HOPE
Chapter Fourteen
A Birthday To Remember
July 19, 1912
Morning
Rose awoke to a wonderful aroma in the air. David
must have been cooking something wonderful. He had mentioned to Rose that he
had a special birthday breakfast planned, and she was anxious to find out what
it was.
Rose splashed some cool water on her face and
dressed quickly. She thought back to this day last year. It seemed so long ago,
and yet it was only one year. Ruth had, of course, insisted on throwing a huge
party in Rose’s honor. It was at that party that she had met Caledon Hockley.
Rose cringed at the thought of him. No, she told herself. It’s my
birthday, and nothing, not even Cal, can ruin it.
Rose looked out her window at the sky above.
It was a glorious, clear blue sky aside from one puffy white cloud in the sky.
It seemed as if the whole world was smiling at her. Perhaps the cloud was Jack,
looking down on her.
She diverted her attention back to the
mirror. Rose decided to let her picturesque curls flow elegantly down her back.
Her hair tended to grow fast, and since April it had grown a great deal. She
had always liked having long hair, but her mother had insisted that it be the
proper length. She ran a comb through her hair to brush out the knots. For
once, her hair did not give her much of a fuss.
After she had dressed, she headed downstairs,
where she found the table all set for breakfast. "Happy birthday,
Rose!" both Lynn and David yelled in unison. David had always been kind to
Rose. He was very quiet and reserved, and yet very gentle in his ways. They had
not said much to each other, but David was much older than Rose. Old enough to
be her father, in fact. But even so, he was an excellent cook!
"Thank you," she said, flattered.
She gave Lynn a hug and David a peck on the cheek. He blushed slightly at the
sudden sign of affection. It was something he was not used to with the socialites
he was acquainted with.
"If you two will excuse me, it is my day
off ,and as I hear it, you two have plans today. So, I will be on my merry way.
Happy birthday again, Rose. Good day." He nodded his head and headed off
to his room to read, as he usually did on his day off. How anyone could spend a
whole day reading was beyond Rose’s comprehension.
"So we have plans, do we?" asked a
curious Rose. Lynn gestured for Rose to sit. She pulled out a chair and looked
at the food placed before them.
"Well, I thought since it was such a
beautiful day, we would go out to the park and enjoy the warm weather. We could
make somewhat of a picnic of it. What do you say?"
"That sounds wonderful!" A large
smile came to Rose’s already cheerful expression. "You know, I just love
to spend time outdoors. And today would be the perfect day, I think."
"Good." Lynn smiled. "Now,
let’s eat."
*****
"You ready yet, Rosie?" Lynn yelled
from downstairs.
"I’ll be right there," Rose yelled
in response. Since they were going outdoors, Rose had decided upon changing
into something cooler. Her curls still flowing down her back, she picked up her
hat and placed it gently on her head.
She descended the staircase, where she found
Lynn with a picnic basket in her hand. "Shall we?" Rose gestured to
the front door.
"Why, certainly," Lynn replied in a
mock British accent. Both girls giggled and started out for their day of fun.
They made their way down Pennsylvania Avenue
and headed towards Civic Center Park. They found a quiet area under the shading
of a large maple tree and spread their blanket. Luckily, there was no wind on
this gorgeous afternoon. They set out the dishes and the food, but Lynn’s mind
seemed to be lost in thought.
"Lynn? Hello, Lynn. Wake up, Lynn."
Rose waved her hand in front of Lynn’s eyes.
"Oh, I’m sorry, Rose. I’m being terribly
rude." She picked up one of the sandwiches and nibbled on it.
"Is something wrong?" Rose asked.
"You know you can tell me anything."
"No, I’m all right. I was just thinking.
I do that a lot." She smiled.
"About what?"
"A man I know."
"Oh, I see." Rose smirked. "So
Lynn has a secret love, does she?"
"Something like that, yes." She
smiled back at Rose. After a short pause, she continued. "His name is
Jack." Rose’s face suddenly turned pale at the mention of a Jack.
"Rose, is something wrong?"
"No. I…um...well…my…uh…my husband’s name
was Jack. You just sort of startled me. That’s all."
