JOHN AND ROSE
Chapter Eight
August 14, 1926
John, Mary, and Nadia sat on a bench in the
depot, waiting for the train. A porter had already taken their bags, including
Mary’s new suitcase filled with new clothes to replace the ones she’d lost, to
a platform to be loaded onto the train when it arrived. Each of the girls had a
new bag with their few carry-on belongings, gifts from Rose, who had also taken
Mary shopping for new clothes, and had bought a few things for Nadia at the
same time.
Rose and Christopher sat on the bench as
well, waiting with them. Rose was sorry to see them go; she had enjoyed having
them visit. It had been too long since she’d seen them–the last time she’d seen
the girls had been in 1917, and the last time she’d seen John was in 1915. The
Calverts were family to her, as much as Christopher and Ruth were.
Christopher turned to Mary and made a
comment. Mary rewarded him with a scowl. She wasn’t looking forward to going
back to Cedar Rapids and being grounded for months. She knew that she shouldn’t
have run away, but she still didn’t want to be punished.
Rose smiled to herself. Christopher had
quickly developed a crush on Mary, something she would have rapidly put a stop
to had they really been cousins. But the two adolescents were not related by
blood, and she was also aware that Christopher had no chance of having the
object of his affections return them. Mary considered Christopher a child,
something the boy resented but could do nothing about. A few years earlier,
Mary would have considered a thirteen-year-old to be very mature and grown up,
but now, from her lofty sixteen-year-old point of view, a thirteen-year-old was
a mere child, someone to be tolerated at best and disdained otherwise.
At that moment, Mary smirked at Christopher
and made a rude remark in return, drawing a sullen look from the boy and a
reprimand from her father. Nadia just watched, waiting until they were on the
train to tease her sister about Christopher.
Rose caught John’s eye and smiled. They had
gone out on a date the evening before, allowing the teenagers to go off on
their own as long as they stayed out of trouble. Both had enjoyed the evening,
going out to dinner and catching up on the past few years. They had exchanged
letters, but hadn’t really discussed in any depth what they had been doing.
Much of Rose’s life and career were known to
John, as she was often featured in magazines, though less so over the past few
years. Mary had more than made up for it, however, discussing her famous aunt’s
career with him, Nadia, and anyone else who cared to listen. Not everyone
believed that she really knew Rose Dawson, or cared, but that didn’t quell
Mary’s desire to talk about her.
Rose knew less about John’s life, though she
did know that he had graduated from Coe College the previous year and that he
was president of Anders Cedar Rapids. They had talked for hours, filling in the
gaps, and finally arrived back at Rose’s home to find the three teenagers
sitting and waiting for them, all whispering and eyeing them suspiciously. It
was only then that Rose had noticed that it was past one AM. The time had flown
by. She hadn’t enjoyed a date so much in a long time.
Now, as the train pulled into the station,
Rose wondered what she would do next. In a few days her picture would be
finished, and she didn’t yet have another lined up. She hated to admit it, but
her career was beginning to fade as younger, more conventionally beautiful
actresses took her place. She was still beautiful, of that there was no doubt,
but at thirty-one she was no longer an innocent-looking girl, and her
appearance certainly did not fit the current standards of attractiveness.
In contrast to the ideal woman, who was
slender and almost flat-chested, Rose was full-figured, and had been since she
was a teenager. Had she wanted to, she could have gone on a strict diet and
bound her breasts to make them appear flatter, but she’d had enough of having
her appearance dictated to her when she was a member of high society, and had
made no effort to conform to anyone else’s standards since. Changing her
appearance temporarily for a film was one thing, but she wouldn’t alter the way
she looked in everyday life. Fashions came and went, and she only followed them
if they appealed to her.
