Written by Cassandra Lee
Based on some situations originated by James Cameron.
The Statue of Liberty. I remember
from my lessons as a very small child that, at one point, it was copper.
Technically, it still is. It just looks different. From time. And weather. But
mostly time.
"Miss, can I take your
name?"
There isn’t a second thought.
"Dawson. Rose Dawson."
He was an American, like I
was. I was going to get off with him in New York.
As I got off the Carpathia, I put
my hands in my pockets to keep them warm and felt something cold. I slowly felt
around and realized it was a necklace. I found a quiet corner on the pier and
pulled out the blue diamond Cal had given me that night on the ship. I kept
feeling around and found the two bundles of money Cal had apparently put in
there.
He would’ve made sure I was
all right and safe.
I made my way over to where a
lady, dressed like a nurse, was checking people for lice and other maladies.
Before she could start checking me, I asked for the nearest place to find a
meal. She pointed me in the direction of a small group, being led by another
nurse. I followed them to the YWCA. I remember my mother scorning them whenever
we would pass that building, for whatever reason.
He would’ve let me get a job
to help.
I found a nice family who needed
a governess. They were understanding about my plight and assisted me in
reorganizing my life. I was Rose Dawson now, steerage passenger from the
Titanic, who had managed to survive. I eventually found my way onto the stage,
where I met my husband.
He would’ve married me two
minutes after we left the Carpathia.
Jeffery Calvert was the
choreographer for a show I did in upstate New York. He was from London, but
came to America with his parents when he was eighteen. It was one of my first
lead roles, and Jeffery took me under his wing to help me with the moves and my
lines. Our friendship eventually blossomed, and we married on August 20, 1920
in a small, private ceremony in New York City.
He would’ve let me name my
children what I wanted.
It wasn’t that Jeff was
overbearing; as a choreographer, he expected to be obeyed. I had had enough of
that with Cal and I needed someone who would let me live my life. I had dreams
after what Jack had shown me. So, after ten years of marriage and three
children, I decided to take my children and leave. I filed for divorce and
moved to the city with the children.
He would’ve taken care of me.
At the time, Jeff didn’t pay
child support. We got by on my odd jobs until I got a large role in an
off-Broadway show. I raised the children into successful adults and eventually
helped raise my ten grandchildren.
He would’ve grown old with me.
It wasn’t that I was lonely
during the times without him. I had plenty of beaus and male companions. But I
missed the adventure that Jack had given me. So I went and found it on my own.
I learned how to fly a plane and how to ride a horse bareback. I found a way to
curse every day of my life and to spit just as Jack had taught me.
Fifty years later, I finally
managed to take a ship from London to New York after a visit with my eldest
daughter. As I sailed into the New York port, I looked up at the Statue of
Liberty, just as I had done on that cold April morning in 1912. Somewhere in
the back of my head, I knew it was copper underneath. But time had wounded it
and healed it at the same time. Just at it had wounded and healed me. After all
those years.
The End.