UNTIL I FOUND YOU
Chapter Eighteen

It was now Saturday. Rose had stayed in the boarding house for an entire week, afraid that Cal was out there waiting for her. But by the time Saturday rolled around, she had decided she was being silly. Cal was probably long gone by now, and besides, this was Jack’s day off, and she knew he wouldn’t want to spend it indoors. And she was right. She woke up to see Jack standing in the doorway, a picnic basket in his hand.

"Jack?" she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"We have yet to go to Lake Wissota. I think it’s time you met the lake that saved your life." Jack grinned.

"It’s Saturday. Don’t you want to sleep in?" Rose arched an eyebrow.

"Nope. Rise and shine, my beautiful Rose. The fresh air awaits you." Jack set down the basket and pulled her out of bed. "I even picked out a dress for you to save you the trouble." He walked to a nearby chair and held up a simple yellow dress, somewhat similar to the dress she had worn on the Titanic when he had shown her his drawings.

Rose sighed. "You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?"

Jack shook his head. Rose had been indoors all week, and he understood why. Now, it was time for her to face her fears, with him by her side. What better way than by taking her to the lake?

"All right. I’m up. Give me a minute." Rose disappeared into the bathroom.

"I’ll wait for you downstairs!" Jack called to her, and headed downstairs to see Mrs. Gladys.

"I take it your young bride is getting ready for your day out?" the woman asked.

Jack nodded. "Thanks for the idea, Mrs. Gladys. I forgot how nice it was down by the lake. Rose is going to love it."

"She’ll love it because she’ll be with you." Gladys patted Jack’s cheek.

Jack smiled just as Rose arrived in the kitchen. "Are we eating breakfast first?"

"Do you want to?" Jack asked.

Rose shook her head. "Not really."

"Well, then, let’s move out." Jack took her hand and led her out the door.

Five minutes later, they were walking along the road leading down to the lake. Rose gasped in surprise and delight to see ducks waddling along in front of them. "Jack, look."

Jack laughed at Rose’s wonder. "Surely they have ducks in Philadelphia."

"Yes, but Mother never let me be this close to them."

"Well, the lake is full of them at this time of year. You’ll have plenty of chances to see even more up close."

Reaching the bottom of the hill right in front of the lake, Jack spread out a blanket for Rose and himself to sit on. Rose took a seat and stared out across the lake.

"This is so beautiful."

"I knew you’d like it." Jack smiled. "We haven’t had many moments alone like this. I wanted to make today special."

"Every day is special with you, Jack." Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

For most of the morning, Jack and Rose played and frolicked in the grass near the lake. Rose was having a wonderful time. The noon sun rose into the sky and beamed down onto the now-tired couple. Hungry, Rose fished a sandwich out of the basket.

"Mrs. Gladys also fixed us some lemonade, if you want a glass," Jack offered.

"All right." Rose smiled, watching Jack pour her a glass. "You take such good care of me."

"Well, I promised I would, didn’t I?"

Rose smiled and kissed her husband tenderly. She was surprised to hear two giggles from across the way. She broke away from Jack to see two little black children watching them.

"Looks like we have an audience." Jack laughed.

"Peter! Ruthie! Where are you?" a stern voice called from the wooded area behind the children. A lovely, medium brown-skinned girl appeared. Her eyes were light brown and her hair was braided into two braids. She was about Rose and Jack’s age. "What did ma'ama tell you about running off? Especially so near the lake?"

"That if we don’t stay away from the lake, the Wissota monster would get us." The little girl shrugged.

"That’s right!"

"But they’re not scared of the Wissota monster!" The little boy pointed at Jack and Rose.

"Wissota monster?" Rose looked at Jack, who laughed again at Rose’s question.

"A story parents tell their kids to keep them away from the lake. For a while there, children were getting drowned, so parents made up the story to keep their children away. My parents had me believing the same thing when I was little," Jack explained.

"Didn’t seem to stop you from falling in ice fishing." Rose snorted.

