Rose DeWitt Bukater,
Upon hearing the news of you declining Mr. Hockley's marriage proposal, I was shocked and humiliated. You will marry this man, or you shall never return to my house again and be stranded in Paris, which you so rightly deserve. Caledon is a good catch, which will ensure our survival. Stop being so selfish, Rose.
Your Mother,
Ruth
Rose read her mother's telegram over and over again. If she didn't marry this pathetic, evil man, she would no longer be welcome in her mother’s house. Honestly, though, Rose didn't care. Her mother had become the least of her worries during her time staying with Jack, so she wasn't about to start now. With very few belongings packed, she decided she would begin her new life. She had packed a few light dresses, nothing too fancy, three pairs of comfortable and practical shoes, her lipstick and perfume and several necklaces, which she would sell if need be. That was all she needed to begin her new life. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she faced herself. From two days before, when she had almost jumped from the bridge, she saw an entirely different young woman. She was now a confident and happy person and she knew she would live a better life away from these confines. Applying a small amount of lipstick, she pinned her hair up and grabbed the small cases she had packed. It was heavy to her and she had never carried her own luggage before, but she had to learn, and she was about to start. Opening the door, she took a look around the prison she had been confined in for so long and turned to leave.
She didn't expect to see who was standing before her.
“Going somewhere, my sweet?” Caledon Hockley smiled his smug grin. Rose backed into the room and Cal followed, closing the door behind him. He looked towards her suitcase and raised his eyebrows.
“I'm leaving, Cal,” Rose uttered, summoning all the courage she could. She was about to walk past him when he grabbed her arm, shoving her backwards.
“And where do you plan to go, Rose?” He smiled, as he knew she wouldn't be able to go anywhere. She had no one to run to, no money, and certainly wouldn't last very long in the city by herself.
“That is none of your business,” she said firmly, pushing past him one more time. She would not be belittled by this man. She kept her mind on the thought that she would return to Jack and Fabrizio safely.
“But you have nowhere to go. Would you live on the streets? Where you could be raped and beaten repeatedly? I don't think so, darling.”
“I'd rather live on the streets than marry you.” Rose attempted to push Cal out of her way. For the first time in her life, she showed no fear of Cal. She would no longer be treated the way she was by him. Her eyes widened as Cal grabbed her wrists forcefully and backed her against the wall.
“You will marry me, Rose. Remember, your mother has told you that if you don't, you will never return to her house again.” Letting go, he backed away slightly, turning his back to her.
“I'm not going back. I don't want her, and I definitely don't want you. I have my own life to live, and I don't want either of you in it.” Rose felt a hard slap across her face and she backed away, shocked at Cal's actions. She felt him grip her body tightly. She saw red and screamed at the top of her lungs, which made Cal immediately back away from her, covering his ears. Rose's face was red and marked from Cal's hand. It stung so much that she could crumple and cry right where she was, but she would never let him see her cry or show him in any way that he had any sort of power over her. “I never want to see you again.” She grabbed her suitcase and ran from the room, dragging the suitcase down the flights of stairs. She never looked back, feeling her face throb in pain.
*****
“You took a job? Jack, are you crazy? The man uses people to get what he wants.” Fabrizio shook his head at his friend’s stupidity. “You could die fighting those men.”
“You don't understand, Fabri. I can get good money doing this. More than you earn at the chicken factory in a year. I want to get us out of here, to have a better life, and Rose, too.” Jack continued to do his push-ups, counting them in his head. Fabrizio looked at him. This wasn't Jack.
“It’s not all about money, Jack. I like it here. We have never cared so much about money. Why start now?” He held out his hands and shook his head. Jack stood from his push-ups before removing his shirt and glancing downwards at his skinny body.
“Because we can’t live like this forever, Fabri. We once had a dream, remember? Yours was to go to America, to be a millionaire.” Jack smiled, remembering their time in Italy discussing their unrealistic dreams.
“Yes, and you wanted to become a well-known artist, Jack. Not to fight with strange men in a bar in Paris.”
Fabrizio's comments went in one ear and out the other as he continued to count his push-ups. He wanted to build his body up so he could fight properly. He wanted to show people he wasn't just some scrawny little kid, that he could fight, too. He wanted respect and money, everything Mr. Burns had promised him. “Look, Fabri, I just think it will be better for us if we get our heads down and work for a while. I still want to be an artist, but this is something I can do to get us all more money and a better life.”