She would undoubtedly find another film
before long, even if it wasn’t quite the role she had in mind, but it had
occurred to her that she was ready for a change. She enjoyed acting, enjoyed
becoming a different person and bringing her own qualities to her characters,
but she wanted to branch out, perhaps try directing or producing. Of late, she
had become interested in the behind-the-scenes aspects of film, and was
especially interested in the attempts to develop a way to bring sound to the
moving pictures.
But she really wasn’t sure quite what she
wanted, and she was beginning to think that a break from the hectic world of
Hollywood was what she really needed. Not too long, of course–audiences were
undeniably fickle–but long enough to decide what she wanted to do. Her last two
pictures had been less than satisfactory, as far as she was concerned, though
she still received rave reviews. She needed a break, a chance to look things
over and think them through.
Certainly, money wasn’t a concern; she had
made a great deal in her career, and had made wise and diverse investments,
never quite trusting any one kind of investment, in spite of the emphasis that
many placed on the stock market. Her mother had informed her that Cal was
making millions by investing in the stock market; investing most of his
profits, from what the newspaper reported, and Ruth had encouraged Rose to do
the same. Rose, however, had long been of the opinion that concentrating
everything in one place was unwise–things could fall through, no matter what
anyone said–and continued with her wider, if less profitable, investments.
Mary’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
"We’re going now, Aunt Rose. Now that we’ve visited you again, why don’t
you come visit us? We have a lot of space, and I bet the people in Cedar Rapids
would like to meet a real movie star. That is, if you have time," Mary
added, looking at her hopefully.
"I might, Mary, but I think it’s really
up to your dad if I come and stay with you for a while. It is his house."
"You’re welcome to visit any time,
‘cousin’," John told her, a sparkle in his eyes. "But Mary, even if
she does come to visit, you’re still grounded. A visit from a real Hollywood
star would not let you off the hook."
Mary’s face fell at this, but she didn’t
protest. "I bet people would still like to meet her, and if you and Aunt
Rose went somewhere together, you could bring Nadia and me along. And Christopher,
too, of course," she added, looking at him. Christopher scowled at her,
not liking being an afterthought.
"We’ll see, Mary. She may not have time
to visit."
"Actually," Rose told them, an idea
forming in her head, "I just might. My picture should be finished in a few
days, and Christopher doesn’t go back to school until September. I’ve been
thinking that I need a vacation–maybe we can visit for a week or two when my
film is done."
"Really?" Mary’s eyes lit up.
"Do you think you could?"
"I’d like that, too," Nadia added.
"I bet Dad would like you to visit, too." She grinned, looking from
Rose to John.
Both adults tried to pretend they hadn’t
heard the comment, but there was no fooling the three teenagers, who were
watching them expectantly.
Rose tried to give a severe look to the
adolescents, but soon smiled. "All right. I’ve made up my mind. I will see
you in a week or so."
"Great!" Mary shouted, her
enthusiasm bubbling over. Several people turned to stare at her. Blushing, she
lowered her voice. "See you then, Aunt Rose."
"Good-bye, Mary." Rose gave Mary a
hug, then turned to Nadia. "Keep her out of trouble, Nadia."
"I’m already grounded," Mary
complained. "Now you want Nadia to watch me?"
"She already watches you," John
pointed out. "So stay out of trouble."
"I do not either watch her!" Nadia
protested. "I can’t. She’s older than me."
"Exactly!" Mary agreed.
"We’d better get on the train,"
John interrupted them, "before it leaves us behind." As if in
agreement, the warning whistle blew.
"Have a good trip, everyone," Rose
told them, walking with them to the train. She looked at John, not sure how to
wish him farewell, then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, to the delight of
the girls and the disgust of Christopher. "See you soon, ‘cousin’."
The Calverts quickly boarded the train, the
girls hurrying to a window to wave. "See you soon, Aunt Rose!"
Mary shouted to Christopher as the train
began to pull away. "And stay out of cactus, Christopher!"
"Mom!" Christopher complained.
"Why did you tell her about that?"
Rose just laughed as she waved after the
departing train.