ROSE’S ESCAPE
Written by Magna Blemur
Based on some situations originated by James Cameron.
1925
Rose Hockley sat by the window as
rain tapped against the windowpane. With her heart heavy, she sighed. She
looked around the room and sighed. She felt as if the walls around her were
closing in on her, for she had been in confinement for so long. Rose felt very
depressed. It was her abhorrent husband who had imprisoned her inside the
bedroom as if she were a child. She was twenty-nine years old and had been
married to Caledon Hockley for nearly thirteen years. She would be thirty soon
and felt like she hadn’t really done anything with her life.
I made a big mistake in my
life by marrying Cal, she
thought. Rose was melancholy and angry inside at the same time. It was as if
her body would detonate at any moment. She had disliked him since the beginning
of their marriage. That was when she realized her lapse in judgment in her
decision to marry him. Her spirit and her innocence were ephemeral. He had
confined her every day and she had become agitated by it. She was becoming an
insomniac. Rose should have heeded her friend Eliza’s admonition when she told
her that Cal was a horrible person. Cal hit her constantly. At times he beat
her so hard it rendered her helpless.
Looking out the window, Rose saw
into another house. A woman was holding her child as her husband scolded her.
"How can you treat your
children and I this way?" she shouted.
At that moment, the man slapped
his wife. Rose looked away from the window and looked down at her arms and
legs. There were cuts and bruises everywhere. No, she did not have any children,
but she realized that if they did, they would not be safe.
"I’ve had it," she
said.
Rose got up, walked to her
closet, and pulled out her wedding dress. She searched the drawer beside her
bed and pulled out a pair of scissors. She aggressively began cutting it up
until there were white pieces of fabric all over the floor. Then she tied up
her hair, went into the closet, and pulled out her coat. Storming out of the
bedroom, she pulled off her wedding ring and threw it on the floor.
Rose was shaken up at the sound
of thunder clapping. He sat in his study, reading The Daily Philadelphia
Prophet while sipping a large glass of brandy. When Rose slammed the
hallway door, Cal whipped his head to the side to see her making her way to the
front door.
"Rose, what are you
doing?" he asked.
"I’m leaving," she
replied bitterly.
"And where do you think you
are going?"
"Away from you, Cal. Away
from you."
"I beg your pardon. Why
would you be going away from me?" He paused. "Will you look at me
when I’m talking to you?"
He lost his patience and firmly
grabbed both of Rose’s arms.
"I’m leaving you, Cal! But
why would you care? You’ve never cared about me. It’s been almost thirteen
years, and I still get no respect from you! Now, I’m going to stay with my
friend for a while. I’m divorcing you. I’ll send for my things later."
Cal had a perplexed look. He
grabbed her once again, but this time he put her on his shoulder. He carried
her up the stairs to their bedroom. Kicking the door open, he threw Rose onto
the bed. Knowing that there was only one servant in the mansion, Cal sought to
speak to his wife privately.
"What is this ridiculousness
you’re speaking about?"
"You never get it, and you
don’t even take me seriously." Hot tears were beginning to stream down her
face. "Even when I’m furious with you, you treat me like nothing, and I’m
not cheap, so listen to me when I say don’t touch me. You don’t love me. I’m
just a trophy wife to you, aren’t I?"
"How can you say that?"
Cal lifted his hand to caress her cheek, but Rose quickly batted his hand away.
"How dare you try to touch
me? This is the end, because I’ve had it with your intolerable actions with me.
You don’t even care. Look at yourself." Her voice was breaking.
"You’re pathetic, Caledon Hockley."
"My dear, you are forgetting
that you are Mrs. Hockley until death do us part."
"Oh, I’d rather die."
"Listen, you insolent
little--"
Cal stopped menacing Rose. He
felt something under his shoe. It was the ring.
"What is this
nonsense?"
"I don’t need it. I don’t
want to stay with you, understand? Take the hint!"
"How dare you? I have done
nothing but treat you like a queen. I put food on the table. I buy you nice and
expensive things, and this is how you repay me? Well, if you don’t like the
special treatment, it’s too bad. You’re stuck with me."
"Special treatment? How dare
you? You have ignored my pleas for too long, and now you care what I have to
say? Imagine us with children. Can you honestly say you would care about them?
No."
"That’s a lie." The
rage within Cal was growing and Rose could sense it, so she backed away
cautiously.
"Do you think I’ve loved you
all these years?"
Cal’s rage let itself out. He
uncontrollably drew his hand back and slapped her. Rose immediately fell to the
floor with a loud thud. Then Cal picked her up and threw her onto the floor
again, banging her head against it.
"Stop it, Cal! You’re
hurting me!"
"Good. That’s what you
deserve."
He banged her head again until
she could take no more. She was beginning to lose consciousness. Cal lifted her
up again and this time threw her onto the bed. He balled his hand into a fist
and punched her in the side. Rose was awake enough to feel this. She screamed
loud enough for Cal to fear that the servant would overhear her.
"Shut up, sweetpea!" he
ordered. But she would not be silent. Because of this, he slapped her
repeatedly until she stopped. At that moment, knowing how helpless she had
become, Cal forced himself onto Rose. She quickly opened her eyes.
"No!" She screamed.
"I will not give you the satisfaction. Get off of me!" Rose managed
to push Cal off of her, stomping her foot between his legs. As Cal backed away,
whimpering in pain, Rose swiftly kicked him in the face, as well. She was able
to lift herself up. There was no stopping Rose’s rage. She pushed him to the
floor and kicked him as hard as she could.
"You unimaginable,
loathsome, miserable bastard! This is for everything you’ve done to me!"
With her last word, Rose kicked him in his face. She lifted her head up to see
the lamp on the nightstand. She took it, pulling out the cord, and broke it on
his back. Seeing Cal get up, she took a wine bottle and broke it on his head.
There was blood on the side of his face. Now was her chance to escape. Rose
made her way for the door, but Cal grabbed her foot and she plummeted towards
the floor. She lifted herself up. Cal went to go close the door, but quickly
thinking, Rose pulled on the rug and Cal hit his face on the doorknob,
unconscious when he hit the floor. Crying with relief, Rose ran for it, down
the stairs and towards the door, but the servant stopped her.
"Madame, where are you
going?"
"I’m leaving, thank God."
The End.