LOVE LASTS FOR ETERNITY
Chapter Fifteen

May 1, 1912
Rose's POV

I awoke the morning of my birthday the same as I had every morning over the past week or so--with a sickening feeling in my stomach. I wrapped my arms around my stomach, willing the nausea to stop. Come on, I thought. Give me my birthday off from being sick. Then I realized. Oh, yes! It was my birthday! I had completely forgotten about it. So much had happened recently.

After we decided to settle in Chippewa Falls, Jack and I had both started looking for jobs. Jack had found one quickly enough with the local newspaper, illustrating some of the articles. I had taken more time to find one.

Having never been allowed to lift a finger in my life, I had basically no skills that I knew of. I experimented with different skills and trades until I finally found one. I'd answered an ad in the paper from the local theater company. I now worked for them, taking part in some of the performances and also helping to teach an acting class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. I loved the job. I loved acting. It felt like I could jump into another person's life whenever I wanted. I was also allowed to improvise with the roles. I could invent lines off the top of my head and use the script only as a guide. I also enjoyed helping to teach the acting class. Most of the people there were children, ranging in age from around seven to fifteen. It was fun working with them, and they seemed to like me, too. I earned a fair wage there, too, which was an added bonus.

When I finally remembered that it was my eighteenth birthday, I felt as excited as I did when I was little. Maybe the extra hormones of pregnancy had something to do with it. I leaped out of bed and threw open the curtains. Bright sunlight poured into the room.

I suddenly felt something soft and furry brush against my legs. I looked down to see Honey rubbing herself against me. I knelt down and picked her up. She yapped at me and I could almost swear she smiled. It was as though she was wishing me a happy birthday. I cuddled her close and she licked my nose. This always made me giggle. I carried her back over to the bed and dropped her onto the duvet. She pawed the fabric for a moment, getting herself comfortable, and settled down for a morning doze before breakfast. I lay there, watching her for a moment, trying to contain my excitement. When I could contain my excitement no longer, I leaned over and shook Jack awake.

"Jack! Wake up!" I said excitedly.

"All right. I'm up," he said when he was awake. He sat up and kissed me. "Happy eighteenth birthday."

I kissed him back. "It is now," I said, smiling.

When we went downstairs for breakfast, I found that Mrs. Ryan had baked a small birthday cake for later. It was my favorite, chocolate cake with cherry jam in the middle. She had written Happy Birthday, Rose! in pink icing as well. It looked far too good to eat.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Ryan," I said, giving her a hug.

"It was nothing, dear. Just think of it as a birthday present. Now, what have you two got planned for today?"

Jack and I had decided to go out to the country with Honey for a picnic that day. The man who now owned Thunder, Jim, had agreed to lend us the horse and one of his other horses to ride. Jack said he would try to teach me the basics of riding today. I was quite excited about it. Finally, I could learn to ride like a man!

A few hours later, Jack, Honey, and I walked up to Jim's stables to get Thunder and the other horse. Jim greeted us at the gate to the barnyard with Thunder held by the reins with one hand. With the other hand, he held the reins of a beautiful gray mare speckled with white and a thick black mane and tail. Her name was Shadow and, according to Jim, she was calm and easy to manage.

"She won't give you any trouble. She's used to first-time riders," Jim assured me.

Using the technique Jack showed me, I successfully mounted Shadow's smooth gray back and slipped my feet into the stirrups. It felt much more comfortable riding with a saddle, but I was a bit worried about the reins hurting the horse. The bit in her mouth looked a little uncomfortable to me.

"Nah. She doesn't mind it," Jim explained. "If anything, she seems to enjoy chewing on it. Believe me, if it was causing her pain or discomfort, I would have disposed of it years ago."

Reassured by his words, I had a go at guiding Shadow with the reins. It took a while to figure out, but I finally got the hang of it. We set off on the horses towards the countryside, me carrying the food, Jack with Honey balanced on his horse. I was a little nervous at first as we rode down the path, convinced I would guide her straight into a tree or a ditch, but I soon relaxed and let Shadow find her own way down the path. It was simple enough. She seemed to know where to go naturally, and she just followed Thunder. She stuck to him like glue, her nose almost brushing his tail.

After about twenty minutes of riding, we reached our destination, one of the most beautiful places I had seen since we arrived, a beautiful meadow full of lush green grass and yellow buttercups. We let the horses graze in the meadow freely and began to set up the food. Mrs. Ryan had packed the cake she baked for me as well as a variety of other foods--sandwiches, lemonade, chicken, cookies, and a slice of blackberry pie each. It was all delicious.

"So, how's your birthday so far?" Jack asked me when we'd finished the food and were taking turns giving Honey the chicken scraps.

"Wonderful," I replied. "Better than my last, anyway."

"Why? What was that like?"

