April 19, 1912
Rose felt people’s eyes burn into her as she wearily walked around the shop. As she glanced at customers, their eyes darted away from her. Maybe she was imagining it. Jack was happy as he picked out casual pants and shirts from the men’s section.
Turning down the dress aisle, Rose ran her fingers over a selection of patterns and fabrics. She remembered the days when each and every one of her evening and day dresses were specially made for her so no one else would ever be caught in the same dress. A salmon pink dress caught her eye. It was simple yet pretty, something which Rose was interested in now. She didn’t want to be weighed down by jewels and beading. Simplicity was new for her, but she liked it. She selected the salmon dress and then another in an aquamarine blue and a similar dress in a light green. She held the green against her and furrowed her brow. She was unsure of the color, but she liked the dress.
Without thinking too much more about it, she took the dress from the rack and threw it over her arm. She had a lot of shopping to do before the next day, for then she and Jack would be traveling to Jack’s hometown of Boston.
She was nervous about being on God’s good humor, as Jack had put it, but she relished the idea of life being unpredictable. Rose had never shopped for herself before and it felt good to be able to pick out dresses and materials which she liked, rather than what fashion or color trends dictated. She selected several other dresses before carrying them to the clerk, who smiled, somewhat cautiously.
"Is this all, ma’am?" she asked, her arms folded.
"No. I would like a coat, shoes, and several hats." Rose spoke elegantly. She knew that.
After selecting three warm coats, two hats, and a few pairs of comfortable-looking shoes, Rose joined Jack at the counter. She knew the price of the attire would be expensive, but Jack had insisted he would pay. She knew she had little choice, for the only clothes she had were on her back and looked a little worse for wear these days. It was going to feel good to dress in something with a little color. Jack had selected thin shirts for the warm climate in Santa Monica. He knew they would head there one day and he hoped that day would be soon.
Once they had left the shop, Jack took Rose to a small restaurant downtown named the Pastures. He was famished after all of the shopping. After finding a table in the most well-lit area, they ordered a little lunch. Rose found herself a little uncomfortable in the environment. Once again, she could feel people’s eyes on her as she tried her best to concentrate on Jack.
"Jack, I feel as though people are watching me," she confessed. She knew it was probably her mind playing tricks on her.
"What do you mean?"
"Like this morning, in the store, while I was picking out dresses some people, especially the women, were staring at me, but when I looked back, they quickly diverted their eyes. Now the woman over there…" Rose moved her eyes in the direction of a woman sitting quietly in a corner with a glass of wine. She was obviously middle class, but thought of herself as something higher. "She won’t stop looking at me."
Jack laughed a little and squeezed Rose’s hand. "Don’t worry. We’ll be gone tomorrow and all of this will seem petty by then."
Rose nodded and sighed a little. She felt a little better but still awkward.
"Maybe people are just amazed by you, Rose," Jack joked a little, but he was also serious. "I mean, you amazed me from the first time I saw you, and now just to see you smile takes my breath away."
Just hearing Jack’s words made all of her worries long forgotten. The words Jack said might have sounded sickly sweet to some people, but to her, they were spoken from the heart. He was never afraid to speak his mind, even if it meant him sounding like an old romantic.
"Jack, I cannot wait for tomorrow to come. I want to see everything!" Rose grinned excitedly.
"You will, Rose. I promise you. We’ll head to Boston and then Santa Monica--the pier, the roller coaster, the cheap beer we spoke about. All the while, I’ll be there, charcoal in hand, watching you in awe as I sketch you." Jack laughed.
"Thank you, Jack, for everything. I mean that. If for any reason we part--" Rose trailed off and Jack looked at her with concern.
"What makes you think we’ll part, Rose?"
"I’m just saying these things happen and if that happens to us, then I want to take the time to thank you now for utterly changing my life around for the better. You taught me about things I didn’t know existed. You showed me what it feels like to be loved. You made me feel love and you saved me in every way."
"You don’t need to thank me. Yes, some people may part, but we won’t, I swear. Someday, I’ll marry you, Rose. I’ll make you happy if it’s the last thing I do."
Rose’s mouth dropped open a little at his words. He meant them, she knew. She could feel tears filling her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away.
"I’d like that." Rose smiled.
After they ate their lunch, Rose returned to the hotel while Jack had headed to the store to buy a few necessities for their trip, such as soap and toothbrushes. While he whistled and walked down the street, he saw the paper boy standing in shorts, a small jacket, and a flat cap. He looked scrawny and like he hadn’t eaten a good meal in days. Feeling sorry for the boy, he tossed him a full dollar and took a paper. The boy’s eyes lit up, as if his Christmases had all come at once.
