A ROSE BLOWING IN THE WIND
Chapter One
"Rose Dawson," She
turns to the officer that had asked for her name. Yes. Rose
Dawson was her new idenity...in honor of her savior...Jack
Dawson. She could be his unwed widow if there were any questions.
Her mother and Cal would never suspect...at least she hoped they
didn't.
"Thank you love," The officer nods then goes to the
next passenger. Rose sighs and looks back up at the statue of
liberty. It meant so many things now. A new life, freedom, and
sadly it reminded her of her lost love. How she's stepping off a
ship without him.
"Oh Jack," She places a shaky hand over her mouth and
stiffles a coming sob. She hasn't cried since they picked her up
out of the icy waters and she wasn't going to start now. There
was no use to it. Crying wouldn't bring Jack back. "What am
I going to do now?"
It was too late to go back to Cal and mother and she didn't want
to. That would be dishonoring Jack's memory. Plus, after
experiencing just a couple of days of freedom, she didn't want to
give that up. Her freedom was the only thing she had left of
Jack. She was determined to keep her promise...she was going to
go on...nver let go of the freedom he had died to give her.
Sighing, she places her freezing hands into the damp pocket of
Cal's coat. She furrows her eyebrow as she feels something cold
and hard in the pocket. She gasps as she lifts the object out of
her pocket and finds the heart of the ocean. Cal must have taken
them for insurance. She surpresses a laugh as she thinks about
him kicking himself after her and Jack had fled from him. No
matter what he was down in steerage looking for her. It wasn't
her he wanted. It was the necklace.
She wonders what else Cal had stashed in his coat. She looks in
the inside brest pocket of the coat and finds what muct be two
thousand dollars. A nice nestegg for her to get started out on.
She looks up at the sky and could swear she saw a shooting star.
"Thank you Jack," She whispered as the star disappeared
into the now partly clouded sky. He had sent her these two
things. She knew it. He was going to make sure she was well taken
care of. The money was for her survival...but the necklace....it
was going to be her keepsake...something to remember that magical
night he drew her wearing only the heart of the ocean.
"Where to Miss?" She heard his voice ask.
"To a nice warm dry place to stay the night," Rose
answered. But where? She's been in New York, but she never had to
worry about where to stay before. Mother and Cal had always made
those decisions. Now it was her choice and she had no idea where
to start.
"Mrs? Are you from the Titanic?" A young woman
approaches just as Rose disembarks the Carpathia.
"Yes I am. Why?" Rose is suspicious. She had seen the
swarm of reporters crowding the decks, waiting like a pack of
wolves hungry for fresh meat. Could this simple girl be one of
them?
"Well...me and my hostess...we're offering the young girls
and widows touched by this horrible tragedy a place to stay until
they get back on their feet. It's free. What do you say?"
The girl asked.
Rose sighs and takes in her surroundings. Thousands of reporters,
passengers from the Carpathia and passengers from the Titanic.
The she spots them...her mother and Cal talking to a reporter. He
had to get out of there fast before they spotted her.
"Ok. But can we go now please? Being around all these
reporters..."
"Oh of course. My companions can do the rest of the
scouting," The girl eagerly nods, wanting to get home
herself. "By the way, my name's Laurie Collins. What's
yours?"
"Rose. Rose Dawson," Rose said, quickly turning her
back on her mother and Cal and follows the girl to a street car.
"Do you mind if I ask where we're going?"
"My hostess's house of course. Her name is Mrs. Singleton.
She's a widow of course and she let's all us girls live there.
She's a real nice lady. I think you'll like her," Laurie
smiles at her new companion.
Rose takes one more look at the dock and sighs as she shuts the
door on her old life. Any chance she had to go back to her old
life as Rose Dewitt Bukater was now gone forever. Her future and
identity was written in stone now. Rose Dawson has now officially
been born.