Chapter Two
April 11, 1912
Rose sighed sadly as she enters her aunt’s room. It was after another fight with her mother. Ruth was again airing her opinion about Rose’s awful red hair. How she wished she had a blond child instead. The last time Ruth had made this comment, Rose had gone out and tried to dye her hair blond, but instead of turning blond, her hair had turned a sickly green. It took three months for it to turn back. Her mother had a fit. She had kept belittling Rose for being so stupid as to pull such a stunt.
"Rosie darlin’, don’t let her get to ya. She doesn’t mean any of this. She doesn’t mean to hurt ya so," Molly comes and sets next to her niece, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders.
"Why does she hate me so much Molly? Why am I so unlovable?" Rose sobbed. "Even that horrible Caledon Hockley didn’t want me," Rose remembers how one of the suitors her mother had picked out had rebuffed her.
"Oh Rose, you’re not unlovable at all and believe it or not, she does love ya. It’s just that she was never shone love all her life. Her ma and pa had ignored her and neglected her to no end. She didn’t know how to love ya when you were born. I of course hoped she would take a lesson from your father, but she didn’t. She got worse it seemed. And as for that Hockley fella…you’re lucky he wasn’t interested. Word has it that the girl he’s engaged to now has had quite a few accidents with the stairs lately," Molly hugged her niece. "Don’t you worry Rose. You will find love...that one person who was meant just for you."
Rose wipes her tears and looks into Molly’s eyes, deciding to humor her. "How will I know him when I meet him Molly?"
"Oh you’re know. You’ll know the moment you lay eyes on him. It’ll be as if nothing else exists but the two of you. You’ll be in your own little world and you’ll move heaven and Earth to be together."
"Oh Aunt Molly…you’re such a romantic," Rose smiled, not believing a word her Aunt had just told her. She knew for a fact that such love never existed. How could it when her own mother didn’t even love her? How could she ever hope that anyone besides her aunt molly could ever love her so strongly? "I’ll be back Aunt Molly. I’m going to take a walk on deck. Maybe explore the ship a little," Rose smiled.
"Don’t be gone too long darling. You don’t want to be late for lunch. Ruth would kill ya if you were," Molly smiled sadly, watching her niece walk out the door. Poor Rose. Molly felt so sorry for her. If only she’d meet the love of her life on this ship…that would be the answer to her prayers.
"This ship is nice no?" Fabrizio asked the Irishman leaning up against the wall while Jack was drawing a man showing his little girl a dolphin. Jack and his art…nothing could come between them. He might as well start up a conversation with the man standing in front of him. "It’s British no?"
"No, it’s Irish. A dozen Irishmen built this ship," The man took a drag of his cigarette. "Strong as a rock, big Irish hands."
Fabrizio nods and looks over to see an officer walking a group of expensive looking dogs.
"Now isn’t that typical," The Irishman snorts bitterly. "First class dogs down her to take a shit."
"Ah it just let’s us know where we rank in the scheme of things," Jack smiled good-naturedly.
"Tommy Ryan," the man holds a hand out to Jack, already taken by Jack’s sunny disposition.
"Jack Dawson," Jack shakes his hand.
"Fabrizio," Fabrizio replied.
"Do you make any money off your drawings?" Tommy asked notices the portfolio. But Jack doesn’t answer. He’s staring straight up at the first class deck, his eyes are dazed, like he’s off in his own world or something. Tommy looks up to see what’s captured Jack’s attention that was so mesmerizing. Then he saw her. The loveliest vision he’s ever seen, and she was staring too right back at Jack. It was as if they were making some sort of connection. Tommy was touched, but he was also a realist. That lady up there was first class and Jack was obviously poorer than poor. It looked like the only thing he truly owned was that portfolio. He had to bring Jack back down to Earth. "Ah forget it boy-o. You’re more likely to have angels flying out of your arse then get next to the likes of her."
But Jack doesn’t come out of it. He continues staring up at the red haired beauty above him. To him she was an angel from heaven and he’d do anything to just talk to her if nothing else.
"Jack Dawson there you are!" A loud and angry feminine voice calls to him, breaking the spell. Jack blinks and turns to his angry fiancée.
