42
The Dawson house was full of
activity. The women, Rose included,
were in the kitchen preparing that night’s dinner. Jack sat on the steps drawing the men of the house playing poker
in the living room, while keeping an eye out for Bill and Ruth’s arrival.
“I can understand that Bill fella
coming. But that woman is one cold
fish,” Weaver left the game to join his nephew on the stairs.
“Ruth is coming because Rose needs to
make peace with her,” Jack sighed. “Not
only for lying about Bill, but for trying to force her into a loveless
marriage.”
Weaver sighed, running a hand through
his graying blonde hair. “I must admit
that I still have reservations about Rose.
But I know now to keep my nose out of it. I was only accomplishing one thing and that was hurting you. Putting you in the middle like that was
wrong and I apologize.”
Jack smiled and hugged his uncle. “I forgive you and thank you for letting up
on Rose. I love her with my whole soul
and when you hurt her, you were hurting me as well. I’m glad that you saw that.”
Weaver shrugged. “I hope
you’re right about the girl Jack. I’d
hate to be right about her.”
“Don’t
worry Uncle. You’re as wrong as wrong
can be. Rose loves me just as much as I
love her.”
“Hello!”
Bill greeted, entering the house with a bouquet of roses. “Where’s my daughter?”
“In the kitchen helping the women,” Charles got to his feet and
went to greet the new arrival.
“We’re
glad you could
make it Bill. Come in and get off your
feet.”
“Ruth here yet?” Bill asked, looking
towards the kitchen, trying to see or hear any sign of his ex-lover.
“Not yet. She should be arriving any minute now,” Jack answered just as
there was a knock at the door. He
opened it to Ruth, who did not seem to be in good humor.
“Where’s my daughter?” She just stepped
into the house, looking around at her surroundings. She couldn’t help but sigh, remembering the luxury that herself
and her daughter had once been surrounded by.
It was becoming clear each passing day that such luxury was a thing of
the past.
“In the kitchen mam,” Charles answered. “Helping with supper.”
Ruth bit back a gasp of outrage. Her daughter in the kitchen doing Manuel
labor! The outrage!
Suddenly Rose appeared in the kitchen
doorway dressed in a simple blue cotton dress, an apron tied around her
waist. Her face was void of make-up and
her luxurious red curls were pulled up into a tight bun, drops of sweat
dampened the few shorter strands that
had fallen free.
“My God Rose! You look a fright!” Ruth
exclaimed, forgetting that they were both now part of a class that didn’t care
about looking beautiful at all times.
“Why thank you mother,” Rose glared at
Ruth before turning to Jack. “Can I see
you for a minute?”
Jack shrugged, noticing the look in
Rose’s eyes. He got up and followed her
into the empty dining room that was just off from the kitchen.
Rose stood with her back to him for a
few minutes. Her emotions were raging
and she didn’t want to take it out on him.
Finally she turned, irritation still gleaming in her eyes. “I don’t know if I can do this tonight
Jack. I know I promised Bill, but you
heard her in there! Her constant
criticism!”
“You’ll be fine sweetie. You’re strong and secure. Plus you have me by your side and Bill too.”
“She makes me feel like a little girl
that spilt tea on her dress. I hate
that feeling.”
“I tell you what. Every time you feel that way, look at me,
give me a signal and I’ll do this,” Jack kissed her in a way he knew sent
shivers of pure desire down her spine.
A kiss that only a grown woman could appreciate. “Now do you feel like a little girl?” He
stared.
“You know just how to make me feel
better don’t you Jack?” Rose sighed, leaning against his chest. For the first time since her m other’s
arrival, she felt safe and secure in the path she had chosen after Titanic.
“I’ll keep your mother occupied
while you’re in the kitchen I that’s
ok.”
“That’ll be perfect.,” Rose sighed,
pulling away to gaze into her eyes.
Looking into those blue depths, she fell in love all over again.
“Hey Rose!” Jacklyn stuck her head into
the room. “I know my brother is easier
on the eyes and more fun to be with., but we need your company in the
kitchen for a bit longer.”
Rose could only roll her eyes before
pulling away from Jack to rejoin her in-laws in the kitchen.
~*~
Dinner
was a quiet affair. Dawsons and guests
ate in an uncomfortable silence, no one knowing what to say to each other.
Ruth kept stealing glances at her daughter, still reeling with surprise
that Rose had helped cook the meal before her.
It was so unexpected. She snuck
glances over at Bill, wondering what he really expected from her. Did he want money? Well he must know that both Rose and she were as penniless as he
was now.
Jack’s
the one that broke the silence. He
looked at Ruth and smiled. Somehow, to
his surprise, Ruth and he had become…a friend, which really isn’t the right
word, but for now that was the only word he could come up with. “So Ruth.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. How’s life been treating you?”
“I
suppose it could be worse. I could be a
seamstress right now. How about you
Rose. Are you happy here playing
house? It’s not as easy as you thought
is it?” Ruth’s cold glare fell on Rose.
Rose
swallowed, feeling the helplessness coming over her. She squeezed Jack’s hand for support and turned a icy stare of
her own on her mother. “I am beyond
happy here mother. I have a wonderful
husband, a beautiful daughter. I
couldn’t ask for anything more.”
“Cal
would have given you a mansion and status…” Ruth sighed, restfully remembering
her former life of parties and get together.
“A
life full of misery,” Bill snorted. “It
seems to me that you’re more concerned about your upkeep then our daughter’s
happiness.”
