FOR BETTER OR WORSE
Chapter Eight
The next day, Rose awoke to the
sound of Jack’s heartbeat. Sighing happily, she snuggled closer to him,
reveling in his warmth. She could have died a happy woman right there and then,
tucked safely in the warmth of her husband’s arms.
"Rose, wake up," Jack
whispered into her ear. "Rose."
Rose just smiled and snuggled
even closer, making Jack laugh.
"Rose, come on. We have
chores we have to do before tonight. We can’t stay in bed all day."
Rose sighed and opened her eyes.
As much as she hated to admit it, Jack was right. "All right. All right.
I’m up." Rose groaned.
"Come on, sleepyhead."
Jack sat up.
"So, what are you doing
today?" Rose asked curiously.
"More work on that blasted
shed. I don’t know why they insist on fixing the roof. It’s not like they’re ever
going to use it. I’d rather spend the day drawing you out on Lake
Wissota."
"Jack…why don’t we move into
our own place? Betsy said that room behind the general store was still
available."
"Yeah…but this is my
parent’s house. I abandoned it once. I don’t think I can do that again. There’s
so many happy memories here." Jack sighed. "But if we did move out,
that’d give us more time together to do what we please. I don’t know, Rose…is
that what you want? To move into a tiny room in the back of a store?"
"I want to be with you, no
matter where it is. Jack…I’ve had nightmares where you didn’t survive the
sinking, and that practically killed me. I can’t live without you. As long as I
have you, no matter where we live, I’ll be fine."
Jack sighed. "I’ll ask Kyle about
the back room. It’s not much, but it’s something, and we’ll always have one
another." Jack kissed her gently. "Everything’s going to be all right
for us, Rose."
"I know. I trust you."
She smiled, hugging him tightly.
"Jack, get your carcass down
here! We have a shed to work on!"
"See you later, Rose."
Jack sighed, annoyed. "Hey, do me a favor and go up to the store and ask
Kyle about that room. The sooner we’re out of here, the happier I’ll be."
Rose giggled. "All right,
Jack. I’ll see you at lunch." Rose waved as her husband left the room.
*****
Betsy was behind the counter with
her husband, both poring over their receipts, when Rose entered. They both
looked up and smiled at the sound of the bell.
"Rosie, darling!" Betsy
stepped out from behind the counter, her arms outstretched for a hug.
"What do we owe the pleasure of your company this morning?"
"Uh…Jack and I need a favor.
Is that room in back still available?" Rose nervously cleared her throat.
"Why, of course it is, dear.
Are you and Jack wanting to move?" Betsy looked at the girl worriedly,
wondering if Butch and Vic disrespected Rose in any way.
"Yes, ma’am. You see, Jack
wants to be in a place where we can have total privacy and time to spend
together with it just being the two of us. We can’t get that with his uncles
and cousin around. Would it be a problem if we did move in?"
"Oh, no, Rose, dear. You two
are welcome to stay here. It’s like we said before. You two are always welcome,
and you can dine with us. I can even continue your cooking lessons on a fuller
scale now. Go tell your husband that your room will be ready for you
tonight."
"Oh, thank you, Mrs.
Lavery." Rose hugged the older woman. "This means so much to
us."
"It means a lot to us, too,
Rose. Having two young people around will do us a world of good. Now, go let
your husband know that you’re moving tonight." Mrs. Lavery pulled away and
shooed the younger woman out the door.
"Butch and Vic aren’t going
to be happy that Jack’s leaving. They’re losing their errand boy." Kyle
snorted.
"Oh, let those two drunks
get their own beer. Jack and Rose need a place of their own, and that room will
do just fine with it just being the two of them."
"Come on, Mother. Let’s finish
these receipts." Kyle smiled, adjusting his glasses on his nose.
*****
The Dawsons were about to sit
down to breakfast when Rose pulled Jack to the side.
"Betsy said that the room
will be ready for us tonight and that we can have breakfast, lunch, and dinner
with them. She even said that we can go farther with my cooking lessons
now," Rose excitedly explained.
"Great!" Jack picked
Rose up and whirled her around. "We’ll leave this afternoon. This is the
last day I work on that stupid old shed." Jack kissed her gently as he
placed her back on her feet.
"What are we going to tell
your uncles and Lisa?"
"The truth. We’ve decided to
move out so we can have more privacy. That’s all they need to know."
"Jack…"
"Rose, it’s going to be all
right. Trust me."
"I trust you." Rose
sighed as Jack led her back to the table.
