LOVE IS MORE THAN A FEELING
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jack and Rose walked down to the train depot,
baby Elisa in Rose’s arms. Jack had a letter in his pocket from Fred and Monica,
who had finally succeeded in selling the apartment building. They had written
to say that they would be arriving in Chippewa Falls on August eighth.
As they waited at the station, Jack took
Elisa from Rose and cuddled her, rocking her to sleep. The infant was just over
two weeks old, and already she had her daddy wrapped around her little finger.
Jack adored her, spending hours cuddling his baby daughter when he came home
from work in the evening. Elisa loved the attention, lying calmly in her father’s
arms, and only crying when she needed something.
Rose took the letter from Jack, re-reading
it. It had been sent shortly before the Winkings had left New York City, so
they hadn’t written back. Their friends would arrive before a letter would have
a chance to reach them.
It had taken several months for Fred and
Monica to sell the apartment building. Buyers were hard to find, especially
those willing to pay what the building was worth. Many people didn’t want the
responsibility of being landlords, making it harder to sell than a single
house.
They had finally succeeded in selling it,
though, and had left for Chippewa Falls a week later, informing the Dawsons of
when they would be arriving. Now, Jack and Rose waited anxiously for the train
to appear.
The train finally arrived about twenty
minutes later, announcing itself with a loud whistle that set Elisa to wailing.
Rose took her daughter back and rocked her, soothing the frightened infant, as
Jack stepped forward to help with the luggage.
Fred and Monica emerged from the train a
moment later, Monica moving awkwardly from her swollen middle. Rose ran up and
hugged her, cradling Elisa in one arm.
"Monica! It’s so good to see you."
"Rose! I thought we’d never get around
to moving. But we finally did. Is this your daughter?"
Rose nodded proudly. "Yes. Fred, Monica,
meet Elisa Ruth Dawson."
Elisa opened her blue eyes and stared in
blank fascination at the strangers for a moment before closing her eyes again,
her thumb finding its way into her mouth.
"She’s darling, Rose." Monica
stroked a tiny fist, smiling when the baby gripped her fingers. "All that
red hair—just like her mother. And those blue eyes..."
"She got the best of both of us,"
Rose told her, stroking her daughter’s back. Elisa took her thumb from her
mouth, dozing contentedly on her mother’s shoulder.
Jack and Fred had brought most of the luggage
by this time. Setting it down, they looked around for a way to transport it
back to the Winkings’ new house. Fred waved to someone still on the train.
When Jack looked at him curiously, he
explained, "Monica and I met some people traveling this way who said they
knew a Jack Dawson from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. We got to talking, and they
said that you’d died on the Titanic. Of course, we knew that you were alive and
well, so we invited them to accompany us to Chippewa Falls to see for
themselves."
Jack and Rose looked at each other. Who could
possibly have known that Jack was from Chippewa Falls and had been on the
Titanic?
Jack immediately thought of Fabrizio, but
knew that it wasn’t possible. If his friend had lived, they would have met up
again on the Carpathia. No, it wasn’t possible...it had to be someone else that
he had met on board the ship, some acquaintance that he didn’t really remember.
And yet...what if it was Fabrizio? Could he possibly have survived?