THE SHIP OF DREAMS
Chapter Seventeen
Rose, meanwhile, made her way to Coddie
Anna’s room, knocking gently on the closed door. When she received no reply,
she tried knocking again and called her daughter’s name, a slight pang of fear
filling the pit of her stomach. After a moment or two, she reached for the
knob, twisted it, and pulled the door open. Her daughter’s bedroom was empty
and dark, causing her to feel a little faint. She checked the desk and the bed
for a note, and found nothing. Where is she? she thought, taking a deep
breath and deciding to go and find her mother to see if she knew of Coddie
Anna’s whereabouts. Her first worry was that Cal had done something to her, but
would he really?
She knocked on the door to her mother’s room,
and a soft voice answered, "Who is it?"
"Mother, it’s me," Rose called, her
heart pounding.
"Come in, dear. The door is
unlocked."
Rose opened it and stepped inside, finding
her mother sitting on the couch and reading. "Mother, have you seen Coddie
Anna anywhere?" she asked, trying to sound as calm as possible.
"She’s not in her room where I left her, and there was no note."
Ruth turned the page of her book, peering
over the top of her reading glasses. "I’m afraid I haven’t seen her,
Rose."
Rose’s eyes widened, and she ran her fingers
through her hair, shaking her head. "Oh, no." She started for the
door again, but Ruth stopped her.
"Now, just a minute. I used to lose you
all the time when you were a child. Think for a moment, and try to remember
your favorite places to hide." There was a hint of amusement in her
mother’s voice, and Rose decided that it was better to comply than to argue.
"I hardly think she’d hide from me,
Mother, but I remember that I always liked to go to the lake, and…" She
stopped in mid-sentence. "There isn’t a lake on the ship, but there is a
pool!"
Ruth nodded. "And if I remember
correctly, Coddie Anna does like to swim."
Rose sighed with relief. "Thank you,
Mother."
"And Cal is most likely with her. I
doubt she’d go alone without permission."
Rose smiled and headed in the direction of
the swimming pool. She’d never been there, but when they had taken a tour of
the ship earlier that morning, Mr. Andrews had pointed out the door to it. She
could hear Coddie Anna’s laughter mingled with the splashing of water. Sighing,
she pushed the door open and found her daughter and Cal in the midst of a water
fight. Rose stopped short, just as Coddie Anna dove under water, coming up and
wiping a bit from her eyes.
"Ahem!" Rose cleared her throat,
causing both wet heads to turn towards her.
"Mama!" Coddie Anna cried in
delight, swimming towards the pool stairs. She clambered up the steps and
dashed along the cement floor, preparing to embrace her mother in a tight hug.
"Oh, no, you don’t!" Rose
exclaimed, stepping back. "Not sopping wet, you’re not!"
Coddie Anna blushed. "Sorry, Mama. I
didn’t think you’d be coming back yet." She looked at Cal, who was
swimming backstroke, and then turned back to her mother, panting. "The
water’s warm! Like a bathtub! It feels nice—want to come in, too?"
Rose shook her head. "No, dear. Not at
the moment."
"You don’t know what you’re
missing," Cal called, making a face at Coddie Anna, who immediately ran
and did a cannon ball into the water, spraying him with a large wave. As soon
as she came back up once again, Rose moved towards the edge.
"Coddie Anna, come out, because I want
to talk to you about something."
"I can talk to you from the edge of the
pool, Mama." Coddie Anna swam to the side, holding on.
Rose gave her daughter a warning look,
convincing the child to climb back out for a second time. She brought the girl
over to the corner and lowered her head so she could whisper into her ear.
"We’re invited to have lunch with Jack and his girls in steerage this
afternoon. I would like you to join us."
Coddie Anna’s face screwed up in disgust.
"Steerage?" She cringed. "But it’s all dirty down there!"
Rose shook her head. "No, it isn’t. And
honey, I want you to give it a try at least once. If you absolutely do not like
it, I will not make you come again."
"But…"
"Please, Coddie Anna? I don’t ask much
of you."
Coddie Anna sighed. "Oh, all right. I
suppose I will. But can I swim for a little bit longer? I don’t get to very
often."
Rose nodded. "Very well, but I will come
and fetch you at 12:30."
"Okay." Coddie Anna dove back in,
swimming over to Cal, who was floating and kicking himself into motion with his
feet. Rose shook her head, leaving the swimming room and walking back onto the
deck. Was it just her imagination or did she and Cal suddenly seem a little bit
too chummy? What has he bribed her with? she thought as she aimlessly
made her way back to her room.
*****
Jack, Mac, and Anastasia decided to rest
around their cabin for a bit while they waited for the lunch hour to arrive.
Mac and Anastasia curled up with Jack on his bunk, listening as he read from
Mac’s Complete Book of Shakespeare, given to her by Tatiana as a going
away gift.
