. Each of them said how happy they were for them and how beautiful Rose looked. The men, on the other hand, congratulated Jack as if it was the usual business. It was clear that they were jealous that Jack had found someone like Rose. They all wondered how they had ended up together, because no one knew about the Titanic—not even Anne and Jim. It was still a secret between Jack and Rose.

When everyone was finally settling down, Rose looked around the room and spotted someone she knew very well talking to Joanna. She just stared at her. Jack noticed and followed her gaze. Suddenly, Molly looked up from her conversation, saw them, excused herself, and went over to where they were sitting.

"Rose! Jack!" Molly cried as she hugged both of them. "How are you?"

Jack was the first who could speak again. "We're fine, thanks."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you two. I can't tell you how worried I was. Rose, your mother thinks you're dead. Maybe we should contact her and tell her the good news."

"No, Molly. I don't think I'm ready for this right now. I know she can't force me to marry Cal anymore because now I'm married to the most wonderful man in the world, but I'm not ready to face her."

"I understand. Take your time, darling. So, would you mind if I joined this party?"

Hours later, the guests started to leave, and soon only Rose, Jack, and Molly were left. They sat down at a table to have a talk.

"So, how did you two survive?" Molly asked them calmly.

And then, for the first time, Jack and Rose told their story. They started with the moment when they had hit the iceberg, and told her everything until the moment they had met again. It was very difficult; the memories were still so painful. When they finished the story, Molly was in tears.

"Oh, God, I didn't know what you'd been through. It must have been like hell."

Rose nodded. "You're right. Sometimes I was ready to give up. I thought that I would die anyway, so why should I fight for my life?"

They were silent for a while. "Molly, do you have a place to stay for the night?" Jack asked then.

"No. Is there a hotel or something?"

"We invite you to stay with us. We have enough space in our house."

Molly nodded. "All right."

They got up, all of them suddenly tired, and walked out of the restaurant. Jack locked the door—they would return the key to Joanna the next day—and then they walked to Molly's carriage, where Bruce awaited them. They got in and started off towards the Dawsons' house.

*****

"Good morning," Jack greeted Molly, who was sitting at the kitchen table having her breakfast.

Molly looked up and saw Jack and Rose enter. She smiled when she noticed that they were holding hands. Rose was beaming at Jack.

The last night had been wonderful. There had been more passion and love than ever before. Jack had been gentler than Rose could have ever imagined. With horror, she thought of how this night would have been with Cal...she shook off that thought. She wasn't married to him, but to Jack. No one else.

"Morning. How are you two lovebirds today?" Molly greeted back, but when she looked at their faces once more, she added, "I think I can answer this question myself. Let me guess—you are better than ever before."

Rose laughed. "You're completely right." Then she and Jack also sat down to have their breakfast.

"Rose," Molly suddenly said, so quietly that both Jack and Rose looked up. "I know you don't want to talk about this, but you have to know. Your mother lives with me in Denver. Cal threw her out after your death. He said, after you passed away, that he had no more business with your mother. He gave her some money, and she came straight to me, because I told her that she could come anytime. She really thinks you're dead, Rose. You can't even begin to imagine how hard it is for her. Do you really not want to contact her?"

Rose looked at Jack. "What do you think about this? Shall I contact her?"

Jack thought for a while. Finally, he said, "She didn't seem to like me, remember? But on the other hand, we are married now, and she can't change anything about it. And if she is really that miserable, I think you should tell her that you're alive. She has the right to know that her daughter was saved."

Rose looked quite unsure about all this, so Molly quickly added, "She has really changed, Rose. Your mother is a different person. I think the sinking made her think about the way her life was going."

Rose thought for a few more moments. Then she looked at Jack. Although they didn't say a word, he knew what she was thinking and nodded.

"When will you go back to Denver, Molly?" Rose asked.

"Well, I didn't think about his. It depends on how long you two will let me stay," Molly said, unsure of what was going to come.

"We'll go to Denver with you–of course, only if you don't mind," Jack continued.

"Oh, that's just great. Shall we surprise Ruth?" Molly asked, sounding like an excited schoolchild.

"I think I'll give her a nice surprise. Can we go tomorrow?" Rose asked.

"Of course, my dear."

*****

The next day, they left very early. Joanna was going to keep the Dawsons' house while they were away. For how long, they didn't know.

"When will we be there?" Rose asked for the hundredth time during the last half hour. The sun was already setting, shining its golden light across the countryside.

Jack smiled at Rose. He could see that she was even more nervous than before their wedding. But he had to admit that he also had a strange feeling. Maybe they should have informed Ruth or prepared her for some surprise. It would be quite a shock for her to see Rose alive and married–to him, of all people. Jack just hoped that Ruth would see how much they loved each other. Maybe Molly was right, and Ruth had changed.

"Don't worry, dear. We'll be there before you know it," Molly said calmly, looking out the window.

After a while the first houses of Denver appeared beside the street. They weren't of the rich part, but also not of the poor. The houses became more crowded, and finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Rose, they stopped in front of a large mansion.

The driver opened the door and helped Molly and Rose out. Jack followed them. Suddenly, Rose remembered the last time she had gotten out of a car like this. So much had changed since then, and now she was about to explain everything to her mother.

"Ready to go?" Jack asked her, looking into her eyes. "If you don't want to, we can go back home right now."

Rose smiled up at him. "No. I have to do this."

Jack took her hand in his. He knew she liked that and hoped it would comfort her a little. Even though she pretended that she wasn't nervous, he knew that she was. Jack himself felt a little uncomfortable. But like Rose had said, they had to do this.

