TITANIC CONTINUED
Chapter Three
"Good. We didn't want to
bother you," Rose said to Fabrizio.
"So, what are you two love
birds planning on for tonight?" Fabrizio asked, sitting on one of the
bunks in the barren room.
"I don't know. We were just
gonna stay down here for a while. It's so crowded and noisy everywhere else on
the ship," Jack said matter-of-factly.
Rose and Jack still stood near
the doorway while Fabrizio began pulling on his shoes.
"What about you?" Jack
asked.
Fabrizio sat up. "Me?
Well...that's a good question...I guess I'll...go get drunk!"
Rose smiled, rolled her eyes, and
shook her head.
"Nah. I am sure I can find a
poker game or something like that," Fabrizio said. He stood. "I'm
off! I'll leave you two alone..." He winked at Rose. With that, he grabbed
his hat and was out the door.
Jack gestured toward a bunk.
"Wanna sit down?" he asked Rose.
"Thanks. My feet are killing
me," Rose accepted. She took her shoes off again.
"Well," Jack said,
"I can see why! Look at these things!" He held one of her shoes up,
which were very tiny and narrow, with pointy toes and heels.
"You get used to them...but
still, it would be so nice to be able to wear those big, wide shoes you men
wear!" Rose pointed out.
Jack smiled. Then he sat down
next to Rose, lifted her dainty feet onto his lap, and began to rub her
stocking-covered feet and toes.
Rose relaxed and fell limp on the
bunk. "You don't know how good that feels!" She sighed and closed her
eyes.
Still smiling, Jack continued to
massage her feet until Rose told him he could stop.
"Thank you a million times
over!" Rose said. "That felt so good."
Jack rose from the bunk and
walked across the small room to his bag, where he'd already placed a few
postcards and pictures of different places. He fished around in the bag and
returned to Rose, carrying something closed in his hand.
"I've got something for
you," Jack said, holding his open hand out to Rose.
"You do?"
In Jack's hand was a half-dollar
coin, old and dirty.
"I know it's not much, but
it has lots of value...right here," he said, pointing to his heart.
"Thank you...but won't you
tell me about this coin?" Rose asked, accepting the coin.
Jack settled back on the bunk.
"When I was little, before my parents died and I still lived back in
Wisconsin--I guess I was about seven or eight--my uncle came to see us. Uncle
James. He was a drifter, didn't have a home, always floating around from here
to there...anyway, he was my dad's big brother, and I don't know why, but...I
don't know, I really looked up to him for some reason. Something about him...he
didn't have a care in the world, not a single care. It just seemed so great to
me...he never talked about how terrible it was to be an adult like the others
were always doing--never complaining about money or life or problems. He
must've been in his late forties, but he was a kid...he was a kid. He was my
first idol. Anyway, he didn't have a real job of any kind. He'd hold one down
for a while, but then, of course, he'd move on...I think the real reason he
came to see us was to ask my mom and dad for money, but that wasn't important
to me...I was just a kid, anyway. So the morning he left, I remember, he came
into my room and put that," speaking of the coin Rose was now studying,
"on my pillow beside my head. When I woke up and found it, I was so
excited...it was the first money I ever got, ya know? It was special. I don't
know. It's kind of stupid, I guess. I always wished Uncle James would come
back, but he never did. I never saw him again." He paused. "I've kept
it ever since. Anyway, that's it. That's the story behind that coin."
Rose looked up at him. "Why
are you giving this to me, Jack?"
"I don't know, Rose. I don't
know. I just...needed to. I can't explain it. I wish I could give you so much
more, but..." He trailed off and looked away from her.
Rose stood up. She put her hand
on Jack's. "Don't you understand, though? Jack, you've given me more than
anyone could ever give me, ever," Rose said sincerely. "Why can't you
understand that?"
Jack didn't respond, just looked
at her.
"I love you , Jack. And
this--it means more to me than all the money and jewelry. I mean it." She
bent over and kissed him.
Jack returned the kiss.
"Thank you, Rose. Thank you."