The Sequel to Enamored
Written by Hippogriff Tamer
Based on some situations originated by James Cameron.
I lay awake in my bed, waiting
for the next day to come. I was hoping to see Jack again. He was very nice and
talented. I bet the drawing he promised to do of me and my father would be just
as beautiful. It was the night of April eleventh. Jack hadn’t been able to find
a suitable position and said that we’d try again the next day, the twelfth.
"Cora, honey, are you all right?
Why aren’t you asleep?" my mother asked. She sat down on the edge of the
bunk.
"I was just thinking of Jack
and wondering when he is going to draw me and Daddy," I told her.
She smiled. "I’m sure he’ll
draw you two soon."
I smiled back.
"Though you wouldn’t want to
fall asleep when he does," my mother added.
I shook my head. "Then I’d
ruin it."
She kissed my forehead and began
to sing softly. I soon drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, I awoke early
and dressed in a simple white dress. I practically pulled my parents down to
breakfast. My head turned back and forth, searching the room until I found the
blue eyes and blond hair I was searching for. I soon found him.
"Jack!" I called.
He looked up and smiled. He said
something to Fabrizio and walked over. "Hi, Cora."
I smiled up at him. "Hi. Are
you going to draw Daddy and me today?"
He nodded. "Today looks like
a good day. I’ll have you pose outside so I can use the sunlight."
"I’m so excited!"
He chuckled.
"Honey, let Jack go finish
his breakfast so we can eat ours. Then you and I can go up on deck with
him," my father said.
"Okay."
"I guess I’ll see you later,
then," Jack said.
"See you!" I almost
shouted as my father and mother pushed me towards an empty table. Jack went
back to his.
After breakfast, we found Jack
waiting for us in the doorway leading to the deck. He was wearing a pair of tan
slacks and a brown shirt. His folder was tucked under his arm. My father and I
followed him up to the deck, close to the bow, and he had us stand at the railing
looking out at the vast sea. He got out all of his materials and sat a short
distance away.
"Ready?" he asked.
We nodded.
"All right. Stand still and
look out at the Atlantic."
We did as we were told. The ocean
looked so calm and peaceful. It seemed to never end and I found myself feeling
small compared to it. Soon I heard two voices. One belonged to Fabrizio.
"You ‘a drawing them nice,
Jack?"
"Yes," Jack answered.
I wanted to turn my head and tell
Fabrizio that I was sure Jack would draw us wonderfully, but then I remembered
that he wanted us to stand still, so I resisted. The second voice was Irish and
I thought it to belong to Tommy, a red-haired man who seemed to smoke all the
time. He and Fabrizio were talking about the ship and where it was built. Then
they mentioned something about dogs. I knew that Tommy said a bad word, but I
chose to ignore it. My father didn’t seem to hear him. I was glad. If he did, I
would probably be receiving a lecture on how I should act like a lady and never
repeat that word. I turned back to the ocean and noticed some dolphins swimming
next to the ship.
I pointed down at the water.
"Look, Daddy! Dolphins!"
He looked at where I was
pointing. "They like following the ship."
"They are beautiful," I
told him.
"That they are, Cora."
"Why do they like to follow
the ship?" I asked.
My father shrugged. "I’m not
sure. I just know that they like to."
I was about to say something else
when I heard Tommy speak, though I wasn’t entirely sure who he was speaking to,
since I was looking the other way. Jack had told us to stay still.
"Yer more like angels fly
out yer arse than get next to the likes of her," he said.
I took the chance and turned my
head. He was looking at Jack. Jack, on the other hand, was staring at something
on the upper deck. I turned my head and saw a woman with curly red hair wearing
a green dress. I didn’t know what Jack saw in her. She looked like she belonged
to first class. We were third class. Even though I was young, I understood that
different classes didn’t usually mingle with each other. Yet looking at Jack, I
don’t think he was thinking of that. I looked back at the woman and noticed a
sour-faced gentleman come out and speak to her before she followed him back
inside. Jack was frowning, but smiled when he noticed me looking at him.
"Want to see the drawing,
Cora, Mr. Cartmell?"
"I would!" I shouted as
I jumped down and ran to Jack.
My father followed, shaking his
head. "Cora, young ladies do not shout."
I gazed up at him with my big
brown eyes. "I apologize, Daddy. I just really want to see the
drawing."
He smiled. "I know, but
please remember not to shout."
I nodded before turning my
attention to Jack. He held up the drawing so that both my father and I were
able to get a good look at it.
"That’s some mighty fine
work there, Jack," my father said.
Jack smiled and nodded.
"Thank you, sir."
"Wow," was all I could
say.
"I take it you like
it?" Jack asked.
"I do like it. Very much
so."
"It’s yours," he told
me.
"Really?" I almost
squeaked.
"Really," he answered.
He handed me the drawing as my
father shook his hand. "Thank you, Jack. Do we owe you anything?" he
asked.
Jack shook his head. "No.
Just take it."
"Thank you," I
repeated.
"You’re welcome," he
said as he handed me the drawing.
"I’m going to go show this
to Mommy," I told them all.
"All right, but no running
in the halls, young lady," my father told me.
I nodded and smiled at Jack
before heading to our room. I found my mother there and showed her the drawing.
"It’s beautiful," she
told me.
"Jack said we could keep
it."
"That’s very nice of
him," she said. "When we get to New York, we should get it
framed," she added.
I nodded enthusiastically.
"Then I could put it in my new room!"
My mother laughed. "Yes,
honey, you could."
I had not seen my new room yet,
but I knew exactly where it would be hung.
The End.