The Sequel to The Last Full Day
Written by Chohong
Choi
Based on some
situations originated by James Cameron and Martin Scorsese.
Acknowledgements and Preface
Many a fan of Titanic has wondered how
the main character, Rose, lived her life between the time of her return to New
York on board the Carpathia and Brock Lovett’s discovery of her portrait 84
years later. Some have put their imaginations in writing.
After reading many of these accounts for
three years and trying my hand at writing “midquels,” which take place aboard
the ship, I decided to take a shot and add my interpretation of how Rose’s life
turned out after she landed in New York.
This is one of the longest works I have
completed, and certainly my longest work of fiction so far. I did not
accomplish it alone. Help was rendered by those old reliables (with light
emphasis on “old”), Mr. Dave Gittins of Australia (who read an earlier version
of my draft and offered helpful feedback) and Mrs. Jill Cozzi of New Jersey
(whose co-written Rose in New York
story inspired me to write my own, and who told me what a difficult,
but rewarding, undertaking it would be). Special recognition goes out to Dr.
Yvonne Lo of Hong Kong, who provided me with the writing apparatuses (a
low-tech pen and personal organizer—both handier than a PDA) that allowed me to
record my ideas for this story so that I would not lose them during my random
brainstorm sessions, along with inquiring about my progress and giving words of
encouragement to help me see this project through.
Aside from the books, articles, and
websites I consulted, the archives of the New York Historical Society, New York
Transit Museum, New York City’s Department of Records and Information Services,
and the Salvation Army (USA) contained invaluable information, some of which I
used to develop the various characters and situations in the story. Many thanks
to their staff, who very faithfully serviced my requests.
All pictures in the story were taken
from printed material, the internet, and the Titanic Special Collector’s
Edition DVD. They are used for the purpose of illustration only.
As meticulously as I have tried to ensure
accuracy, I admit to having taken liberty with certain people and places due to
my inability to locate more information about them or a need to make the story
flow better. I accept full responsibility for all errors of omission and
commission, and would love to hear from you if you think I erred in any aspect.
I would also love to hear from you if you liked any part of the story. Only
through (hopefully constructive) feedback would I be able to get a sense of
what I am doing right – and wrong.
Last, but not least, I thank Ms. Blair
for her patience in reading the long draft for this story, for agreeing to post
it on her site, and for designing its interesting title page. The story took
eight months to think up, research, and write, plus two more months to review
and revise. It did not take a village to accomplish this, but rather half the
world’s inhabited continents!
Chapter
Thirteen: Commemoration
The End.
