REUNION AND CONFRONTATION, 1925
Chapter Two
Jack and Fabrizio stood with their arms
around each other. All the sadness, all the years of emotional torment were
washed away in an instant. The Dawson children stood together, not
understanding why their usually exuberant father was moved to silent tears.
Nora watched, wondering why her husband had never mentioned a friend like this
before. Rose stood some distance away. She held her head in her hands. The
shouts and cheering that she heard in the park translated to something very different
in her mind. She would never be able to shut out the screaming and the cries of
that April night. Seeing Fabrizio had brought it all back to her.
At last, Jack and Fabrizio let go and they
stood a few feet apart studying each other. They were no longer the adventurous
young men that they had been on Titanic. That experience and its aftermath had
altered them both. But a few things remained the same. Nothing could ever
change Jack's penetrating look or Fabrizio's lopsided grin. Suddenly a cry from
Sean brought them all back to the present.
"Jack, I can't believe it is you,"
said Fabrizio putting his hands on his friend's shoulders again.
"You too, Fabrizio," answered Jack,
smiling broadly. "What happened to you?"
"Well, I could ask you the same thing,
Jack," said Fabrizio, with some of his carefree teasing coming back.
"Fabrizio, don't you think you should
introduce us?"
Nora had stepped forward with the baby.
"Oh, Nora, please, forgive me. This is
such a day, like I never had." He pulled Jack closer to Nora and gestured
with his hand. "This, this is my friend Jack, who I think I never see
again. And here he is. Jack, this is my wife, Nora and our baby Sean."
Fabrizio could barely conceal the pride in
his voice as he made the introductions. Jack shook hands with Nora and gave the
baby, who appeared to be about a year old, a pat on the head.
"So, Jack, you must be someone very
special. I have never seen Fabrizio like this. Usually he is so quiet."
"Oh really," said Jack.
"Funny, I never knew you to be quiet," he joked. "It's nice to
meet you Nora." Jack looked around and motioned for the children to come
closer.
"This is my family. Edy and Molly, the
twins, Frank and Cora. And Rose?" Jack turned and looked for her.
"Frank, where is your mother?"
Frank shrugged as he said, "I don't
know. She was over there a minute ago," he answered, pointing to a tree
nearby.
Then Jack saw her. She was leaning against a
tree, with her hand on her chest, looking as if she was trying to catch her
breath.
Jack left the group and ran to her side.
"Rose, Rose, are you alright? What's wrong?"
Rose was having a hard time speaking. There
were tears in her eyes. She leaned against Jack and he put his arms around her.
"What is it?" He pressed her again
for an answer.
"Oh, God, Jack, when I saw Fabrizio, it
all started coming back to me. The screaming, the cold, the pain. Why does this
have to happen all the time?" she asked, clinging to him.
"Shh, it's okay. You'll be okay."
He looked into her eyes and tried to make her smile.
She took a deep breath and tried to calm
down.
"Come on," he said, taking her
hand. "The kids will be worried and you have to see Fabrizio and meet his
wife. It'll be alright now. Come on."
He led Rose to where everyone was waiting. As
they walked, she tried to compose herself. She did not want to ruin this
reunion for Jack. But Rose wondered what was going to happen. It seemed sure
now that the topic she dreaded most was going to come up. She and Jack had
tried to put Titanic behind them and they never talked about it, except each
year on April 15. And they had never told the children. She would have to wait
and see how the situation developed.
"Ah, the lovely Rose," said
Fabrizio, as she and Jack rejoined the others. He took the liberty of giving
her a hug, as if she was a member of the family. He looked at the children and
then back at Rose. "I see you have made the wandering Jack settle
down."
They all laughed.
"It's good to see you," she said.
"I know how much this means to Jack." She shook hands and introduced
herself to Nora. "I'm glad things worked out for you both too."
They stood for a moment in awkward silence,
not knowing what to say next. Jack was the first to speak.
"So, how long have you been
married?" he asked.
Nora glanced at Fabrizio. She seemed for a
moment embarrassed. Then somehow she sensed that Jack and Rose would not be
judgmental. Fabrizio nodded to her and so she answered the question. She looked
Jack straight in the eye and said, "We've been married six months."
"That's wonderful," said Rose,
sensing her discomfort. "Why, we must seem like an old couple to you.
We've been married a long time."
"How long?" asked Fabrizio,
guessing what the answer would be.
Jack smiled and said, "Thirteen
years."
Fabrizio nodded to himself. He had been sure
that Jack had not wasted any time.
Nora was busy trying to settle down Sean, who
was fussing. The Dawson children were very interested in the baby and offered
to entertain him. Nora asked the twins how old they were.
"Oh, we're twelve. We'll be thirteen on
January 18th," said Edy and Molly in unison.
"But I'm the oldest," said Molly,
proudly, "by 10 minutes. Frank is eleven and Cora is only seven."
"She's the baby," taunted Edy,
making a face at her sister.
"I'm not a baby," said Cora
defending herself.
Jack gave his children one look, and the
beginnings of a squabble were quickly ended. Fabrizio stood making some mental
calculations. The date of the twins birthday was not lost on him. He knew now
what he suspected then. Jack and Rose must have had quite an evening that last
night on Titanic. He had always wondered where Jack had been in the hours
before the sinking. Leave it to Jack, he mused.
"Come, you must sit and visit with
us," said Fabrizio. "We have cookies and fruit. We need to find all
about what has gone on since, that day, night, when..."
But he could not bear to go on. He could not
say the words. Rose helped him out, even though she knew what would happen.
"Why don't we let the children play for
awhile and we can visit for a bit. We have a little parlor in our hotel room.
Maybe tonight you and Nora can come and we can REALLY talk about old
times."
"Yes, Fabrizio, what about it?"
asked Jack.
Nora and Fabrizio looked at one another.
"Yes, of course Jack, we will come. My
mother will watch Sean. Yes, we have a good visit. Just like old times,
eh?"
Jack and Fabrizio put their arms around each
other's shoulders and walked towards the place where Fabrizio and Nora had left
their basket and blanket. Nora headed in the same direction carrying Sean, the
Dawson children following her closely.
Rose stood for a moment watching them. She
was pleased for Jack that he had found his good friend. It was wonderful that
Fabrizio had a wife and child. She and Jack and the children had been having a
wonderful time in New York. But she was dreading tonight. She had never wanted
to talk about Titanic with anyone, except when she and Jack took their long
walks on those April days. But tonight they would dig up the ghosts of the past,
and recall the bone chilling experience that had nearly taken their lives.
Tonight, what she dreaded most, would become the inevitable.