A ROSE BLOWING IN THE WIND
Chapter Two
They pull up in front of a huge
red brick house with a garden growing on the side and a swinging
chair on the porch. Rose follows Laurie onto the porch and waits
while her new friend rings the bell. It's a middle-aged lady with
gray hair and steely gray eyes that opens the door. Rose felt the
urge to turn around and rlee, but she resists. She had no where
else to go.
"Laurie? What are you doing back so soon?" The woman
asked.
"I found a girl from the Titanic Mrs. Wilma. She was in a
hurry to get away from the dock because of all the
reporters," Laurie smiles. "Rose, this is Mrs. Wilma
Singleton, but all us girls call her Mrs. Wilma. Mrs. Wilma, this
is Rose Dawson."
"Hello," Rose avoids the woman's gaze, afraid that the
woman's steel eyes would look right through her...just like
Jack's penetrating blue eyes did, except his was full of warmth
and was sparkling. She had never tried to avoid his gaze.
"Well don't just stand out there Mrs. Dawson. Come in,"
The woman beckons her into the house. "Laurie go back to the
dock and help the other girls. I'll go over the rules and
regulations with Ms. Dawson here."
Rose looks at Laurie, pleading with her eyes not to be left alone
with this woman, but Laurie only smiles. "I'll see you later
Rose. Hpefully we'll have more girls."
"Come alon," Mrs. Wilma beckens towards the sitting
room once Laurie is gone. "Let's set. Tell me about
yourself. What was your life like before the tragedy."
Oh no, Rose groaned inwardly. She knew this would happen. This
woman knew there was something not right and now she was going to
find out. Rose had to come up with something and fast. Then she
once again heard Jack's voice inside her head. "Use my
story Rose. Don't be nervous. You can do it."
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Rose begins.
"Well...I grew up in Chippewa Falls Wisconsin. That's where
I married my husband Jack. We were happy there, but then his
parents died in a fire and he decided that since we had no close
kin in that part of the country...we were to lit on out of there
and we haven't been back since. You can say we were a couple of
tumbleweeds blowing in the wind," Rose forces a smile.
"How did you end up on Titanic?"
"Well...Jack won us third class tickets at a game of
poker..." Rose bows her head when she sees the disapproving
glare in the woman's eyes. "Well anyway...that was going to
be our passage home to Chippewa Falls. But as you know
already...the ship hit a iceberg and sank...taking my Jack with
it..." Rose bursts into tears. "My poor Jack is laying
at the bottom of the ocean!"
Mrs. Wilma's eyes soften and she wraps a protective arm around
Rose. "Shhh dearie. It's ok. I'm sorry to have dredged up
painful memories for you. Come. I'll s how you around the house
and to your room which you will be sharing with two other girls.
Unfortunately they're the blacksheep of the house, but I don't
think you should be alone after losing your husband like you did.
Don't you agree?"
Rose stares at the woman, tears still in her eyes. All she wanted
to do was be alone, but she wasn't about to argue. She'll just
have to make sure that the items in her coat were well hidden.
Thirty minutes later...
"Girls! This is Rose Dawson! She's a widow off the
Titanic. So please be nice to her. For once do as I say,"
Mrs. Wilma leads Rose into a room occupied by two other girls who
scrowled up at both her and Mrs. Wilma.
"Yes Mrs. Wilma," Both girls replied with fake
sweetness in their voices.
"And don't talk to her about the tragedy. It's much too
painful," Mrs. Wilma warned. "If I ever find out that
you have offended her in anyway..."
"Don't worry, we'll be good," the girl with black hair
rolls her brown eyes.
Mrs. Wilma nods at the girls and turns back to Rose. "Sleep
well dear and if you need anything just ask Laurie or myself.
We'll be glad to help you. And you two girls behave!" With
that last warning to the two other girls, Mrs. Wilma turns and
leaves Rose at the mercy of her two new roommates.
"You get the bed over there by the window," the blonde
girl points to the third bed in the room by the window. "It
gets cold at night so be sure that you wrap up tight."
Rose just nods and goes to the bed. She takes off the coat and
folds it carefully that the pockets are completely hidden. She
lays the coat at the foot of her bed. Since both of the girls now
seem to be ignoring her, she looked out the window and up at the
now clear sky. She could see a million stars up there and knew
that somewhere up there Jack was looking down on her...perhaps
even smiling knowing that she was at least trying to keep her
promise.
"I love you Rose," She again heard his voice in
her ear and she smiled and thought to herself, "I love you
too Jack and this life is dedicated to you....to us."
She lays down in bed and drifts off to sleep, aware that thanks
to Jack she had her whole life ahead of her.