LOVERS LOST AND CHILDREN FOUND
Chapter Twelve
Rose was holding hands with
Summer, enjoying her company.
"So, Summer, what’s your
favorite thing to do?" Rose asked the smiling little girl.
"I like to swim in the
ocean. Daddy told me it’s full of secrets and lost souls, and that, to me, is
magical…"
Rose cut Summer off. "I love
the ocean, too. How about we go back home, get our bathing suits, and take a
swim?" Rose smiled at Summer.
"Okay. Will you hold my hand
like Daddy does?"
"Of course."
Rose and Summer started back to
the house.
*****
At the house, Jack’s face look
liked he had witnessed the Titanic all over again--all the memories, especially
the ones Cal had made for Rose and him.
"Excuse me?" Jack
asked, not really believing what he was hearing.
"Caledon Hockley…yes, I
remember Mom telling me that she was being forced into a marriage to him. Also,
the trouble he put you and Mother through, but I ran into his daughter that day
I came to see you at the pier. I talked to her. She was nice. I never talked to
Cal, but I hope that he will help, considering that I remember you telling
Mother that it seemed he had changed. So, let’s hope!" Eva said, motioning
with her hand to leave.
"Wait, Eva. He won’t help
us. Especially me. He hated me. For God’s sake, he shot at me! Left me to die
in a flooded room! Don’t forget that he slapped your mother," Jack said,
getting a little angry at remembering all those horrible things Cal had done.
"Well, we are just going to
have to pay him a visit," Eva said, not really scared of this fellow.
As Eva was leaving, Jack was
standing against the wall, not wanting to go to Cal. Rose and Summer walked in,
noticing the strange expressions on Jack and Eva’s faces.
Rose spoke up. "What’s
wrong, you two?"
"Nothing, Mother. I am
leaving now. I’ll be back soon." She smiled, walking out the door towards
Cal’s house.
"Jack?" Rose sat next
to Jack, who was now on the couch with his face in his hands. "Summer, go
get your bathing suit from your room and change into it. I need to talk to your
father," Rose told Summer.
"Okay, Mom!" Summer
said, making her way into her and Eva’s room.
"Jack?"
"Rose, Nicole came here,
saying she was gonna have custody. I said no, and she slapped me. Eva, who has
your fire, by the way, came in and told her off. She said she knew a rich man,
and said to Nicole that she’d better be prepared to fight!"
"I can’t believe it! I very
much dislike Nicole--wait! Eva knows a rich man? Who is he?" Rose asked,
very confused and angry at Nicole.
"I believe you know
him…Caledon Hockley."
"W-what?" Rose was
speechless "H-h-how?"
"One day, when she visited
me at the pier, she met his daughter. Eva said they become friends. She never
really met Cal. Also, Eva said that she knows what Cal did to us! I told her
everything he did us, but she did not listen! Now she’s on her way there!"
Jack said, now exhausted.
"Well, let her do her thing.
She will be fine. Now, I promised Summer that I would take her swimming at the
beach for little bit. Would you like to join us?" Rose asked, getting up
to retrieve Summer.
"No. I will wait here, in
case Eva comes back," Jack said, getting up to sit in a chair outside.
"All right, Jack. Please
relax…promise?" Rose asked, concerned.
"I promise," he said,
kissing her.
Rose changed into her bathing
suit. She and Summer were off to the beach for some fun.
At Caledon Hockley’s Beach
House
Eva walked up the fancy walkway.
Calming her nerves, she knocked on the door. What looked like a butler answered
the door.
"May I help you?" the
elderly man asked Eva.
"Yes, you may. Can I speak
with Mr. Caledon Hockley?"
"You do seem a little young
to be a business associate. I will ask him if he will see you. Your name,
please?"
"Eva D-Damon."
"Eva Damon? All right. I
will be right back. Come in, and sit in the parlor."
Mr. Goodman, the butler, walked
into Cal’s office. He didn’t know why Cal worked on vacation, but he did.
"Mr. Hockley, a young lady named Eva Damon wants to see you."
"A young lady? Well, send
her in," Cal said, his voice polite. He was looking out the window into
the ocean, a different ocean than the one that had taken away his beloved Rose.
When his wife, Emily, and his two children were out, like today, he would say
he’d be working, but really, he was thinking about Rose. He regretted
everything he had done. Inside, he had loved her, but being brought up not to
be a girl, as his father used to say, he had acted harshly and never showed his
true feelings. Now she was gone, and there was nothing he could do. He would do
anything, even just be her friend. Hell, he would even let her be with the
gutter rat, Jack Dawson.
The girl broke his thoughts in a
voice similar to Rose’s. He turned around in his chair to face her.
"Mr. Hockley?" Eva
asked. He looked handsome, with his dark hair and eyes.
"Yes? Miss Damon, is
it?"
"No. I made up the last name
so you would see me, because you may recognize my last name…" she said,
sitting in the chair in front of his desk.
"Well, what is it?" Cal
asked, now a little nervous.
"It’s Dawson," Eva
said, fidgeting.
Cal’s face went pale.
"D-Dawson, you say? Might you be related to Jack Dawson?" Cal asked.
He was wondering what she wanted of him.
"Why, yes, and you may also
know my mother, Rose Dawson…maiden name DeWitt Bukater…" Eva stared into
Cal’s dark eyes.
"Jesus…" was all Cal
could say.
"Mr. Hockley, I realize this
is a lot to process, but I need your help desperately," Eva said.
Cal was going crazy inside. Rose
was alive, married to Dawson, and now her daughter was sitting here in front of
him, asking for help!
"How do you know me and
where I live?" Cal asked, his voice very calm.
"I know your eldest
daughter, and my parents told me everything about you, and the Titanic…"
Eva explained everything going on in her life and her parents’ lives.
"Now, what I need your help with is my half-sister, Summer. Her mother
wants custody of her, and we don’t have enough money to fight for her. I need
some money. Her mother will probably back off, knowing you’re Caledon Hockley,
son of the Hockley steel tycoon, Nathan Hockley. Please, help me. Pretend you
don’t even have a history with my parents," Eva said, hoping Cal would
help her.
"Well, Miss Dawson, I-I
guess I will help you." Cal wanted to let Rose know that he still cared
about her. "Miss--"
"Please, call me Eva."
"Eva. Let’s go to your
parents’ house, so I can help plan with them what we should do."