TITANIC CONTINUED
Chapter Fourteen
"You're joking! I can't
believe it!" Jack yelped. He was so happy. Rose was going to meet him, and
he was going to convince her that he really did love her. She would never have
to doubt him again. He had let her down once, but now he would make up for it.
"To tell you the truth, it
was easier than I thought it'd be! She loves you too much to let something
stupid come between you!" Fabrizio said.
Jack was so happy, he wasn't even
noticing what Fabri was saying. He could barely control his excitement.
After Jack had calmed down a bit,
the two decided to get some air. They stopped at the common room to grab a bite
to eat. It was approaching evening.
"So, what are tomorrow's
arrangements?" Jack asked, chewing his food excitedly.
Fabrizio was slowly sipping
vodka. "Oh, I forgot to tell you about that. You didn't say exactly
where…so I just told her to meet you at the front of the ship. It shouldn't be
too crowded…I told her eleven AM."
Jack frowned slightly.
"Something wrong?"
Fabrizio inquired, afraid he had messed up Jack's last chance with Rose,
instead of helping it along.
Jack shook his head. "It
isn't that. I want us to meet somewhere…special. But I can't quite think of the
perfect place…"
He looked thoughtful for a minute
or two. Then, suddenly, he snapped his fingers.
"I've got it!"
He gave Fabrizio his new,
specific instructions, to have them relayed to Rose immediately.
*****
"What did he want?"
Ruth questioned Rose as she ambled back into the room.
"Nothing, Mother."
Ruth followed Rose back into her
bedroom. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going back to
sleep."
"Cal is joining us for
dinner tonight," Ruth said loudly.
"Fine. Wake me."
"By the way, the wedding has
been moved up. At Cal's request."
"What?" Rose appeared
at the doorway once again.
Ruth seemed satisfied that she
had Rose's attention. "Oh, yes. Cal has decided he doesn't want to wait a
couple of weeks. The wedding is set for day-after-tomorrow."
Rose stood there, stunned.
"No, no, I don't want to move the wedding up. He'll have to change it back."
Ruth just looked at her. "I
know you two have been disagreeing, but Cal told me you'd resolved your
differences."
Rose nodded. "Yes, we did
talk it out. But that doesn't mean…Mother, I'm not ready for marriage
yet."
Maybe I'm just not ready for
marriage to Cal, she
thought.
"I'm sorry, Rose," Ruth
said coldly. "The plans cannot be changed again." She turned to go.
"Mother!" Rose cried.
"I'm not finished discussing this with you!"
Ruth appeared frustrated.
"The plans will not be changed!" she said firmly.
"I'm not a child! I can make
my own choices!"
"Exactly, Rose! You aren't a
child. You're an adult. And it's time you began to see things on your own, and
assume some responsibilities. You're immature, Rose, and it isn't becoming at
all. You say you don't feel ready for marriage? Well, you're probably right.
But it's time for you to grow up. The sooner the better."
Then Ruth was gone, and her words
were still hitting Rose like a splash of freezing cold water.
Hours earlier, she'd decided that
it was in her best interest to marry Cal. Now, reality was dawning on her. In
forty-eight hours, she would be joined to Cal forever.
"Is this my life?" she
asked herself, turning from the doorway.
Catching a glimpse of herself in
the mirror, Rose pondered her dilemma.
Her heart was still breaking over
Jack. But she couldn't figure out any way that she could make a future with
him.
Rose looked more closely in the
mirror. Her eyes were tired, and boasted dark circles. The other day, and all
the days she'd spent with Jack Dawson, her life had made sense. She'd felt
something…completion. As if she was actually worth something to someone, for
the right reasons. She'd felt wanted and loved, not imprisoned as she felt
whenever Cal touched her.
But she didn't know if she could
bear to hurt her mother. Ruth was depending on Rose and Cal's marriage. She
wouldn't be able to get by much longer on the little money Father had left her.
"What will Mother do?"
Rose asked quietly of her reflection.
Then Rose remembered Ruth's cold
words. "It's time to grow up…"
Rose had unconsciously raised her
hand to her hair, wrapping a curly strand around two fingers, an old habit
she'd had before finishing school.
She dropped her hand.
A familiar feeling filled her. A
hint of a smile lit up her pale face.
"You're exactly right,
Mother. It's time to grow up."
Rose's eyes scanned the bureau
top for what she was looking for. "I still love you, Jack," she
whispered, finally seeing the old, tattered half-dollar coin and picking it up
from her jewelry box.
She napped again, clutching the
coin tightly in her hand.