AFTER TITANIC
BOOK ONE
Chapter Nine
The next morning, Rose woke
up to find Jack standing at the window looking out. His eyes
shine with a certain unhappiness that she caught only one
time...on the Carpathia. He must be thinking about Fabrizio and
Tommy and Cora again. But why now? Then she saw the newspaper
laying on the table. She gets up and strolls over to the table
and reads the headline: Titanic Inquiries underway.
Oh will it ever end? Will Titanic ever stop haunting them?
"Jack....I know how you feel," Jack wraps her arms
around her husband's waist. "But you have to stop dwelling
on it. I know that's hard to do with the newspapers always
printing something up on it, but still...you have to stop letting
it get to you. Fabrizio wouldn't want you to be sad. He'd want
you to be happy and getting on with your life."
"I should have died too Rose," Jack sighed, turning to
face her, tears welling up in his blue eyes. "I should have
died along with them. It's not fair...it's just not fair."
"Jack..."
"Ever since we were rescued...I've felt like I've been
living on borrowed time," Jack confesses, glaring down at
the floor. "I think the only reason I did survive was to
make sure that you would be alright and keep your promise to live
life to the fullest. If it wasn't for that...I probably would
have died."
"Oh Jack....you survived because it was meant to be,"
Rose caresses his cheek. "Believe me, being in that cold
water almost did kill you. I'm so happy it didn't...that you
survived."
Rose pulls him into a warm hug and squeezes him tight. She had no
idea he was feeling like this. What kind of wife was she? She
should have been more in tune to his feelings; she should have
comforted him more than just the other way around. "Jack,
please don't be sad any longer. I love you and the man I love
deserves to be happy. Do I make myself clear?" Her voice is
strict, firm, yet loving. She had to get him to cheer up. She
didn't want him feeling sad any longer.
"Yes Rose. You make yourself perfectly clear," Jack
smiles, wiping a stray curl away from her eyes. God he loved her
so much...more than he loved anyone.
"Now get dressed. We both have a lot of job searching to
do," Rose smiled, turning back to the bed and Changed into a
simple yellow dress that she had brought the day before.
The job search was long yet
fruitful for Rose. After two hours of looking, she had found the
perfect job in a small cafe in the nice part of New York as a
waitress. She'd be making a dollar per hour, but it was better
than nothing. Returning home, she finds Mrs. Hitcherman setting
on the bed eyeing the Heart of the Ocean Rose had accidentally
left out on the dresser. How could she have been so stupid? Why
hadn't she hidden the necklace where no one woulld have found it?
"I see you're not exactly what you say you are girl. I knew
there was something different about you girl," the old woman
took a puff of her cigarette.
"Mrs. Hitcherman..."
"Now that boy I could tell was never rich in his life. I can
tell by the way he holds himself. But you...you have upperclass
snob written all over you," The old woman snorts, "And
this diamond necklace proves my suspicions. What are you doing
here girl...and with him? The boy couldn't even afford a nicer
place. I'm quite surprised that you've agreed to live here."
"Mrs. Hitcherman..."
"Were you curious? IS that why you married him? Curious
about how the other half lived? Come down here to laugh at
us?"
"NO. That's not the reason I married Jack at all. I married
Jack because I love him," Rose was feeling the hot anger
burning deep within her. How dare this strange woman accuse her
of not truly loving Jack? How dare her even insinuate that?
"That's bull and we both know it. There's no way a rich gal
like you could ever truly love someone beneath her. Believe me, I
know how you rich bitches work. You come down here to the wrong
side of the tracks, pick a poor unknowing boy to marry.
Experience hardship for a week, then file for a divorice within
the week and run off to marry a rich man. And I hate to see that
happen to such a sweet boy as Jack."
"I would never do that to Jack for one thing, and you have
no idea how we met nor how we feel for each other. I suggest you
do your research before jumping to conclusions about
things," Rose replied, anger burning in her forest green
eyes. She only felt this anger once before, when her mother had
commented about the lifeboats being crowded.
"Oh Mother, shut up! There's not enough boats, not even
by half! Half the people on this ship are going to die!"
"Conclusions? I don't think so. I know what I'm talking
about and what I see. And I'm not going to stand by and let a
rich whore like you take advantage of a sweet boy like Jack just
so she can see how the other half lives! I suggest you drop this
charade now before it's so deep his heart will be broken."
"Get out!" Rose points towards the door. "Get out
right now!"
"You better learn your matters girl. This is my house you're
living in. Plus I'm not one of your maids you can order around.
I'll give you five days to leave the boy, or I'll find out where
this necklace came from and inform your people where you
are," The woman holds the heart of the ocean above the bed,
letting it swing like a pendulum. "It's your choice."