"Papa?" Mac asked as Jack finished
a sonnet and was preparing to turn a page. He sniffed and looked down at her.
"What, sweetie?"
"I love you," Mac replied,
snuggling against his chest. Jack stared at her, feeling his eyes mist a bit.
Anastasia grinned, kissing Jack’s shoulder, feeling for a moment as though he
were her own father instead of a good friend.
"Oh, honey, I love you, too," he
stroked her cheek.
"Is it true what you said to Rose
earlier?" Mac whispered, as Anastasia sat up to stretch but accidentally
whacked her head on the above bunk.
"Ow!" she yelped, glaring at it.
"Anastasia! Are you all right?"
Jack asked, laughing as she cursed under her breath.
"I’m fine," she grumbled, massaging
the bruise that was forming.
Mac snorted. "Way to go,
Anastasia," she teased, glad she could use her friend’s real name when
they were alone in the cabin. Anastasia stuck her tongue out at Mac, and
climbed down from the bunk.
"I’m going to write a letter home. I
know we won’t be able to send it until we dock, but I want to keep kind of a
diary of what happens on the ship." She sat down at the desk, pulled out a
piece of notepaper and her pen, and began to write. When she was preoccupied,
Jack turned back to his daughter, shutting the book and setting it beside them.
"Now, what were you going to ask me,
sweetheart?" he whispered, wrapping an arm around her and kissing the top
of her head.
"Is it true what you told Rose earlier?
That every moment you spend with me, even if it restricts your time to do
things, is well worth it?" Her eyes shone with love, and Jack held her
tight.
"I meant every word, baby. Every word. I
love you so much…I don’t know what I would do without you."
Mac sighed in contentment. "And you’re
never going to leave me, right? Never ever? We’ll always be together, won’t
we?" Her voice was filled with hope, and Anastasia looked over her
shoulder with a half smile. Jack hesitated, taking a deep breath.
"Sweetie, I can’t promise you’ll I’ll be
around forever. Forever is a long time, you know."
Mac frowned. "Yeah, but…" She
paused. "Will you at least live until I have my own children?"
Jack laughed. "I’ll try, honey." He
closed his eyes, feeling suddenly sleepy.
"How long do we have until lunch,
Jack?" Anastasia asked, waking him up.
"Mmm? I think about an hour. Lunch
starts at 12:30, and it’s only 11:30. I might rest my eyes for a few moments,
girls."
Mac nodded, untangling herself from him, and
sat up straight on the bed. "I’ll squeeze your hands like this when we
have to wake you up," she explained seriously, demonstrating. He grinned
and reached up to caress her cheek.
"Sounds good to me." He closed his
eyes, trying his best to relax to the sound of the ship’s rumbling engine. Mac
took the book and lay down on her bunk, opening it to Romeo and Juliet.
Before she began reading, she looked at the inside cover of the old volume,
smiling at the note.
I do hope you enjoy this book as much as I
have. As much as it is a shame to part with it, I believe you should have
something to remember me by, darling. Do keep safe and well, and perhaps one
day we will meet again.
Your Tatia
"Hey, Mac," Anastasia spoke up,
causing her friend to glance at her. "Do you remember that time when we
locked Olga and Tatiana in the closet with the mice?"
Mac nodded, covering her mouth with her hand
as she giggled, being mindful of her father. "I do remember that. We got
into—well—you and Maria got into a lot of trouble for that."
Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Yes, because
it was my idea and Maria’s mice."
Mac snickered. "I think I’m going to
read until it’s time to wake my father up." She lay back down and propped
the book open on her knees, sighing deeply. When 12:15 arrived, Mac woke her
father. The three of them changed clothing before finally making their way to
the dining room.
*****
"Mama, do I have to go?"
Coddie Anna mumbled as she followed her mother down the flight of metal steps
to steerage. She wore one of her less formal dresses, and her curly hair was
tied back into a single ponytail with a ribbon.
"Coddie, please try to be kind to
them, dear. It will be all right, I promise," Rose insisted, taking her
daughter’s hand and gently urging the child along. They found Jack, Mac, and
Anastasia sitting at one of the first tables, waiting for them. Jack
immediately stood, smiling at Coddie Anna and kissing Rose’s hand. "Are
you both hungry?" he asked.
"Starving." Rose chuckled, allowing
him to pull out a chair for her, and thanked him as she sat down. Coddie Anna
insisted on helping herself, and sat next to her mother. She refused to meet
Jack’s eyes, and stared at the table, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Mac
nudged Anastasia’s arm and nodded towards Coddie Anna, rolling her eyes. Rose
gave Jack an apologetic glance, mouthing, "I’m sorry," and nodding
towards her daughter.
"Jack won’t bite you," Anastasia
suddenly spoke, causing everyone to look at her.
