HOPE
Chapter Eleven
A Sunny Afternoon
May 20, 1912
It was a sunny Monday morning in Denver, Colorado,
but the clear, crisp sky left a nipping wind on what would have otherwise been
a perfect day. It was nearly 10:30 by the time Rose pulled the covers away from
the array of tangled curls around her head. She felt content indeed, but the
morning sickness still lingered in her fragile body.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Molly was reading a
letter.
Mrs. Brown,
I’m afraid the news I write to you with is
not at all pleasant. Father has passed on. Before his doing so, he asked that
he be buried in the cemetery next to my mother. I am seeing to it that his
wishes are fulfilled.
I have decided to stay here in Cedar
Rapids. Seeing the same faces I grew up with again has comforted me to an
extent. I would be ever so grateful if you would be able to send out the rest
of my things. I have written the address on the back of the envelope.
Thank you once again,
John Calvert
Molly sat down on the couch in the small
sitting room. The words in John’s letter seemed so devoid of emotion. What
that boy must be going through, she thought. Tom was a good man. A good
man indeed. He didn’t deserve to die. Nor did the fifteen hundred souls on
Titanic. Molly shed silent tears of sorrow for all whom she had watched die
in the North Atlantic. Life just isn’t fair.
*****
Rose peered out the window onto the busy
street below her. The warm glow of the sun and the soft sound of the birds
singing set her mind at ease. She decided that she needed to get out of the
house. She had been cooped up in one place for far too long. She walked to her closet
and picked out a very pale green dress. She quickly dressed and pinned her hair
up.
She glanced in the mirror. "Now, where
did I put my hat?" she spoke to herself aloud. Rose scanned the room
quickly with her eyes. "Oh, there it is," she said as she walked
towards her bedpost. "I must have put it there when we first
arrived." Rose pinned the hat down on her hair, taking note of the windy
conditions outside. She quickly grabbed her small handbag and shoved a one
dollar bill and some change in it just in case she came across something that
she just had to have.
She quickly but gracefully descended down to
the bottom of the stairs. "Good morning, Miss Rose," said a cheerful
Lynn. "It’s good to see you up and about." Lynn was one of the many
servants that wandered through the house doing their daily chores.
"Good morning. And I, too, am glad to
see me feeling better." Rose smiled. "Where’s Mrs. Brown?"
"I believe she is in the sitting room,
miss. If you’ll excuse me, I have to be tending to my duties."
"Of course." With that, Lynn walked
down the hall into the study to tidy up, as she called it. Out of all the
servants in the house, Rose liked Lynn the most. She seemed to be quiet, but
Rose had a feeling that she had her wild side, too.
Rose walked into the sitting room, where she
found Molly reading. "Good mornin’, Rose. You seem like you’re feelin’
better." Both smiled.
"Yes, I am. Thank you. In fact, I
thought that I would go take a walk and get some fresh air."
"Of course, dear. You have fun. Take all
the time you want," Molly replied with a smile.
Rose walked out of the room and headed for
the front door. The brisk wind whirled around her, but she didn’t notice. She
was in a good mood, and nothing could ruin it. She walked down the street,
making sure to take note of where she was walking. The last thing she wanted
was to get lost.
She made a series of turns around corners,
taking in the nearby sights. She had a broad smile across her face the whole
time, and she wasn’t even quite sure why. When she came across a baby’s
clothing store, she stood and stared at the display window for a few seconds.
She placed her hand on her stomach, momentarily thinking of Jack. No, Rose.
Not today. You’re not going to feel sorry for yourself, or for Jack, she
lectured herself.
She began to walk down the street once again,
leaving the upsetting thoughts behind her. She walked one more block and saw an
ice cream parlor. "Shall we?" she spoke to the small person inside of
her. She entered the parlor with a strong craving for chocolate.
"Hello. What can I get for you on this
fine day?" a man behind the counter asked.
"Mmm…how about some chocolate ice cream
in a cone?" replied Rose.
"Right away, miss." The man scooped
up the ice cream into the cone and handed it to Rose. She paid him the amount
due and walked back outside, rather than taking a seat in the parlor. She
decided to retrace her steps back to the house, not wanting to wander too far
from her original starting point.
When she arrived back at the house, she
simply kept on walking to see the sights in the opposite direction. After
walking a few blocks, she found a large building with Denver Art Gallery written
across the front entrance. This must be the art museum John was talking
about, thought Rose. Perhaps I will check it out another day. Today, I’d
much rather be outdoors.
Rose spent the majority of the afternoon just
walking and enjoying the cityscape. By the time her feet could no longer take
it, it was already 4:30. Had it really been that long? She was fairly close to home,
so it would not take long to get back.
When she did, she informed Molly that she was
home, that she was going to rest for a while, and to wake her in time for
supper. When Rose got to her room, which seemed to take all her effort, she
removed her hat and shoes and slipped under the warm covers of her bed. She
drifted off into an undisturbed slumber. Her dreams were of Jack, as they
commonly were, but this time they were different. He was with her, and yet at
the same time he wasn’t with her. It didn’t make any sense to Rose, no sense
whatsoever. What did it all mean? What was Jack trying to tell her? Rose just
hoped it didn’t mean what she thought it meant.