The woman gets up and leaves the room, with the heart of the
ocean in her hand.
Rose slowly lowers herself to the bed. She's never been so scared
in her life, even when the Titanic had lowered her and Jack into
the water. And she's never been as hurt when Cal had called her a
whore after they took Jack away. What was she going to do? She
couldn't leave Jack...but she couldn't let Cal find her either.
She didn't know why the woman was so angry about Rose being from
a upper class family and married to Jack. What business of it was
hers anyway? But the woman was serious. She could tell that by
the cruel hardness in the woman's eyes when she told Rose to
leave her husband.
"Oh Jack," Rose whispered, fresh hot tears burning in
her eyes. One thing was certain. She wasn't going to tell Jack
what happened. He had so much on his mind already; he didn't need
to worry about the old woman blackmailing her. There was only one
person Rose could talk to. Grabbing her coat, Rose heads for the
richer side of town, where the neighborhood the hotel Molly had
set up in was. Taking a deep breath, Rose headed for Molly's
room, praying that she'd be home. Yes, Molly would know exactly
what she should do.
"Hold your britches! I'm coming!" Molly hollered as
Rose kept ringing the bell in her growing desperation. "God
almighty Rose!" Molly exclaimed when she opened the door.
"You look a fright. Come on in! Where's Jack?"
"At work I guess," Rose sniffed, trying to keep her
raging emotions under control. "Molly...I have to talk to
you about something that's happening to me. I can't talk to Jack,
he already has enough on his mind, you're the only person I can
come to with this."
"Rose honey, what is it? What's so bad that you can't
possibly tell Jack?" Molly gently leads Rose over to the
sofa. "Whatever it is, it sure has spooked you something
awful."
Rose couldn't take it anymore. The concerned expression on
Molly's face made her burst into uncontrollable tears. All Molly
could do at the moment was hold the sobbing girl and rock her
like she did with her own children when they were upset.
"There, there Rosie. It's okay. Everything will be okay.
Just tell Molly what's ailing ya."
"Oh Molly. It's this horrible landlady we have," Rose
told her about the woman's accusations and threats and the final
outcome if Rose chose to ignore them. "Oh Molly, what am I
going to do?"
"Tell Jack. That's what you're going to do. He needs to know
about this Rose. He needs to know what this mad woman is doing to
you," Molly strokes the girl's hair. "I know that you
don't want to load him down with your troubles, but this threat
doesn't only involve you, it involves him as well."
"But Molly...you didn't see how miserable he was this
morning. He blames himself for Fabrizio's death. I had to
practically force him to smile for me this morning. I don't think
he'll be able to handle this."
"Rose, it's not up to you on rather Jack can handle this or
not. It's up to him. How about this. I'll go talk to this woman
and get some sense into her. And if push comes to shove, you and
Jack can come back here to stay until you can get a nicer
apartment."
"Molly," Rose begins to protest.
"Don't let that woman break up your marriage Rose. You two
have come through too much for that," Molly grips Rose's
shoulder. "Now let me get a coat and we'll head on over
there."
"No Molly, no. There's no need for you to come with me. I'll
be fine," Rose forces a smile. "Really. I know what I
should do about Mrs. Hitcherman now."
"Rosie...I don't know. I don't like the sounds of this
woman," Molly sighed. "Fine. I won't come with you, but
you have to promise me that you'll tell Jack when he returns. He
needs to know about what she's doing to you."
"...Thank you Molly. I really did need someone to talk
too," Rose wipes away the few remaining tears. "But I
know what I must do now. Good, bye Molly and thank-you for
everything," Rose gets up and leaves the room.
"Rose wait!" Molly gets up to follow her, but it's too
late. Rose had disappeared. "Please God, look after that
poor girl and help her do the right thing," All Molly could
do now was pray for both Jack and Rose.
Jack wasn't back by time Rose
returned. Good, this way she can do what she had to do more
easily. She didn't have to face him. But where was she going to
go? Not back to Cal and mother. That was for sure. That would be
defeating her purpose. Plus, she wanted to go somewhere where
Jack may be able to find her...if he didn't end up hating her
after all this was over. But where would that be?
"Have you ever been to Wisconsin? They have some of the
coldest winters around..."
Of course! Chippewa Falls! It was small and nobody knew her,
but they knew Jack, and it was a place where she could still feel
close to him. Plus if he did return there...maybe there was a
chance they could salvage their relationship.
"Chippewa Falls, here I come," Rose said to herself,
getting out a pen and paper. She had to say good-bye some how.
She couldn't just leave him without a explanation; she loved him
too much for that.