Slowly, Rose and Jack followed Molly along the path that led up to the house. On the left and the right sides were beautiful flowerbeds, and here and there, a tree. They could even smell the coming summer.

Then the house came into view, and Rose gasped. It was as big as her house back in Philadelphia–maybe even larger. It was painted in bright yellow, and the big windows of the three stories were shining in the setting sun.

While they approached the house, Jack glanced at Rose. "We're gonna make it, Rose. Trust me."

She smiled. He had said exactly those words once before. They had made it back then. "I trust you," she replied.

They stood in front of the door. Molly rang the bell. Jack gave Rose a quick kiss on her cheek to tell her that everything was all right. She understood his sign of love and felt a little better. The door opened.

Rose couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was her mother. But it seemed as though it wasn't her mother, but some person who looked a little like her. Her hair was held up in a loose bun, and she was wearing a simple green dress. Her face looked old and sad. Her eyes grew wide when she saw her daughter. Her hand flew to her mouth.

"My God. Rose, it's you. I...I can't believe it. I thought you were..."

"Dead?" Rose finished for her, and Ruth only nodded, unable to say anything. "Well, I'm not. But this has only one reason." Rose looked lovingly at Jack.

Ruth saw him for the first time. Not only for the first time this day, the first time ever. She didn't see the poor artist he was. She only saw the look he was giving Rose, and the smile she gave him as a reward. Ruth had never seen Rose smile like that. So full of happiness, love, and–most of all–life. And suddenly Ruth realized that it was because of him. He was her reason to go on, why she was still alive.

Tears came to her eyes as she hurried towards them. She hugged both of them at the same time, and could only whisper, "I'm so glad you two are alive."

Slowly, they returned Ruth’s embrace. They were surprised at how she had reacted. Rose had expected an argument, that her mother would be mad at her. Anything–but not this.

The three of them just stood there for a few minutes; none of them saying anything. Molly watched them with tears in her eyes. After some time, she finally broke the silence. "Don’t you think we should go inside?"

"You’re right. Come on," Jack agreed, freeing Rose from her mother’s arms, and taking her hand. They all went inside. Jack, Rose, and Molly took off their coats, and then all four went into the living room. No one wanted to be the first to speak.

Ruth gathered her thoughts together and could finally ask the question she had wanted to ask for three weeks.

"Why? Why did you leave me in the lifeboat?"

Rose looked at her mother. "Don’t you know? I wanted to rescue Jack. He didn’t steal the diamond. Lovejoy put it in his pocket. Like I said that night—he would never do that."

"Is this true?" Ruth asked Jack.

He nodded. "I swear." Ruth saw it in his eyes. He wasn’t lying.

"Why did Cal tell me you were dead? He found you, right?"

"I told him to tell you that. I didn’t want to see you. I was afraid you would force me to leave Jack. I love him, and that’s why I wanted to stay with him. Hopefully, you’ll forgive me some day."

There was again silence for a few minutes. Ruth was looking for a handkerchief, but didn’t find one. Molly gave her hers so Ruth could dry her tears. She thought of what to say next.

"How did you two survive? Did you find a lifeboat that allowed men on it?"

"No, we weren’t on a lifeboat. After I left you, I went to find Jack. When I finally did, I had to cut through his handcuffs with an axe because I couldn’t find the key. We made our way back to the deck and found a boat. Jack persuaded me to get into it. When it was lowered, I looked up at him and realized that I couldn’t live without him. So I jumped back onto the ship, and we found each other again at the Grand Staircase. When the stern was going up, we were on the very end of the ship and were the last people on it as it went down into the sea. After we came back to the surface, Jack found some wood for me to lie on, but there wasn’t enough space for the two of us. He wanted me to promise to go on even if he didn’t survive, and I promised. Then, finally, a boat returned, and I called out to him and shook his hand, but he didn’t react–as if he was…dead…" She trailed off. Jack put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. He saw that she had tears in her eyes.

"Shall I go on?" he asked quietly, but she shook her head.

"No. I’ll be all right–you’re here." She smiled a brave smile. "I let go of his hand, and he slipped down. I swam over to a dead officer, took his whistle, and blew it, so that the people in the lifeboat would know that there was still someone alive. The boat came over, and I was pulled in. The next thing I remember is waking up in the boat next to Jack…I don’t even know how you were saved," she said, turning to Jack. "You never told me."

"I heard you call out my name, but I was too weak to respond. You let me down into the water, where I somehow woke up, and suddenly I could swim to the surface. There, I heard you blowing the whistle, and I called out for the boat. They heard me and came back for me."

Everyone was silent again. It seemed as if they didn’t have any more to say. But there were still so many untold things.

"Well…what happened then?" Molly asked, instead of Ruth, who was incapable of speaking after hearing their story.

Jack continued, and after he finished, Ruth held back her tears. Rose had never seen her mother in a state like this. She was clutching the handkerchief, and her eyes were wet with tears. Some of her hair fell in her face, but she didn’t even bother to tuck it back. The sun had already set, and the darkness surrounded the house like a heavy coat. Rose was the first one who yawned. Molly looked at the grandfather clock. It was almost twelve.

"I think we should go to bed. It was a long day. Come on, you two, I’ll show you your room," she said, getting up.

Jack and Rose followed her up the stairs. Molly led them to a room on the right side. It was decorated in blue and white. Molly closed the door and left them standing there.

"What do you think about my mother?"

"I don’t know what to think. I didn’t expect what happened. It’s just good that it was the way it was."

Rose nodded and yawned. "Come on. Let’s see if we can get some sleep."

"I don’t think I can sleep when you’re in the same bed." Jack smiled, and she knew what he was thinking of.

Chapter Seven
Stories