JACK'S ROSE
Chapter Forty-Five
This was it. The last time for years, they
both knew, that either would stand on Wisconsin ground.
"Good-bye, Rosie," Cora said, embracing
Rose one more time. Rose gently patted Cora's back.
"Take care of Nathan, Cora, please. And
remember, whenever you need, the theater has a room for you and Lilly."
"I will, and I know," Cora
whispered back. They parted, and Rose embraced Lilly one last time, then knelt
in front of Nathan.
"Bye-bye, Nathan. It was nice see—meeting
you, young man." She smiled sadly at the young boy. Oh, those
eyes...Jack's eyes. "Send me some of your pictures, all right?"
"Okay." He smiled back at her.
"Bye, Aunt Rosie." He hugged her, and she kissed his forehead, then
stood.
"Good-bye, Ralph," Rose said,
smiling at him. "You're always welcome to come visit us. Our doors are
open."
"Thank you, Rose." He flashed her
his charming smile, then pulled her to him in a friendly hug. "Enough
formal stuff. I want a hug."
She laughed as she patted his back and
squeezed him tightly. "You've been so good to us, Ralph. We'll forever be
in your debt."
"Ah…nonsense. 'Til you two came along,
life was getting pretty dry. Then, I got to play the matchmaker." He
smiled again. "And, even though it looked pretty dark there for a while…"
Here, he paused, and he and William exchanged a knowing glance. "…everything
worked out perfectly."
"You'll have a wonderful life
together," Cora said softly. "I have no doubt."
"But not if you don't get on the
train!" Ralph said suddenly. The uniformed men started shouting their
familiar shout of "All aboard!" and the train blasted its whistle a
single time.
William quickly took Ralph into his arms and
patted his back, as men do. "Good-bye, Ralph."
Was it only Rose that could see the tears
glistening in William's eyes?
"You treat Rose good. You hear?"
"Of course."
"Visit every now and then."
"I will."
"Good-bye, Will boy."
William inhaled deeply and reluctantly pulled
away from Ralph. "Good-bye, Ralph." The two men looked at each other
for a moment more, then William took Rose's hand, gave it a soft squeeze, and
the two turned to board the train. Rose glanced over her shoulder and smiled at
Cora. The young woman smiled and waved back as the couple disappeared into the
train's interior.
*****
William's head bobbed up and down with the
movements of the train, oblivious to all, for he was consumed with sleep. Rose
smiled as she watched him.
So much had happened to her since...since her
time with Jack. And now, yet another book of her life was coming to an end. The
part of her life where she struggled through life's toils as a single woman
with no family to support her was over. She would soon be a married woman with a
family of her own to support and love.
Ironic, her life would once more end on April
fourteenth.
But this time, the only thing she would lose
would be her freedom as an unmarried woman...not that that particularly
mattered. She'd not used any of her freedom in the almost eight years she'd had
it.
She smiled again, gently stroking William's
hand with her own fingertips.
She had experienced but three true loves in
her life. Jack, her son, and William. She had lost two, but she swore she would
never, never lose the third.