TITANIC ROSE
Chapter Six
"One hundred dollars," the man said
to Maddie. "And that is my final offer."
Rose couldn't believe she was hearing this.
Maddie was selling herself again. At first, it seemed like the man had been
eyeing poor Rose, but his affections turned toward the more experienced Maddie.
"All right," Maddie told the man.
"One hundred. And you better pay it in full!"
I will never do that, Rose thought. Never will I stoop so low--
Clink!
Rose looked to see the same handsome man as
yesterday drop a quarter in her cup. "Have I helped?"
"Well, it's more money than I had
yesterday," Rose replied. "Tell me, do you always give beggars
money?"
"Well, yes," the man stated.
"I just want to help in any way that I can."
"I don't choose to be here. If I could,
I would go home right now. But it's too dangerous for me. This is my only place
for refuge. And I am cold and tired."
"I know of a shelter," the man told
her caringly. "Not many of the poor women like to go there, but it
provides a place to live and they have food and warmth."
"I don't even know who you are. Why
should I trust you?"
"Because I care about people and what
happens to them," the man replied. "Like your friend over there. I
tried to help her by taking her to the shelter. Would you like to end up like
that?"
"No."
"And as for who I am..." The man
took his hat off and shook Rose's hand. "I am Thomas Calvert."
"I haven't eaten in a week," Rose
told Maddie. "And Thomas stops by every day with something. But I feel so
badly for you that I give it all to you. Please don't give yourself up for
money anymore. It disgusts me."
"There's nothing I can do about that,
dear." Maddie placed newspapers in a large tin and lit a fire.
The fall days were becoming colder, and Rose
huddled under Cal's coat, the necklace still safe inside.
"You can do lots--" Rose stopped to
cough, and tried to catch her breath. "Maddie, dear, I believe I'm sick. I
can't take any more sickness."
"We've all been sick, Rose. Sometimes we
almost die. Sometimes we do die. But it's life, and everyone dies."
"Some much too young for their time,
"Rose argued.
"Well, yes."
*****
"And there's my Rose." Thomas came
up to her and gave her the daily quarter. "How are we today?"
"Rose is sick," Maddie scoffed.
"As if people don't get sick."
Rose stood from her seat. She whispered to
Thomas, "I haven't eaten in days. I gave all the money to Maddie so she
doesn't have to...um...work, if you know what I mean. I feel as though I were
going to implode."
"Rose, are you going to faint?"
Thomas asked. He looked at her pale face and shaking body.
"I--I'm so hungry--" Rose fell
forward.
Thomas caught her just in time, and Maddie
rushed to her aid. "Oh, if I'd have known, I'd have taken her to the
shelter myself!" Maddie criticized her previous actions.
"I'm taking her there, now." Thomas
picked up the poor girl. "She needs all the help she can get."
"Tell her I'm sorry if she--when
she--wakes up," Maddie ordered him with tears in her eyes. "She is my
only friend out here. Please take care of her."
*****
"Jack," Rose whispered, as Thomas
sat by her side. "Jack, is that you?"
"It's Thomas," Thomas told her,
wondering who Jack could possibly be. "You're going to be fine,
Rose."
"Jack," she whispered again, as she
fell back asleep.
Miss Campen, the nurse attending to Rose,
walked into the room and toward the pair. "She is suffering from a severe
case of malnutrition. It looks as though she hasn't eaten regularly in about
six months. Her body is slowly deteriorating."
"Is there anything to be done?"
Thomas asked hopelessly.
"Keep her here and make her eat,"
Miss Campen relied, taking her chart from the night stand. "It's not every
corner you find a homeless shelter. You were lucky she was close."
"Yes, I was lucky," Thomas said,
looking at Rose sleeping peacefully.
"You must eat, Rose." Thomas handed
her a plate of food as she sat up.
"Why are you here?"
"Please, eat."
"Answer me, Thomas," Rose said
firmly. "Why are you still here?"
"I--I was poor, once," Thomas
replied. "Now, eat what's on the plate."
"Wait--you were poor?" Rose
exclaimed. "And now you have enough money to pay the poor? I can't believe
it! You?"
"Yes. Don't get yourself so excited. You
really need to rest...and eat. Please do so."
"All right." Rose ate hungrily.
"But I won't believe that you were once a street rat yourself."
"You don't have to," Thomas
replied. "Just sit there and let me watch you."
Rose looked at him quizzically, and continued
to eat. She shook that comment out of her head, and within minutes, those words
meant nothing to her.