"Thank you, mister!" he shouted after Jack, who turned and simply smiled. He stuffed the paper into his pocket for now. He had little interest in the news. He knew the Titanic still held the main headlines and he had no intention of reliving it. He proceeded on his journey to the store before heading back to join Rose at the hotel, whistling. He felt happy today. Maybe it was the fact that he was going home, or just simply because he had Rose in his life. Pulling the newspaper from his pocket, he gave the headline a once over and almost fainted at what he saw.
Search for Rose DeWitt Bukater Switches to New York
Stopping immediately, he scanned over the small print.
Seventeen-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater, fiancée of Caledon Hockley and daughter of Ruth DeWitt Bukater and the late Richard Bukater, was last seen in New York the day after the sinking of the Titanic. Miss DeWitt Bukater had last contacted her mother aboard the Titanic, telling her she was going to return to Philadelphia, but she never returned. She was feared dead until she was spotted by several locals.
"It was definitely her. I’ve seen her pictures in the papers. I recognized her instantly," one woman commented. Another man said he spotted her in the company of an unknown gentlemen entering a building in downtown New York. Caledon Hockley is now hiring private investigators to find his missing fiancée.
Jack’s breath caught in his throat. Shit! Rose was alone now. He picked up his speed into a sprint and gazed around him, making sure no one would see him. Rose had been right. All of those people this morning had been staring at her. She wasn’t just imagining it. One man had seen them enter the hotel together, so anyone, including Cal, could know where they were. Jack felt his body overcome with worry. He ran as fast as he could back to the hotel. He had to get them out of New York fast if they were to stay safe. Their train would leave the next day at ten o’clock sharp for Boston. Until then, they would have to stay indoors at all times with the door locked.
Upon reaching the hotel, Jack glanced around quickly, making sure no one saw him enter. Rose was asleep on the bed when he reached the room. Her hair was wildly spread out around her head. She looked so peaceful. He hated to disturb her, and even more than that, he hated having to tell her about Cal now being in the same city. He could feel his hands shaking. Ever so gently, he shook Rose’s sleeping body. She awoke slowly, a small smile on her face.
"Jack…" she murmured, a little sleepily.
"Rose, I have something to talk to you about--well, to show you." He didn’t want to make her upset and frightened again, but he couldn’t lie to her. "Rose, I don’t wish to lie to you, but I don’t wish to upset you, either. You have a right to know, Rose. I wish I wasn’t the one to show you…"
Rose frowned, not fully understanding Jack’s words. He was confusing her. She didn’t like the serious tone to his voice and had a feeling she wasn’t going to like what he was about to say.
"Rose…" Jack closed his eyes and bit his lip. "Cal’s in New York…looking for you…" With that, he handed her the paper and she took it shakily. Once she saw the headline, she broke down once again, Jack seeing the broken young girl she was, all of the memories coming back to haunt her once again. He knew she had been doing well to forget her past, and now it was coming back to haunt her. She leaned against the wall for support, bending over double to stop the aching of her stomach, once again fighting the memories. Jack felt the tears slide down his face and wished there was something he could do. He reached out to her and she flinched at his touch, something which frightened him. "Rose. Don’t shun me. I won’t hurt you," he whispered. "I promise, my darling. I won’t hurt you." With that, she surrendered her body to him and he pulled her closer as she cried into his shirt.
"Why now? I was so happy, Jack. I wish that vase had killed him!" she spat. Jack had never seen her so angry.
"So do I, Rose. But he won’t find us. We’re going to be long gone this time tomorrow, and there’s no way he’ll know where."
"He’ll find me, Jack. He’ll slaughter me."
"No. He won’t find us. I won’t let him near you. To get to you, he’d have to kill me first, Rose."
Her guts felt wrung out. She was tired of the familiar aches and pains. She just wanted to be free from pain and to live the simple life she had always wanted.
"Maybe I will always belong to him, Jack…maybe I’ll never escape."
"Yes, you will." Jack shook Rose a little and it shocked her. "You will never belong to anyone. You will escape, Rose. You have. Tomorrow, it’s just you and me, forever…all right?"
Rose could feel his eyes piercing hers. He could see right through her and she knew that. He was the first man to have ever made her feel like this. He was the first man she had loved, the first man she had kissed and the first man she had fully given herself to, and she hoped he was the only one…
She felt herself calm a little and she tried to catch her breath after her hysterical tremors of minutes before.
"You and me forever," she repeated. The words sounded sweet to her. The words were almost like a dream. Jack nodded to her and touched her face gently.
"Forever, Rose. One day you’ll be completely happy. I don’t know when, but you will. I promise. I can make you happy. I want to marry you, Rose…"
A tear slid down her face and Jack gently wiped her tear away. Her breathing was erratic once again as he gently kissed her forehead. Momentarily, her pain ceased and they were the only two people in the world.
"I will marry you, Jack…one day…"
Jack smiled at her and kissed her eyes, then her cheek, before their lips met and they began their journey once again.