I shuddered. "Horrible. Simply horrible," I said. "It was with Cal. That's why. He insisted on organizing this big, posh gala and insisted I wear this horrible, frilly dress that I could barely breathe in. And you know what he got me? This huge, gaudy, moss green emerald necklace. I'd told him beforehand that I didn't want anything too big and flashy, and he went and bought the biggest, flashiest emerald he could find. It was dreadfully heavy, too, and it hung from a short gold chain, so the feel of it around my neck constantly irritated me. I knew refusing it was out of the question. Even back then, Cal had a temper. But it was that night that was the worst. He came into my room when I was getting changed, catching me when I was just in my undergarments, and tried to seduce me. I felt shocked. I had just turned seventeen and he was pressuring me to come to his bed already! And what if I had become pregnant? I was too young for children."

Jack listened to my tale. Then he said, "But if you felt that way when you had just turned seventeen, and you became pregnant when you were still seventeen, don't you still feel the same way?"

I realized what he meant. I regretted saying that I didn't want children yet.

"No, I don't," I said quickly. "I mean, yes, I do still feel I'm a bit too young for children, but that doesn't mean I won't love our baby with everything I've got. Believe me, no matter how old I am, it would be impossible for me to love our baby anymore than I do now."

Jack smiled. "Okay. I believe you," he said, smiling. "Well, after hearing what a dreadful birthday you had last year, let's try to make this one better, starting with these." He pulled two small wrapped boxes out of the picnic basket, hidden at the bottom. He handed me the bigger one, a longer one, and I began to open it eagerly. Below the paper was a velvet jewelry box. I felt a bit uneasy for a second, but when I opened the box, I found a beautiful silver locket, simple and perfect.

"It's beautiful!" I gasped, taking it out of the box and holding it to the sunlight. The locket shone in the sun, making it stunning.

"So, you like it, then?" Jack asked.

"I love it!" I replied, throwing my arms around him. I fastened it around my neck straightaway, loving the feel of it hanging loosely on my chest. Jack handed me the other present and I opened that one, too, excitement swelling inside me. I found another jewelry box, small and square this time, and inside, a beautiful ring. It was white gold, with a red rose in the center and a tiny, sparkling diamond in the center of the red petals. It was the most beautiful ring I had even seen, much better than the ring Cal had given me, which had a rock the size of a nickel in the center. This was much better.

"Oh, this is perfect!" I said delightedly. "I love it!"

"Well, before you put it on, there's something I need to ask you," said Jack. I looked at him, puzzled for a moment. Then I knew what was coming next. "Rose, will you marry me?"

In response, I threw my arms around him again. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" I squealed.

We broke apart and Jack took the ring out of its box and slipped it onto my finger. It fit perfectly. I'd never felt so happy in my life. I had used the name Dawson as a disguise, but now it would become my real name. I would be Rose Dawson for real.

"Jack, this is the best birthday I have ever had," I said, my jaw aching from smiling.

"Glad you're enjoying it, soon-to-be Rose Dawson," he said back.

He pulled me close and we kissed passionately. We were lost in our own world...until a sharp yap brought us back to reality. We turned our heads to see Honey sitting opposite us, her tail thumping slowly against the glass, her head cocked in curiosity at us. We couldn't help laughing. The look on her face seemed to ask, What are you doing? Can I join in? It was hilarious. She looked a little hurt at us laughing at her, so we pulled her over into our laps and began kissing again...until Honey decided she should join in, too.

*****

"That's it! You've got it!" Jack shouted as I galloped around the meadow on Shadow, finally able to steer her correctly. We had been practicing for over an hour and I finally knew how to guide the horse. It was a wonderful moment. I swelled with pride, knowing that I could ride a horse like a man. I was so happy. Jack rode Thunder over to me and we stopped, the horses side-by-side.

"I can do it!" I said happily. "I can ride a horse!"

"Yep. You're doing great," said Jack. "But I bet I'm faster than you."

I grinned playfully. "Is that a challenge?" I asked. At the same time, we both set off at top speed. I rode as fast as I could, but Jack, having had more experience and a bigger horse, was faster.

"Ha! I win!" he jeered.

"Only because you took off slightly before me."

"That's just an excuse."

"Oh, really?" I suddenly took off unexpectedly, racing back across the meadow to the other side. Jack, caught by surprise, raced to catch up, but I still got there first.

"Now who's faster?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

"Okay. You won this time. Do you want to go for a ride through the forest?"

"Yes. That sounds fun."

We rode back to the spot where we left the picnic things and Honey, who was sleeping under a tree. We woke her up and I lifted her up into my lap. She was used to riding on a horse by now and settled down comfortable between my legs. Then we set off through the meadow and back onto the pathway.

We spent the warm afternoon casually riding through the forest and fields, past several farms and farmland. They were all beautiful, except for one patch of land. The fields were brown and dull. On the edge of the land was large building, grim and dull with smoke billowing from the large chimney.

"Mr. Thompson owns that place," Jack explained. "He’s the biggest food supplier in this part of the state. He doesn't care about the condition of the fields. He just cares about his profits."

