A FATHER'S RESCUE
Chapter Five
There before her was the front page of the
New York Herald, with a photograph of the Titanic and a bold headline that
screamed, BODIES FOUND. Rose froze for a moment, then wanted to flee the car.
Of course, she knew she couldn't do that. Instead, she picked up the paper and
slipped it into one of her boxes. She was too shocked to look at it now, but
she thought maybe later, or in a few days, she would want to. Best of all,
David had not seen her reaction. She never planned to tell him--or
anyone--about what had happened to her.
David wondered why Rose was so silent as he
climbed into the buggy's driver seat and snapped the reins, but then decided it
was none of his business. He'd come to expect a certain level of moody behavior
from this woman, and surely she was still upset over her encounter with the
rude sales clerk. Maybe one of them should write a letter of complaint to the
store.
He was suddenly hit with inspiration. He knew
just the place to bring Rose to cheer her up. "Say, Rose," he said, a
little timidly, "how would you like to see Central Park?"
Rose tried to sound enthusiastic as she
answered. "Oh, yes, David. That sounds nice."
David smiled to himself and headed off. The
park was nearby. It took them just a few minutes to get there. Once they were
out of the buggy and walking around, David ventured to ask Rose what was on her
mind. For a moment Rose behaved as if she had not heard. Then, at last, she
turned to him and answered, "I appreciate your concern, but it isn't
something I can talk about. At least not now. I'd just like to enjoy our visit
and then go back to the apartment. All right?"
Rebuffed again. David forced a smile.
"Of course. It is a beautiful afternoon, isn't it?"
"Yes," Rose answered softly,
"it is." Her mind was far away, on a grand ship in the midst of the
Atlantic Ocean, where she danced in the arms of a handsome, golden-haired
youth.
She sure wasn't much one for small talk.
David gave up trying until they came to the lake. There was a chill in the air
and not many people were out, but there was one couple sitting on a bench,
enjoying a private moment as if they were the only two people in the world.
David glanced sideways, and was amazed to see tears trickling down Rose's
cheeks. He looked away, embarrassed. "What do you say we go back
now?" he muttered. "You may need to put
on some of those warm clothes you
bought."
"All right. That's fine." They
immediately headed back to the buggy. Rose climbed in quickly and they were
off. Once they arrived home, Rose still did not speak except to ask David if he
would mind bringing up her packages. He did as she asked and was not surprised
when she closed and locked the door behind him. David could only shake his
head, wondering what on earth had come over Rose. Inside the darkened bedroom,
Rose was pulling the paper from the box she had hidden it in.
BODIES FOUND, the headline read, and Rose
continued with morbid fascination. "Some thirty more bodies have been
recovered from the North Atlantic near the site where the Titanic sank a week
ago. Among them were the badly bruised remains of John Jacob Astor, the
wealthiest passenger aboard the ship." Rose couldn't take any more. The
Astors had been acquaintances of hers. In a burst of rage and grief, she threw
the newspaper on the hardwood floor and buried her face in her hands, her body
wracked with sobs.
It took Rose some time to get herself under
control, and by then someone was knocking at her door. Though the person was
saying nothing, Rose had no doubt that it was David. She hid the paper away
again and did not answer the door until her tears had ceased. David had such a
look of concern on his face when she at last opened the door that Rose felt
guilty for worrying him so.
"David!" Her voice was hoarse; she
made a feeble attempt to clear her throat. "Did I leave something in the
buggy?"
"No, I was just wondering if...if you
found all of your purchases to your liking?" He'd almost broken his
promise to himself to stay out of the lady's business.
"Well, I never would have bought them if
I didn't," Rose snapped, then caught herself. What was she doing? The man
had been kind enough to chauffeur her about town, waited patiently while she
bought herself a new wardrobe, and even tried to lift her spirits by escorting
her around the wondrous Central Park, and she was short with him. She had to
remedy this situation, fast. "I'm terribly sorry," she apologized.
"I'm just upset about the little tiff I had with that store clerk today. I
do wish you hadn't witnessed that."
"Rose, it didn't embarrass me. I was
impressed."
"You were?"
"Yes. That man was very rude. I was glad
to see how you stood up to him."
"Thank you, David. I'm sorry I've been
behaving so unpredictably. Things have just been hard on me lately." Rose
realized too late that she had opened the door to questions too far. As she
expected, David took his opportunity.
"What things?" he asked softly. His
eyes were so kind, and he'd been such a comfort to her today. How could she not
tell him?