Rose’s trip on the train wasn’t an easy one. She had no idea where Jack would go! Rose knew Cal must have figured out she was gone by now and would have everyone looking for her…and Jack. She went to the first place that popped into her head—Wisconsin.
*****
Jack closed his eyes, counting the seconds before he could get off the train. Guilt ripped through him. He hadn’t said good-bye to Rose.
“Jack?” He sighed and opened his eyes to look at Johnny. Johnny shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“What is it, Johnny?”
“Do you feel guilty?”
Jack eyed him suspiciously. “About?”
“Leaving so quickly?”
Jack sighed once again. “Is it that obvious?”
“Um…yeah.”
“Wonderful!” he mumbled sarcastically.
“Come on, now, Jack. If you want to talk about it, then let’s talk!”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Johnny!”
“Fine, fine, but don’t come crying to me when the guilt eats you up!”
Jack groaned and rolled his eyes. “Johnny, please, just drop it!”
“Fine...so, where are we headed?”
“I don’t know. We’ll just ride until the last stop and get off there.”
“You don’t have this planned out very well, do you?”
“When we get there, we’ll find work and try to get enough money to get us back to New York.”
“Why?”
“We’ll get on a ship from there and see where it takes us.”
“Jack, you’ve lost your mind! We’ll never earn enough to get on a ship!”
“Says you!” Jack mumbled.
*****
The months rolled by and Rose never found Jack. She gave up hope and went back to New York to inform Emma. Emma was nowhere to be found. Cal welcomed Rose back with open arms, though, saying that he knew she couldn’t live without him. Rose’s life was just as empty as before. The window where she had stood before leaving never changed its view. The view she had on her life was just the same as before.
*****
Cal walked into the room Rose was in and put his arms around her.
“When is the ship leaving?” Rose asked casually, glancing at Cal from the corner of her eye.
“Half an hour. Rose, darling, I understand that you want to go on that ship, but we are going to be married first, before we go anywhere!” Cal replied before walking out of the room.
“That’s what you think!” Rose whispered as she started packing her clothes. She got into Cal’s safe, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds. Rose grabbed two bundles of money, closed the safe, and hurried away, grabbing her clothes as she went. She ran as fast as she could out the front door, but she didn’t stop. She kept running until she ran into someone.