3
Tuesday morning had finally arrived without incident. Of course, the fact that Jack and Rose remained in his stateroom helped tremendously. They had spent most of Monday getting to know one another better.
"Good morning," Jack kissed her as they both woke from a dreamless slumber.
"Morning," Rose smiled, just as Fabrizio came rushing into the room, his brown eyes wide with amazement.
"Dios Mios Jack! Come see!" He pointed towards the deck. "It’s America Jack! We finally made it to America!"
Jack and Rose looked at each other and then back at Fabrizio. "Are you sure?" Rose asked. "We weren’t supposed to be in America until tomorrow morning."
"We must be early!" Fabrizio clapped his hands in excitement. "Come! Come see statue of liberty!"
"This better not be one of your jokes," Jack glared at his friend as Rose and himself got up to go on deck.
~*~
Once up on the deck, Rose and Jack gasped in amazement. It was true. They were finally home. Staring up at the statue, Rose realized that it now had new meaning for her. Before, she had just thought it was just a statue, but now it was a symbol. A symbol for the new life she had chosen for herself…the freedom that was now hers.
"It’s beautiful," She breathed, holding tightly onto Jack’s hand.
"Come Rose. Let’s get our things ready. We’ll be disembarking soon," Jack led her back to their cabin, the image of the statue still burned in their minds.
~*~
Rose, Jack, Fabrizio, and Tommy were among the last of the third class passengers to disembark. Rose had thought that there’d be less of a chance of running into Cal if they got off last. Sadly she was wrong. Cal and Lovejoy were not too far away talking to a couple of officers.
"Shit," Jack cursed. "We have to get out of here fast."
Rose nodded, pushing back the anxiety that had threatened to overtake her. If Cal saw them, she could kiss her new life good-bye. Cal would drag her back and there would be no more chances to escape. This was her last chance.
"We’ve been looking for you Miss," a hatefully familiar voice spoke up from behind. She turned to face Lovejoy. He tightly grabbed her arm in a grip of steel. "Mr. Hockley will be most glad to see you safe. Now come along."
But before Lovejoy could pull her anywhere, Jack’s fist smashed into the elder man’s face. Jack quickly grabbed Rose’s hand and they hop into a nearby carriage, followed by Tommy and Fabrizio.
"Where to ," The driver asked.
"Wherever this will take us," Jack stuffed the ten dollars he had told Rose about into the man’s hand.
"Yes sir," the driver tipped his hat and they were off.
Rose dared a look back to see Lovejoy with Cal, pointing in their direction. "We’re going to have to leave New York."
"We’ll need money for that," Tommy leaned back. "Plus a place to stay the night."
"Jack?" Fabrizio looked at his friend. Surely Jack had a plan. He always did.
"Give me a minute. I’ll figure something out," Jack wrapped a secure arm around Rose’s shoulder, pushing back the uncertainty that had come over him. Now was not the time to be nervous, nor was it time to sleep in the streets. For one he had Rose with him this time. Living under bridges and scavenging for food was something she was unaccustomed to and Jack didn’t want to introduce her to such things. For the first time since agreeing to let Rose join him, he had doubts about the decision. "Tommy…where were you planning to stay?"
Tommy’s eyes lit up with relief and happiness. "My cousin Riley of course! He owns an apartment building and are looking for tenants! I’m sure he’ll put all of you up if I ask."
"What do you say sweetie?" Jack looked at Rose.
"Better then in the streets," Rose nodded.
Suddenly the carriage came to a halt. The ten dollars had taken them to a section of New York that Rose had never been in before. Swallowing her fear, she clung to Jack’s hand. As long as she was with Jack, she knew she was safe.
"The ride ends here," the driver grinned. "Enjoy your stay in our wonderful city."
"Come on Rose," Jack stepped down and helped Rose to the ground.
Three minutes later, the foursome stood in middle of a deserted street, trying to figure out where they were.
"Tommy…where is this cousin of yours again?"
Rose leaned against Jack, pushing down the sudden swell of anxiety that was overtaking her. Everything had to be ok. They will find Tommy’s cousin and have a place to stay and warm food to eat.
Tommy looked around and frowned. "It’s on a 42nd street."
Jack’s eyes widened. "42nd street!"
"This is only 23rd," Rose read the sign with a groan. "That’s 20 blocks! It’ll take us forever to get there."
Jack sighed miserably. This was exactly what he didn’t want for Rose. To have to walk just to get to a place to stay. Well…at least it wasn’t raining. "Let’s get moving. The sooner we start out, the sooner we get there."
So they walk and they walk. At first, everyone was in good spirits, laughing at Jack’s tales of his life wandering the world and the scrapes that he and Fabrizio were always finding themselves in. But by the time they had reached their destination, their disposition had turned rather gloomy. Especially Rose’s, since she hadn’t eaten that morning. She was starving, plus her feet ached terribly. Jack had offered to carry her, seeing the pain she was in. But she had refused. It would have drawn to much attention to them, and with Cal on the lookout, attention was the last thing they needed.
"Is this it Tommy?" Jack looked up at the tall structure, pulling Rose to lean against him more, hoping to take some of the weight off her feet.
"Yeap. Ryan Manor. He’ll be surprised to see us," he ranged the bell. He wasn’t expecting me until tomorrow."
Two minutes later, the door was opened by a muscular, heavy set man with warm brown eyes and sleek blond hair. His eyes widened in shock when he saw who was at the door. "Tommy? Is it really you? You weren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow."
The young man grinned sheepishly. "The ship arrived early. I hope this ain’t inconveniencing ya."
The man grinned and pulled Tommy into a hug. "Of course not! My favorite cousin! Come and bring your friends! There’s plenty of room for you all!
Smiling gratefully, the small group of friends followed Riley Ryan into the building where they got a bit to eat and a well deserved nap.
CONTINUE