Footsteps could be heard from outside in the hallway, followed by a loud sobbing noise. Immediately, Jack ran to the door. It was dark outside, and he had expected Rose back a while ago. He felt his blood run cold. He didn't want to find Rose in any sort of a bad way. Running down the first flight of stairs, he found Rose sobbing, laid out on the steps, her suitcase on its side, abandoned. “Rose!” he called to her. She lifted her face and then he saw the mark on her cheek beneath her right eye. “Come on, Rose. Let’s get you up.” He attempted to pull her up by her hands, but he failed, and she laid her head back down on the step.
“Come on, Rose,” he said more forcefully. It was enough to give her some sort of strength to stand up and use Jack to lean against. Her beautiful face was red and her eyes puffy, with lipstick smeared across her face. He lifted her into his arms and carried her up the flight of stairs.
“Fabri, get her suitcase,” he ordered as he laid her on the sofa. He was still shirtless and she grabbed his bare skin tightly. Once she was laid down, he stroked her curls before touching her face tenderly. She jumped at his touch, feeling pain from the way Cal had hit her earlier. “He's done this, hasn't he?” Jack pursed his lips, feeling anger rise inside of him. A small nod of Rose's head gave Jack the information he needed. He got to his feet quickly and reached for his shirt. “I should kill him.” He dragged his shirt over his arms. Rose attempted to sit up, feeling pain shoot through her head.
“No!” she cried. “Please, Jack! No!” Rose held out her hand to Jack. He took it, kissing it tenderly before kneeling beside the sofa once again. “I'm just glad to be away from it all.” She smiled, and he kissed her forehead.
Fabrizio dragged her suitcase in and closed the door. “Are you all right, Rose?” he asked, coming closer to her.
“I am now.” She smiled at Fabrizio and then Jack. She attempted to sit up, pulling the pins from her hair and allowing it to fall freely around her shoulders. “I just can’t ever go back there,” she sobbed. Jack squeezed her hand to show her how much he cared.
“You're never going back, Rose. You're here with us now. We're not going to let anything happen to you, ever.” Rose looked into his eyes and saw the seriousness. She knew then that she would be safe with Jack.
“Actually, I have some news.” Fabrizio grinned at Rose in an attempt to change the ambience of the mood. “I spoke to Joe, the boss at the chicken factory, and he told me you have a job there.”
Rose's mouth fell open and a smile came over her face. “Seriously? What do you do there?”
“We pluck chickens.” Fabrizio smiled. “It’s not the best job, and you come home covered in feathers, but it is money.”
“Thank you.” Rose stood and placed her arms around Fabrizio's neck, who was obviously surprised and felt slightly shy. Letting go, she looked at Jack, who looked the happiest she had ever seen him. Sitting down on the sofa, she felt her heart soar. She felt like she had finally made it by escaping from the confines of her world in high society. She actually felt like she was worthy of a good life and that she was capable of living life like Jack and Fabrizio. “What did Mr. Burns want today?” Rose asked, remembering Jack's meeting with the bar owner.
“He wants me to fight for him, Rose.” Jack turned to Rose, excitement obvious in his voice. Fabrizio walked into the kitchen, still believing Jack was crazy to be getting involved with Mr. Burns in any way. “He's going to pay me to fight on his team.”
Rose frowned and turned to look at Fabrizio, but he had gone. “Fight? That's horrible.”
“No, it’s not. He saw me hit Eric last night and thinks I could be a good fighter. I'd earn a lot of money, Rose.”
Rose stood, shocked at Jack's sudden change in personality. “But Jack, you can’t fight those men. They'll kill you. I don't want you to fight, Jack.”
“I'll be all right,” Jack soothed. He went to Rose, who fell against his chest. She felt exhausted and as though her feet could no longer hold her upright. “It won’t be a permanent thing, and as soon as we have enough money, we can get out of here and travel. Rose, I want you to see the world.”
Fabrizio came back into the parlor and saw Rose in Jack's arms. He felt slightly awkward. He knew the two of them were in love. It was plain to see. He had never seen Jack so smitten with anybody, and never act the way he did with Rose. “I think I'm going to sleep,” Fabrizio muttered, finding his blanket and laying it over the small couch. “Rose, I'll wake you in the morning, ready for work.”
Rose nodded and took in Fabrizio's words. Work? It sounded to normal to her. Tomorrow, she was going to actually work for a living. To most people, it was a dreaded day, but Rose was looking forward to her new beginning, and to starting a new life with Jack and Fabrizio.