PHILADELPHIA IN SPRING
Chapter Ten

Ruth sat down on a velvet cushioned chair near the fireplace. Rose led Jack to the couch across from her mother, and he sat down beside her quietly.

Ruth sat stiffly, glancing at Jack, then Rose, and their tightly gripped hands. She opened and closed her mouth several times before speaking.

"Rose, I well...the wedding is off, so that will have to be tended to," She said, as her composure slowly abandoned her, "and the family...of course..." She put her hand to her face, shaking it gently.

"Mother, I'm sorry, but..."

Ruth put her other hand up, silencing Rose.

"Rose, I know why. I know, please don't spend time with that. But the question is..." Her voice faltered, and she reached blindly for a handkerchief on the table next to her. She patted her face with it for a few seconds, while Rose glanced up at Jack worriedly. He gripped her hand even tighter.

And then Ruth continued. "The question I have is-" She looked at Jack as he shifted uncomfortably next to Rose "is why you, Mister Dawson, have become involved in this." She finished her question with an almost harsh tone in her voice.

Jack's eyes drifted to the ceiling above him, and for once, words failed him. While he usually knew the right thing to say, this time, he was speechless. But then he brought his gaze back down, and smiled warmly, determined to make this work. He was about to speak, but Rose was already ahead of him.

"Mother, Jack has more to do with this than you would ever think."

"And how is that Rose?" Ruth inquired, almost sarcastically.

"Mother, Jack's the one that showed me- what was happening to me, what I was missing..."

Ruth appeared confused. "I don't quite understand, Rose."

Rose leaned forward intently. A passion filled her voice as she began to speak. Jack studied her face, impressed with the courage in her tone. "Mother, don't you see? Don't you see what I was heading in to? I was marrying Cal to help our family. At first, that was okay, because I didn't want to hurt you, but then I realized, then I realized that I had to think about me too, Mother. About what I wanted. All of my life, I've been taught what to think, how to think, how to be proper. But there was this larger picture that I was missing. And if I didn't end this, I'd become someone I hated. Jack showed me what my life can be, he showed me the freedom that I've always wanted..."

Ruth sat motionless, absorbing all that her daughter had just said. Her words did not surprise her though.

"Rose, I...I was beginning to think myself...that is, I knew something was wrong, the day we returned from Europe, I knew. That's the day I found you crying. I realized what I'd done, was wrong, but I tried to convince myself that you would come back around, that you'd be fine. So I busied myself with the wedding plans. But today, I saw that you've only drifted further, Rose."

Rose smiled weakly at her mother.

"But do you see? Mother, do you see that I can't be happy like this?"

The full impact of Rose's words hit Ruth hard. She knew she was losing her daughter, right then and there, she was losing her. And she'd be alone. Alone.

"So I suppose you have plans then?"

Rose bit her lip and looked up at Jack, whose blue eyes were smiling down at her. He gave her the slightest nod, and the answer was clear immediately.

"Yes." Rose said, still gazing up at Jack. "Yes." Jack looked down at her lovingly.

Ruth clasped her hands at her waist, clearly embarrassed by their obvious affection.

"Is that where you come in, Mister Dawson?"

Jack laughed slightly. "Yeah, Mrs. Dewitt Bukater I guess it is." He said smiling. Ruth studied him, and then moved her gaze to Rose. Her daughter was smiling, her face radiating, glowing. Her eyes were bright, and she saw a light shining in them, gleaming. That light had not been there before, she was sure. How had long had it been since she'd seen her daughter like this? Far too long, she realized. And this Jack was obviously the reason for it.

"So, you'll be needing money, Rose?"

Rose appeared taken aback at her mother's response. She looked up at Jack curiously, then back to Ruth.

"But Mother, how..."

"Rose, I have a little money of my own, that I'd saved up. It's not much- not much at all, but I want you to have it. I'm worried about you, and I want you to take it."

Rose sat astonished, genuinely surprised at Ruth's offering. She'd expected her mother's reaction to be quite different.

"But what will you do?"

"Rose, I have many options, I believe. I could go to live with one of my sisters in Chicago. I'm sure they would not mind. And I will have to sell this house of course- that will help, I suppose."

"Thank you." Rose whispered, as tears began to flow down both mother and daughter's faces. She let go of Jack's hand and approached Ruth's chair, kneeling down and offering her arms out to her mother. Ruth accepted the embrace hesitantly. But Rose could still feel the harshness in the hug, and she knew what a large gap there was to bridge. Not so easily conquered.

"Jack and I will be back in a little while." Rose said, standing up and motioning for him to follow her back into the hallway.

Jack stood and began to walk, but stopped in front of Ruth's chair, putting his hands into his pockets. His thoughtful expression turned to a warm smile, and he looked down at her.

"Can I call you Ruth?"

Ruth stared back up at him, catching his eye for a short second. This man, standing before her, had come into her life so suddenly, changed her future, and her daughter's, so abruptly. She wanted to hate Jack Dawson, she wanted to despise him, but she found that an impossibility, looking into his sincere and genuinely warm eyes.

She nodded slowly in response to his question.

He smiled. "Ruth, I love your daughter."

Ruth closed her eyes at these words, but reopened them and stared straight ahead. "I know."

Jack nodded to himself, and his mouth curved into a satisfied grin. He continued toward the door, meeting Rose in the hallway. Her green eyes were sparkling, and a smile was playing on her face.

"Now what, Miss Rose?" He asked, beaming.

Rose reached out for his hand and took it in her own. As they walked back into the foyer, she looked at him sweetly. "We'll see," she said.

They reentered the foyer. The sunlight of the afternoon was shining through the thick crystal windows, sending patterns of yellow light across the hardwood floor.

Rose did not hesitate before pulling Jack playfully to her. He slipped his arms around her waist and smiled down at her. She leaned in, pressing her lips softly against his.

After the kiss, Jack pulled his head back gently. Then his face turned serious. "Rose, there are some things we need to talk about. Things to decide." He said tenderly.

She moved one of her hands to his cheek, stroking it softly. She looked deeply into his eyes, and nodded. "I know." She replied sweetly, her eyes filled with hope, and above all else, love.

"I need to go call my boss; tell him why I never showed back up for work today." He said, laughing gently. "And then why don't we go take a walk outside, see what we see?"

Rose smiled and brought her face close to his again.

"Sounds wonderful." And then she couldn't resist the urge to brush her lips against his once more.

And Ruth chose this very minute to step into the hallway. In the center of the brightly lit foyer, she could see them clearly. Their foreheads were pressed tightly together, not an inch of space between them. Ruth's eyes glazed over as she stepped back into the doorway of the sitting room. From there, she could see Rose's face, the happiness so obviously expressed there. They were whispering quietly to each other, oblivious to her presence.

Now Rose was giggling softly. So full of hope. Ruth sighed as she leaned against the doorframe. She closed her eyes to the sound of her daughter's laughter and took a deep breath.

How close she had come to destroying Rose's life. How could she have possibly been so selfish, so focused on her own gain? "How could I have lived my entire life this way?" she thought to herself. But it was over, and maybe for now, she could find some contentment, even if that meant losing, not only her wealth, but her daughter. But maybe she'd lost Rose a long time ago.

Chapter Eleven
Stories