Written by Helena
Based on some situations originated by James Cameron.
"I...I know you’re here,
Jack. I can...I can feel it...you. It’s kind of strange, really, to know that
you’re here, to know for certain. And I do...know for certain, that is.
"Well, hello, Jack. It’s
been a long time. Nine years. Nine long, lonely years without you. I mean, not
that I was without you. You were always in my heart, and I’m sure that every
once in a while you came down here to visit me...right?
"Well, Jack, how are you?
You’re doing well? Well, that makes one of us. I mean, I suppose I am doing
well. I followed my dream. You remember, don’t you, Jack? When I told you I
wanted to be an actress? I enjoy it. It’s nice to be someone else for a change,
to finally be able to forget about you. Not that I want to forget about you. It
just hurts too much after a while, carrying around this pain in my chest day
after day, month after month, year after year. It just gets too much to bear
after a while, do you know what I mean? I’m not doing very well in here, Jack.
No, I’m not talking about this ratty old apartment, although I’m not doing too
well in it, either. I’m talking about inside, inside me. I feel...I feel...oh,
God, I don’t even know what I feel anymore. Do you ever get like this? So
hopeless...so...pathetic...it’s strange...I mean, I lived without you for
seventeen years, and then we spent three days together. I’m suddenly alone
again, and now I can’t even breathe without you. God, I am pathetic. But now,
I’m starting to wonder how I had lived those seventeen years without you.
Although I didn’t really live...my body did, but not my spirit, if that makes
any sense at all. Perhaps I should say I hadn’t been making each day count.
Making it count. I remember when you said that; you looked so handsome...you
fit right in with the rest of us...not likely. You...gave the appearance of
being exactly like us! Yes, that you did, my dear. Doesn’t say much for the
rich. A penniless artist comes along, borrows a suit, and everyone thinks that
he is a rich bastard like the rest of them...or then again, perhaps it says
more...
"You know, Jack, I really
like you in a suit...with your hair all slicked back...although it does look
quite nice when it’s falling in your face...you always were reaching out and
brushing it out of your eyes...ah...your eyes...so blue...so full of
depth...you know, I never could understand what those eyes saw in me. I mean, I
was beautiful, or so I was told. But there are many pretty faces...prettier
faces. I remember my mother always saying to me, ‘Rose, dear, you really do
need to lose some weight. You’re looking a bit full in that dress. Perhaps we
can tighten the corset a few notches?’ Well, are you happy now, Mother? I’m
skinny now. Yes, skinny. I weigh a hundred and nine pounds and I’m five foot
seven…five foot eight, actually...did you ever think I was fat, Jack? When you
saw me without my clothes on, did you think ‘that girl needs to lose some
weight. Those prostitutes I drew were much prettier.’ Yes, I’m sure that’s
exactly what you thought. And you probably said to yourself, ‘Her cheekbones
are terrible! They really should be more prominent!’ Who am I kidding? I
know you’d never think that, Jack. You’d never be that shallow.
"You always said I had a
fire within me. What did you mean by that? And what did you mean when you said
‘that fire is going to burn out’? Did you mean Cal was going to burn out
my fire? Cal was full of fire, too, Jack. Maybe that is what you meant; Cal was
going to burn out my fire. I heard that they put out forest fires by creating a
fire coming the opposite direction. So, maybe Cal’s fire and my fire put
together would have made both our fires burn out. That would have been good for
him. His fire was a bad fire and mine was a good fire. Yes, I had a good
fire...didn’t I, Jack?
"So, how are things up
there, Jack? How is the weather? It’s good weather? Sunny, I hope. Maybe a bit
of rain...and perhaps it snows once in a while. It would be fun to make a
snowman...and snow angels...and have snowball fights...do you like the snow?
You told me that you grew up near Chippewa Falls, which you said had the
coldest winters around, and I quote you on that. I went to Chippewa Falls three
years ago, actually. You never told me where you lived, just that it was near
Chippewa Falls. So I went there, and asked around until I finally found someone
who remembered you. His name was Jim; yes, Jim. He told me some rather odd
stories about you, Jack. Apparently he was your uncle’s old friend. I wanted to
see your uncle, but Jim told me he died when you were twelve. I asked if you
had any living relatives, and he said you had a few aunts and uncles living in
the south. I have the exact location written down somewhere, haven’t had enough
guts to actually go there. He told me about when you were little, Jack.
Apparently you were quite the wild one. I wish we had known each other when we
were children. We would have gotten along great; I was quite a handful myself.
My mother would always sigh whenever I did something embarrassing and tell her
friends that I inherited my wild side from my father.
"Did you ever meet my father
up there, Jack? I’m sure he would have liked you. You remind me a lot of him.
Would your parents have liked me? I’m sure I would have liked them. What did
they look like? My father had light brown hair and the greenest eyes I’ve ever
seen. He wasn’t exactly on the thin side, and my mother always blamed my being
chubby on him. She seemed to blame everything that was wrong with me, on him.
Well, actually, she blamed everything on him. Tell my father I said hello if
you see him. And...and tell him...that I...love him.
"Oh, God, Jack...I...I miss
you so much, you know? Have you ever heard ‘not a day goes by that I don’t
think of you’? Well, it’s true, only in this case it’s more like not an
hour...or a minute...or a second...oh, God! I can’t go on like this...I just
can’t! I need you...and not like this...in the flesh...so I can hold you...and
kiss you...why did you make me promise I’d live on? Do you know how much pain
you’ve put me through? How much misery? I need you, Jack Dawson! I need you
like I need air...hell, I don’t even need air. I don’t want air! Take away my
air, so then I’ll die and be with you!
"Oh, God, what am I saying?
Don’t listen to me. I didn’t mean it. I...I need to keep my promise...I shall
live each day to the fullest...I’ll live on...make lots of babies...watch them
grow...hell, Jack! How could you make me promise to ‘make lots of babies’?
Because that would imply me getting married...and that would imply me falling
in love...and I don’t want to fall in love, Jack! The only person I want to
love is you; the only person I’ll ever love is you! Is that what you want, me
to fall in love again, with someone else? Because...I’ve been seeing someone,
Jack. Yes, I’ve been seeing someone...and I think I might care for him a great
deal...it’s not love, Jack...at least I think it’s not...I can’t explain this
feeling...it’s just different...not so...intense...he...he’s really nice. His
name is James Calvert. We’ve been seeing one another for nearly four months
now. He was married before, Jack. To some woman named Elizabeth. But he doesn’t
know about you...I could never tell anyone about you...he does know that I
loved someone and...he died...
"And there’s something else,
Jack...he proposed to me last night...I didn’t know what to say...so...I said
yes...I thought that that’s what you want me to do, to fulfill my promise. Did
I do the right thing?
"He has a son, Jack. His
name is William, but we call him Willy. He is the most adorable little boy I’ve
ever seen. He’s three years old. I saw him this morning and he asked me if I
was going to be his mommy...his mother died when he was still an infant, you
see...and...I told him yes.
"One day, Jack…one day I
know we’re going to be together again. This time forever, for eternity. But until
then my darling, my love, I need to fulfill my promise, for you, for me. I need
to make each day count."
The End.