TITANIC: A STORY TOLD
Chapter Fifty-Five
Second Officer Lightoller was loading the
boat nearest Cal and Rose...Boat Six.
"Women and children only! Sorry, sir, no
men yet."
Another rocket burst overhead, lighting the
crowd. Startled faces turned upward, fear now in the eyes.
Daniel Marvin had his Biograph camera set up,
cranking away...hoping to get an exposure off the rocket’s light. He had Mary
posed in front of the scene at the boats.
"You’re afraid, darling. Scared to
death. That’s it!"
Either she suddenly learned to act or she was
petrified.
Rose watched the farewells taking place right
in front of her as they stepped closer to the boat. Husbands saying good-bye to
wives and children. Lovers and friends parted. Nearby Molly was getting a
reluctant woman to board the boat.
"Come on, you heard the man. Get in the
boat, sister."
"Will the lifeboats be seated according
to class?" Ruth asked. "I hope they’re not too crowded--"
"Oh, Mother, shut up!" Ruth froze,
mouth open, as Rose grabbed her shoulders. "Don’t you understand? The
water is freezing and there aren’t enough boats...not enough by half. Half of
the people on this ship are going to die."
"Not the better half." Cal looked
at Rose patronizingly. "You know, it’s a pity I didn’t keep that drawing.
It’ll be worth a lot more by morning."
It hit her like a thunderbolt. Jack was third
class. He didn’t stand a chance. Another rocket burst overhead, bathing her
face in white light.
"You unimaginable bastard."
"Come on, Ruth, get in the boat. These
are the first class seats right up here. That’s it."
Molly practically handed her over to
Lightoller, then looked around for some other women who might need a push.
"Come on, Rose. You’re next,
darling."
Rose stepped back, shaking her head.
"Rose, get in the boat!" Ruth
commanded her.
Rose looked at her, then walked away.
"Good-bye, Mother."
Ruth, standing in the tippy lifeboat, could
do nothing. Cal grabbed Rose’s arm, but she pulled free and walked away through
the crowd. Cal caught up to Rose and grabbed her again, roughly.
"Where are you going? To him? Is that
it? To be a whore to that gutter rat?"
"I’d rather be his whore than your
wife."
He clenched his jaw and squeezed her arm
viciously, pulling her back toward the lifeboat. Rose spat in his face. He let
go with a curse, and she ran into the crowd.
"Lower away!" Lightoller shouted.
"Rose! Rose!" Ruth still called
after her.
"Stuff a sock in it, would ya, Ruth?
She’ll be along," Molly told Ruth.
The boat lurched downward as the falls were
paid out.
Rose ran through the clusters of people. She
looked back, and a furious Cal was coming after her. She ran breathlessly up to
two proper-looking men.
"That man tried to tale advantage of me
in the crowd!"
Appalled, they turned to see Cal running
toward them. Rose ran on as the two men grabbed Cal, restraining him. She ran
through the First Class entrance.
Cal broke free and ran after her. He reached
the entrance, but ran into a knot of people coming out. He pushed rudely
through them, and down to the landing, pushing past the gentlemen and ladies
who were filing up the stairs. He scanned the A-Deck foyer. Rose was gone.
*****
The hull of Titanic loomed over Boat Six like
a cliff. Its enormous mass was suddenly threatening to those in the tiny boat.
Quartermaster Hitchens, at the tiller, wanted nothing but to get away from the
ship. Unfortunately, his two seamen couldn’t row. They flailed like a duck with
a broken wing.
"Keep pulling...away from the ship. Pull."
"Ain’t you boys ever rowed before? Here,
give me those oars. I’ll show ya how it’s done."
Molly climbed over Ruth to get at the oars,
stepping on her feet.
Around them, the evacuation was in full
swing, with boats in the water, others being lowered.