"It’s those stupid drawings of yours again! They’re going to make us late for lunch! Now come on!" Caroline grabs him by his arm and pulls him towards the third class dining saloon, not noticing how Jack had looked back behind him to the girl who was staring at him with certain sadness in her eyes. On his way to the dining saloon, Jack wondered why the girl was so sad and was there anything he could do to put happiness in those beautiful green eyes.
He sighed again. Of course there wasn’t. Not only was he engaged to Caroline, he’d probably never see the girl again anyway. He was third class and she was first. There was no way he’d get close enough to even talk to her.
Rose stares after the handsome boy down in third class. He was certainly the handsomest she’s ever seen and she was amazed at how everything but him had disappeared. It was like as soon as their eyes met that they were in their own world. In his blue orbs she could swim forever and not care whether anyone found her or not. Jack. Jack Dawson. That was what that awful girl who had angrily pulled him away had called him. Jack Dawson…the most wonderful name in the world. It seemed to suit him as well. It was a shame that she was never going to have a chance to talk to him. He was obviously third class and her mother would never allow her to associate with a third class man. It would be bad for her reputation Ruth would coldly reply. Destroy the chance that Rose had of ever finding a first class man that’d feel sorry for her and marry her. Rose sighed sadly as she turns and walks away, the man named Jack Dawson still on her mind…wishing that there was a way she could meet him.
Four hours later…
The first class Saloon.
Rose can feel the hot unshed tears burning in her eyes as she listened to her mother berate her in front of the other first class passengers they were seated with. Ruth was going on about what a plain daughter she had and how she wished she had a daughter as beautiful as Madeleine Astor. How it was so unfair. Aunt Molly had tried to stop Ruth, but her sister in law kept going and going. There was no stopping her.
"I’m sorry Rose. Just ignore it," Molly squeezed the girl’s shoulder, unaware that Rose was stabbing her wrist with the crab fork under the table.
"Will you excuse me," Rose couldn’t take it anymore and got up to leave, ignoring the pitying glances from the other passengers around the table.
Jack lies on the bench, smoking a cigarette and staring at the stars. Thinking about his coming marriage to Caroline. Why was he marrying her? She was rude, she treated him like he was lower than her and that he ought to be glad that she graced him with her company and she had higher aspirations than he did. Fabrizio had once asked him a couple of weeks ago why he was marrying her and he had answered because he loved her, and it was true. He did love Caroline. But the experience earlier today had made him wonder. That eyelock he held with the beautiful red head earlier had awakened emotions in him that he didn’t even know he had. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. What was he going to do? What if this didn’t go away? What if he still thought of this girl on his wedding day? Could he honestly marry Caroline while he was daydreaming about a girl he hadn’t even spoken a word to? What was he going to do? What could he do? The mystery girl was in his blood obviously and he didn’t think he was going to be able to get her out.
He tries to shift his thoughts to something else when he hears the sound of sobbing and running feet heading towards the stern of the ship. He was curious so he followed the sound. Hoping that this was something that could take his mind off the girl that wouldn’t leave his thoughts.
Rose wipes her tears away as she climbs over the rail. Tonight was the night. She couldn’t take her mother’s ongoing hatred anymore. She was going to escape…escape to the one parent that she knew did love her. She was going to join her father. She’s staring down at the dark ocean when a worried voice speaks up.
"Don’t do it."
Rose turns and her eyes widen when she sees the man she had made eye contact with earlier that day. He was the last person she had expected to be here. But none the less, she was going to go through with this. Not even he could stop her.
"Stay back! Don’t come any closer!" Rose sobbed.
"Take my hand. I’ll pull you back over!" Jack looks at her, noticing the tear tracks on her cheeks in the faint glow from the stern. This girl didn’t want to die. Sure she was terribly upset, maybe even devastated, but he could also see in her eyes that she didn’t really want to die. Maybe he could use that knowledge to get her to climb back over.
"No! Stay where you are. I mean it. I’ll let go," Rose leans out a little over the ocean as if to prove her point. But this didn’t fool Jack.
"No you won’t."
Rose grew angry and indignant. Who was this man to tell her what she was and wasn’t going to do. "What do you mean no I won’t? Don’t presume to tell me what I will and will not do. You don’t know me."