"Oh, I’m terribly sorry, Rose. I
shouldn’t have brought it up." She felt guilty for even mentioning her troubles
to Rose on her birthday.
"No, no. Please, go on." She waved
her hand as if to dismiss the comment. She smiled and became interested again.
"So, tell me about your Jack."
Lynn was reluctant to talk, but she did.
"Well, he and I have been friends for quite some time now. But just
friends. He does not know that I care for him so deeply...in fact, I love
him." She sighed deeply. "I’m not a very bold person, Rose. I cannot
find the courage to tell him this."
"I see. Do you think that maybe he feels
the same towards you?" Her eyes were questioning and compassionate.
"I don’t know. Maybe. I would never be
able to ask him without turning red." She smiled wearily. "All I know
is that every time I see him, my knees feel weak and my heart skips a beat. If
I could look into his deep green eyes for the rest of my life, it would make me
the happiest person alive."
"I know that feeling well." Rose
was now in her own thoughts. "You cannot let love escape you. If you let
it go, you never know when it will find you again." She was close to
crying, but she refused to let the tears flow. She had to be strong for the
baby she was now carrying inside of her.
"Well, I think that’s just about the
deepest thinking either of us needs to be doing right now," Lynn said.
"What do you say we finish our lunches, then walk around and see what we
can find to do?"
"Good idea." They both ate the rest
of their lunches in light conversation. When they finished, they packed up.
Before setting out for the rest of their day, they stopped off at the house to
rid themselves of their basket. After that, they set out for a day of shopping
and whatever else crossed their minds.
By the time the sun set behind the horizon,
they had both worn themselves down pretty hard. They had been all over the city—shopping,
taking in a local play, watching a small children’s puppet show in the park,
and finally dining out. It was now time to head home and open presents. Rose
did not show it, but she was quite anxious to see what both Lynn and Molly had
gotten her. When they reached the house, Lynn immediately ran upstairs to
retrieve her gift for Rose. When she returned downstairs, Rose was sitting on
the couch resting.
"Open it," Lynn said excitedly. She
handed Rose a wrapped box.
"All right." She smiled. She quickly
unwrapped the package and opened the velvet jewelry box. Inside was a
beautifully crafted pocket watch with a rose in the center. Rose was in awe. It
was a gift straight from the heart.
"Read the inscription on the back."
Rose turned the watch over and read it aloud.
"Friends Forever. Love, Lynn." Rose’s eyes sparkled with
delight. She had never received a more touching gift. "It’s beautiful.
Thank you." She smiled widely. Lynn said nothing, but just smiled back at
her.
"What about Molly’s gift? Did you open
that?"
"I think I’ll open that later. She left
a card with it, saying that she wanted me to open it in private. I have no idea
why."
"That’s odd." After that, they
split a piece of cake, still stuffed from their dinner earlier. After they had
both bid their good nights, Rose headed upstairs to her room. She read the card
one more time.
Rose,
I’m sorry I cannot be there with you
today. I assure you that if I could have avoided being away I would have. I
wanted to find the perfect gift for your very special birthday. We only turn
eighteen once. This is a little something that has been passed through my
family from generation to generation. I think of you as one of my own, and I
wanted you to have this. It reminded me of you very much. It would be best if
you open this in private. You will understand why.
Happy Birthday,
Molly
She picked up the small, wrapped package on
her dresser and delicately unwrapped it to reveal a small jewelry box. She
cautiously opened it to reveal a ring, but not just any ring. It was a small
sapphire heart surrounded by many diamonds. Rose felt the tears welling up in
the corners of her eyes. Every time she looked at it, she would think of Jack.
At that moment, she did not know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
She slid the ring over her left ring finger.
It was a perfect fit, almost as if she were meant to have it. It would be her
Jack ring from that point on. Even though they were not married, she always
felt they would have been. And now this ring symbolized that.
A slight breeze came through her room, but
her window was not open, nor was her door. "Jack," she said
matter-of-factly.
She heard the slight whisper of Jack’s voice.
"Happy birthday, my sweet Rose." The breeze subsided, and all was
quiet.