A LOVE NEVER FADING
Chapter Forty-Eight
April 1919
Rose sat in her dressing room. She pinned up
her hair. The crowd had loved the performance and welcomed her back with open
arms. She smiled in the mirror. April was a tough month for her, but she was
getting through.
There was a knock at the door. "Come in."
Ben poked his head around the door and smiled
brightly. "You were great!" He walked in. "The crowd loved
you."
Rose smiled. "They loved you, too."
"Doesn't that go without saying?"
He laughed.
"I guess it does," she said through
laughter.
Ben smiled. "Did you hear the
news?"
Rose smiled. "Yes! Congratulations on
your engagement. I hope you and Jean are very happy together."
"Thank you." He blushed. "I
love her so much."
Rose was about to say something, but Jean
walked in. She smiled.
"What's going on in here?" Jean
asked in a cheerful voice.
Ben smiled at her. "Well, I just
professed my love to Rose and it turns out she's madly in love with me. So we
have decided to run off to Paris and get married."
Jean nodded. "Sounds good to me."
She looked over at Rose. "Thank you for getting him off my hands. He's so
obnoxious."
"Hey!" Ben said. "I'm
offended."
Rose and Jean started to laugh. "I'm
kidding, I'm kidding." Jean gave Ben a hug and kissed him sweetly.
"Now, get out of here. I want to talk to Rose alone." She smiled
sweetly.
"All right. I'm going." Ben kissed
Jean again. He smiled at Rose and left.
Jean sat down next to Rose. "How are you
doing?"
"Good."
Jean looked at her. "I've been meaning
to talk to you. But we've been so busy with rehearsing. I just wanted to make
sure things were all right."
Rose smiled. "I'm fine. Honestly. I
wasn't doing too good for a while there, but I'm fine now. Thank you for
asking."
Jean nodded. She studied Rose in the mirror.
She had become one of her closest friends. She found that funny, because before
she met her, she has been prepared to hate her. "You know something,
Rose?"
"What?"
"The first time I met Jack, I flirted
with him." She blushed. "I must have looked like the biggest fool.
Anita and Ella flirted with him, too. But you know what? He stood up and said
he had a wife. But she wasn't just his wife, she was his soul mate and best
friend."
Rose smiled. "That sounds like something
Jack would say."
Jean laughed. "I was ready to hate you,
but I met you and immediately I liked you. I couldn't help it. Everyone here
loves you. But no one more than Jack. I just wanted you to know. It's very
obvious how in love you two are. Everyone sees it. I know he'll come back. He
would never let anything keep him from you."
Rose wiped tears from her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset
you."
"No," Rose said gently. "That
was beautiful. And I know you're right." She hugged Jean tightly.
"Ben is a lucky man."
Jean smiled. She stayed with Rose for nearly
an hour. They talked about some things, but then Ben came and said he wanted to
steal Jean. So she gave Rose a hug and left.
Rose looked herself over in the mirror.
"That's as good as it's going to get." She smiled and walked out into
the street. It was cool night. Spring was just around the corner. She took a
deep breath and exhaled. "It's a beautiful night." As she walked by a
fruit stand, she bought some apples.
As she entered her apartment, she laughed.
She was so proud of how far she had come. Every day, she was getting better and
better. Rose knew a part of her would stay locked up and closed off until Jack
came home. But she would make do until then.
Rose climbed into bed. She still slept on
Jack's side. When she fell asleep, she dreamed. She saw visions of she and Jack
dancing below the decks of Titanic. The carriage ride they shared. The night he
gave her the ring. Their honeymoon. And some of the best times they had on
their trip. It was because of that dream Rose was now, more than ever, sure
that Jack was alive and that he was coming home.