JACK'S ROSE
Chapter Thirty-Four
Rose sat in the cafe, oblivious to the
commotion of the lunch rush hour going on about her. She mindlessly ran her
finger over the rim of the coffee cup. Her mind was reeling, jumping from place
to place, but her eyes were fixed on an imperfection in the stitching of the
tablecloth.
She was angry at Julia and Henry for having
raised her child with never telling them who she was. But then, what right had
she to be angry with them for that? Had she not forfeited that right seven
years ago? Seven years ago when she had taken flight for California? Seven
years ago when she had left behind all she had come to love and care for? But
even so, should they have not told him? But how can you possibly explain that
to a child?
So many questions asked.
So many questions unanswered.
"Rose," she heard William whisper.
She lifted her head and looked at him. "Why don't we go down to the
beach?"
"That's an all day trip, William."
"So? You don't have any shows tonight
and nothing better to do today. It might take your mind off things..."
"I don't want my mind off things,"
Rose argued, standing up. William looked down at her.
"Come on, Rose," he said, taking
her hand.
"William, no. William!" Rose hissed
as he began to drag her out of the cafe. Not wanting to make a scene in the
middle of the street, Rose followed him to the trolley stop with no more
struggling.
"Was that so bad?" he asked, still
holding her hand tightly.
"Yes! Let me go, William! I don't want
to go to the beach!" she whined. The other people standing at the stop
looked at him curiously. Rose blushed.
"Since when have you cared about people
looking at you oddly?" William asked, noticing her blushing. Rose looked
down. She had to change the subject.
"How did you even know how to get here,
William? You've only been here for two days and haven't left the theater since
you arrived," Rose stated as the trolley rolled up to the stop. The few people
aboard stepped off and those waiting, including Rose and William, boarded.
"A sixth sense, I guess," he lied.
William released her hand as the trolley began to move. Rose did not take her
eyes off the cityscape as it rolled by.
"Susan told you to bring me, didn't
she?" Rose asked quietly. William, not wanting to lie, said nothing at
all. They rode in silence to the outskirts of the city, then boarded another
trolley to take them through Long Beach, where they finally found their way to
the beach. There, the two walked along the beach, carrying their shoes, letting
their toes sink into the warm sand.
"You know," Rose said quietly as
the two made their way to the edge of the water, "while I was still in
Santa Monica, I had a horse name Star Queen. We used to gallop along in the
surf. It felt like flying." She chuckled. "But flying is
indescribable!" Rose suddenly let her head fall back and extended her
arms. She spun around. "The air engulfs you and lifts you up among the
birds! Clouds flash past you! You are free! Free, William! You forget
everything except that you are flying! Hmm...come Josephine in my flying
machine! Going up she goes! Up she goes! Balance yourself like a bird on a
beam. There she goes—" And Rose's singing tapered off.
William chuckled as he watched her spinning
about the beach, humming her song. His heart spun with her. He loved her. He
knew it.
He heard Rose giggling light-headedly and
turned to see her smiling, one hand pressed against her forehead. "I'm so
dizzy, William," she laughed. Rose stumbled back to him and clasped his
shoulder, pulling him down onto the sand with her. Both laughed as they fell.
And there they lay for minutes on end, gazing up at the passing clouds.
"You flew, Rose?" William asked,
breaking the silence.
"Mmm...flew. I certainly did. An older
man was working on a flying machine. I met him once when I heard a terrible
sound coming from a large building. Someone screamed, and so I burst in to find
him nursing a burn." Rose smiled. "He took me in. Let me live in the
attic of his house, which, might I say, was quite nice, and he taught me all he
knew about mechanics. But he died soon after we met. He left me his flying
machine. I named her Josephine. I flew to India and spent one and a half
glorious years over there, learning their culture, ways. I loved it. When I ran
out of money, though, I flew back to California and sold my plane." She
paused and sat up, hugging her knees. "It was like laying to rest a close
friend, but with the money I got from her, I bought another flying
machine."
"Another?"
"A horse." Rose giggled. "My
Star Queen. But when my boss replaced me at the sweatshop and I decided to join
Susan in Los Angeles, I had to leave her behind." The two fell into
another silence. But this time, it was Rose who broke the silence. "And
honestly, William, how have things been in Chippewa Falls?"
"Not too bad. The town hasn't changed
much. The store hasn't changed. Neither have the people."
"And with you, William? How have things
been with you?"
"The same. I don't suppose much will
ever change." He smiled, digging his bare feet into the sand. "It's a
small town. I guess you can't expect much diversity from a small town. Only
three new families have moved in." Both of them chuckled. Rose leaned back
on her elbows, letting her long red hair tumble down and rest in the sand.
He smiled at her.
She smiled at him.
Then both looked away.
And they sat there in the sand for a long
time, enjoying the solitude. But as the sun was slowly consumed by the calm
waters, they stood, and without a word, the two rushed back to the trolley
stop.