JOHN AND ROSE
Chapter Thirty-Three
April 18, 1930
Rose looked around the house that had been
her home for the last three years, remembering everything that had happened
there, doubting that she would ever be back.
As the extent of John’s financial losses had
become apparent, they had known that they would have to make some changes.
Anders’ stock had tumbled, although the company was still solvent, and profits
had dropped sharply. John had been faced with the choice of maintaining his
lifestyle and letting three-fourths of Anders Cedar Rapids workers go, or
changing to a simpler lifestyle and laying off only a fourth of the workers.
Rose was sorry to leave the house that had
become her home, but she was proud of John for putting the workers ahead of his
own comfort. He had accepted an enormous pay cut, so much that they could no
longer afford the house they had lived in. Rose still had a great deal of
money, but with the economy so bad, there was no telling how solid her finances
would remain, and John had refused to take what she had worked so hard to earn
from her, though as her husband, he could legally have done so.
They had sold the house in March, getting
less for it than they had hoped, but times were hard everywhere. It had been
enough to buy a smaller house in town, and still have enough left to finish
paying Nadia’s college tuition. With Nadia doing so well in college, John
didn’t want her to have to drop out and come home for lack of money, and the
economy was even worse in the small Mississippi town than it was in Cedar
Rapids. There were virtually no jobs available, especially for a young woman
whose background was still questioned by some.
Rose had lost some money when a bank in Los
Angeles that she had kept a portion of it in had gone under, but she had
hurried to get the rest of her money from the bank in Cedar Rapids, hiding it
against theft in various places around their new home. Many of her investments
were still good, and not likely to disappear, especially the real estate and
government bonds. Her investments in foreign currency hadn’t worked out so
well, but she kept what she had, in hopes that one day it would be worth
something again.
Dawson Films was still doing well, in spite
of the bad turn the economy had taken. Many people, looking desperately for
something to take their minds off of their troubles, flocked to the movies,
immersing themselves in a fantasy world for a couple of hours. Rose had begun
directing and producing comedies, which people seemed especially fond of, as
well as more romantic films with happy endings. She had allowed Polly to direct
a couple of films herself, and had taken advantage of people’s increased
interest in the movies to expand the number of films she made.
Rose still took starring or supporting roles
in many of them, and had made a point of training and hiring a number of
displaced workers for her films, giving them jobs, however temporary those jobs
might be. She also hired as many local people as she could for crowd scenes,
knowing that hers was one of the few area businesses doing well, one of the few
that could afford to hire anyone.
And still things were shaky. She couldn’t pay
people as much as she once had—not unless she wanted to risk having Dawson
Films go under, too. There weren’t enough jobs or film roles for all the people
who wanted them, even in a small town, and the continuing success of her film
company attracted people from out of town as well. Mary had come to visit at
Christmas, bringing several of her less successful friends with her, but Rose
had just shaken her head. There were so many people in need, and so little she
could do, even if she was better off than many.
Mary, at least, was doing well. She had
signed a five-year contract with one of the major studios before the stock
market had crashed, and thus had a secure job, even if the film roles weren’t
always to her liking. She was not yet a star, although she often found herself
in supporting roles as a sidekick to the star—a younger sister, a best friend,
whatever was needed. She had the ability to look and act much younger than she
was, and a talent for melodrama and comedy, which served her well in these hard
times. She had done better than many young actresses, due in a large part to
Rose’s influence and her own previous experience on stage and in pictures for
Dawson Films.
Rose had been less than pleased with another,
more permanent visitor who had arrived shortly after the new year. Ruth had
lost her job, and quickly lost her home as well, giving her no choice but to
move in with her daughter and son-in-law. Much as Rose loved her mother, they
didn’t always get along, and Ruth’s well-meaning advice nearly drove Rose to
distraction on occasion. In some respects, she was glad to have her mother there—she
had had to let Jane’s sitter go, and Ruth had taken up the slack, watching the
young child when her parents were away at work. Rose couldn’t afford to pay her
mother for the service, but since they were giving Ruth room and board, she
didn’t think her mother was making too much of a sacrifice.
Part of the problem with Ruth living with the
Calverts was the fact that she and Rose were both used to running their own
homes, even though Ruth had lived alone. Both felt that they should be in
charge of the home they shared, and in the new, smaller house, conflicts were
likely to become more frequent. Rose could only hope that Ruth would find a new
job and a new home soon. She had even offered her a secretarial position with
Dawson Films, but Ruth had refused it, still not approving of people who
working in the entertainment industry, even if it was behind the scenes.
