TITANIC: A STORY TOLD
Chapter Thirty-Six
The stars blazed overhead, so bright and
clear they could see the Milky Way. Rose and Jack walked along the row of
lifeboats. Still giddy from the party, they were singing a popular song,
"Come Josephine in My Flying Machine."
Come Josephine in my flying machine
And it’s up she goes!
Up she goes!
In the air she goes.
Where?
There she goes!
They fumbled the words and broke down
laughing. They had reached the First Class Entrance, but didn’t go straight in,
not wanting the evening to end. Through the doors the sound of the ship’s
orchestra wafted gently. Rose grabbed a davit and leaned back, staring at the
cosmos.
"Look. Isn’t it magnificent? So grand
and endless."
She went to the rail and leaned on it.
"They’re such small people, Jack...my
crowd. They think they’re giants on the earth, but they’re not even dust in
God’s eye. They live inside this little tiny champagne bubble...and someday the
bubble’s going to burst."
He leaned at the rail next to her, his hand
just touching hers. It was the slightest contact imaginable, and all either one
of them could feel was that square inch of skin where their hands were
touching.
"You’re not one of them. There’s been a
mistake."
"A mistake?"
"Uh huh. You got mailed to the wrong
address."
Rose laughed. "I did, didn’t I?"
She pointed suddenly. "Look! A shooting star!"
"That was a long one. My father used to
say that whenever you saw one, it was a soul going to heaven."
"I like that. Aren’t we supposed to wish
on it?"
Jack looked at her, and found that they were
suddenly very close together. It would be so easy to move another couple of
inches, to kiss her. Rose seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"What would you wish for?"
After a moment, Rose pulled back.
"Something I can’t have." She
smiled sadly. "Good night, Jack. And thank you."
She left the rail and hurried through the
First Class Entrance.
"Rose!"
But the door banged shut, and she was gone.
Back to her world.