"I can tell just by looking at the place," I said.

We rode on, further up the lane, until the farm was out of sight.

"Okay. It's nearly sunset, so we should take the horses back soon," said Jack as the sky began to deepen slightly in color. "But there's one more place I want to show you before we do."

"What's that?" I asked.

He looked a bit uneasy, but then said, "My parents' old house."

I wondered why he wanted to go there now. I didn't ask. I just followed him up the path towards the farm.

When we finally approached, I saw a medium-sized barn close to the house and some open land along the road. They were all empty of farm animals like sheep, cows, and such. There were a few birds in the trees, but that was all, unusual for a farm. It was clear that no one lived here.

At the end of the path was a lovely farmhouse, red brick with a red slate roof. A wooden porch was built over the front door and there was a chicken coop built along the side of the house, but no chickens. I noticed that just behind the house was a small stable, able to house three or four horses. There was no garden at the back, but who needed one with all this farmland? It was a beautiful place, despite its emptiness.

"So, this is where you lived?" I asked Jack.

"Not technically," he replied. "The actual house burnt down in the fire that killed my parents, but this is almost exactly what it looked like, give or take a few details."

"It's lovely," I said.

"Yeah. I guess it is. I did draw a few pictures of it, but they were in the folder that went down with the Titanic."

"Really? I didn't see them in there."

"I kept them at the back, inside a hidden part. I did have a couple of my parents in there, too, and one of Max."

I didn't remember him mentioning anyone called Max. "Who's Max?"

"Max was our sheepdog. He died, too. He seemed to know the sheep inside the barn were in danger and he died herding them out."

"It sounds like he was one brave dog."

"Yeah, he was."

A short silence followed. I wondered what the house would look like inside. "Do you think we'd be allowed inside?" I wondered aloud.

"I think it should be all right," Jack replied. "After all, the house is technically mine now, since my parents still owned it when they died and no one has bought the land since then." He dismounted from Thunder and tied the reins to a fence. "Come on. Let’s see if we can get in."

I dismounted from Shadow and tied her next to Thunder. Jack and I walked up to the front door and tried to open the door. Unsurprisingly, it was locked.

"Hmm…I wonder if that key's still there..." Jack muttered.

I followed him around the side of the house to the stable. The stable was obviously older than the house and barn. It seemed to have been unaffected by the fire. Jack walked into the empty stall next to the wall and moved a loose wood panel to the side. It was attached to the wall by a single nail and could slide from side to side. A small space was hidden behind it, perfect for hiding things. There was a slightly rusty key behind the wall, which Jack removed.

"Why would you keep a key in here?" I asked him.

"Just in case we ever needed it."

I smiled. I remembered a similar thing I had done in my childhood. I had secretly brought home injured animals, birds with broken wings, stray kittens, and such, and hidden them underneath the trapdoor under my bed. I'd made it comfortable enough for them, until one day when Mother heard the kitten I was fostering at the time yowling and all hell broke loose.

We ran back to the house with the key, unlocked the door, and walked inside the house.

The inside of the house was quite spacious, with a joint parlor and dining room, a kitchen, and a small downstairs washroom. Upstairs, there were three bedrooms, a bathroom, and a ladder leading up to the attic.

"That wasn't there before," Jack pointed out. "We didn't have an attic before."

"Let's see what it's like," I suggested, and started to climb the ladder. At the top of the ladder was a trapdoor, which I opened and climbed through. It was a fairly large attic, covering the whole length of the second floor, with a slanted ceiling from the roof. It would be perfect for storing things. There was plenty of space.

The house was almost fully furnished, except the attic, which was empty. It was practically ready to move into. We climbed back down through the trapdoor and went outside again to check on the horses. Honey was sleeping by the fence and the horses were leaning over the fence and eating the grass on the other side.

"So, what do you think of it?" Jack asked.

"It's lovely," I replied. "It looks like a nice place to live."

"Well, that's kind of why I brought you here," Jack continued. "I was thinking that if we stayed here permanently, we could live here. It's a good-sized house, furnished, ready to move into, and we won't even have to buy it as it's technically mine anyway. What do you think?"

"I think that sounds like a great idea," I said, smiling. "I'd love to live here. So, when shall we move in?" We mounted the horses again and began riding back down the path.

"As soon as you want. It's all ready."

I considered. "How about tomorrow?" I asked. I couldn't see any reason to wait any longer.

"Okay, then," Jack replied. "Tomorrow it is."

I was so excited. This time tomorrow, we would have our own home and farm. That was something I'd never really had. A home. Yes, I had lived in a large mansion in Philadelphia, but I'd never felt at home there. It was more like a prison than a home. The farm we were about to move to felt more like home than Philadelphia already.

My eighteenth birthday was definitely one of my favorite days of my life. I had learned how to ride a horse, got a beautiful Labrador as an early present, got engaged to the man I loved, and finally found a home.

Chapter Sixteen
Stories