AFTER TITANIC
Chapter Eleven

Jack sat outside, sketching the apartment building that he'd been living in for the past week. It was hard to believe that he had first come here with a wife and a dream for the future. Now, everything was gone. His wife and his dreams for the future. Rose was his future.

"Good morning, Mr. Dawson," a friendly female voice said from behind him. Jack turned around to face the daughter of his landlady. "I see you're a fine artist."

"It turns out that Mr. Dawson is a fine artist. He was kind enough to show me some of his work today." Jack heard Rose's voice at that first class dinner aboard Titanic. It was amazing how one phrase could bring back a memory like that. It was as if she had said it just now.

"I guess I do okay." Jack shrugged, trying to rebury the memory in the recesses of his mind. He was determined now. He was not going to think of Rose today. Thinking of her wasn't going to bring her back to him.

"I've noticed that you've been at this for hours now. I was just wondering if you wanted to take a break. My mother makes the best oatmeal cookies on this side of the Atlantic," Anne offered.

At first, Jack just looked at her like she was crazy. Why would she think he liked oatmeal cookies? Or anything else, for that matter? Well, he might as well be polite and take the girl up on her offer.

"Sure. Just lead the way." Jack stood up from his work, ready to follow Anne inside the apartment and into her mother's kitchen.

"Should we be expecting your mother back anytime soon?" Jack felt a shiver go up his spine as he realized that was the exact question he had asked Rose about Cal before he drew her. God, he wished he kept that picture. It might be the only thing he had left of his relationship with Rose.

"No. She went to play morning bingo with Mrs. Gosalez," Anne answered, not noticing Jack's nervousness. "Would you like some milk with those cookies?"

"No, thank you. That won't be necessary." Jack accepted the cookie and took a seat at the kitchen table.

"So, Jack...Mother tells me you're new here in town."

"I guess you can say that, even though I've been to New York a couple of times before. It really is a nice city. Just takes a little getting used to, though."

"Do you like music, Jack?" Anne suddenly asked, her eyes lighting up with a certain hope.

"All depends on what type of music it is. If it's upbeat and got a fast tempo, I love it. A slow song has to be something special for me to listen to it," Jack said. Like the hymn the band played while Titanic sank, Jack suddenly thought. Now why did he bring that up? Why couldn't he seem to put Titanic in the past, where it belonged? Maybe because it was the only way he could hold onto Rose. Putting Titanic in the past meant putting his relationship with Rose in the past, and he wasn't willing to do that just yet. He had to at least try to find her...to get an explanation...better than the one in the letter...out of her.

"I was asking because there's this band that will be playing in one of the bars a couple of blocks from here and Mother won't let me go by myself...so I was wondering...would you like to escort me to the concert...tonight?" Anne asked nervously, avoiding Jack's eyes.

"You mean like a date?"

Anne's eyes grew wide in shock at Jack's suggestion. "Oh, no! Nothing like a date. It'd be just two friends going somewhere together. That's all."

"Oh." Jack smiled in embarrassment. "Well then, sure. I'd like to go. Maybe it will take my mind off my problems for a while."

Anne clapped in excitement. "Great! You can pick me up at seven! Believe me, Jack, this will be so much fun."

*****

Seven o'clock had arrived, and Jack was standing outside the Hitcherman door, when Mrs. Hitcherman opened it without Jack even knocking.

"Come in, Jack. Make yourself at home. Anne will be ready in a minute." The old woman smiled with pleasure. "So tell me, what do you and my daughter have planned tonight?"

"A concert and maybe dinner," Jack answered, sweeping away the feeling that he was somehow betraying Rose. This wasn't a date. It was just two friends getting together. It would be no different if he was going to this concert with Fabrizio and Tommy. Jack inwardly winced at the thought of his two friends, who had perished along with Titanic. He wondered what they would think of him escorting this girl to a concert when he was married to Rose.

"Messing up big time, Jack. A classy lass like Rose deserves better treatment than this." He could hear Tommy's Irish accent, full of disappointment.

Stop it, Jack. Stop thinking about them, he ordered himself. He was going to have a good time tonight, even if he had to get drunk to do so.

"Ready, Jack?" Anne appeared in the living room, wearing a shimmering white gown and her hair tied back. Her dress reminded him of the dress Rose had worn to the party down in steerage, except that dress had been a lot fancier and it was red.

"You look beautiful, Anne." Her mother smiled in delight. "Doesn't she look smashing, Jack?"

Jack just smiled and nodded, still lost in his memories of Rose aboard Titanic.

"Come on, Jack." Anne grabbed his arm and headed for the door. "We'll want to get there before it starts so we can get good seats."

"By the way, Anne! What type of concert is this?" Mrs. Hitcherman arched her eyebrows in suspicion.

"Classical," Anne called, pulling Jack out the door and practically running around the corner.

"Classical?" Jack asked, having a feeling that Anne was trying to keep something from her mother. "Why do I have a feeling that it's not the concert that you want to see?"

"Don't be silly, Jack. Of course I want to see the concert. In fact, I've been waiting for two weeks to go to this concert." Anne nervously laughed as they exited the apartment building and began walking down the sidewalk.