"You would have done it already," Jack simply points out and holds his hand out for her again. "Now come on. Take my hand."
Rose stares at him, or more into his eyes. She’s almost mesmerized by them again, but she’s too emotional to get totally lost. She had to get rid of him. She really didn’t want him to see her end her life. Her mother maybe, but not him. Not Jack. "You’re distracting me. Go away."
Good. He was glad that he was taking her mind off jumping off the end of the ship. And there was no way he was going to leave. He could see it in her eyes that as long as he was there she was never going to let go of that railing.
"I can’t. I’m involved now. If you let go I have to jump in after you."
"Don’t be absurd. You’ll be killed."
Jack takes off his Jacket, as if he’s preparing to jump into the freezing ocean after her. "I’m a good swimmer." He starts untying his shoes and removing them.
Rose gasped. He was serious. She deserved to die, but he didn’t. She couldn’t let him go through with this. She had to get him to change his mind. "The fall alone would kill you." Rose tries to scare him.
"It would hurt. I’m not saying it wouldn’t. To be honest…I’m a lot more concerned about that water being so cold."
Cold? She never thought about that. "How cold?"
"Freezing. Maybe a couple of degrees over," Jack takes off his shoes. "Ever been to Wisconsin?"
"What?" What did Wisconsin have to do with her jumping off the back of the ship into a freezing ocean.
"Well, they have some of
the coldest winters around. I grew up there in Chippewa Falls.
Once when I was a kid, me and my father were ice fishing out on
lake Wissota….ice fishing is where you…"
"I know what ice-fishing is!" Rose yelled irritably.
She hated it when people acted like she didn’t know
anything.
"Sorry. Just…you look like kind of a indoor girl," Jack apologized. "Anyway, I fell through some thin ice and I’m telling ya, water that cold…like right down there…. It’s like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. You can’t breathe, you can’t think…at least not about anything but the pain. Which is why I’m not looking forward to jumping in there after you. But like I said, I don’t have a choice." He smiles. "I guess I’m kinda hoping you’ll come back over the rail and get me off the hook here."
"You’re crazy!"
"That’s what everybody says," Jack laughs lightly, then his voice turns serious and he slides a little closer. "But with all due respect miss, I’m not he one hanging off the back of a ship here. Come on. You don’t want to do this," Jack holds out his hand…this time his hand is practically in front of her.
She stares at him, realizing that he was right. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want go give her mother the satisfaction of knowing that she had gotten to Rose like that and she couldn’t bear to hurt her aunt Molly like this neither. Molly was perhaps the only person who cared, and maybe so was this kind stranger that didn’t even know her. He obviously thought her life was worth something if he was standing here threatening to jump in after her if she decided to let go. She tentatively takes one hand off the rail to tightly grasp Jack’s warm and inviting hand. She gasps when an electric shock runs through her at the contact of his skin. She looks back into his eyes and can tell he felt it too.
"I’m Jack Dawson," He smiled as she turned to face him.
"Rose Dewitt Bukater."
Jack smiled, his blue eyes sparkling with laughter. "I have to get you to write that one down for me."
Rose had no choice. She laughed at the joke. For the first time Jack saw her smile and he was dazzled. The girl was even more beautiful up close than she was far away.
"Come on," He pulls on her hand.
Just as she steps back upon the railing, the sequined trail of her dress gets caught under her foot and she slips, Jack tightly holds her hands, preventing her from falling into the ocean.
"Help! Help me!" Rose screamed tightly grasping his hand.
"I’ve got you!" Jack gets her attention. "I won’t let go. Now pull your self up! Come on you can do it!" He begins to pull her up. It’s when she helps by pulling herself up on the railings that he succeeds in pulling her back over the railing where he lands on top of her.
"What’s going on here!" an angry female voice comes above them.
Jack looks up to see Caroline glaring angrily down at them just as two officers come running. Rose’s screams must have attracted them. By the position him and Rose were now in, it didn’t look too good. In fact it looked as if Jack was attacking Rose.
"Stand back and don’t move a inch!" One of the officers yelled at Jack and turned to his companion. "Fetch the master of arms!"