Rose was drawn from her reverie as John
walked up behind her, carrying a box containing the last of the things they
were taking to their new home. Most of the excess furniture had been sold,
along with paintings, knick-knacks, and other things that they wouldn’t have
space for in the new house. A few things had been given to Mary or Nadia, or
stored for use in the future, but most of the luxury items were gone. Rose had
enjoyed having those things, but she wasn’t heartbroken at their loss. They had
been replaced by more practical items, and she still considered their standard
of living to be quite comfortable, even if she would miss her old home.
"Are you ready to go, Rose?" John
asked her, shifting the box in his arms.
She nodded, a bit sadly. "I guess so.
I’m going to miss this place, though. This was where I was staying when we got
engaged, where Jane was born, where we saw Mary and Nadia leave home
from…"
"We’ll make memories in our new house,
too," John comforted her, walking beside her as she looked around one last
time and headed for the front door.
"Yes…I suppose we will. I just hope the
new owners don’t go digging in the back anytime soon. They’ll be in for a nasty
surprise if they find where the kids buried Allegro and two of the cats."
John put the box into the backseat of the
car, where the remaining cats whined miserably from carriers. "They will
at that. At least there’s nothing else buried out there for us to worry about.
I moved all my money to the new house."
Rose nodded. "So did I. If the new
owners can afford this place, then they certainly don’t need our money, sparse
as it is these days."
"I think we’ll be all right. We’re still
solvent, anyway, not in debt. Mary is making her own living, and Christopher
can probably get work, if any is available."
"And he’s a good actor," Rose
added. "He can work for me."
"Let’s just hope that Dawson Films keeps
going as it has been." John started the car and pulled away from the
house, heading for town.
"I hope so, too. If people keep watching
movies like they have been, it will. But I can’t be sure. Anything’s
possible"
"This depression could end
tomorrow," John agreed. "Or it could go on for another ten years. We
just have to do what we can."
"Yes." Rose was silent for a
moment, lost in thought. "John…do you think that Anders Cedar Rapids will
pull through?"
He sighed. "I really don’t know, Rose. I
took a major pay cut to keep it going, but I may have to lay off more workers.
I don’t want to, but it may come to that. I’ll do what I can to keep it
solvent, but…times are tough."
"If it comes to the point where you
think you might have to shut down and sell out, John, I want you to tell me. I
do have a fair amount of money, and Dawson Films is doing well. I could invest
in Anders Cedar Rapids to keep it going."
"I can’t ask that of you."
"Why not? I have the money—as long as we
don’t have stagflation, and there’s been no sign of it so far. In fact, prices
have dropped, because it’s the only way to sell things."
"I know, but Rose…you may need to keep
your money. I don’t want to take it from you, but if we need it to keep a roof
over our heads and food in our stomachs, it may have to go to that."
"I think I’ll be all right, John. Anders
Cedar Rapids is still going, even if it’s not going as well as could be hoped,
Dawson Films is doing well, and I have some investments that I could make more
money from, if I could find the right people. Real estate and such, property
that could be rented out."
And I have the Heart of the Ocean, she thought, but didn’t say it. With Cal gone, there
was no longer any danger in selling it, but she still felt a sentimental
attachment to the gaudy necklace—it reminded her of Jack. She had never
mentioned it to anyone, but if worse came worst, she would sell it. Supporting
her family was more important than hanging onto a symbol of memories that were
burned in her mind and heart.
"I still don’t like the idea of taking
what you’ve worked so hard to earn."
"John, I respect you for letting me keep
what I have and not appropriating it for yourself, as many husbands would.
Heaven knows, you might have invested all of it in the stock market, and then
we’d really be up a creek."
"I suppose I did trust those investments
a little too much."
"Yes, but I’m assuming you’ve learned
something from that now."
"Like that old saying—don’t put all your
eggs in one basket."
"Maybe next time you invest, you should
ask my advice. I’ve done pretty well."
"Mostly. Although…you did invest a
little in the stock market, and then there was that investment in German
marks…"
"All right, so I wasn’t always wise. But
I still have more than many people do."
John pulled up to the new house, honking the
horn to alert Christopher to their presence. He rested his forehead on the
steering wheel for a moment, thinking over what Rose had said.
At last, he sighed, sitting up and motioning
to Christopher to fetch the cat carriers. "I still don’t like the idea,
Rose, but if it comes to that, I won’t object to you investing in Anders Cedar
Rapids. It might not even do any good, but if you want to try…"
"I will, if necessary. I hope I don’t
have to—we might need that money for ourselves—but the company is important to
you, and to this town, and because of that, it’s important to me, too."