UNTIL I FOUND YOU
Chapter Twelve
Jack and Rose returned to find
Mrs. Gladys peeling potatoes for that night’s dinner.
"So, you two are back. How
did you find your parents’ home, Jack?"
"Very nice. My cousin’s
staying there now, and he’s kept it in tip-top shape."
"So, you and your lovely
wife will be living there?"
"Uh…no. There’s just too
many memories, and I can’t deal with them right now. You can say my plate is
full of painful memories right now." Jack sighed.
"Well, you two are perfectly
welcome to stay here. So, I take it you’re allowing your cousin to remain at
the house?"
"Yes, ma’am. At least that
way the house will be cared for and lived in," Jack explained.
"Jack, I’m going to go lay
down now," Rose said, yawning tiredly. It had been a long week for Rose,
and she wanted nothing more than to lay down somewhere and sleep for a month.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Yes. I’m just tired. It’s
been an extremely long week." Rose sighed. "You don’t mind, do
you?"
"Of course not, sweetie. Go
on up. I’ll be up soon." Jack let go of her hand and watched her disappear
up the stairs.
"She’s a lovely girl, Jack.
Your ma and pa would have liked her if they were alive." Mrs. Gladys sadly
smiled.
"I wish they could have met
her. Rose is the best thing that has ever happened to me. She’s my other half.
I think Ma especially would have liked her." Jack gazed at the carpeted
floor.
Mrs. Gladys got up from her chair
and embraced the young man. "We all miss them, Jack. You’re not alone in
your grief. Know that all of us are here with you."
"Thank you." Jack
forced a smile, wiping a stray tear from his eye. "I guess I’d better go
and make sure that Rose gets settled in okay. We’ll be back down for
dinner."
"Okay, dear. Sweet
dreams." Gladys waved, watching the young man disappear up the stairs.
*****
Jack found Rose in bed, staring
out the far window at the deserted streets below. For a couple of minutes, he
just stood and watched her. Soon, he moved from the door and lay down behind
her, wrapping his arms around her.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"It’s the sunset, Jack. Some
people will never see it again…we almost never saw it again." Rose sighed.
"But we are seeing it again,
Rosie. We’re safe now. No sinking ship, no ice cold water…just a nice warm bed
in a nice warm house, safe and sound." Jack tightened his embrace.
"Fifteen hundred people lost
their lives, and the world is going on. How can that be?"
"It’s the circle of life. We
live, we die, but the world keeps turning. That’s why it’s so important to make
every day count. We never know what the next day is going to bring." Jack
kissed her cheek.
Rose sighed and held Jack’s hand
tightly. "I’m so thankful that you made it. I would have died if you
hadn’t."
"No, you wouldn’t have,
Rose. You’re strong. Stronger than you give yourself credit for. If you
weren’t, you never would have come back down for me, wielding that ax."
Jack smiled at the memory.
"I wasn’t thinking when I
did that. I think I was in shock during the entire sinking." Rose sighed.
"So was I, and a whole lot
of other people. Some unsinkable ship."
"But it did bring us
together, and for that, I’m grateful." Rose sighed, turning around to kiss
her husband passionately. "So, what’s in the works for tomorrow?"
Rose asked.
"That, my love, is a
surprise." Jack grinned, pulling Rose closer.