A SIMPLE SOLUTION
Chapter Eight

Two Months Later

Jack opened the bottle of water and relished the sweet taste of simple, clear water flowing down his throat. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and leaned back on the bags and boxes of cargo.

Another day was over and he could go home to the empty apartment. Go home to listen to Fabrizio making plans about their future, about where they were going next.

Jack picked up his shirt and put it on, rubbing his shoulders slightly against the sudden cold wind. He brushed back the hair from his eyes and then walked towards the houses and streets, away from the lively harbor. He had gotten the job there a few weeks after the night when he had convinced Rose to leave.

People around him hurried to get home, to loved ones, to warmth and laughter, while he kept walking slowly, his thoughts lingering next to his beloved Rose. She hadn't answered any of his letters. Not a single one. She didn't seem to care anymore.

At first, he had wanted to go and see her, but he had had to find a job, make money, and there just hadn't been time to all the way across town to her. So he had written letters…and she had ignored them.

In the beginning of May, he had met Tommy, who had left him and Fabrizio the second the hospital had discharged him to go find his cousin. Tommy had told him that he had seen Rose at a restaurant with Molly and he had assured Jack that she had looked like she missed him as much as he missed her. That had made Jack happy, even though he knew that he shouldn't be happy that she was unhappy.

But…he couldn't help it. And now he thought he knew that she had gone back to her old life, forgotten about him already. Fabrizio was right. Rose had never really cared about him.

"A beer, thanks," Jack said loudly before sinking down on one of the barstools. He reached for an old newspaper that was on the stool next to him and started reading.

When the bartender set the glass down in front of him he took two large drinks at once and then looked down at the paper again. Suddenly his little oasis between work and listening to Fabrizio was ripped apart and he looked up to see where the scream had come from.

An obviously drunken man had pushed a young woman up against the wall. She was whimpering and her hands were trying desperately to scratch his face. Jack didn't need long to decide what to do. He got up and pulled the man away from the woman. The man rolled his eyes at Jack and staggered to the side, trying to hit Jack with his clenched fist, but Jack just ducked and forced him to sit down.

The woman lost her balance and landed hard on Jack's shoulder. Jack helped her to recover her poise and she glanced at him gratefully.

"I think you've had one too many drinks. A coffee for my friend here," Jack said to the man, his tone both distant and annoyed. He couldn't care less about this man, but he had never been the type of person who could just ignore someone in need.

When the man had calmed down and practically forgotten about the poor woman that he had tried to kiss, Jack walked over to her instead. She had sunk down on the chair closest to her and her hands trembled wildly as she tried to light a cigarette. Jack's heart ached at the sight of her. She reminded him of Rose and he sighed, realizing that he couldn't just leave her without saying something.

"Are you all right, Miss?" he asked and sat down next to her. She nodded, smiling nervously.

"I'm fine. Thank you, Mister…?"

"Dawson. Jack Dawson." He smiled back at her as he took the cigarette from her slender fingers.

"Let me," he said and put it between his own lips, lit a match and gave it back to her after forming a cloud of smoke around them.

She stared at him, her eyes red and her cheeks shining with the water that the tears had left behind. Her short, brown hair had fallen in front of her smile and she looked at Jack seriously, the brown eyes filled with a wondering expression.

"What are you doing in a place like this?" she asked in a voice filled with awe.

Jack laughed slightly. "Just drinking a beer and relaxing after work."

She nodded and inhaled deeply on the cigarette before looking back at him, contemplating his appearance.

"I'm Tina. Nice to meet you, Jack."

Jack smiled at her, enjoying the way she looked at him, the way she made him feel like he wasn't just a poor guy. Maybe Fabrizio was right…maybe Rose didn't love him anymore. She probably had…because he was different and she had needed a way to escape from her loveless marriage to Cal. But it hadn't been more than that. After all, they came from different worlds and the simplest way to end it had been the way they had ended it. To send her back to her world, make her think it over and then realize that she had made a mistake.

