FOR BETTER OR WORSE
Chapter Nine

Two weeks later, Jack and Rose had rented their own apartment, just on the fringes of town, and Jack had started work at the local factory. He hated going to work, but knew he needed money of his own so he could take care of Rose and they could put the rest of Cal’s money away somewhere. Rose mostly stayed in the apartment, getting used to being a housewife. The day before had been her first day shopping for herself and Jack. She was a little nervous, but found it was rather easy.

It was now six o’clock and Jack was due home any minute. She wiped her hands on her apron and pulled out the slightly burned casserole. "Oh, no! Why can’t I get it right? Let me see if any of this can be salvaged."

"Rose!" Lisa’s voice hollered through the front door as she walked in. A week after they had moved in, Lisa had begun spending time there. It was like a getaway from her father and uncle.

"Lisa. Hello. You’ve gotten here just in time. Dinner’s ready, and Jack will be here any minute." Rose smiled. "The casserole is kind of burnt, but it’s still edible."

"I’m not here to eat, Rose. I need a favor from you and Jack. I need to use your place tomorrow night."

"Whatever for?" Rose asked, curious. She didn’t know if she liked the sound of this.

"Well…I have a date. Not the usual date. A real, honest to goodness date. This one is the one, Rose."

"Well, then, why bring him here?"

"Because his mother hates me, and you know how my uncles are. Please, Rose, let us have our date here. Please…"

Rose sighed tiredly. She really didn’t want Lisa having her men in the apartment, but if this was a real date, and the man’s mother hated Lisa…who was Rose to stand in the way of true love? Goodness knew that Jack and herself had had to overcome enough obstacles to be together themselves. "Listen, Lisa, if it was just me, I would, but it’d be wise to ask Jack."

"He’ll say no!"

"Maybe he won’t. You won’t know until you ask."

"Ask what?" Jack walked through the door, his eyes sweeping over both Rose and Lisa. "What are you two up to?"

Lisa looked at Rose as if she was looking for help. Seeing that Rose was offering none, she turned to face her cousin. "Uh…I was just asking Rose if I could bring one of my dates here, but she said I had to ask you."

"Oh." Jack nodded in understanding.

"So?" Lisa asked expectantly.

"So what?"

"So, can I bring my date here? Jack, I promise, it’s not like the others. This one is a real, honest date."

"Well, then, why do you want to bring him here, Lisa? I don’t understand. If this was the real deal, you’d be going out to a restaurant or something. Who is this guy, anyway?"

"Ronald! Ronald Flintstine."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "But his mother hates you."

"I know. That’s why we’re not going out in public. He’s not ready for his mother to know, and you know how Daddy and Uncle Vince are. They’ll never allow us to meet at the house."

"And where will Rose and I be while you’re on this date?"

"We could go out to dinner ourselves, Jack. Betsy just told me about this little Italian restaurant in Eau Claire I’d love to try out." Rose grinned, deciding to help the other woman. "We haven’t been out in ages, Jack. It’ll be fun."

Jack sighed. This was a chance to take Rose out and show her a good time, for once. Not that the picnic hadn’t been fun, but this would be more intimate. "All right. Lisa, you may use the apartment for your date. But no going into the bedroom, and if you sit on the couch, you sit eighteen inches apart."

"Jack!" Lisa exclaimed in protest.

"Take it or leave it. I wouldn’t even be doing this if it wasn’t for Rose."

Lisa sighed in defeat. She knew not to push her cousin too far. She was lucky he was even letting them use the apartment.

"Thank you, Jack. Thank you, Rose. Ronald and I appreciate this."

"Just don’t make us regret this decision. Okay?" Jack crossed his arms.

"I promise you won’t. I’d better go, before Daddy and Vic come looking for me. Thanks again." Lisa waved as she darted out the door.

"I hope I don’t." Jack sighed, tossing his jacket onto the nearby couch.

"You won’t." Rose wrapped her arms around his neck. "Lisa respects you way too much to go against your directions."

"So…tell me about this Italian restaurant Betsy bragged about." Jack led her into the kitchen, where the half-burnt casserole was waiting for them.

"According to Betsy, they have the best spaghetti and meatballs ever created, and the garlic bread is to die for." Rose began to scoop the casserole onto two separate plates. "I hope you like dinner tonight. I almost destroyed it."

"It looks good so far." Jack shrugged, looking at the concoction. "What kind of casserole is it?"

"Chicken and broccoli."

"Mmm. My favorite." Jack smiled. "It looks good. Tastes good, too."

"You’re lying, and I love you for it." Rose ruffled his blond hair as she took a seat across from him. "I had a feeling I’d spoil dinner, so I ran over to Betsy and she fixed your favorite. Meatloaf, green peas, and mashed potatoes. She used your mother’s recipe."

"Oh, she didn’t have to do that." Jack’s eyes widened with delight.

"That’s what I told her, but she insisted."

"We’ll have to do something nice for them someday." Jack smiled at his wife, gazing into her emerald eyes. At that moment, he felt truly blessed to have found Rose. She was his treasure, the one worth everything, and he knew she felt the same for him.

"Jack…do you ever think about Santa Monica anymore? I know we’ve decided to hold off…I’m just curious."

Jack sighed. "I’ve been thinking about it. Maybe in a couple of months, but right now I’d like to stay put. But I promise you, Rose, we will go and do all those things we talked about."

"Well, as long as we’re together, I’m fine. There was a time there, Jack, when I thought we weren’t going to make it. Remember when the stern began sinking into the ocean?"

Jack nodded. "I knew you were terrified. The only thing I was sure of was that I had to get you out of there. I had to make sure you survived. Even if I didn’t."

"But you did, and I thank God every day for that. It was a miracle that we both didn’t die in those frigid waters. I’ll never forget that feeling as long as I live."

"Neither will I. It was worse than when I fell into Lake Wissota." Jack involuntarily shivered. Then he laughed nervously. "What are we dredging all that up for? We’re alive, healthy, happily married, and deeply in love. We should be thinking of the happy times ahead. Not tragic times in the past."

"So true, my love. So true." Rose leaned over and tenderly kissed her husband. She sighed as she let his love flow through her. She knew that there was never going to be anyone for her but Jack. He was the air, the sun, the moon to her, and she was going to dedicate her life to making him and their family happy.

The End.

Stories