THE CHIPPEWA FALLS DAWSONS
Chapter Four
After buying the few dresses and a new pair
of pants for Jack, Rose and Jack headed back to the hotel. When they arrived,
the lobby was full of newspaper reporters. Jack and Rose tried to walk calmly
past them. One reporter stopped them, and refused to let them by. "Were
you on the Titanic?"
"No, we were not," Rose lied.
"Now, get out of our way."
"Sorry, miss."
Jack and Rose ran the rest of the way to the
elevators. They took the elevator up to their floor, and entered their room.
"Well, Mr. Dawson, that sure was a surprise. What do you think they
wanted? All of New York is already papered with stories about what happened! I
wonder if they would like to print what really happened to us?"
"Rose, we don’t want to upset anything.
Cal could very well be here with you instead of me."
Rose cringed at Jack’s words. Philadelphia
society was not ready to learn what Cal had done on Titanic. A knock at he door
sounded, and Rose got up to answer it.
"Excuse me, sir, miss, but I am from the
White Star Line, and I’d like to have a few words with you."
"Certainly."
"We at the White Star Line are offering
train tickets home to all survivors. Would you require any?"
Jack glanced at Rose, and could tell she
thought of the same thing that he did. "We would be happy to accept two
tickets to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin."
"My mother, who was also on Titanic with
us, will need a ticket to Philadelphia."
"Thank you. We will send your tickets
here to the hotel." He left.
"You know, I bet they are trying to keep
people from suing them. Offer them free trips home so they will go home and
start to forget."
"Is that what you think?"
"Yes, and I would almost bet it’s true.
But now we don’t have to worry about tickets. Let’s go wake up your mother and
tell her."
*****
Rose and Ruth stood by the train tracks,
waiting for the time to board. Rose suddenly realized that she was going to
miss her mother very much. She was just starting to get close to her.
"Mother, sell the house as fast as you can. I’ll miss you."
Ruth DeWitt Bukater looked at her daughter.
Rose certainly had changed in the past week. I have changed, too, Ruth
thought. It’s just not as noticeable to myself.
"Rose, I want you to write me as soon as
you arrive. I think it will take me at least a month before I can sell
everything we don’t want to keep, and pack the rest. Hopefully, the house will
sell quickly, and I can join you in Wisconsin. I understand you and Jack plan
on getting married as soon as you get there, and even though I will be forced
to miss it, I want you to know that I approve."
Ruth looked over and saw Jack coming up
behind Rose. "Here is Jack, with my bag. Now all we are waiting for is the
train."
Jack and Rose waited quietly with Ruth for
the train. As soon as it was announced, Rose hugged her mother tight. That was
something she had not been allowed to do since she was very young.
"Good-bye, Mother."