AFTER TITANIC
BOOK ONE
Chapter Eighteen
Rose shivers against the cold
air as she stepped out into the cold night air to walk home. Her
mind is on the meeting with her mother. She couldn't believe that
they had called a truce, that her mother now accepted the fact
that she wasn't going to marry Cal and that she was now married
to Jack and was going to have his child.
"Penny for your thoughts," a voice speaks from behind
her.
Rose whirls around expecting to see Caledon Hockley ready to drag
her back to Philadelphia to face Jack instead, his blue eyes
filled with love and concern. He can't help being concerned about
Rose's condition and how she was working, and when he sees the
look in her eyes, he comes to the conclusion that it was time to
insist that Rose gave up the job. "Rose...what happened? How
hard did they work you today?"
"My mother's here," was Rose's simple answer, her voice
flat.
"Your mother? You mean the one from Titanic?"
"That's the only mother I've got Jack."
"Well...what did she want?"
"Another chance. She wants me to give her another chance to
be my mother."
Jack is speechless. He doesn't know what to say to Rose. A part
of him wanted to tell her to forget about the meeting with Ruth.
That they could go on with their lives and pretend that it never
happened. But another part of him, the logical part, the one that
always mad the hard decisions wanted to tell Rose to give her
mother another chance. That the woman couldn't do anything to
harm them or their child, that perhaps she really had changed and
wanted to be with the only family she had left. "What do you
want to do?"
"What I want to do is go back to the way it was before she
showed up here. I don't want to have to think of her at Molly's
waiting for me to get in touch with her. I wish....I wish that
she was a real mother to me in the first place so there would be
nothing to think about now...I wouldn't have to forgive
her," Rose finally bursts into tears, falling into Jack's
waiting arms. "Oh Jack, what am I doing? What am I going to
do?"
"Well...first you're going to go home with me and go to bed
and get some sleep. No more thinking about the situation with
your mother tonight. You can think about that in the
morning." Jack stroked her hair gently.
"Rose...everything will be okay. I promise."
Rose just clings to her husband. Even when they walk home, she
doesn't let go of his hand. When she falls asleep that night,
Jack slips out of the house and silently sets on the chair that
he and Rose had set out on the porch when they wanted to look at
the stars.
What was he going to do? Everything seemed to be piling on top of
his marriage. First there was discovering Eliza and Rose had
become friends and getting Eliza to agree to keep quiet about
their past relationship and now it was Rose's mother showing up
in Chippewa Falls. He knew he was encouraging Rose to work things
out with her mother, but he didn't think Ruth would be back in
their lives this soon. She must have freaked out when she saw
Rose not only pregnant, but also working as somebody's maid. She
probably couldn't waid to send for Cal to come and take Rose and
his unborn child away.
"Hello Mr. Dawson," A
familiar proper voice speaks up from beside him. He turns his
head and is surprised to see Ruth. She hadn't changed a bit from
the last time he saw her. She still had that arrogant proud
stance to her. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I had to beg
Molly to bring me here so I could see how Rose was living. She'd
kill me if she knew I was here."
You got that right lady, Jack thought to himself. What did Ruth
Dewitt Bukater want with them at this time of night, besides
seeing how Rose was living? And did she approve? He can tell
nothing by the expression on the woman's face.
"She'd be surprised," was Jack's answer. He couldn't
help but be civil to her. She was of course his elder and his
mother always bore it into his head to respect his elders.
"So Mrs. Dewitt Bukater...what do you think? Do you think
I'm doing right by your daughter?"
"A house by the woods in a quaint little town like this...I
say it's not bad. It's far better than how I pictured. I was
certain that you two were living on the street if not in a run
down shack with no water."
Jack smiled. "That's what I thought you were thinking."
"Mr. Dawson...that's not the only reason I came here. I also
came here to talk to you...to apologize for my behavior aboard
Titanic. You see...I was desparate. Rose must have told you about
her father's debts taking all our money and why that was the
reason I wanted her to marry Cal."
Jack nods. Rose told him everything the night she posed for him.
He knew she was worried about how her decision to be with him
would affect her mother, but he was glad that a larger part of
her didn't care. She was done being responsible for her mother's
problems. "She told me everything. And I understand where
you were coming from. You were scared and were willing to do
anything to remain secure. But I hope you now see that Cal wasn't
right for Rose and that I truly love her."
"I do see now that Cal wasn't right for her. But Jack, is
this life right for her too? I mean...she's working as a maid for
goodness sake, and in her condition..."
"I tried to get her to quit Mrs. Dewitt Bukater," Jack
stands up, pushing down the anger that was now rising in his
voice. "But you know your daughter. She refuses to listen.
And as for this being the life for her...this is the one she
chose."
"But you're her husband. She has to obey..."
"We're not about that Mrs. Dewitt Bukater. I'm not about
that. I'm not here to make Rose's decisions for her. I'm here to
love and support her in her decisions. I'm here to share her
life, not to control it," Jack said, his voice firm.
"I'm sorry if you don't agree with that, but that's the way
it is and the way it always will be."
"And my grandchild?"
"Will be fine, just like your daughter is fine. Trust me
Mrs. Dewitt Bukater. I love Rose and I would never harm her or
allow harm to come to her."
"For some reason Mr. Dawson...I do trust you and believe you
when you say you would never harm her. Mr. Dawson...Jack...I'd
like to accept you on both myself and my husband's
behalf...welcome to the family," Ruth then does something
totally unexpected then, she gives Jack a quick hug. "My
husband would have liked you Jack. In fact, you two are quite
alike. Boh of you are free spirits and I'm thankful Rose has
found you to share her life with."
Jack felt tears of happiness come in his eyes. He knew this
development would make Rose so happy. Her mother had finally
accepted him.
Rose watches the scene from her window and can't help but smile.
She can feel her heart begin to soften towards her mother. This
scene between her mother and Jack was evidence in itself that
Ruth Dewitt Bukater was indeed trying to change.