A LADY NAMED ROSE
Chapter Twenty
Meg cradled her sleeping nephew and hummed an
Irish lullaby while her sister bustled about the apartment, picking up her husband's
clothes and complaining a mile a minute.
"I swear, the man's got rocks in his
noggin," Bridie griped, inspecting a corduroy shirt before tossing it in
the laundry basket. "I got me hands full with li'l Joseph and all I ask
fer is some help around 'ere. Like yesterday. 'Joe,' I says, 'please stop at
the market and get some milk on yer way home.' And he can't even remember
that."
"Y'ought to leave the young 'un with me
more often," Meg replied without taking her adoring eyes off the infant.
"I don't mind."
Joseph O'Boyle, Jr. was an easygoing baby--or
so he appeared to Rose, who, prior to the last ten months, had not had much
exposure to babies at all. At the moment she had only Cecilia as a point of
reference, and it really wouldn't be fair to compare her to anyone's child. She
was ten months old, and due to her fragile health, Rose and the other Scott
children still were never allowed to hold her. She suffered from frequent bouts
of colic, and though tiny for her age, had a wail that rivaled the horn on the
Model T.
Meg broke into Rose's reverie. "Are ya
ready to go, Rose? The boys are meeting us in half an hour."
"Oh, right." Rose stood, relieved
to be escaping Bridie's litany of complaints. Meg reluctantly returned the baby
to his mother and they began the walk to the Quinn apartment.
An early morning rain shower had left traces
of moisture in the air, and on the train Rose had wondered if the planned
picnic in Central Park would be such a good idea. But by noon the sun had
broken through the clouds and the promise of summer was all around them. It
turned out to be the warmest day thus far this June. Rose had never been to the
park and looked forward to the outing.
Meg was even cheerier than usual; as she
babbled on and on about Bridie's baby, her face glowed like Rose had never seen
it. She'd been acting mysterious all day, and Rose knew her well enough to tell
that she had some big secret.
"Meg, please tell me what's going
on," she prodded one last time just before Teddy and Meg's beau, Gabriel,
arrived. "You weren't even this happy when they took you off the Sunday
shift at the hospital."
Meg only smiled. "You'll find out soon
enough."
"Oh, come now, this is maddening!"
A knock at the door saved Meg from having to
reveal her secret. Gabriel stepped over the threshold and swept her into his
arms, kissing her as if it had been weeks or months since they'd last seen each
other instead of one day. Rose knew that he came calling on an almost daily
basis now.
She looked away, embarrassed. Gabriel was a
tall, stocky man and the petite Meg had to stand on her toes to embrace him. It
would be comical if it didn't stir the longing that was lodged in Rose's chest.
Teddy cleared his throat. "Hello,
Rose."
She hadn't even seen him come in. He pecked
her lightly on the mouth and inquired politely about her trip into the city.
There had been no passionate kisses between them yet, and she feared there
never would be.
Ever the gentleman, he presented her with a
single yellow rose. A sweet gesture, but predictable. He brought roses every
time he came calling.
Now Gabriel, he was spontaneous. Once they
got off the el and walked across town to Fifth Ave. and 59th St., he announced
that he'd already rented two horse-drawn buggies. He and Meg settled in one
with the picnic baskets, and Rose climbed into the other with Teddy. Both
drivers snapped the reins and they were off.
Gabriel had apparently instructed them to
take the longest and most romantic route. Teddy draped an arm about Rose's
shoulders and drew her closer to him. She closed her eyes, enjoying the warm
breeze that rustled the foliage and tickled her skin.
"Wait till I tell the boys at the
station about this," Teddy bragged. "Me 'n you on a buggy ride in
Central Park. They'll be turning green, all of 'em."
Rose frowned, but he didn't notice.
They arrived at a vast lake, where seemingly
hundreds were strolling, enjoying a leisurely lunch, as they were about to do,
or tossing crumbs to the ducks and pigeons. A few had ventured into the water.
Gabriel and Teddy carried the heavy baskets to a shady spot near where a
juggler on a unicycle entertained a small crowd. Rose and Meg spread out a
tablecloth and a blanket to sit on.
"Let's see here," Gabriel was
saying, "we have bread and cheese, corned beef and salami--and what're
these big sandwiches called again, Rose?"
"Po' boys," she explained,
arranging the food neatly on the tablecloth. "They're popular down in New
Orleans, where Arnolde is from."
"Ah. Here's some grapes, and homemade
fudge for dessert. That should be all--but wait, what 'ave we here?"
He produced four wine glasses and a bottle of
Chardonnay. Rose's curiosity was piqued; she was familiar with the label and
knew Gabriel could barely afford it.
When their appetites were satisfied, Gabriel
used a corkscrew to open the bottle and filled the glasses, handing one to each
of them. "Meg wanted you and Teddy--after her Papa, of course--to be the
first to hear our news, because you're her best friend," he said to Rose,
then glanced at Meg.
She could no longer contain herself.
"Gabriel proposed yesterday. We're tyin' the knot!" she shrieked,
frightening the pigeons who had boldly approached the tablecloth. Rose
carefully put her glass aside before throwing her arms first around her friend,
then Gabriel. Teddy put out a hand to his future cousin, beaming.
"Welcome to the family."
They drank in celebration, and after the
remains of the luncheon were cleared away, Gabriel took Meg's hand and the two of
them went for a walk on the path around the lake. Rose watched Meg rest her
head on her fiancé's arm and felt a twinge of envy.
"Well, lookee there," Teddy
laughed, forcing Rose to look at him. "That fella likes ya."
Rose looked down and was startled to find a
baby squirrel hunched in her skirts, pleading with its eyes for a bite to eat.
She tried to shoo it away, but it wouldn't budge, so she said, "Teddy, can
you please get a piece of bread from the basket?"
"Certainly."
She broke off a small chunk and was delighted
to see the animal grasp the bread in its clutches for a moment before scurrying
away with it in its teeth.
"You sure are beautiful when you laugh,
Rosie," Teddy said, and she blushed.
"What Gabriel did today, it made me
think," he added slowly.
Rose knew what was coming. She looked away,
her mood suddenly darkening.
Please don't do this, she prayed silently.
I'm not ready.
"Rose, I'm the happiest bloke in the
world when I'm with you. Will you marry me?"