September 3, 1913
Santa Monica, CA
Outside the post office, Jack sorted through the several pieces of mail he had received. There were the usual bills, and he came across one addressed to both himself and Rose, with a stamp from Paris. He smiled. Fabrizio had finally replied to him. Jack had written to his friend months ago and it was only now he had received a reply.
Continuing his walk home, he breathed in the sea air. The beach was full of young children playing in the late afternoon sun, which would be setting soon. He would open the letter when he reached home so that he and Rose could read it together.
Since arriving in Santa Monica over a year before, he had opened a very small but successful gallery on the seafront, showcasing mostly his own work, but also some other unknown artists. On summer days, he would sit outside his shop and draw portraits, just like he had when he was there in 1910.
The move had been good for both himself and Rose. They enjoyed their life here and finally felt complete. Rose had found work at a small theater, something for which she was paid very little, but she enjoyed it.
Since Cal had been shot, Rose’s mother had written often. She now worked as a designer for a large company, using what she knew about fashion and bringing it to life with her own creations. Perhaps Rose had inherited her creativity from her mother.
Humming a tune to himself, Jack opened the front door to the small house that he and Rose rented. It was tiny, with just two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a parlor and a bathroom outside. The garden was small and manageable because neither of them had time to mow the lawn. It was neat and tidy and Rose had planted several varieties of flowers beneath the window the summer before in an attempt spruce it up.
“Rosie! I’m home, darling!” Jack called, throwing most of the mail on the dining table in the kitchen but keeping Fabrizio’s letter in his hand. Rose came running from their bedroom wearing a floral dress. Her hair was pinned up neatly, but she seemed breathless.
“Oh, good. I’m sorry. I was just changing for dinner.” Rose touched her hair to make sure it felt neat and no strands were hanging out.
“You don’t need to make an effort for me. You look lovely whatever you wear.” Jack pulled her towards him and kissed her gently.
Rose touched Jack’s face, looking up at his hair, which he had had cut very short a few days before, something she wasn’t used to seeing. Usually, it was overly long and hung in his face, making him appear much younger. But now he appeared more manly and mature. He would be twenty-one in just a few weeks.
“I have mail from Fabrizio. It’s addressed to us both.” Jack took a seat at the small dining table.
“It’s about time. We wrote to him many months ago.” Rose smiled, sitting at the table, too. She spied the other envelopes and thumbed through them quickly to see if there was word from her mother, but she found nothing.
Jack ripped open the envelope and began reading out loud.
Dear Jack and Rose,
I am so happy to hear you finally settled in Santa Monica, just as you always dreamed of doing. All is well here. In fact, I do have some news of my own. On March twenty-second of this year, Maria and I were married in Italy in front of my family. Mama was surprised you weren’t there, but I wish you could have been, Jack. We had to leave Paris for awhile, although we are back now. We also have some other news. Maria is six months pregnant and we have been told to expect twins, as Maria’s stomach is so big. We have decided to come to America to live, to make a better life for our children. We would love to see you all again. It has been almost two years since we last met. Please write back in good time so we can board a ship and come to where you are.
All our love,
Fabrizio and Maria Di Rossi
Jack dropped the letter on the table and looked up at Rose, who was also silent, but with a smile on her face. “Fabrizio and Maria? Married?” He burst out laughing.
“Oh, my.” Rose shook her head. “And pregnant, too.”
“That’s a huge surprise. I never saw that coming.” Jack scanned the letter once again to make sure he wasn’t mistaken.
“Well, they seem to be in love, with twins on the way.” Rose was happy for them. After the hard times Maria had endured, settling down with a nice, caring young man like Fabrizio was good for her.
“I didn’t think Fabri had it in him to father twins.” Jack laughed. “Should we write back? Tell them to come stay with us for a while?”
Rose looked around the place. It was small. She and Jack just fit there, but with Fabrizio and Maria, and if the twins were born there, too, it would be too small. But they couldn’t let their friends down. Jack and Rose had had Doris and Larry to help them when they had moved to England, and they were grateful to them, so they had to do the same for Fabrizio and Maria.
“Yes. Tell them to come. We will have to make room, but it will be great seeing them again.”
Jack found some paper and a pen. Quickly, he began to write his letter back to them.
Dear Fabrizio and Maria,
First, I would like to congratulate you both on your wedding and the pregnancy. We do hope things are progressing well for Maria. Rose and I would love for you to come and stay with us for a while until you are settled over here. We live in Santa Monica. It is beautiful, the perfect place to raise your children. The news surprised both Rose and I, but we couldn’t be happier for you. Please write back with details on when you will arrive here. I will meet you at the station.
Jack and Rose
Jack put the pen down. Things really were looking up. He had opened the gallery and Rose had found a job she loved, and now his friends were coming to live with them for a while.
“Twins is going to be a lot of work for them.” Rose broke the shocked silence.
“True, but they are going to treasure their children so much. Fabrizio would work all the hours God sends to support his wife and children. I know that much. He is like me.”
Rose felt Jack touch her hand. Her stomach turned a little. He still made her feel weak in the knees from a single touch. “I know he would. Maria and I are lucky. We found two amazing husbands.”
Jack stood and came behind Rose. He kissed her hair gently. “And I have got a beautiful wife,” he whispered to her. She smiled. “Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll have a couple of kids ourselves.”
“I’d like that.” Rose attempted to picture their children. At the moment, though, she was just nineteen and didn’t have plans to become a mother yet. “It’s your birthday in a few weeks,” Rose pointed out.
Jack walked towards the stove and opened the oven door. He didn’t know what to make for dinner.
“I know. At twenty-one, I will be getting old.” He winked at Rose and she smiled.
“So, what do you want to do to celebrate?”
“Well, hopefully by that time Fabri and Maria will be here, so we can all celebrate together. Maybe go dancing, go on the roller coaster, and drink beer all day.”
Rose laughed. It sounded like a very good plan, but Maria was pregnant. She couldn’t exactly do any of those things. It was hard to picture Maria a married lady with children on the way when two years ago she was one of the best known prostitutes in Paris and was earning a fortune daily.
Rose wiped the thoughts from her mind, knowing that she had to concentrate on their future now.