HOPE
Chapter Nine
A New Home?
May 7, 1912
Denver, Colorado
Rose and Molly had gathered what little things
they had bought in New York and set out on their way to Denver. The train ride
went as smoothly as could be expected, and they arrived in Denver on the
morning of May seventh.
"Rose, honey, wake up. We’re here,"
Rose heard Molly say.
Rose opened her eyes and looked out into the
station. The early morning commuters were going about their business as usual.
The atmosphere of this place was new to Rose, and yet felt so familiar. She
felt closer to Jack today than she ever had before. It gave her warmth and
strength. She looked so much healthier than she had looked a few days ago. And
she was thankful for that. She had already lost Jack. She just prayed that God
would protect their baby.
"Come on, darlin’." Molly spoke
again.
"Oh, sorry. Just lost in thought."
Rose stood up and grabbed her hat from the empty seat next to her. She
carelessly placed it on her head; her red curls falling gracefully down her
back.
Once off the train, they walked to a waiting
car that looked amazingly like the Renault Rose and Jack had made love in.
There was a man of about twenty-three or so leaning against the car, reading a
newspaper. He became aware of Molly’s presence and spoke. "Good morning,
Mrs. Brown. I trust you had a safe trip?"
"Yes. Thank you, John." Molly saw
the uncomfortable expression on Rose’s face and realized she hadn’t introduced
the two young people. "John, this is Rose Dawson. She is the young woman
that will be staying with us for a while." She turned to Rose. "And
Rose, this is John Calvert. He is my chauffeur’s son. And speaking of which,
where is your father, sonny?"
"He has taken ill. Nothing serious. We
just thought it best that he stay home and rest. So I offered to see you
home." He reverted his attention back to Rose. "Pleased to meet you,
Miss Dawson." He bowed politely and opened the car door for her.
"Please, call me Rose," she said as
she got into the car.
"Very well. Rose it is. Then you must
call me John." She nodded, and he smiled politely. He closed the door and
walked to the other side of car to help Molly in.
*****
The ride to Molly’s house was shorter than
Rose had expected. They pulled into the driveway of a beautiful house with 1340
Pennsylvania Avenue scripted on the front door. The house was three
stories, painted in a beautiful shade of ivory.
Once they were inside, Molly showed Rose to
the guest room on the second floor. It was decorated in an old-fashioned
Victorian style. It reminded Rose of the way her parents’ bedroom had once
looked before her mother had decided to re-furnish the whole house.
She placed her things on the bed and sat
down. She removed her hat and carelessly threw it on the bedpost. She caressed
her stomach. She felt nauseous. Oh, no. Not now, she thought to herself.
"Rose, are you all right?"
"Yes, I’m fine. It’s just, I—I..."
She knew it would come shortly, and it did—morning sickness. She ran to the
bathroom that was adjoined to the room and quickly shut the door.
"Rose, what’s the matter? Should I call
the doctor?" Rose said nothing.
After she had cleaned up a bit, she opened
the door.
Molly had been sitting on the bed waiting for
Rose to come out. "Honey, you’re beginning to worry me. Now tell me what’s
wrong." Rose had avoided this from the start. The thought of having a
child out of wedlock scared her to her very core. What would Molly think of
her?
"Molly, this is very difficult for me to
say." Her mind flashed momentarily to the Renault. Put your hands on
me, Jack. She quickly snapped her attention back to the present. "I’m
afraid that my actions with Jack on Titanic came with consequences." She
looked down, not being able to look Molly in the eyes. "Molly, I’m going
to have Jack’s child." Rose wasn’t sure what Molly would think. She had
told her about Jack and herself in the Renault, but still...
"Honey, why didn’t you tell me
before?" It wasn’t the reaction Rose was expecting, but the reaction she
had hoped for. Molly did not seem to be angry, but almost joyous.
"I didn’t know what you would think of
me. After all, Jack and I weren’t married. But we planned to. Oh, Molly, we had
so many plans." Her voice began to tremble. She scolded herself this time.
Get hold of yourself, Rose. Jack deserves cheerful memories. Not ones that
are heartbreaking. Now she thought about their plans, and she began to
smile. Both inwardly and outwardly.
"Now, that’s what I like to see. That
beautiful smile of yours," Molly said.
"Could you leave me for awhile? I have
some things to think through, and I would like to get settled in."
"Of course. We’ll talk later. Just
remember that whatever you’re going through with the baby, I have been through
before." She sat up. "I’ll be downstairs. Just come down if you feel
like it, and I’ll show you around. Everyone here is just so anxious to meet
you." She gave Rose a quick smile and then walked out the door.
Rose lay there on the bed, just thinking.
About Jack, about Molly, about her mother...but most of all she thought about
her life. Up until recently it had been meaningless, as far as she was concerned,
anyway. Now she was going to give birth to a new life. "No," she
thought out loud. "Jack and I are giving birth to a new life. It is just
as much his child as it is mine."
That day her life had new meaning. It was the
day that Rose finally found herself.