AN ADVENTURE TO REMEMBER AND A MEMORY TO FORGET
Chapter Twenty-Six
"How was your trip? What
was the Titanic like? Did it live up to the name?"
I stepped off the exit ramp of
the Titanic wearing one of my best outfits and was bombarded by reporters
wanting to get the scoop on what happened. Everywhere I turned, there they
were. I tried to maneuver past some of the reporters, but found it extremely
difficult. Everywhere I looked, flashbulbs were going off, reporters had paper
and pencils, and they were writing down every word anyone said. This was a huge
event. It was the first trans-Atlantic crossing of the Titanic. I looked over
and saw Cal with Rose’s mother, speaking to reporters. Cal’s arm and hand
gestures were wild, so I knew he was giving that reporter the story of his
life.
I sighed and agreed to answer
a question from a reporter. "The Titanic was marvelous. The spaciousness
of the rooms, the luxury of the ship, and the newness of the ship can never be
matched. This ship lives up to its name--the Grandest Ship in the World. Now,
if you’ll excuse me, I must go find my fiancé."
I curtsied slightly and
excused myself. The same reporter was following me.
"What was the sinking
like? Were you scared? What did the screams sound like? What about the
lifeboats? How did you feel when the ship sank? I heard there was an error on
behalf of the crew and thousands of people died as a result. What happened?"
"But the ship didn’t
sink." I turned around to motion behind me. "What are you talking
about? See? It’s right there." I gasped as I focused on the lettering on
the side of the ship. It was no longer the Titanic. Rather, the Carpathia stood
in its place. "How can that be? I just got off the Titanic. It was just
here."
The reporter looked confused.
"Are you all right? We got news over the wire that the Titanic sank three
days ago and over one thousand people were lost. You just got off the Carpathia
with about seven hundred of the survivors." He scratched his head.
"Did you hit your head, or did you suffer amnesia when you went into the
water? Were you even on board the Titanic?"
I slowly shook my head.
"No, I didn’t go into the water, and yes, I was on board. The ship didn’t
sink. What’s going on here?" I looked at the reporter, obviously confused
by what was going on. I turned to run. I called out for Harry. I started to run
back towards the ship, trying to find him. "Harry!" I called out, trying
to find him. I ran by officers from the Carpathia, passengers from both the
Titanic and the Carpathia. I pushed reporters out of my way, hoping to find
him. I finally spotted an officer from the Titanic.
"Sir, where is Officer
Lowe? I need to speak to him. I’m his fiancée."
The officer looked at me
strangely. "Ma’am, my name is Officer William Murdoch. I was on board with
Officer Lowe." He stopped to look at me. "I hate to have to tell you
this, but he didn’t make it. He died trying to rescue people out of the water. His
lifeboat was swamped with people. Someone hit him on the head with an oar and
he was knocked unconscious. The undertow from the ocean current and the
freezing water killed him. I’m so sorry. The White Star Line will be in contact
with you about his severance pay."
I started to back up and
bumped up against something. I turned around to see a luggage cart behind me.
My breathing got heavy. I could barely see. Tears began to form in my eyes. I
was gasping for air. "No! What are you talking about? What is going on
here? What are you doing? He lived! He saved me out of the water. I’m all
right, so Harry has to be all right."
Murdoch just stared at me.
"I’m sorry, dear. I’m so sorry. We tried to go back and get his body so
his parents could bury him properly, but we couldn’t find it." He sighed a
deep sigh. "Lowe was a great officer. He will be missed." Murdoch put
his hand on my shoulder as he walked off.
"No! No! Harry! Where are
you?" I left the luggage cart and ran back in the opposite direction.
"Harry!" I felt a pair of strong hands on my shoulder as I spun
around. "Harry!" My face fell as I came to face my father.
"Daddy, where’s Harry?"
My father was confused.
"Who is Harry? Victoria, are you all right? Do we need to let a doctor
take a look at you? I saw your confrontation over there with Officer Murdoch.
What is going on, young lady?"
I slowly gasped as I realized
what was going on. "Is this a joke? Do you honestly not like Harry and
you’re trying to keep us apart? Was that other officer in on it? If I find out
you’re hiding him from me because you don’t like me, I’ll never speak to you
again."
"Victoria Anne Metcalfe!
You will respect me. I am your father, and you’ll never speak to me again in
that manner."