"You mean to tell me that you've been waiting two weeks to go see a classical music concert?"

"No. That's what I'm telling my mother. I'm telling you I've been waiting two weeks go see a modern concert."

"Anne...I don't understand. Why do you want your mother to think we're going to a concert about classical music?"

"She doesn't like today's music. She says it fills young people's heads with silly daydreams when it should ready them for life." Anne looked away from Jack's soulful glance. Those beautiful blue eyes seemed to be reading her very heart. Like they could read the real reason she wanted her mother to think that they were going to a classical concert. But he didn't push the subject. He just nodded like he agreed with her and walked with her in a deep silence, his mind a thousand miles away. A couple of more minutes and they were at the diner club where the concert was being held.

"We're here." Anne gently touched his arm. "Come on. We can get a seat up front."

They took the first table, the only table with a rose in the vase.

"This is nice." Anne happily sighed, staring up at the empty stage, a dreamy expression on her face.

"It's okay." Jack shrugged, looking around as more customers began to arrive. How many people were going to be here? Jack couldn't help but hope that it wasn't a big crowd. Crowds of people still reminded him of how thick the crowd was on Titanic when he and Rose were trying to get to safety.

"Jack, what's wrong?" Anne asked in concern. Jack had been off somewhere else than with her. Not that it really mattered. She was here for one person only, and that person wasn't Jack. It was the handsome musician that her mother had forbidden her to see. Jack was her unwitting decoy. Her mother would never suspect that she came to see Tommy Reynolds sing their song if she was on a date with Jack Dawson, the handsome stranger who had just moved in. But Jack was nice and he was a friend. One thing she didn't like was for her friend to be upset. "Jack?"

"I'm fine, Anne. Don't worry." Jack forced a smile, his eyes back in the present. "So, tell me. Who are we here to see?"

Before Anne could answer, the love of her life appeared on the stage. For one second their eyes met, and then he went into a rendition of Come Josephine in my Flying Machine. Was it Anne's imagination, or did she see a hint of jealousy in his eyes when he saw her with Jack?

Anne gasped in surprise when she looked over at Jack. His face had gone deathly pale, his mouth was dropped open in shock, and his eyes were once again far away. She was about to get up and go for a doctor when she heard him whisper a name. "Rose."

Lightly touching his hand, she asked, "Jack...are you okay?"

"That's our song," Jack answered, his voice also sounding far away.

"Jack?" Anne was getting worried. It was like Anne wasn't even there.

To Jack, it was like being at the bow of Titanic again, teaching Rose how to fly...giving her that first real kiss. Finally, the song ended, and Jack snapped out of the daydream. He was no longer on the Titanic with Rose. He was back in the bar with Anne, listening to the singer go into another song.

"Are you okay? You had me worried," Anne questioned, concern shining in her eyes.

"I'm fine. It was just that song...you can say that it has special meaning for me." Jack straightened up his chair. "I'm sorry, Anne. I guess I'm not a very good escort. My mind keeps on wandering."

"It's that girl, isn't it? The rich girl who left you, isn't it?" Anne questioned. "Mother told me about her. You were with her just now, weren't you?"

Jack didn't answer. He just stared at his hands. "I can't get her out of my mind. I see and hear her everywhere I go."

"I'm sorry, Jack...I wish I could bring her back for you." Anne squeezed his hand in sympathy. She knew all too well what it was like to be separated from the one you love.

"That's okay, Anne. Besides, no one can bring Rose back but her. And by the look of things, she won't be coming back to me anytime soon. Listen, let's forget about my problems and enjoy the rest of this concert. I promise, no more moping from me." Jack forced a smile.

Anne just nodded and turned her attention back to the concert, just in time for Tommy to begin singing the song he had written just for her. It was the most beautiful song she had ever heard.

After the concert was over, Jack and Anne were about to get up when Tommy came up behind Anne and twirled her into the air.

"Tommy, no! Stop! Put me down!" Anne squealed in delight.

"I didn't think you'd be able to make it." Tommy laughed, setting Anne back down. "How did you get her to let you come? I know it couldn't be because of me. She hates my guts."

"I told her we were going to a classical concert." Anne kissed him. Then, she remembered Jack. What must he be thinking of her right now?

Tommy felt a pang of jealousy as he noticed the handsome man who had escorted Anne to the concert. He hated the fact that he wasn't allowed near Anne. Yet, this stranger could be next to her anytime he wanted.

"Tommy, let me introduce Jack Dawson. He's Mother's new tenant I met last night. He agreed to come with me. Even though he had no idea it was to meet you." Anne swallowed hard, not knowing what either man's reaction would be. But to her relief, Jack just offered his hand.

"Nice to meet ya." Jack smiled.

"Same here." Tommy accepted the offer. "You don't mind me interrupting here, do you?"

"Not at all." Jack shrugged. "I'll just wait outside. Whenever you're ready will be fine." Jack headed for the exit. Jack took one last look over at the happy couple. He could remember when he and Rose were that happy. How he wished that they were back together and that happy again. Sadly sighing, he went outside and waited for Anne to get through with her date, and thought of the good times he had shared with Rose for the short time they were together.

Chapter Twelve
Stories