"I know," Coddie Anna mumbled,
turning pink.
Anastasia scowled. "You could at least
say hello if you wanted to be a proper lady."
Mac blinked, covering her face with her hands
and shaking her head. No one was safe from Anastasia’s tongue.
"Ana," Jack warned, narrowing his
eyes.
A waiter soon came to their table to pass out
menus and take their drink orders before hurrying away again. An awkward
silence passed between them until Jack cleared his throat in an attempt to
start a conversation. "Coddie Anna, your mother tells me you enjoy acting.
Do you have a favorite performance that you’ve seen?"
Mac and Anastasia turned to the newcomer,
fighting the urge to get up and leave. Coddie Anna shrugged, not speaking. Rose
frowned.
"Coddie, Jack asked you a question.
Answer him, please."
Jack felt Mac take his hand under the table
and squeeze it. He smiled at her, returning the gesture.
"Parle vous Francais?" Anastasia
asked, causing Mac to stifle a giggle with a cough.
"What?" Coddie Anna looked at
Anastasia, confused.
The Grand Duchess shrugged. "Well, I
thought you didn’t speak English so I thought I’d use French."
"I speak English," Coddie Anna
snapped.
"Ana, please," Jack begged, knowing
Anastasia’s history with mocking and teasing unexpected victims. She was a
cut-up, and certainly knew it. It had taken Mac a little while to figure out
Anastasia’s game, and that had only happened after she’d been punched. Coddie
Anna seemed did not seem the violent type, or so he hoped. The drinks soon
came, and everyone focused on them--gratefully--for a time. For some reason,
Mac felt compelled to look over her shoulder when the door to the dining room
opened, and smiled when she saw Michael enter, followed by Callista and Sam.
They sneaked to a table in the corner by the door, pretending not to be watching.
Eventually, Michael caught Mac’s eye, and he nodded to her, raising his hat.
Callista and Sam gave him a strange look, hiding their faces with their menus.
She smiled at him.
"Mac, sweetie, what are you looking
at?" Jack asked, causing her to gasp and whirl around, blushing furiously.
"N-nothing," she insisted.
"You look flushed." He felt her
forehead, checking for a fever.
"I’m fine, Papa, really," Mac
insisted, looking at Anastasia with wide eyes. Jack nodded, smoothing her hair.
"I just want to make sure you aren’t
catching my cold." When he turned to face Rose again, Anastasia took the
opportunity to glance over her own shoulder, and turned around immediately
afterwards, giggling to herself and ignoring Mac’s glare. Anastasia suddenly
leaned across Jack and tapped Mac’s arm, pulling her so she could whisper in
her ear.
"Girls? Would you like to sit next to
each other?" he asked, laughing as he tried to avoid falling backwards.
"Yes, please," Mac replied, kissing
his cheek as she stood, and they rearranged themselves so Mac and Anastasia
could sit side by side.
"I didn’t know you could stretch that
far," Mac teased, and Anastasia stuck out her tongue. Rose smiled over her
tea as the girls whispered to each other, and rubbed Coddie Anna’s back. Her
daughter looked miserable.
"So, what do you plan to do when we
arrive in America?" Rose asked, realizing that she’d never actually found
out.
Jack leaned his chin on his palm, feeling
drowsy again. "In all honesty, Rose, I’m not entirely certain. My parents
left their home in Wisconsin to me in their will, so my plan is to work in New
York until I can make enough money for our travel there."
Coddie Anna cocked her head to one side, an
eyebrow raised. "Mr. Dawson, you have an accent," she told him
seriously, and Jack chuckled.
"Well, when you live in a foreign
country long enough, you tend to pick it up. The three of us lived in Russia
for three years."
"But why is she with you?" Coddie
Anna pointed to Anastasia, who stopped talking to Mac to stare.
"Because my parents are dead and I’m
living with my Uncle Jack now," Anastasia lied, and it took Mac a lot of
willpower not to spit out the milk she had in her mouth.
"And what exactly happened to your wife?"
Coddie Anna asked Jack, and Rose felt her heart skip a beat, starting to stop
her daughter, but Jack shook his head.
"She died during birth
complications." His voice shook and his eyes misted, as though he’d been
thinking about it all morning again. Mac frowned, knowing that these bouts of
depression came upon him at random intervals. Rose reached over and took Jack’s
hand, squeezing it affectionately. He gazed into her eyes, finding them to be
filled with unconditional love. Coddie Anna watched the two of them, feeling
suddenly angry.
At last, she stood, pointing at Jack. "I
can’t! I'm not going to let you marry my mother and kill her with your baby
like you did her mother!" she yelled, pointing a finger at Mac. Her loud
voice caused the entire dining room to grow silent as all heads turned in their
direction. Rose gasped, watching as Jack’s face turned white. Mac and Anastasia
were staring at the furious girl before them, taking a moment or two to
comprehend what she had said.