"My dad was with me then. The monsters never come out when Mom and Dad are with you."

Rose simply nodded.

"Why, Jackie Dawson! Is that you?" The girl took a closer look. "Why, I can’t believe it! It is!" The girl rushed around to the other side of the inlet to give Jack a hug. "It’s been years and years since you’ve been down to the cabin. Whatever happened to you? And who is this pale little thing you've got here with you?"

Jack laughed. "It’s great to see you, too, Imogene. Wow…it has been a long time. I saw you two weeks before my folks died in that fire."

"Oh, yes. My ma and pa mourned them so. Your folks were right kind to us back then. Right kind. Inviting us to dinner and coming to our house for supper, too. And all the games we played when we were young’uns," the girl known as Imogene remembered. "But whatever happened to you, Jack? My folks tried to find out, but there was no word."

"I took off after that. I’ve been gone for five long years now. I got into town a couple of weeks ago. Wow…it’s great seeing you again."

"And who’s this pretty little girl?"

"Oh, Rose. Rose, this is one of my best friends from when I was a kid. Imogene Johnson. Imogene, this is my wife, Rose Dawson."

"How do you do?" Rose smiled, offering her hand. Imogene accepted it with a firm handshake.

"And a lady, too. Why, Jackie has done good for himself." Imogene laughed.

"And who are these two?" Jack asked.

"My sister and brother, Peter and Ruthie. Three and four. Say hello to Mr. Dawson."

"Hello." The two children smiled up at the couple.

"She’s pretty." The little boy smiled up at Rose.

"Why, thank you." Rose blushed.

"Just call us Jack and Rose." Jack grinned.

"Jackie, you two must come down to the cabin. Ma and Pa would like to see you."

"We wouldn’t be intruding, would we?" Jack asked.

"Of course not, Jackie! You know better than that! You’re family. Come on!" Imogene grabbed Jack’s hand. He grabbed Rose’s, leading them to the other side of the lake.

*****

The Johnson home was bustling with activity when Imogene led her siblings and two friends into the cabin. But all activity stopped when Bill and Prissy Johnson caught sight of Jack and Rose.

"Imogene? Who’s this, and why did you bring them here?" Prissy was the first to speak.

"Sorry, Jack. Mother’s gone senile in her old age." Imogene smiled at her old friend. "Why, ma'ama, you remember Jack, don’t you? The only son of those people that died in that fire five years back? You had a time finding out what happened to him."

Prissy stepped up to Jack and examined him closely, not believing what her daughter had just told her. Finally, her eyes lit up with recognition. "Why, bless the Lord, it is! Bill! Bill! Come here! It’s Jackie! He’s returned to us at last!"

"Jackie Dawson?" Bill made his way next to his wife and looked at the young man himself. His brown eyes lit up, and the biggest smile spread over his face. "Why, it is! Jackie Dawson! What happened to you, boy? We’ve looked all over town for you! We thought you had burned up with your ma'ammy and pappy that horrible night!"

"No, sir. I stayed with my Uncle Dwight in Eau Claire the night of the fire, and after that, I lit on out of here. You can say I was a tumbleweed blowing in the wind ever since," Jack explained.

"Well, you should have stopped by here and said good-bye," Imogene scolded. "I cried a good week over the disappearance of my best friend."

"Sorry." Jack sheepishly smiled. "I didn’t say good-bye to a lot of folks. I just left. I couldn’t take the memories…"

"And who is this pretty lady?" Bill looked at Rose. "She’s right pretty, and has a spark in her similar to your ma’s."

Jack blushed. He didn’t want Rose to know that that was another reason he was drawn to her. Her fire was something his mother had had also. No one dared cross Meredith Dawson. Jack couldn’t bear to see that fire contained and destroyed, like it would have been if Rose had stayed with Cal. "Bill, Prissy, this is my wife, Rose Dawson. We were married a couple of weeks ago."

Bill pumped Rose’s hand in a friendly handshake. "Let me tell ya, ma'am, I’m right pleased to meet the lady who caught young Jackie’s heart. We knew it’d have to be someone just as free-spirited as he is."

