DEAR DIARY
Chapter One
April 20, 1912
Dear Diary,
It's an act of God that I am even here to
write this. Five days ago I wasn't even sure I'd ever see the sun again. But
then an angel--my angel--spoke to me and made me promise I would. I guess I
should explain.
Ten days ago, I boarded the grandest
luxury liner of all time--the Titanic. Ten days ago I was engaged to a man by
the name of Caledon Hockley and on our way home from an engagement trip to
Paris. My mother accompanied us, although I'm not certain of her reasons.
Perhaps she was afraid I'd try to run away from him had she not been there to
watch over me. And perhaps she was right in doing so. Cal was not the gentleman
everyone claimed him to be. He had a temper which I seemed to ignite every time
I opened my mouth to speak. The first day at sea went smoothly enough, if
you're into the whole first class world. It wasn't until dinner on the twelfth
that my life started to change, for the better. Who would expect a desperate
attempt to end my life by throwing myself off the back of the ship would turn
my life upside down? For that night, I met the man who would later become my
love and in the end, my savior. His name was Jack Dawson. The perfect name for
someone like him. Although I must've seemed to be a rather spoiled brat when we
first met, it seemed, from the second we met, to those final moments in the
water, that the class barriers disappeared between us. Imagine the uproar Cal
caused when he realized his first class fiancée was having an affair with the
blond-haired, blue-eyed artist from third class. Quite the scandal, I do
believe. I describe it as an affair only because the time we had together was
so short. However, it would probably more appropriately be labeled as finding
one's soulmate. The emotions that existed between Jack and I are ones that will
never be duplicated, nor compared. We had but three short days together upon
the Titanic, but those three days will determine how I live my life for the
remainder of my time on Earth. I must, as Jack would say, make it count.
Otherwise, his death will be in vain, and I refuse to let that happen. I do
need time, though, to heal. For it's only been a mere five days since I lost
the other half of my heart.
Rose Dawson
Rose gently closed the journal she'd bought
earlier that day, wiping away the tears that seemed to accompany each thought
she had of Jack, and Jack seemed to inhabit her every thought. She'd been lucky
enough when the Carpathia docked in New York. Not only had she found the Heart
of the Ocean stuffed into one of the coat pockets, she had also found nearly
eight thousand dollars and many other valuable items, which had provided her a
warm place to stay until she figured out where to go. She couldn't stay in New
York. It was too dangerous, too close to Philadelphia, and she couldn't chance
being found by Cal or her mother. But those thoughts were better saved until
tomorrow, Rose decided, crawling into bed and falling into a tormented sleep.