AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY
Chapter Two
The next day, when Rose saw her first glimpse
of Titanic, she was stunned. It looked magnificent! She had never in her life
seen such a beautiful ship. Keeping a bored expression plastered on her face,
she turned to Cal, who was standing next to her. He was also looking up at the
ship. "I don’t see what all the fuss is about. It doesn’t look any bigger
then the Mauritania," she said, trying to hide her awe of the huge ship
that stood before them.
Cal couldn’t believe what he was hearing!
"You can be blasé about some things, Rose, but not about Titanic! It’s
over a hundred feet longer than Mauritania, and far more luxurious."
Rose stared at Titanic for a moment longer,
wondering how something could be so big.
"Your daughter is far too difficult to
impress, Ruth," he said as he helped her mother out of the car.
Ruth smiled, then looked at the great ship.
"So, this is the ship they say is unsinkable," Ruth commented.
"It is unsinkable. God himself could not
sink this ship," Cal said before attending to the matter of their luggage.
A moment later, they were boarding Titanic,
and Rose felt as if her throat were closing. Outwardly, she looked like the
perfect lady, but on the inside she felt like a caged animal, screaming
desperately for freedom. Just breathe, Rose, she told herself. If only
this were a nightmare that she could soon wake up from. At first she had been
happy about her engagement to Cal. But then she started to see the side of him
that loved to control her. She was constantly putting on a show, smiling
daintily at all of the stuffy dinner parties, and using only manners that
society would deem acceptable. Oh, but how she longed to let her hair down and
live!
When they reached their suites, she was again
staring in awe at this wondrous ship. The beauty of the ship from the outside
didn’t even compare to the beauty of the ship from the inside. The dark
mahogany paneling was gorgeous. Everything about Titanic spelled out luxury.
"Trudy, where are my paintings?" she asked, realizing how wonderful
they would look in the sitting room. Her love for art was the one pleasure she
would not let anyone take away from her. When she looked at her paintings, she
felt as if she were in a dream. Which is where she wanted to be most of the
time.
"They are sitting over there, Miss. Do
you need any assistance?" Trudy asked. Trudy was Rose’s maid, and at
times, her only friend.
"Yes, Trudy, could you please help me
find the one by Picasso?" Rose asked. She absolutely adored that painting.
They started going through Rose’s paintings.
"Is this the one you’re looking for,
Miss?"
Rose looked at the painting that Trudy held
in her delicate hands. "No, it has a lot of faces on it. Oh, here it
is." Rose inspected her painting.
"Would you like me to get them all out,
Miss?" Trudy asked.
"Yes. This room needs a little
color," Rose said in her soft voice.
"Oh, not those finger paintings again.
They certainly were a waste of money," Cal said as he came in from their
private promenade deck.
"The difference between Cal’s taste in
art and mine is that I have some. I think they’re fascinating. It’s like being
in a dream. There’s truth but no logic," Rose said as she brought out
another one of her paintings.
"Who was the artist's name again?"
asked Trudy as she looked at the painting that Rose had first requested.
"Something Picasso," Rose said,
sounding distracted. Rose tuned out all of the voices around her. All she
wanted was for this day to be over. She dreaded having to sit through dinner
tonight. She looked at Cal as he directed where their things should be kept. He
stood confidently, ordering everyone around. That was what he did best. She had
to admit that he was very handsome. His dark hair was never out of place and
his dark eyes always sparkled with a touch of arrogance. Everyone knew that he
was worth millions. He made sure that it was well known. Rose sighed. She felt
helpless. Mother has made it clear that our money is gone. When Daddy died
all that he left behind were his memories and a lot of debt, hidden behind a
good name. Cal is our only option. But she knew that she didn’t truly
believe that. Her mother thought that Cal was their only option. Will I ever
have a life of my own?