FOR BETTER OR WORSE
Chapter One
April 29, 1912
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Kyle Lavery stood at the counter
of his general store, watching customers come and go. It had been a long day,
and the newspaper had been his biggest sale, with the sinking of that ship
Titanic and everything. He had never known people read so much. He had even had
to call New York to special order some of their newspapers because they had
more coverage of the sinking of the great liner. Kyle Lavery shook his head
sadly when he thought about all those people dying on that ship. It must have
been horrible.
"We’ll stop in here, ask
about the house, and figure out where to go from there," a voice said as
the bell chimed, signaling more customers.
Kyle Lavery glanced up to greet
his new customers, and his eyes widened in recognition. It couldn’t be…he
hadn’t seen that face for five long years. "Jack? Jack Dawson, is that
really you?"
"Hello, Mr. Lavery."
The blond-haired, blue-eyed young man smiled, tightly holding the hand of a
beautiful red-headed girl with sparkling green eyes. Both sets of eyes were
filled with sadness and spoke of an experience both had shared that neither
should have experienced at their young age.
"Why, aren’t you a sight for
sore eyes? Come in!" Kyle beckoned them into the shop. "We never
expected to see you back in Chippewa Falls again."
"Believe me, neither did
I." Jack laughed.
"And who is this pretty
young lady?"
Jack blushed, glancing over at
the girl, who tiredly leaned against him. Jack placed a secure arm around her
waist. "This is Rose Dawson. My wife."
Kyle’s eyes widened, and he looked
at the young man in disbelief. How old was Jack now? Twenty? And by the look of
her, his bride was pretty young, as well. "Wife? You got married?"
"A couple of days ago,
actually." Jack laughed at the man’s reaction. "What can I say? We’re
in love." He smiled at Rose, who smiled back, not taking her eyes off him
for a moment.
"You can tell that you two
are newlyweds by the way you can’t keep your eyes off each other." Kyle
laughed.
Jack laughed. "Rose, this is
Mr. Lavery, the owner of the general store here. He was my father’s best friend
before the fire."
"It’s a pleasure to meet
you, sir." Rose smiled.
"Proper, too. Just call me
Kyle, Rose. Sir and Mr. Lavery belonged to my father." He laughed. From
her accent and manners, she was high class, too. He wondered how Jack had
landed this one.
"All right…Kyle." Rose
nodded, looking a little uncomfortable. Calling her husband Jack instead of Mr.
Dawson was one thing, but calling the older man by his first name wasn’t as
easy.
"So, what can I do for you
lovebirds tonight?" Kyle grinned happily.
"Well, Rose is tired from
our long trip and everything…I was wondering if my parents’ house is suitable
to stay in? I thought if anyone would know, it would be you."
"Why, of course. Your uncles
and cousin have been staying there since you left." Kyle nodded, a sick
feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wondered if he should tell him about the
fall in status of the Dawson name, thanks to those three. The uncles were two
drunken ruffians, while his cousin was the most promiscuous woman in Chippewa
Falls. No one had any respect for them. Now, when the name Dawson was
mentioned, everyone turned up their noses, not thinking of the original family
but of the two drunken men and the woman who’d bed any man if he was willing. "But
instead of making that long trek, the room in the back is available. You can
stay there for the night. Give you two more alone time."
"I don’t know, Kyle. I mean,
we wouldn’t want to impose…" Jack uncomfortably cleared his throat.
"You won’t be imposing.
Then, tomorrow, I’ll come pick you up and you can have breakfast with the wife
and myself. I’m not taking no for an answer."
Jack laughed. "Well, since
you insist. What do you think, Rose?" Jack turned to his wife.
"That sounds lovely."
Rose giggled, snuggling closer to her husband.
"Well, then, follow
me." Kyle smiled, leading the young couple to the back of the room.
*****
Rose and Jack lay in each other’s
arms, thinking about the past couple of weeks. The sinking, getting rescued,
hiding from Rose’s mother and Cal. Discovering the money and the Heart of the
Ocean in Cal’s coat…getting married the very day they arrived in New York.
Everything was like a whirlwind for them. Now, here they were, back in Chippewa
Falls. A place Jack had never expected to be again.
"Are you all right?"
Rose asked, noticing how quiet her husband had become.
"I’m all right. It’s just
been so long since I’ve been here. I wonder what’s changed." Jack sighed,
pulling Rose closer. "Rose…are you sure about this? It’s not too late to
go back to Cal if you want…"
Rose placed a finger on his lips,
silencing him. "Jack, darling, this is exactly what I want. We may not be
filthy rich, but we have enough. Plus the money we got from Cal’s engagement
ring--that was a lot. And when that runs out, we’ll still be rich, because we
love each other. Something I didn't share with Cal. This life with you is all I
want and ever could want. I love you, Jack. More than anything."
"I just don’t want you to
regret this, Rose. I know that I made third class life seem like a load of fun,
but it’s not. It’s hard and sometimes cruel. It’s not always fun and
games."
"I know that, Jack. I’ve
always known that. It may be hard, but it’s also freedom. A type of freedom
that first class life doesn’t contain." Rose smiled, kissing him lightly.
"Jack, I don’t and never will regret leaving my old life behind. I’m so
grateful that we found each other, and I know that because we do love each
other, we’ll be able overcome all hardships as long as we have each
other."
"Well. Okay, since you
insist." Jack smiled, kissing her passionately. He pulled away and looked
into her eyes. "You are so beautiful."
"So are you." Rose
happily sighed, getting lost in his eyes of ocean blue. "Put your hands on
me, Jack. I want to visit the stars again."
Jack smiled at the familiar
words. "Your wish is my command, my lady." Jack leaned down and
kissed her deeply. Neither stopped. For the rest of the night, they were in a
world of their own, Titanic and everything else forgotten.