JACK'S ROSE
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Rose lay awake, gazing up at her ceiling,
thinking of her conversation with Molly. They had talked of "old
times" and the times in each other's lives they had missed.
Rose had told Molly everything she'd done
over the past seven years, and Molly had told Rose of all her travels and
experiences. The two had talked well into the early hours of the morning. And
Molly had left only as the sun began show its first light in the east.
Rose smiled.
She was truly happy...for the first time in
almost seven years.
*****
Cora awoke early in the morning, just as the
sun was beginning to rise, to hear Rose's door being quietly shut. She smiled
to herself. Molly and Rose had probably talked all night.
She rose from her bed, being wary to wake
neither Lilly nor Nathan and silently walked to where a desk was sitting
beneath the window. She settled herself in the chair and withdrew the same
velvet journal Rose had given her as a child. She had not taken up writing in
it as much as she did now until about a year ago.
March 9, 1920
This trip has been amazing. We were
sitting in the cafe with Rose last night after her amazing performance of Romeo
and Juliet when none other than Molly Brown came in! She had found the cafe by
the envelope of a letter Rose had sent her when she first moved here.
Molly has not changed at all. At least,
not from the loving, happy person I remember. She said that she will be here
tonight to see Rose's next performance of the play.
We, we being Susan and Andrew and Lilly,
have all intrigued to surprise Rose today. She will go out, she and Will that
is, and meanwhile, we will all be here preparing the cafe for her surprise birthday
party! Last night as we were saying our good nights, Lilly mentioned that we
will be going to the beach today, and while it did take quite a while to
convince Nathan that we will go, just not today, when we go out, it will be to
buy the decorations for the party.
I must go now. The others are waking.
"Writing in that journal of yours again,
Cora?" Lilly asked, lazily sitting up.
"Yes, Lilly. Intriguing to take over the
world," Cora joked.
Lilly chuckled and swung her legs over the side
of the bed. She smiled down at Nathan, sleeping comfortably on his quilt pallet
on the floor. "Did you sleep well last night, Cora? I had a fit of bad
dreams. I hope I didn't kick you out of the bed."
"No. You were fine last night."
Cora stood. "So, today is going to be a busy day."
"Yup. We've gotta get an early start on
shopping for the decorations and then decorate the cafe. Then she's still got
another show tonight." Lilly stretched her arms. "Do you know when we
leave to go home?"
"A couple days. That way, Rose can have
all her shows of Romeo and Juliet done," Cora said, moving to the
closet where the girls' few dresses were hung. She pulled out a pale blue one.
"If we never went back it would still be
too soon," Lilly grumbled. Cora glanced at her. "You've at least got
the pleasure of knowing that they're not your real parents, Cora."
"Well, when we get out of school next
year, we can leave and go wherever we wish, Lily. We could come here. Work here
in the theater. Or we could go to Europe and just live off whatever skills we
have. Or we could go down South and become farmers." Cora smiled.
"With your blonde hair and petal-colored skin, Lily, you'd make just the
perfect southern belle!" Cora teased, putting on a fake Southern accent.
"You're horrible, Cora," Lilly
said, laughing, as she stood. "You really are."
Cora chuckled and draped the dress she was
holding over her arm. She picked up her hair brush and a white ribbon.
"I'm going to go get dressed."
"All right. I'll get Nathan up."
And with that, Cora turned to leave and
headed down the hall to the bathroom.
*****
"What's the rush?" Rose asked, as
William dragged her out of the cafe. She spotted Cora, Lilly, and Nathan
returning as she and William turned and started down the sidewalk.
"What rush?" he asked, letting her
hand go and slowing the pace. He smiled at her.
"What's going on?" Rose asked,
looking about her.
The city changed by the day. There was always
a collage of faces of all different races and a symphony of accents. Cars
rattled down the road, blaring their horns at anyone in their way, spooking a
horse pulling a carriage nearby. Street vendors lined the sidewalks, selling
anything you think of. Fresh produce, jewelry, cloth, clothes, everything.
Rose paused at a street corner. A boy waved
about a newspaper shouting the front-page story of the day. She withdrew a dime
from her handbag and gave it to the boy in exchange for a paper. Heck, why not?
Today was her birthday, after all.
Her birthday. The one birthday that had
passed in Chippewa Falls had gone by unnoticed, uncelebrated. She had let it
silently slide by. And so would go this one. She knew she'd never told Will,
Lilly, or Cora, and she could not remember ever having told Susan or Andrew.
She flipped through it, then tucked it under
her arm. "Will, truthfully now, tell me why you dragged me out?"
"I wanted to go on a walk, but I didn't
want to get lost. So, I decided to drag you along with me." He smiled.
"Drag me along, you did!"
"Sorry about that. I guess I was a
little overeager."
"A little?" she snorted. "So,
where did you want to go?" she asked, looking over at him.
"Nowhere."
"William!"
He chuckled. "I know. Don't say it. I'm
impossible."
"Yes, you are."
She gazed up at the sky as they rounded
another corner and started back for the cafe. It was a gorgeous day. The sun
shone brightly down on the busy city. The air was warm, but not unbearably hot
as it got in the summer. Rose smiled.
Finally, they were standing once more in front
of the cafe. William hoped he had given them enough time to get all the
decorating done. She started for the door, but he stopped her, blocking the
glass door with his back. She strained to look in, but he moved his body in
sync with her head.
"What's going on, Will?"
"Rose, what is going on is this..."
He paused, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking seriously into her
eyes. She gazed back at him. "Well...it's just..." He suddenly turned
and pulled the door open.
"Happy birthday, Rose!" roared
throughout the cafe. Rose's face twisted in surprise. Tears filled her eyes.
William kissed her cheek and gently pushed her inside.
"Oh, you little sneaks!" Rose
exclaimed, looking about the cafe. Streamers were hanging from every possible
nook and cranny in the place. Everyone was wearing little cone hats made out of
colored paper. She laughed. "I didn't think you knew!" she said to no
one in particular.
"You told me once, Rose," Susan
said slyly. Rose smiled at her friend.
"Happy birthday, Aunt Rosie,” Nathan
said, reaching up toward her. She bent down and accepted her birthday hug.
"Thank you, Nathan."
He smiled and backed away.
"Happy birthday, Rose," Molly said,
approaching her. Rose looked at her in surprise.
"How in the world, Molly—"
"Luck had it that I happened to see Cora,
Lilly, and Nathan earlier today, and they invited me." Molly handed Rose a
portfolio and whispered, "Look at it later, dear."
Rose nodded in response.
Then, Susan stepped up to Rose. "And
this, Rose, is from all of us," Susan said, extending a large, flat
package to her. Rose took it, looking at her questioningly. She unwrapped it
gingerly, wadding the paper up in a tight ball.
"Oh, no. You—you—" Rose stopped.
The record with Come Josephine in my Flying Machine on it.
"For your flying, Rosie," Susan
told her, smiling. Susan bent and hugged Rose tightly. Andrew kissed her cheek,
as did Cora and Lilly.
Michael smiled at her. "And as for my
present, I'm giving you a five dollar raise."
Rose smiled at him. "Thank you, Michael."
All the other actresses and actors were
gathered in the small cafe, as were the seamstresses, set designers, and all
other employees of the theater. Her co-star in Romeo and Juliet
approached her.
"And for Juliet, a rose." He
smiled, giving her a single red rose.
"Thank you, Jimmy. Thank you all. This
means more to me than—"
"We'll ever know? We do know,
Rosie," Susan said, smiling knowingly down at her.
"And now," Andrew said, stepping
out from in front of a table. "For cake and ice cream."