"You’ve married into a fine family, if I do say so myself." Prissy nodded.

"You two don’t just stand there. Come in. Make yourselves at home." Prissy beckoned them deeper into the cabin. "You’re welcomed to stay here as long as you want."

"Jackie, are you still sketching like you used to?" Imogene asked.

Jack nodded. "Of course. In fact, I have my portfolio right here if you want to see some portraits. There’s not many in here since my old one was…destroyed in a accident."

"Can we see?" Peter and Ruthie chimed, crowding together between Jack and Rose.

"Peter! Ruthie! Come back over here and stop being rude!" Imogene demanded.

"Oh, that’s okay, Imogene. I don’t mind showing them." Jack grinned, opening up the portfolio. All of the pictures were of different places around Chippewa Falls and its people. A few were of Rose sitting on the porch of the old Dawson house and sitting in the parlor in the boarding house. The children were awestruck by the pictures.

For the first time since she’d been to Chippewa Falls, Rose felt totally comfortable. Rose was pointing out another drawing to the children. Neither she nor Jack noticed the sound of the door closing and Imogene greeting the newcomer.

"It’s about time you got home. Ma was worried you’d decided to run off to New Orleans or some foolishness." Imogene pulled the person into the sitting area.

"Sam!" The children got up and ran to the tall black man who had just entered.

"Petey! Ruthie!" The man swooped the kids up into his arms. Rose’s eyes widened as she recognized the man from Philadelphia. The man’s eyes widened as he noticed Jack and Rose. He remembered Rose, all right. He had worked for her family two years back. Her pa was decent, but her ma was as cold as ice. Rose, of course, was a little pistol, and he knew she’d give whoever she married a run for his money. "Miss Rose? Is that really you?"

"You know each other?" Imogene asked curiously.

"Yes. She’s Rose DeWitt Bukater, daughter of those rich folk I worked for in Philadelphia." Sam nodded. "Miss Rose, what are ya doing here in Chippewa Falls, of all places?"

"Oh, my God, Sam. I haven’t seen you in two years." Rose got to her feet to greet her mother’s employee.

"Yes, and I was thinking you were dead, gone down on that big ship folks have been talking about."

"Well, in reality, Rose DeWitt Bukater is dead. I’m Rose Dawson now." Rose stepped closer to Jack.

"Sam, I’d like you to meet my friend, Jack Dawson. His folks were right kind to my parents when we first came here. They died in a horrible fire five years back, and Jack disappeared. He came back married."

"And now Miss Rose is married to him?" Sam pointed at Jack curiously.

"Yes. Now, don’t just stand there gaping. Congratulate them!" Imogene whacked her husband on the back of the head.

"Uh…congratulations." Sam winced, rubbing his head.

"Thank you, Sam." Rose smiled.

"The same old Imogene. Beating up on just about anyone." Jack shook his head.

"Do you want some of the same, Mr. Dawson?" Imogene crossed her arms, playfully glaring at Jack.

"Ah…no. That’s perfectly okay." Jack shook his head.

"Dang, Imogene, stop that! That hurts!" Sam growled, disappearing into the kitchen.

"Men are such babies." Imogene shook her head.

"But we love them anyway." Rose grinned, kissing Jack’s cheek.

*****

That night, Jack and Rose returned to the boarding house, exhausted from their day. They had shared a delicious meal with the Johnsons, Prissy had sat everyone around the fireplace, and everyone had sang old songs--Come Josephine being one of them. After a warm good-bye and a welcome to come back anytime, the Dawsons headed for home.

Rose stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading up to their room. "Jack…I don’t think I can make it another step."

"Here. Let me fix that." Jack scooped her up in his arms. "Is this better?"

Rose giggled and sighed, leaning her head against her husband’s shoulder. "Much better."

"Good." Jack grinned, carrying her the rest of the way upstairs, where they remained for the rest of the night.

Chapter Nineteen
Stories