Taking one last look around, the few belongings she had, she
exited the apartment and headed for Mrs. Hitcherman's room. There
was one last thing she had to get back...the last reminder of her
and Jack's relationship on the Titanic.
"Oh it's you," The old woman snorted. "And I see
you chose to follow my advice. Well good. This is all for the
best. It'll save Jack a whole lot of heartbreak later on."
"Oh shut up. You know nothing about heartbreak if it bit you
in that big ass of yours. I just came for the necklace you stole
and that's all ...after that, I'll be leaving," Rose
growled, not wanting to get into a conversation with the woman
who broke up her marriage.
"Very well then," Hitcherman coldly replied,
disappearing into the room and reemerging with the heart of the
ocean. "It's a shame I have to give it back. It's the most
beautiful piece of jewelry I have ever seen."
"Good-bye Mrs. Hitcherman," Rose turns and leaves when
she has the necklace back in her posession. "Good-bye
Jack," She whispered as she left the building, tears
spilling out of her eyes. She now realizes that Titanic will
always be something she won't forget. It was the one place that
she and Jack were truly happy.
Jack skips into the apartment in the best mood he's been in since
the day he married Rose. Today was great; he had done about seven
sketches and made about thirty dollars in all that day. That was
enough to last them for a good while. Tonight he was going to
take Rose hout to celebrate.
"Rose!" Jack called, looking around the apartment for
his wife, but finding it empty. Oh well, maybe she found a job
and they made her start today.
He strolls over to the bed and is about to lay down when he spots
the tear-stained letter Rose had left on the pillow.
"Rose?" He asks, picking up the letter and reads:
My
dearest Jack,
I'm sorry to be leaving this letter, but it's the only way I can
say good-bye to you. I'm leaving for both of our good. Let's face
it Jack, I'm a burden to you, a extra person you have to worry
about, and I'm a upper-class girl who can't possibly take care of
herself much less a family. You deserve a girl who can do just
that.
Our time together on Titanic and the past couple of days will
always be in my heart, and so will you. Please don't try to find
me. Just let me go. You'll see that this is all for the best.
I'll always love you Jack Dawson and will never forget you.
Good-bye and good-luck.
Love,
Rose Dewitt Bukater Dawson
Jack doesn't know what
to do except stare off into space. How could she do this? How
could she just leave him alone like this, not even bothering to
say good-bye in person? How can he ever forgive her?
"Why Rose? Why did you do this? Why didn't you just talk to
me?"
Suddenly there's a soft knock on the door. Maybe it's Rose. Maybe
she's decided to come back. "Rose?" He asked, opening
the door to Mrs. Hitcherman.
"No dearie. It's just me. Is everything alright in
here?" The old woman asked.
"Uh...not really...I just need to take a walk," Jack
grabs his coat. "Will you keep a eye out on my wife...if she
returns, tell her not to go anywhere, to wait 'til I come
back."
"Sure," Hitcherman nods, her heart going out to Jack.
Poor boy, he should have known better to get involved with a high
society girl. Now that her own daughter was returning home
tomorrow, maybe she'll be able to mend his broken heart.
Molly is in the midst of packing her bacs to return to Denver.
It's time to leave New York and the tragedy behind. But before
she leaves for good, she wants to stop by Jack's and Rose's to
make sure that everything was alright with them two, make sure
that Rose told Jack everything and they both had taken care of
that nasty landlady. She closes the suitcase when there's a
slight knock on the door.
"Now who can this be?" Molly grumbled, opening the door
to reveal Jack, whose blue eyes are red from crying. "Jack?
What's wrong sugar? Where's Rose?"
"...I don't know Molly. She left me, only leaving a letter
telling me good-bye," Jack sniffed. "I combed the city
for her, but I couldn't find her anywhere," Jack hands Molly
the letter to read. "Why Molly? Why did she do this to
me?"
"Oh Jack..."
Jack spots Molly's packed suitcases. "Oh you're leaving, I'm
sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. I better go," Jack takes
the letter back after Molly read it.
"No Jack, you don't understand...come in and we can talk
about this. You have to understand why Rose did what she
did."
"Oh I do understand Molly. She wasn't strong enough for life
on the streets. I can understand and even forgive that, but she
should have told me in person, not in a letter...not like
this," His voice is full of disgust, his eyes tear up again.
"I've bothered you enough...I better be going." He
turns and leaves.
"Jack wait!" Molly calls as Jack turns around one more
time.
"Oh Molly, if you see Rose again...tell her that I'm not
angry with her. Just tell her I'm disappointed. That's all.
Good-bye Molly," Jack turns aroudn and disappears down the
hall.
"Jack wait!" Molly calls out one more time, but it's
too late. He was gone. "That poor boy. And poor Rose. Her
heart must be in pieces after all of this."