A FATHER'S RESCUE
Chapter Twenty-Eight

One Month Later

Rose came in from her day of waitressing, feeling completely exhausted, as usual. As soon as she came in the door, she heard the distinct sound of David's snore coming from the bedroom. He must have gotten off early today for whatever reason, since he almost always got home after her.

Not wanting to wake him, Rose took a seat at the small kitchen table and yawned. Then, she looked around their apartment slowly. It was actually tiny rather than small, she supposed, but was simply glad to have somewhere to live. It had been easier to find a place than Rose had hoped for. Once they'd arrived, they had purchased wedding bands from a pawn shop with Rose's stash of money. That had made their statements that they were married entirely believable to all the people they met up with. The ring hadn't, however, done anything to help Rose's feelings of anxiety over living with someone she wasn't really married to. She knew this was her upbringing rearing its head, and tried to ignore it, but she couldn't entirely do it.

David woke and came out to the kitchen while she was musing, startling her when he spoke.

"Hello, Rose. How was your day?"

"Tiring, as usual, but it could be worse. How come you're home so early?"

"There was some sort of inspection, and there must have been a problem because they sent us all home. I don't know what exactly happened yet, but I'm sure I'll get the whole story tomorrow." He paused, seeing how truly tired Rose looked. "Why don't you go have a nap of your own? I can go to the market and try to find something for a hot meal, for a change."

Rose just shook her head. "I'm too tired to eat, David. I'm going to take a nap. If there is something you want to buy for yourself, go ahead."

David frowned as Rose disappeared into the bedroom, but decided he was probably worrying too much. He decided to go to the market and get something both of them would enjoy, hoping it might make Rose feel better.

The dinner of stew that David made seemed to go over very well, Rose even ate a good bit herself. But as it grew dark, she became thoughtful again, and announced that she was going for a walk--alone.

David looked as though he wanted to say something, but wisely kept it to himself. He didn't think Rose should be on the unfamiliar streets alone in the evening, but it was summer, the sun lingered a little later in the day, and there would be plenty of pedestrians out and about on such a warm evening. Unbeknownst to him, Rose was walking quite a distance from their modest Santa Monica bungalow to the ocean.

Rose had only been to the famous pier in her dreams; she'd been too frightened to visit it in person since arriving in Los Angeles, though it was the first place she'd wanted to go. Frightened of what, she couldn't say. Maybe she thought she'd find Jack, sketching portraits of vacationers for a dime apiece. Or perhaps she was afraid of not seeing him there. But for weeks now the desire to walk in his footsteps had become too great. She'd even insisted that she and David make their home in the seaside community, though it cost more than the other apartments they had to choose from. As she approached the amusement park, the salty smell and squeals of delight assaulted her. Rose had seldom visited a beach--certainly not since her voyage on the Titanic--and her heart began to pound in nervous anticipation. And then she saw the roller coaster.

There was a crowd this evening, children lined up for a turn on the merry-go-round, mothers feeding hot dogs and spun sugar to their youngsters, strolling couples being serenaded by musicians hoping to earn some change.

Rose wandered the boardwalk, watching street vendors ply their trade in fascination. Then someone called to her. "Sketch your portrait, miss?" She glanced to her right, startled, and saw a tall, lanky man with a mop of unruly blond hair smiling at her from his perch by the railing. Her mouth fell open, and for a moment she felt as though she might faint.

"Miss?" The artist's voice was filled with concern. "Are you all right?" Rose blinked. His hair wasn't blond at all, and his eyes were a muddy shade of brown. It was the angle of light from the setting sun, that was all.

"Yes, I'll have my picture drawn," she agreed cheerily, and sat in the chair beside him. "A dime, is it?"

"You got it," he grinned, and turned his sketch pad to a fresh sheet. Ten minutes went by, and he was done. Rose expressed delight at the finished product. "Ah, twas easy." The boy laughed. "I had a beautiful subject." Rose blushed and continued on her way.

Some time later, Rose returned to where she'd begun, and stood staring up at the roller coaster. What did Jack say? Oh, yes, she needed to buy a cheap beer first. She approached a food stall warily, certain some elder would lecture her on how inappropriate it was for a young lady to consume alcoholic beverages, when suddenly someone tapped on her shoulder. Her breath caught, she spun around...and stood face to face with David. "You followed me!"

"Yes, I did. I know I shouldn't have, but you seemed so...distracted today, when you got home. I was worried, so when I saw you leave, I..."

"I didn't ask you to come because I wanted to be alone, David." Rose turned away as she said this, and surprised even herself with how cold her voice sounded.

"All right, Rose. I'm sorry I followed you. I'll see you back at home." David turned and began walking away. Rose knew she should call him back and apologize, but that would have to come later. Right now she simply wanted to be alone. At least as alone as it was possible to be in a public place.

Once David had walked off, Rose wandered further down the pier, getting more lost in her own thoughts with each step.

She didn't stop until she'd reached the edge of the boardwalk, unaware of all the eyes upon her--male eyes, including those of the artist who'd sketched her portrait. Her plain attire didn't conceal the gracious curves of her body, and the flaming hair she wore loosely about her shoulders only complimented her lovely face. She would be greatly sought-after by moving picture directors in the near future.

There were couples eating at outdoor tables at a new seafood restaurant. Rose nearly tripped over a dog playing catch with a young boy of about seven; his parents, watching protectively nearby, called for him to be careful. Rose only smiled politely and continued on her way. At the railing, she glanced downward and saw a lone fisherman casting a rod out to sea. She suddenly felt terribly and inexplicably lonely. She was going to find David. She turned...and he was there.

"Did you think you could rid yourself of me that easily?" he said, grinning. "No, not one word from you. You've had your say, let me have mine. You've been hiding your past from me since the day we met. I saw your parents' house in Philadelphia, and I don't understand why you'd want to leave that life behind, but I do understand that it must have been truly awful, so I won't force the issue. I love you, and I know you love me, so I trust that one day you'll tell me the whole story. But in the meantime, please don't shut me out, Rose, not after we've come all this way together."

Rose smiled at him through unshed tears. "I was just thinking it might be fun to ride the roller coaster," she said. "Have you ever been on one?"

"Sure, I've ridden the Cyclone at Coney Island. I'll bet this one's not even half that scary. What d'ya say we find out?" He offered his arm, and Rose took it.

"All right," she responded, "but not before we get some beer. I'm rather thirsty all of a sudden."

The End.

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