The director of the school, Mr. Cunningham, was busy looking through his things. It was common these days, when he had so much to do, that he didn't know what to do first. Even though he had worked the whole day, the paperwork on his desk seemed to grow every minute.
It was at the beginning of the new school year. Not that it was anything different from every other year. He had told the teachers and especially the children's parents in time, which was already last February, to bring the documents needed for the application of their children early enough. They had, of course, nodded their heads and promised. The deadline was at the end of May and surely most of them stretched it out to this.
And then was the part with the teachers, as well. Almost everybody seemed to have something against his timetable, telling him why he couldn't, or better, wouldn't, do his job at this time of the day.
The principal signed. He was a good man, always wanting everyone to be happy and not wanting any quarrel. He was a nice man, but for his job it would've been better for him if he had been a little bit stricter. But he just couldn't help it.
Looking up at the clock, it told him that he would need to interrupt his work once more. The new teacher was coming for a talk. They really needed another English teacher. Hopefully the person would fit into the team.
He heard a knock on the door.
"Yes?" he said aloud, not looking up from his work.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Cunningham. I know you must be busy with your work. I just wanted to ask you if Mrs. Dawson and I would be able to take our classes to the theater?"
The director turned his head to face her.
"Sure, if you can get enough money together, because you know the school has nothing and, of course, you've to ask permission from the children's parents."
She nodded.
"I understand. Well, I'll go home, then. Good…"
"Wait." He stopped her.
"Yes? What is it?" she asked, turning around again.
An idea had suddenly come to him that would spare him another pile of paperwork.
"As you can see, Mrs. Di Rossi, I still have my desk here full of documents waiting to be read and…well…then there's still...I know, of course, that you want to go home to your children and I understand that, but…" he stammered.
Helga had to laugh. It was so funny how he always tried to make everyone happy, which wasn't possible, of course. Many people were, of course, taking advantage of this. But Helga wasn't one of these persons.
"Mr. Cunningham, of course I will help you. Just tell me what I can do for you."
He signed in relief.
"Thank you. Well, you know we're getting a new English teacher and…" He paused again, searching through his things. "...Oh, here it is." He handed Helga a paper.
"Her name is Mrs. Calvert. I forgot her first name, but you can ask her, right?"
"Sure. That's no problem. What should I tell her for you?"
"Just talk with her, tell her a little bit about the classes she'll be having and see if she fits into the team. You can go home afterwards. Tell her to come to me later on, or no…better tomorrow at ten o’clock. I'm sure you'll do it right," he told her.
Helga just thanked him for his trust in her and excused herself.
*****
Rose Calvert had just come to New York, as her husband had taken on a new job here. She didn't know anything further yet, but he would surely tell her in the evening. She had married Henry Calvert about two years after the Titanic sinking. They also had a little son, Andrew. Rose called him Andy. He was her one and only.
Rose loved her husband; he had helped her overcome the death of Jack. It had taken a long time for Rose to forget him. In fact, she still thought of him sometimes, but he was, of course, part of her past. Rose had not seen her mother, Molly, or Cal after the Titanic sinking.
Her son was ten years old now. Rose had wanted to have more children, but Andy's birth had been a very complicated one, almost costing the life of mother and baby. The doctors had warned her against a new pregnancy. Henry, too, didn't want to risk his beloved wife's life. He was just happy to have one child.
Rose had avoided everyone on the Carpathia, hiding in third class and telling the officer later on that her name was Rose Dawson. When she had met Henry, she had told him that she was a young widow whose husband had died of an illness. It's wasn't that great a lie, for she was sure that she and Jack would've married, if he had lived.
No time to think about that now.
She was on her way to meet the director of the local school. She would take up a job as an English teacher there. The school seemed to be very much in need of a new teacher. Rose hadn't wanted to start work so soon. Her husband was earning enough and she didn't want Andy to be alone too much.
But still she couldn't reject this offer. The principal had practically begged her to come and look at the school.
Rose had put on a light dress and a coat, as she wanted to make a good impression.
"Let's see how everything's working," she muttered to herself as she opened the door to the school.
*****
"Excuse me. I'm Rose Calvert. I've got an appointment with Mr. Cunningham," she told the first person she saw. It was an older woman, obviously a teacher as well.
"Oh, of course. Well, Mr. Cunningham has told me. He is busy, however, so you'll be seeing Mrs. Di Rossi instead," she told her.
At the mention of the name, Rose wondered. She thought that she had heard it before, but she couldn't make out where. She quickly rejected it. Of course she was just imagining things.
