A FIRE IN THE WIND
Chapter Thirty-Four
"You did it, Rose! You did it!"
Jack exclaimed, huddling over Rose in an empty alley.
The newly made couple had traveled a far
distance away from the church. They didn't have any idea where they were, but
then again, they didn't care.
Rose didn't look up. She couldn't. Her arms
were tightly wrapped around Jack and would simply not let go. She was crying
tears of joy as she tenderly stared into Jack's beautiful face.
"I love you, Jack," Rose replied
softly.
The two were at a loss at what to do next and
where to go, so they stayed where they were, slightly comforted by the rain
that was drizzling overhead. They were quite a sight to any spectators. They
were shivering fiercely and their hair had straightened from the rain, yet they
look perfectly content with everything.
Jack wiped away the wet hair that had slipped
in front of Rose's face gingerly and kissed her on the forehead.
The two found themselves speechless. They had
everything to say but nothing, all at once.
Time passed. There was no telling how long.
It could have been hours. It could have been minutes. It made no difference to
Rose and Jack. They were together at last.
The couple didn't notice their own shivering
bodies. They were insignificant. So was the rest of the world.
Finally, they left for Jack's flat. They were
soaking wet and freezing cold, but their hearts were alight with warmth.
It was around eight by the time the two
returned to Jack's flat. The couple found themselves on the floor, warm in each
other's arms. The rain slowly started to stop outside and the two were lit by
the glow of Jack's fireplace.
"To think," Rose started off.
"Tonight, I could have been Mrs. Caledon Hockley."
Jack harnessed his arms around Rose.
"But you're not, Rose. You're not."
"Thank you, Jack. Thank you for saving
me today."
"You saved yourself," Jack replied,
firm but tender. "You were the one who left Cal at the altar without
knowing that I was there."
Rose shook her head. "No, Jack. You were
there. Even when I didn't notice you in the church, I knew you were there. You
were the voice in my conscience that told me that what I was doing was wrong.
You were the one who gave me the courage to deny Cal."
"Don't you see? That wasn't me, Rose.
You had the courage and spirit to do that all along. You just didn't know it.
You found your fire right before they blew it out. It was all you."
Rose came in closer to Jack and was
interrupted by a tug at her neck.
"What?" she asked herself softly.
Rose sat up and pulled something off of her
neck. Both Jack and Rose were flabbergasted by its presence and sat for a few
minutes looking at it in complete awe.
"I completely forgot I was wearing the
wretched thing!" Rose replied to the Heart of the Ocean that lay in her
hand. "It doesn't mean a damn thing to me. Neither does this!" Rose
continued, taking off her engagement ring.
"I--I don't know what to say!"
replied Jack, speechless. "The money could last us for the rest of our
lives, but--"
"I don't want to live off Cal's
money!" Rose exclaimed. "I don't want our children growing up knowing
that they're being financially supported by some arrogant millionaire!"
"Exactly," Jack said with a nod.
"Cal has already caused you so much pain."
"I'd like to keep it, Jack."
Jack looked at Rose with a shocked stare.
"What?" he asked, perplexed.
"It may have been given to me out of a
cold gesture, but the beginning of that night--the beginning was so magical. I
want to keep that magic in our hearts forever. This just might help." Rose
pressed the Heart to her own and rested her head on Jack's chest.
Jack sat up and tended to the fire. It was
running out of fuel, so he added a few logs to it. A moment later it was once
again ablaze. "If you say it will help, I'm sure it will Rose. I'm sure it
will."
Rose sat up gently and retrieved a book from
her suitcase at the other end of the room.
"What's that?" Jack asked
curiously.
Rose took a seat next to Jack and opened it
up. "My father gave it to me when I was a little girl. The pages are
ripped and yellow and some of the words are beginning to fade. He used to read
it to me every night. I'd always know if he'd skipped a few lines. I'd always
listen with great diligence. I don't know why I liked it so much. I think that
there was even a time when I had most of the book memorized. After he died, I
forgot the sound of his voice. I tried as hard as I could to remember it, but I
couldn't. But whenever I'd skim through the pages, somehow it would come back
to me. It's rather stupid, really, but it's one of the only things I have left
that remind me of him. I guess it just comforts me when I have it."
Jack read the title of the book, The
Little Mermaid, and nodded, feeling empathy for Rose.
"I felt the same way when my dad died.
It was a house fire, and I was in town with a few of my friends at the time. I
didn't have anything to remember my mother and my father by except for his
pocket watch. My father gave it to me to borrow so I would be home in time for dinner.
I felt so responsible with it. I was fifteen, but my father cherished it.
Whenever I feel homesick or I miss my parents I just take out the pocket watch,
and I see them looking down on me."
"You were so brave, Jack," Rose
started off firmly. "To travel so many places alone. You went on every day
without wanting to give up. You knew the way you wanted to lead your life, and
you're doing it."
"So are you, Rose!" Jack shouted
with a grin. "It was a lot harder for you to escape because you grew up
with your mother always telling you what you were going to be. She set it in
your head to the point that you believed her and you forgot you had a choice.
You felt that you were born in a noble family and you could be no more than
they said you were. Don't you realize how hard it is for someone in your
situation to leave? But you did, Rose, you did."
Rose cried tears of joy and held onto Jack
for dear life. She would never let go of him, ever again.
And the two lay there for hours. Not a word
was spoken, only the two held each other tightly and watched the wild sparks of
the fire light up the room.