A LOVE NEVER FADING
Chapter Thirty-Three
"What's wrong?" Jack sat down on
the couch next to Rose, who was staring off into oblivion. When she came in,
she said hi, and had since just been sitting there. He told her about his day,
but he could tell she wasn't listening.
Rose looked over at him. I really don't
want to tell him, she thought. But she figured he would get it out of her
eventually. "You know that girl from the art store?"
"Yeah?"
"Brian and I went there today so he
could buy some crayons for he and Maggie's nieces and nephews. And she was
implying that he and I were having an affair."
Jack laughed. "That was a silly thing to
think. Well, I know the truth, so don't worry about it."
"It's not just that, it's the things she
said. She kept saying women like you. She doesn't know me. She doesn't know how
or who I am."
Jack looked down at the couch. "I'm
going to go down there and set her straight."
Rose shook her head. "No, Jack, no. It's
as much my fault as it is hers. I shouldn't have brought you up. It's really
not that big of a deal. I'll get over it. I will."
He took her hands in his own. "Rose,
nobody talks to my wife in any way that's the least bit threatening and gets
away with it. Nobody. I'm going down there, and I'm going to put her in her
place."
"If you go, I'm going with you."
He nodded his head. "All right."
*****
When Chelsea saw Jack and Rose walk through
the door she knew she was in trouble but she didn't care. She was going to tell
Jack all about Rose.
"Excuse me, miss, but I think we all
need to discuss something."
"I think we do, too," Chelsea
answered with a smug smile.
As Jack was opening his mouth, Chelsea put
her hand up to stop him.
"Before you start, you need to know some
things. This woman that has you so delusional you call her your wife was in her
this afternoon with another man. They tried to cover it up, but I saw right
through it. He called her love."
Jack found that extremely funny. Brian called
every woman love. It was just the way he talked. He was always very caring and
affectionate with his words.
"I feel terribly sorry for you, Jack.
You married this whore and you are too good of a man to do anything about
it."
Something inside of him snapped when he heard
Chelsea call Rose a whore. "Don't you ever call my wife a whore! You have
no idea what I am like! You have no idea what she is like! All you know about
us is our names and what we look like!"
"Appearances give away everything. She
is always walking so proud and graceful. Who does she think she is?"
"She's a woman. She's a strong,
independent woman. And for that, she's proud, and she should be."
Chelsea huffed. "Well, someone like you
who seems very interested in art and sketches for a living should be with
someone who loves the same things."
"I'll have you know that Rose was going
to study art in university and teach it. She loves art just as much I do."
"I bet she told you that, but I'm sure
it's a lie. Just look at her. She's obviously first class snobbery. She may be
dressed poorly, but you can see right through the disguise. She came after you
to get a taste of the poor life and when she's done with you she'll throw you
back in the gutter with less than you started with. She's an air-headed twit
who doesn't care about anyone but herself. She has no feelings for you or for
anybody. You deserve more than that. She'd leave you in a minute. When things
get hard she'll be gone. She's nothing but a high priced ice queen."
Jack's mind was racing. "You listen to
me. If you ever, and I mean ever, speak to or about my wife again, may God have
mercy on your soul. You cannot even fathom how wonderful Rose is. She's more of
a woman than you could ever hope to be. I swear to God, you'll regret the day
you saw us if a negative thought of her crosses your mind. Say what you will
about me, but never her. I realize you may have had some sort of feelings for
me or whatever, but I told you I was married. But you know what? Even if I
wasn't married, I would never have gotten involved with you. I like women who
care about things besides themselves. I pity you, because you live your life
with so much hate. Now apologize to my wife."
"I'm sorry." Chelsea looked right
at Rose, and surprisingly, sounded genuinely apologetic. Rose just nodded her
head gently.
"We are leaving now, and you will never
see either one of us in here again." Jack put his arm over around Rose's
shoulder, and they left.
*****
Rose was still silent. Jack thought she would
be all right after he talked to Chelsea. But she hadn't said a thing since they
left the store. She walked into the bedroom, changed, and climbed under the
covers. Now she was reading silently. Jack came in to change. He was standing
at the dresser watching her.
"Rose? Rose? Rose!"
She looked up when he called her name for the
third time.
"Why won't you talk to me?" He sat
down on the bed.
Rose looked at him for a moment. When she
opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out. She covered her face with her
hands and started to gently weep.
Jack crawled over and wrapped his arms around
her. "What is it? What's wrong?" he asked quietly.
"Maybe she's right."
"Right about what?"
"About me."
Jack lifted her face to his and placed his
right hand on her cheek. "Don't think like that. She said those awful
things and they couldn't be further from the truth. You are the most caring,
compassionate person I know. You saved my life." He thought back to her
standing in the freezing water, swinging an ax, and getting his hands free.
"Rose, you know how much I love you. I would do anything for you." He
put his fingers around her locket and studied it. Since the day he gave it to
her she had always worn it. He looked at the back and as clearly as ever the
words read Never Let Go.
Rose looked down at Jack's hands. He was
rubbing his thumb over the back of the locket.
"Do you remember what I said to you that
night?" Jack asked, referring to when he had told her she would go on with
her life.
"Every word." Rose could remember
every detail about Titanic from the moment she stepped on to the moment she
reached New York. The things Jack said to her were permanently imprinted in her
heart.
"Winning that ticket was the best thing
that ever happened to me." He looked up and gazed into her eyes. "I
would have died for you that night. I thought I was going to. I would never do
that for the kind of woman she said you were. I would only do it for the kind
of woman you are."
Rose smiled. "I love you." She laid
her head on his chest and hugged him tightly.
Jack lifted her head back up. She smiled at
him and started to kiss him. She traced her mouth down his neck. "You know
something, she didn't get to see the best part of you."
"What part is that?"
"Your heart. You always know how to make
me feel better. You're so caring." She continued kissing. "Of course,
there are other parts." Rose started to unbutton his shirt.
Jack laughed. "Rose, for first class
snobbery, you certainly have your scandalous ways."
"I learned from the best." She
laughed, and pulled off her nightgown.