Jack rubbed his forehead to fight the memories. His own warm, tender, loving words in one of the letters to her played before him and he closed his eyes unknowingly. Why had she just thrown that back in his face?

"Let me buy you a drink," he heard his own voice saying and then he slipped back to the thoughts of Rose. Of the life together that they had planned, wanted to have.

As he walked back home that evening, Tina's words rang in his ears. They had agreed to meet at that bar again, the next day and Jack was already starting to regret that decision. How could he do that to Rose? See another woman; allow himself to grow used to this arrangement.

He walked upstairs to the apartment they had rented a few weeks ago, when they had had enough money to leave the dark, small room. By doing that, they had also made it impossible for Rose to write. But at the time, Jack had been too upset to care. Maybe it was time to try to write to her again?

But when he pushed the door open to find Fabrizio on the bed, almost asleep, Jack forced that idea away. He didn't want to make a fool of himself again, by telling her how much he loved her…and then wait for her letter that never came.

"Fabri, you up?" he asked loudly and this startled his friend to stand up quickly. He smiled when he saw that it was Jack.

"Tommy's invited us to a poker game at his cousin's house," Fabrizio said softly, noticing the lipstick on Jack's beige shirt. Had he gone to Molly's house to see Rose?

"I…think I'll stay here if that's okay with you." Jack sighed and sank down on the bed, feeling Rose's presence in the shawl that she had left behind. Her scent and her memory had lingered in it longer than he had thought possible.

"Okay. So, Jack, who is the girl?" Jack stared at his friend in shock, but then noticed what he was looking at.

"No one. Just some girl in a bar. I helped her get away from a man who was about to hurt her. I wasn't with Rose, if that's what you're thinking. She's forgotten all about me and it's high time I did the same." Inside, Jack was screaming no, but he put on a face that he hoped was made of steel, keeping all emotions away, to make Fabrizio stop bothering him about Rose all the time.

To Fabrizio, Rose had just used Jack to get away from a boring existence. Now she didn't need Jack anymore, and Jack and he could go on with their life as free drifters.

"I not even ask," Fabrizio muttered, but Jack saw the pleased look in Fabrizio's eyes.

"What the hell is your problem with Rose anyway?" Jack asked suddenly. "She never did anything to you. She was…she…saved Tommy's life and she loved me. I swear she did, Fabri."

"She only pretend, Jack. She not real. She goes back to her world now. Forget about her."

Something in Fabrizio's dark eyes told Jack that there was more to this. He stood up, facing his friend with a stern, steady look.

"There's more to this, right? Does it have anything to do with Helga disappearing to Minnesota with her family? The fact that she chose her family rather than you must have made you feel horrible." There was a touch of understanding in Jack's voice, but mostly it was accusing and not at all friendly.

"Leave Helga out of this," Fabrizio snapped and before Jack knew it, the door had been slammed shut in front of him. Jack sank down on the bed, burying his face in his hands.

"Oh Jack, I can't wait…it's just so unbelievable…I was so miserable a few days ago and now I'm…the happiest woman alive." Rose's voice kept ringing in his ears and he could barely remember what he had been like before he had met her.

Maybe…he should go to Molly's house and see how she was doing. Ask her why she hadn't answered any of his letters. But Jack remained where he was. He was afraid that she would laugh at him, mock him for loving her.

*****

The soft carpet felt strange against her fingers as she tried to make her hands take over the necessary part of her body weight to get up. She couldn't keep sitting in the staircase all morning. She had to get up and eat some breakfast. It was either that or listening to Molly's lectures again.

Her hand moved over the handrail as she tried to stand up and after a few minutes of being indecisive, she was walking down the stairs, a fake smile on her flushed face.

"Rose, there you are. Come, sit down and have some orange juice. Bring some life back into that beautiful face of yours."

Molly smiled at the young woman and to her relief, Rose even smiled back, but there was something in her eyes, something Molly had been trying to understand for weeks now.