"W-what was that?" Jack asked,
shaking.
"She didn't die because of the birth,
she died to get away from you!" Coddie Anna screamed before dashing out of
the dining room as fast as she could. Michael, Sam, and Callista watched as
Coddie Anna burst through the door, and Callista covered her mouth with her
hand.
"Holy shit," Sam murmured under his
breath, sinking into his chair.
Jack sat very still in his chair, staring at
Rose blankly.
"Oh, my God, Jack…" Rose gulped,
horrified at her daughter’s atrocious behavior.
Mac nervously turned to her father, feeling
suddenly sick to her stomach. At that moment, the waitress came to their table,
trying to act as though she hadn’t heard anything. "Here you are,"
she announced, setting down their lunches.
"No…no, thank you," Jack croaked,
shaking his head when his lunch came to him. He’d lost his appetite.
"Are you sure?"
"Please," Jack told her, his voice
no more than a whisper. "Oh, God. Excuse me." He suddenly stood up,
pushing his chair away, and walked quickly out of the dining room. Mac and
Anastasia looked at Rose, who was watching as he left in her daughter’s wake.
Coddie Anna would not get away with this. That was certain.
"I’m going to go and see if he’s
okay," Mac told Rose.
"Do you want me to sit with you?"
Anastasia asked, feeling bad about leaving Rose by herself.
"No. I’m going to go and give my
daughter a talking to. That was absolutely uncalled for." Rose stood and
hurried out next, leaving Anastasia by herself for the moment. She found Jack
vomiting over the rail, gasping for air after each bout. Mac stood on a bench,
rubbing his back and smoothing his hair away from his forehead. Rose stood on
his other side, grimacing a bit.
"Oh, sweetie. I’m so sorry about this,
Jack. I wanted this to be…" She swallowed. "Coddie Anna’s personality
is so hard to predict sometimes, and I swore she was going to be fine
today."
Jack threw up again, his eyes closed tightly
to block out the pain. When he finally finished, he covered his mouth with the
back of his hand, turning slowly around to face her. Tears were streaming down
his cheeks, and his eyes were bloodshot. "Maybe you should just go
now," Mac whispered, not wanting her father to feel worse. Anastasia came
out of the dining room a moment later, followed after that by Callista, Michael,
and Sam, who sneaked around a bend.
Rose paused, chewing on her lip. "All
right." She nodded.
"No, Rose, don’t," Jack begged,
wiping his cheeks with the heels of his hands. "I’m sorry. I…"
"You need time to recover," Rose
told him with a small smile. "I’ll meet up with you later, I’m sure."
She came over to plant a small kiss on his cheek, reaching into the pocket of
her dress and retrieving a plain white lace handkerchief. "Here." She
pressed it into his hand and caressed his forehead, brushing a few wisps of his
bangs away from his eyes.
He watched her leave before properly wiping
his eyes and blowing his nose loudly. Mac hugged her father tightly, burying
her face against his shirt. "You know nothing Coddie Anna said was true,
Papa."
Jack hugged her back, sighing. "Oh,
sweetie," he sniffed, just as Anastasia puffed out her chest.
"Russia has never lost a war,"
Anastasia added with a matter-of-fact nod. "And we will continue to
triumph."
Mac smirked. "We’re not Russian,"
she pointed out.
"You’re more Russian than any American
ever was," Anastasia retorted, grinning. "Someone very important said
that," she added. "And anyway, what I meant was…you haven’t lost her
yet, Jack. And we won’t let you."
Jack blew his nose again, clearing his
throat, and went over to hug Anastasia. "Thank you."
"How are you feeling?" Mac asked,
glad to see that her father had calmed down. "Maybe you should lie down or
something for a while."
Jack shook his head. "No, honey. I’m all
right. Just a bit queasy still, but I’ll survive that." He went to sit
down on the bench, wrapping his coat more tightly around his body, feeling
suddenly chilled. Mac and Anastasia sat down with him, and Mac lay with her
head on his lap. She loved her father so much, and was so completely devoted to
him, that to see him hurting like this broke her heart. He sneezed suddenly,
causing her to yelp and nearly fall to the ground.
"Bless you!" the two girls told
him, blinking.
"Thank you. I’m sorry, honey," Jack
apologized, helping Mac straighten up on his lap. "Here, lay like this…it
might be more comfortable." He let her lay on her back, using his arm to
support her head. Anastasia sat at his feet, resting her back against his legs.
"No matter what anyone else says,"
Mac replied as he stroked her cheek, "we’ll always be here for you."
Jack nodded. "And I’ll never forget
that." He rested against the back of the bench, closing his eyes and
letting the sound of the sea relax him.