I backed up from Father. I
turned around and ran off with my father’s voice in the background, begging for
me to come back. I had to find Harry. I knew he was all right. I took off
running with the determination that he was all right and I would find him.
*****
I sat straight up in bed,
breathing heavily. Beads of sweat were forming on my forehead. I flung the
covers off the bed, straightened my dress, and put my shoes back on to head
outside to get a breath of fresh air.
By the commotion on deck and the
lack of commotion in the hallways, I knew we were getting close to New York. I
picked up my pace as I walked towards the bow of the ship. My eyes focused on
an officer. I ran towards him. My heels on the wooden planks of the deck caused
him to turn around. I flung myself into his arms.
"Oh, Harry!" I wrapped
my arms around his neck tightly. "You’re all right!"
He had a confused look on his
face. "Tory, what’s wrong? What are you doing?"
I slowed down and told him about
the dream I just had. "My father was trying to keep us apart by telling me
you were dead. I couldn’t believe him. I knew you’d never leave me. I know
you."
Harry looked at me. "Of
course not. Look, we’re almost in New York. The captain said we’ve only got
another hour or so before we’re in New York. Do you want anything to eat before
we dock?"
I shook my head, still too shaken
up to eat. "No, I’m not hungry. My dream really scared me. It had me
worried about you. I’m just glad you’re all right and that you didn’t
die."
Harry still was worried about me.
"I’m fine. You’re fine. We’re all fine, and we’ll be off this ship in a
few hours. Then we can begin living the way we need to be, with all of this
behind us." Harry kissed me gently on the lips as my father walked up.
"I do hope I’m not
interrupting anything." Father extended his hand and shook Harry’s.
"Oh, no, sir. Your daughter
just had a nightmare and was worried about me. I was trying to assure her that
I was all right."
Father nodded. "Officer,
where are you staying when the ship docks?"
I saw Harry shake his head.
"I’m not sure. I’ll probably find a hotel somewhere in New York for a few
days until I find out what the White Star Line is going to do with me. I know
there will be inquests in America for a few days, but after that, I’m not sure."
Father nodded. "I insist
that you allow me to get you a room at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.
Victoria, Shannon, and I will be staying there when we get to New York, as it
will be too late to drive to our other home. You are welcome to come with us
tomorrow if you wish, or you may stay at the Waldorf-Astoria. We have a guest
suite at the house. If you would like it, it’s yours."
Harry looked at me and then
looked at my father. "Sir, I could not accept such generosity."
"Nonsense. You are almost
family. Please, allow me to do this. I have already spoken to Jack and his
fiancée about staying there as well. I’ve already booked two rooms. One for
Jack and his fiancée, as well as for my family, and I’d be happy to book you a
third room."
I looked at Harry again and
nodded. He took the hint. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate what you’ve done
for us." He shook Father’s hand.
"I heard from one of the
stewards that we’re about an hour away. If you two would like to stay up here
and watch our entrance into New York, you’re more than welcome to. Just meet
Shannon and me at the hotel."
I told Father I would, and he
left us to watch our entrance into New York.
"I can’t believe your father
is so generous."
"Harry, he’s like that no
matter who you are. He’s generous without a reason. He’s always been like that.
To tell him no would only have insulted him."
He leaned in closer to me and put
his arm around my shoulder. "I love you. Thank you."
It began to rain as we got closer
to New York. Rose and Jack had joined us up on deck. Rose had a shawl wrapped
around her head to keep hidden in case Cal or someone who knew Cal saw her.
The closer we got, the more it
rained. Harry got a couple of umbrellas from a steward. Jack and Rose took one
and Harry took the other one and held me close as we approached New York and
all the city’s lights.
"Fabrizio wanted so badly to
see that."
I turned around to see what Jack
was talking about. The Statue of Liberty glided past us as the ship steamed by.
"Wow. I’ve never seen her this close. She’s beautiful. And what a
welcome."
Another steward asking us a
question interrupted us. "Excuse me, please. May I take your name for the
final passenger list before we dock?"
Jack spoke up first. "Jack
and Rose Dawson." He motioned to Harry and me.
Harry spoke up. "Officer
Harold Lowe, Titanic’s crew." The steward nodded as he wrote down the
names.
"And you, love?" I was
still staring at the statue as I spoke. "Victoria Metcalfe."
We had made it. After all that we
had been through, we had finally made it to New York.