A LOVE NEVER FADING
Chapter Five
Unwillingly, Jack and Rose pulled away from
each other. They held hands and stared lovingly into each other's eyes.
"So...what now?" Jack said, with a
huge smile on his face.
"Why do we have to do anything?"
Rose replied, with an equally large smile. She lifted his hands and spun
around, so that their arms were intertwined and wrapped around her waist. Jack
placed his head on Rose's shoulder and rocked her back and fourth. They stared
out at the sea and sang their song. This time they sang it louder than before.
Up where most of the first class passengers
had gathered on the Carpathia, Ruth, the Countess of Rothes, Molly Brown, and
Cal all sat around in the lounge, unusually quiet.
"I don't understand it. I can't believe
it." Ruth was obviously shaken. But still, her manners never faltered. She
sat perfectly composed.
"Oh, Ruth dear. I know this must be
horrible for you. But you must think of the good times you had with Rose."
The Countess tried to comfort Ruth, but it was no use. She hadn't been groomed
for this sort of thing.
"And you looked everywhere,
darling." Molly was by far the most comforting. She had been raised in a
loving family, and had been through her share of tragedies.
"I assure you, Mrs. Brown, I left no
section of the ship unturned." Cal was becoming very irritated with all
this commotion. After all, it had been Rose's choice to stay with that boy.
"If you would excuse me, ladies. I will be out taking in the air on
deck." Cal was feeling guilty about his behavior last night, and needed to
get away before he lost his composure. Of course, everyone else thought his
awkward behavior was because of Rose's sudden death.
"Of course, Mr. Hockley. We know this
must be difficult for you. Especially so close to your wedding." Once
again, the Countess tried unsuccessfully to comfort her friends. Cal smiled
weakly at her, then quickly retreated to the boat deck.
Once outside, he walked to the rail and
grasped it tightly. Partly because of his anger, but mostly because of his
losing Rose. He had lost her in more ways than one, and that tore at him. He
put his head down and silently a single tear trickled down his cheek. It was
the first time Cal could remember doing anything close to crying.
His self-pity was disturbed by a familiar
tune. He could hear it faintly, in the distance, but there was no mistaking it.
"Where, dear? To the sky, dear. Oh, you flying machine, jump in, Miss
Josephine..." He had heard that song hundreds of times the previous year.
It was a favorite of Rose's. Cal had always despised it. And now that he was
hearing it in his time of grief, it enraged him.
He stared like a vulture at the third class
deck. It was nearly empty. But he knew the song was coming from down there.
There was someone sitting on a bench. And a few people huddled in a corner.
Other than that, there was no one. Then he spotted something in the corner of
his eye. Away from everyone else stood a couple. They seemed to be in their own
world. The gentleman had his arms wrapped around the woman's stomach. And both
were rocking back and forth as they...sang. That's where the song was coming
from.
Cal walked along the deck to get a closer
look. He was planning to blast them, until he saw exactly who it was singing.
Their backs were turned to him, but there was no mistaking the gangly,
sandy-haired man and fire-haired woman that stood before him.