“Bill,
you know nothing of our situation. I
rather you stay out of this.”
“You’re
right. I know nothing of what your
situation was at the time. But this is
my daughter you’re talking about and I don’t appreciate your attempt to sell
her off to the highest bidder.”
:”Your
daughter? You have the gall to claim you’re
her father now?”
“That’s
what he is mother. How soon you forget
last Christmas. When all your lies came
out in the open,” Rose glared at her mother.
“All the time I could have spent getting to now my father was stolen by
your greed.”
Ruth
glared at her daughter even more coolly then before. Rose had her father’s outspoken nature and no matter what she did
to stamp it out, it had always been there.
“You have no idea why I did what I did Rose. No idea at all. Unlike
you, I loved my mother. I would never
go against her wishes.”
“I
loved you too mother. I did, but I
couldn’t let you hijack my life any longer.
Being told how to live may have made you happy, but I was miserable.”
“I
was only trying to do right by you Rose.”
“Mother,
you still don’t get it. If you wanted
to do right by me, you should have told me who my father truly was.”
“But
you loved Albert so much. I couldn’t
take that away from you. He was always
the one you ran to. The one you spent
the most time with…”
“Because
he never tried to change me mother. He
never made me go to those stupid parties.
He never once belittled me or made me feel guilty for being myself. He never forced me to spend time with those
awful friends of yours. He loved me for
me. You just wanted to make me into
another version of you.”
Ruth
sighed, defeated by her past behavior.
She had been a horrid mother to Rose.
There was no denying that. She
had treated Rose like a mold of clay, and now she’s lost her. The only thing left to say was a feeble,
“I’m sorry. Forgive me.” The coldness
had left Ruth’s eyes as tears began to fall.
“I should have told you and treated you better. I’m so sorry.”
Rose
was struck speechless by the apology and even more so when Bill got up and
wrapped his arms around Ruth.
“It’s
ok Ruthie. We’ve all made mistakes,”
Bill cooed.
“I’m
sorry to you too. For letting my
parents break us apart and for keeping you and Rose in the dark about each
other. I never stopped loving you Bill. You were always in my heart. Please forgive me.”
Bill
smiled sadly, brushing away a red strand from Ruth’s eyes. “Of course I forgive ya. I know about Rose now and that’s what
matters.”
“…I
guess I can forgive you too. There’s no
use carrying this resentment around any longer. Especially now that I have Jack
and Molly,” Rose squeezed her husband’s
hand, who was silent during the confrontation. The conflict was between Rose and her mother. His was something she had to do on her
own. He was only moral support.
“Does
that mean I can see Molly as much as I want?” Ruth’s eyes lit up with hope.
“As
long as you don’t try to mold her into a first class lady…yes.”
“You
have my word,” Ruth wiped away her tears, suddenly exhausted from the
confrontation. “Can I see her after
dinner.”
“Sure. We’ll bring her down after dinner,” Jack
spoke up for the first time. Meeting
her eyes, Rose smiled, knowing that this was the first step in healing her
relationship with her mother.
~*~
That
night, after the house had gone to sleep, Jack and Rose lay in each other’s
arms happy and content with their lives.
Rose especially felt at peace.
Jack’s uncle was no longer picking on her, she was getting to know her
real father, and she was rebuilding her relationship with her mother. And most of all, Jack and Molly were in her
life.
She
touched his face tenderly, as if to make sure he was real and not some
wonderful figment of her imagination.
“Hmmm. I love you Jack,” She closed her eyes,
relishing the overwhelming feeling she got when she looked into his blue
orbs.
“What
are you thinking?” He asked, a serene smile on his face.
“About
how lucky I am. If it weren’t for
you…I’d be miserable right now. Just
our very presence make me happy.”
Jack
frowned, thinking of all the unhappiness he had brought her too. He wished that none of it had happened. The thing with Kimberly, his amnesia, his
Uncle’s vocal disapproval, their separation…if he could take it all back he
would.
Rose’s
smile faltered as she saw his frown.
“What’s wrong? Why are you frowning?”
“I’ve
hurt you so much Rose. Too much…it
wasn’t supposed to be like that.”
“Oh
Jack,” She pulled him closer. Their
faces were now inches apart, not even
that much. “Don’t think about those
times. True they were painful, but they
helped us grow. Plus we’re married and
all marriages have problems at times.
There’s no reason to think that ours would be any different.”
“I
know…but I just hate that I was the cause of the bad times. It was all about me.”
“But
Jack, you weren’t the cause of the bad times.
You’re the reason for all the good, wonderful things that’s happened to
me so far and all the wonderful things that will come in the future. You gave so much Jack. You gave me your love, freedom, a wonderful
family that I love, you gave me Molly, and if
it weren’t for you I probably
would have never found out about Bill.
You’ve been my lover, my best friend and my guardian angel. You have no idea how much I love and need
you.”
“And
I need you. I know it’s selfish of me,
but I could never let you go. Not for
anything.”
Rose
smiled and kissed him tenderly. “Well
in that case, don’t let me go, because I now I’ll never let you go either. So we’re both selfish.”
“To
the stars?” He arched a brow, his blue eyes filling with passion and desire.
“Oh yes Jack. To the stars,” Rose sighed, pulling him into a deeper kiss. Once again, the outside world ceased to exist for the lovers. Unaware of the future ahead, they soared above the clouds, lost in each other.