"Where do I find her?" Rose asked the woman.
"I'll bring you to her. Just follow me," she told her.
Helga was already waiting impatiently for the new teacher. She wanted to go home. Fabrizio, Jack, and Jack's wife, Gisela, would meet at her husband's Italian restaurant. It was the best and easiest way to spend time together and with their children.
She suddenly heard the door open.
"Thank you for bringing me here," she heard a voice say.
"No problem, Mrs. Calvert," the woman told her, walking away again.
Rose entered the room.
When Helga saw her entering the room, her eyes grew wide. It couldn't be. Jack had told her and Fabrizio that she was dead.
Rose, too, wondered where she had seen the woman standing in front of her before.
"I'm Mrs. Calvert. I've been told that…" Rose started, but she felt Helga's gaze on her. "Is something wrong?" Rose asked.
I just wonder what will happen when Jack finds out that…no. He can't find out. It would make everything just too complicated.
"What? Oh, no," Helga stated, snapping out of her daydream. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking of something."
"That's all right. Hopefully nothing bad?"
That depends on how you define bad, she thought, but to Rose, she said, "No, of course not. It was nothing important. Please sit down, Mrs. Calvert," Helga said to her, offering her a seat.
As Rose sat in front of her, Helga asked her some questions about her family and what she had done so far, but she quickly knew that Rose would be perfect.
"And what do you think?" Rose wanted to know after a while.
"I believe that you would perfectly fit into the team," Helga told her.
"Really? Oh, that's great!" Rose's eyes lit up.
"You should go tomorrow to Mr. Cunningham and speak with him about everything else," Helga said to her.
"I will. Oh, I'm so happy. I can't wait to start my work here."
Helga forced a smile.
The door opened once more.
"Bist du fertig, Helga? Können wir gehen?" (Are you ready, Helga? Can we go?) she heard Gisela ask her.
"Ja, sofort…" (Yes, immediately) was Helga's answer.
Gisela stepped inside.
She stopped, however, suddenly seeing Rose inside the room.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't want to interrupt you," she apologized to Rose.
"No problem," Rose told her, wondering what they had been talking about.
Gisela looked from Rose to Helga and back.
"I'm really impolite," she got out. "I didn't even tell you my name."
Helga nervously watched her.
Maybe it wouldn't be that good an idea to tell Rose, but Gisela couldn't know this.
"I'm Mrs. Dawson," she told her, holding out her hand for Rose to shake.
Rose was stunned for a moment.
But, of course, Dawson was a very common name.
"Pleased to meet you," Rose answered, shaking her hand. "I'm Mrs. Calvert."
Gisela smiled at her.
Helga wondered if she would still smile when she found out the truth. She couldn't know for sure, of course, but what if Jack really still had feelings for her?
"Mrs. Calvert will be working here as an English teacher," Helga explained to her.
"Really? That's great. Well, I think that it's a little bit strange to be formal with each other, then. You can call me Gisela, if you want," she told Rose.
Rose found the woman very nice. If only she knew to whom she was talking at the moment.
"My name is Rose."
"And this is my friend, Helga," Gisela said to Rose, motioning at Helga.
The name, too, sounded familiar to Rose.
"Well, I'm sorry, Rose, but we've got to…" Helga began.
She thought it better to drag Gisela away from her before she told Rose anything to make her suspicious, but Gisela wouldn't go.
"Of course. I, too, want to go home," Rose said, about to leave.
"We're just going to eat something," Helga told her.
Rose just nodded.
"I've an idea," Gisela started. Helga was getting nervous. Hopefully she wouldn't ask that one, but of course she did. "Why don't you come, as well? We could get to know each other better. It'll be fun," she told Rose.
"I don't know. I don't want to disturb anyone," Rose got out.
Helga hoped that she would say no.
"No. You won't bother anyone. Right, Helga?"
Helga nodded, forcing a smile.
"It's always better to have more company," Gisela added.
"But my husband…"
"You can bring him, as well, of course; Helga's husband and mine will also be there. He won't have to sit alone with us women." She laughed.
Rose thought about it for a moment and decided to go.
It couldn't be bad to make new friends.
"Fine. I'll come."
"Great," Gisela told her, writing her down the address. "Just come around seven. See you later."
Helga, Gisela, and Rose went out of the room and Helga locked the door again.
Gisela was happy and content. Rose was still wondering. And Helga, who knew very well what would happen, was just nervous.