ESCAPE
Chapter Two
Soon after arriving in New York on the
Carpathia, Rose had found herself in back alleyways in what didn’t seem to be a
good neighborhood to try to avoid the reporters. As her eyes grew accustomed to
the completely unlit street, she noticed all the menacing men looking her over
at each corner. She tried to avoid making eye contact and walking as if she had
a purpose, but alas! She didn’t make it to a safe location soon enough. One
filthy man, stench clinging to his clothes and body, refused to let her be. She
ignored him, which angered him even more, and he started to get violent with
her. Just as Rose was about to get a heavy blow to the jaw, her attacker was
pummeled with kicks and soon lay moaning on he ground. Dimly, Rose looked to
see who the savior was.
"Cal? What do you think you’re doing?
Did you follow me?"
"Yes. And it’s a good thing I did. Your
mother has been worried sick about you. Now, let’s go to my hotel and..."
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"No. I’m not going anywhere with
you."
"Rose, I have put up a lot from you, but
this is just ridiculous."
"Excuse me?"
"I give you the vacation of a lifetime,
but where does it get me? You sell your soul to some steerage gutter rat two
months before our wedding!"
Cal had opened hardly-healed wounds, and Rose
was unable to retort. Cal went on, "I will not let this happen to you. I
care for you too much. I assure you that you will stay on the streets the rest
of your life if you don’t come with me now. There is no one to protect
you."
Slowly, she let the words sink in. "But
if I go with you, who will protect me? I know you too well. You’ll force me to
marry you and get completely trapped in a social prison."
"No. Do you think I can go through a
life-changing experience and not myself change? I’m a different person. I would
never want to hurt you."
Rose wasn’t completely convinced. The thought
of fleeing made her realize just how tired and sore she really was.
"Okay." The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it.
*****
"I would like to book one more
room," Cal told the man at the front desk of the hotel.
"I’m sorry, Mr. Hockley. You booked our
last available room earlier this evening."
"Do any of the other hotels in town have
vacancies?"
"I’m afraid not, sir. The Titanic
catastrophe has stranded many people in this area, at least for tonight."
Anxiously, Cal looked over at Rose.
"What?" she asked. Then she realized the look in his eye. "No,
Cal. That’s where I draw the line!" The manager realized that his presence
was no longer needed and sidled away. Once he was out of hearing, Rose said,
"I’d rather rot in the gutters than share a room with you."
Instantly, she wished she hadn’t said it.
Hurt, cold and simple, washed over Cal’s features. "Look, I didn’t mean it
like that. It’s just..." She trailed away. But what could she say, really?
"I-I’ll be going now."
Rose turned around and began to walk outside.
Her stomach lurched as she saw that it had started to rain. But she continued
on. There. She was at the door. She pulled it open and stepped out. She was
taken aback by the sudden drop in temperature. She hadn’t felt this cold
since--since...her body couldn’t take it anymore. She knelt over and vomited on
the pavement. It was actually nothing but stomach acid, since she couldn’t even
remember the last time she ate. The rain beat harder, and as each drop touched
her skin, it felt like a giant boulder being thrown against her. She sat on her
knees, trying to make the pain go away.
Suddenly, strong, warm arms were circling
around her shoulders and legs and lifting her up. She was carried back inside
the hotel. As the warmth seeped into her, she buried her head into Cal’s chest
and cried until they reached his room.
Dutifully, he propped her on a chair and got
a towel from the bathroom. He wrapped it around her, and she almost cried out
in pure delight. It was unimaginably soft and warm and... "Thank you,
Cal," she murmured before falling asleep.
*****
She awoke to pounding. Horrible, painful
pounding. It was only when she sat up that she realized that it was her head.
Her bloodshot eyes opened wide, and she found that she was in a bed. She looked
up and read the clock hanging directly opposite. Five thirty. The sun was just
rising. Looking down, she found a mass of blankets and pillows on the floor.
Her eyes gradually adjusted, and she realized that within the pile lay a
sleeping Cal. She lay back and, still purely exhausted, fell back asleep.
*****
For the second time that morning, Rose awoke.
This time, golden sunshine was filtering into the room. She was still in bed,
but when she looked down, she found the pile of blankets and pillows gone.
"Yes. I get up before noon."
Cal’s voice filtered in from across the room. She’d slept until noon?
She bolted into a standing position, and
instantly felt sick. As she wavered, Cal instantly ran to hold her up. Wrapping
an arm around her waist, he led her to the bathroom.
"Will you be all right?"
"Yes." She managed to smile weakly.
*****
She surveyed herself in the mirror. She was
finally able to brush all those annoying curls out that her mother made her get
before the trip, and her hair hung, elegant, long, and straight, down her
shoulders. She was wearing a crisp nightgown--the only available piece of
clothing--and her eyes seemed incredibly wide and haunted.
Tentatively, she went to Cal, sitting on a
chair on the balcony.
"What’s going to happen now?" she
asked.
"I don’t know. What do you want to
happen?"
"I want to be on my own."
"You’ll be raped and murdered within a
week."
"Then I want to stay with you until I
can get on my feet and make a little money."
"You expect me to give up my life and
reputation just to save you, and get nothing in return?"
"Look, Cal, you have carefully selected
your reputation in society’s eyes, and I don’t think they’d appreciate the way
you acted during the sinking. If you help me, I’ll let you keep your precious,
shimmering reputation."
"You know, I’d never think you’d resort
to blackmail."
"Then you really don’t know anything. What’s
your answer? Can I stay? Not for long. Two weeks at the most."
"You can stay."