"I can’t believe this!" Caroline was pacing the deck. "This is totally unbelievable! Jack how could you do such a ridiculous thing! How completely stupid of you. This is the most embarrassing thing you’ve done yet!"
Rose stares at the girl as she just begins to belittle Jack as he’s put in handcuffs. Rose waves away a shot of brandy that her aunt offers her as she watches the scene. How dare this girl treat Jack like that? She was treating Jack just like her mother treated her and Rose wasn’t going to stand for it. Jack was kind and brave for talking her back over the rail and she wasn’t going to let this mean spirited girl belittle him for doing that for her. But how can she do that without letting her mother and aunt know what she was planning to do? She didn’t know, but she was going to put a stop to it and she was putting a stop to it now!
"Stop stop," Rose steps in-between the girl and Jack. "It was a accident."
"Rose…" her mother warned, wanting Rose to stay out of what was ever going on.
"A accident?" The girl looks at Rose skeptically.
"Yes a accident. I was leaning far over to look at the…" What? What could Rose possibly be looking at that would cause her to fall over the railing? She looks at her aunt for help.
"…Propellers?" Molly looks at her niece wondering what was really up. If this was obviously a falsehood and she wondered what really happened tonight to make her niece jump to the young man’s defense like this.
"Yes, the propellers," Rose’s eyes light up as if she just remembered what she was trying to say. "I was leaning far over to see the propellers and I slipped when Mr. Dawson here saved me and almost went over himself."
"She wanted to see the propellers!" Ruth throws up her hands in total annoyance. "How completely stupid of you Rose! You should know better! Honestly you get more and more dense everyday!"
Jack looks at Rose and notices the pleading expression in her eyes to back up her story. She was trying to save him from both jail and Caroline’s wrath, but at the same time she was being punished by her mother’s cruel words. Why was she doing this? He didn’t know. But the least he could do for her was not contradict her story. It was the least she was asking from him.
"Now Ruth, there’s no need to yell at Rose. She’s been through enough tonight," Molly comes up and places an arm around Rose’s shoulders.
"Was that the way of it?" The master of arms asked.
"…Yeah. Yeah that was pretty much it," Jack nods, meeting Rose’s green eyes again. Now they shared a secret together.
"Very well then. You may go," the officer removes the cuffs.
"Well I’m glad that’s over," Caroline rubs Jack’s shoulders, her earlier rage gone. She now seemed only concerned for Jack, but Rose found herself disliking Caroline. The woman was awful to Jack, not only tonight but also earlier today when she yelled at him on deck. Jack deserved better.
"Mr. Dawson...would you and your ladyfriend here like to join our group for dinner tomorrow evening?" Molly asked. "A show of our appreciation for what you did."
Molly had caught the way her niece looked at the young man and how the young man looked at her. This was the beginning of something wonderful for Rose and she wanted to encourage it. This young man may be third class and poorer than dirt, but he obviously cared for her niece and that’s what Rose needed. Inviting him to dinner was a great way to insure that Rose saw him again.
"Great we’re in," The girl grinned from ear to ear, as she answered for Jack. She wasn’t going to give Jack the chance to turn down the chance to get into first class. This was her big break.
Jack nods in agreement. He definitely wanted to see Rose again and perhaps talk to her a little more. Maybe get the real reason behind what happened tonight.
"Very well then," Ruth snorts arrogantly. "Back to our cabins. Good night Mr. Dawson."
Ruth grabs her daughter’s hand and leads her away from Jack. Rose looks back at him, not wanting to leave him alone with that mean girl, but she had no choice. She’ll see him again first thing tomorrow. She was going to make sure of it somehow.
Once everyone is gone, Caroline turns to Jack and looks at him with an arched eyebrow. "Funny. She slipped so suddenly and yet you had time to remove both your jacket and shoes." She didn’t believe the girl’s story for one minute, but she really didn’t care what happened. She was going to first class tomorrow evening and she had to prepare. She just wanted Jack to know that she didn’t buy the story for a second and that when they were married, such behavior was not acceptable. But she’ll have that conversation at a later date. Right now it was freezing and she wanted to get back inside where it was warm. "Come along Jack. It’s late. I’m sure Fabrizio is wondering where we are," She takes his hand and leads him back to their room.