"Let me do all the talking,
okay?" Jack squeezed her hand.
Rose simply nodded. She didn’t
wish to get into the conversation anyway.
"What are you women planning
to do today after lunch? The house needs some cleaning." Butch snorted.
"Well, Rose is going to pack
up our stuff. We’ll be leaving tonight," Jack spoke up. The sooner the
subject was broached, the better off they’d be.
"What? Where are you
going?" Lisa asked, surprised by the revelation. "Why are you
leaving?"
"We’ll be moving into the
back room of the Laverys general store. We want more privacy, and moving out is
the only way to get it."
"Privacy? You have privacy
here." Vic looked at his nephew.
"You think you’ll have
privacy in that room of the Laverys‘? With all those busybodies coming in and
out of the store?" Butch set down his fork. "Plus, you have a first
class lady there, Jack. I don’t think she’s going to be happy stuck in the back
room of a general store."
"I’m happy wherever Jack is."
Rose squeezed his hand. "Whether it’s here or in a one room shack."
"Well, fine, then. But, by
all means, Jack, help your wife pack and be out of here before lunch."
Butch threw down his fork and stalked off.
"We’d better get back to
that shed if we’re going to finish it." Victor followed his brother.
"Well…I’m going to miss you,
Jack." Lisa looked at the table. "You were like a breath of fresh air
around this place."
"You can come visit us
anytime, Lisa." Jack took his cousin’s hand. "And when we get a place
of our own, you can come stay there."
"I’d like that." She
forced a smile, and then got up and ran upstairs.
"Everyone’s angry with
us." Rose looked at her husband.
"They’ll get over it, Rose.
Don’t worry about it. Let’s just finish our breakfast, then get packed. I want
to be out of here before lunch is over."
*****
Jack and Rose arrived at the
general store a little before lunchtime. The Laverys were waiting for them.
"Rose, Jack, there you are.
The room is all ready for you." Kyle grinned. "Betsy sent you two hot
plates of food for lunch."
"That was very kind of the
both of you, Kyle. Thank you." Jack grinned. "Rosie and I are sure to
be happy here."
Kyle smiled as he led the way to
the back room. Jack and Rose entered, each carrying a bag. "Have fun, you
two."
The couple just smiled, Kyle
shutting the door behind him as he left.
"Well, it’s just me and
you." Jack pulled Rose into his arms. "What do you want to do now, my
love?"
"I want to talk. About us.
Jack, we barely know each other. I want to know more about you. Your favorite
color, your favorite food, who your first girlfriend was…"
Jack laughed. "Why, aren’t
we the curious ones?"
"Only about my dear
husband."
"My favorite color is
red…like your hair." Jack gently touched a red curl and tucked it behind
Rose’s ear. "My favorite food is turkey. Every time I eat it, I feel nice
and relaxed."
"Me, too." Rose smiled.
"And my first
girlfriend…well…that will just have to remain a secret." Jack laughed at
the shocked look on Rose’s face. She was expecting him to tell her.
"Oh. All right. You don’t
have to tell me," Rose stammered.
"You silly girl, of course I
will tell you. Her name was Stephanie Lake. She used to live across from me a
year before my parents died. We broke up when she decided she liked Bruce
Wheeler better."
"Poor baby." Rose
playfully pouted, causing Jack to laugh.
"That’s okay. Word has it
that she’s now fat and mean, and poor Bruce is now her husband, henpecked as
hell." Jack laughed. "Lucky for me, I found a beautiful princess on a
sinking ship."
Rose blushed at the compliment.
"Believe me, Jack, I’m no princess."
"Well, you’re close enough
to one." Jack smiled.
"Well, then, you’re my
knight in shining armor." Rose smiled, squeezing his hand. "Thank
you. Thank you for talking me out of jumping off the back of the ship and
getting me away from that suffocating first class life. I like this one a lot
better."
Jack frowned. "You may
change your mind soon enough, Rose. Right now it doesn’t seem all that hard,
but it is. I’m going to have to find a real job now."
"Jack, as long as I have
you, I can get through anything. Don’t worry. So what if life with you is hard?
It’s also wonderful and loving and free. I’m with the man I love, and I can do
anything as long as he’s by my side."
"You seem so sure."
"That’s because I know what
I say is true. Besides, nothing could be as hard as surviving the Titanic.
Don’t you think?"
"You’re right. The rest of
it is a piece of cake for us." Jack smiled, pulling Rose into his arms,
holding her so her head was against his chest and she was listening to his
heartbeat.