FORMALITY
Chapter Four
April 12, 1912
I woke up feeling rested and
refreshed. I opened the curtain and let the sunlight fill the room. Sitting
down at my little vanity, I looked at the drawing propped up against the
mirror. It was signed JD. What was that fellow’s name? James…no...Jack Dawson.
He was nice, and he had an extraordinary talent. I wondered why he hadn’t made
a fortune already on his artwork.
My attention was focused on Becky
as she helped me dress.
"Did you enjoy your bath
last night?" she asked me.
"Yes, I did. Thank
you," I said, taking one last look in the mirror. My hair hung loosely at
my shoulders, except for the sides, which were pulled back with a small comb.
"Tell Mother I’m out exploring, out meeting new people," I said
cheerfully, turning to the door.
"Yes, miss."
I walked down the hallway and
turned right at the ladies lavatories to another corridor. I took another
right, and cabin B63 was in front of me. I gently knocked on the door. Rob
opened it, his face lighting up at the sight of me. He looked tired, like he
didn’t get enough sleep last night.
"Come in. I just have to
finish up this telegram to my friend Dave back in Pittsburgh," he said,
motioning for me to come in and have a seat.
"I got your message," I
said, smiling and sitting down on the small couch. He looked down at me from
the table, his eyes twinkling.
"So am I right? You’re a
daddy’s girl," he said, smiling.
"Yeah. He always treated me
like a real person. He taught me to reach for the stars," I said, still
smiling.
"Well," Rob said,
sitting down next to me, "you don’t have to reach. I’ll give them to
you."
We looked into each other’s eyes
for a moment, and through his emerald eyes, I could see fatigue and worry.
"Something’s on your
mind," I said. He turned his head away from me. "Do you want to tell
me about it?"
He sighed.
"I don’t want to bother you
with my problems," he said.
"You never bother me,"
I said softly, rubbing his back gently. He chuckled a little and bent his head
down.
"My dad, he--he likes his
brandy," he began, "and my mother doesn’t enjoy him when he’s drunk.
I know that they love each other, but…but..."
"It’s like they’ve been far
apart, and if they are brought together, they will find each other again,"
I finished for him. It seemed that my parents were the same way, only my mother
was focused too much on appearances and not on family values and love.
"Yeah," Rob said,
raising his head and looking into my eyes. "I just have to find a way to
get them to see each other again..."
"I know. Let’s go up top and
get some air, and then we’ll come up with a plan," I suggested, standing
up and taking his hand. He smiled.
"That sounds good to
me," he said, following me out the door and to the Aft Grand Staircase, up
one flight to the A Deck covered promenade. Rob put his hand in his pocket,
pulling out a piece of paper.
"I have to get this telegram
to the wireless office," he said. I nodded, and we went up to the boat
deck hand-in-hand. An officer stopped us as we reached the door.
"Can I help you? No
passengers allowed in the wireless room," he said cheerfully.
"I need this telegram sent,
please," Rob said, handing it to the officer.
"Right, then. I’ll take it
in right away," the officer said, nodding to us, then disappearing behind
the door. Rob and I continued walking along the boat deck, taking in the warmth
of the bright sun.
"Rob, what would happen if
you limited your father’s drinks?" I asked.
"Well, he wouldn’t be so
drunk, and...hey, that might work!" he said excitedly. I smiled back at
him with the same excitement. We turned around and went back to the Aft Grand
Staircase and to the smoking room. Rob went inside to speak to a steward while
I waited in a chair on the landing of the staircase. While I was waiting, Molly
Brown came up the stairs.
"Hey, Belle! What leaves you
sitting here looking pretty all by yourself?" she asked cheerfully.
"Good morning, Molly. Rob’s
taking care of some business in the smoking room," I said.
"Robert Wellington? Well, I
dined with him last night, and I just knew you two would hit it off!" She
laughed as Rob came out of the smoking room.
"Hello, Molly!" he
said, kissing her on the cheek. "How’s the voyage for you?"
"Since you asked me last
night at dinner, it’s going just fine," she said. "I’ll leave you two
alone." She winked at me and walked out the door to the promenade. Rob
looked at me with that twinkle in his eye.
"Shall we explore?" he
asked, smiling.
I nodded, returning his smile and
taking his arm. He led me through a door that led to a corridor, taking us to
the lounge, which was beautiful, decorated in Paris style. But we didn’t stop
to say hello to anyone in there. We kept going, and ended up at the Grand
Staircase. We took the lift down to E Deck and went down a flight of stairs to
F Deck.
"The Turkish Bath," he
said proudly, reading off a sign. "Massages: Five Dollars. Sounds good.
Would you like one?"
"You can’t be serious,"
I said, laughing.
"Then yes it is." He
grabbed my hand and led me through the door.