"Were there any letters for me?" Rose asked nonchalantly, her eyes on the glass of juice. Molly said no softly. Jack hadn't written a line in a month now and it was slowly making Rose crazy.

"Why don't you ask Sean to take you for a drive, Rose? It would do you good to get out." Sean was Molly's chauffeur. Rose just shook her head gently and looked up at the older woman with warmth and gratitude.

"No, Molly. I can't do that. Chances are that Cal's penguins are still around this place, just waiting for me to leave the house. They'll think I'm going to Jack and I don't want to see them following me like a couple of idiots. Don't you remember the first and only time I tried to go see him?"

Molly nodded, feeling somewhat humiliated. Rose had been on her way to see Jack in May, but on the way there, she had noticed one of her former fiance's cars following them and had told Sean to just go around town.

Rose picked up the toasted bread and took small bites from it, closing her eyes as she forced the food down. If only she didn't feel so sick all the time. Then she would be able to form some kind of plan, sneak out to see Jack, to leave this life behind again.

But she was tired and she longed for Jack's words. He had never responded to anything that she had told him. It was as if he had never even read her letters…the last one had had a touch of anger to it and Rose swallowed, thinking about Jack alone, thinking that she didn't love him anymore.

Suddenly the vague feeling of queasiness washed over her too steadily and transformed into an urge to throw up and she dropped the piece of toast, hurrying to the bathroom.

"Rose?" Molly came rushing after her, but Rose locked the door before she had a chance to say anything more. Concerned, Molly leaned on the door, listening to Rose as she moved around in the bathroom.

"What's wrong, honey?" she asked, but Rose didn't answer her.

After what seemed an eternity, Rose came out. Her face was pale, but another fake smile had been placed over it.

"I ate too quickly," she said curtly and disappeared upstairs again. Molly stared at her leaving, her face twisted in worry for the girl. She was just a girl after all. No matter how old, how experienced she tried to act like, she was seventeen years old and she had simply fallen in love, with the wrong man, as it seemed.

Molly shook her head. She could still not believe Rose's suspicions that Jack had forgotten all about her by now. That he didn't care anymore. Somehow…she had to find Jack again. He didn't live in the old room anymore. She hadn't told Rose about this. She didn't want to upset her even more. But something was wrong here and Molly knew it.

Rose lay down on the bed again, her heart pounding hard. Could her feelings make her physically ill like this? She swallowed again and her thoughts wandered to Jack. He could not have forgotten…he had to love her. Maybe he thought that she wanted to be left alone?

She sat up in bed again and her old fire seemed to come back to life. She had to try to imagine what Jack was thinking…suddenly she stood up, her hands going through her tangled hair.

Fabrizio! Of course…he was poisoning Jack's mind against Rose…he was destroying Jack's love for her. Rose breathed hard, her curls falling into her eyes as she walked from one side of the room to the other.

Her hands pulled back her hair into a ponytail, then she ran downstairs again, the depression gone, and she was full of will to do something. Cal was forgotten and her fears that she would be followed were gone, too.

"I'm going to see…Jack," she yelled to Molly, who immediately hurried to stop Rose. But she was too late and Rose was moving too fast. Molly stopped in the middle of the street, feeling the June sun press against her head. Rose was in for an unpleasant surprise.

*****

Rose's hand banged on the door several times and then the old lady finally appeared. The old lady who had given them the room. Rose smiled at her and then asked her if she could see Jack Dawson. If the two men were home.

"Look, redhead, they're not here. They moved a few weeks ago. To a better place I guess," the woman said and then shoved Rose out of her way. Rose stared at her for a second.

"What? Where to? Please…tell me where they are…"

But the woman just said that she didn't know. Rose's heart was beating like crazy now and she sank down on the steps outside the decaying building. Jack was gone…he didn't want her anymore. Fabrizio had won. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and then got up, hurrying to the next place where she could get a cab and go home. Go home…go home and forget.

Chapter Nine
Stories