A ROSE BLOWING IN THE WIND
Chapter Seven
Two Months Later
Rose stood outside the train
station and embraced Laurie for the final time. Her train to Denver, Colorado,
was due to leave in a couple of minutes.
"You keep in touch, now, and
send me pictures of that baby." Laurie sniffed back tears. "I'm going
to miss you, Rose. It was nice to have someone to hang out with all the time.
As you could tell, I don't have many friends. Won't you change your mind? New
York really isn't that bad of a city to raise a child."
Rose smiled sadly at her new
friend. She hated leaving her behind, but this was something she had to do. A
promise to Jack she had to fulfill, and if she stayed here in New York, she'd
never fulfill it. "I can't stay, Laurie. I made Jack a promise, and if I
stay here in New York...I wouldn't be keeping my word. I have to move on, away
from the disaster."
Laurie bowed her head,
understanding what Rose was saying. She just wished that promise wasn't about
leaving her behind. "I understand."
"Take care, young
Rose." Mrs. Wilma hugged her young boarder. "It was a pleasure having
you, and you will be missed."
"Thank you, Mrs. Wilma. I
will miss you, too. Tell the others I said good-bye." Rose smiled, pulling
away from the hug.
"All aboard!" the
conductor yelled.
"That's me. I'll write you
soon. Take care!" Rose hugged them both one last time before boarding the
train.
*****
Taking her seat, Rose looked out
the window until the two women were out of sight. She truly was going to miss
them, but like she said, she had a promise to fulfill, and at the same time, a
child to raise. She sighed deeply, looking at the card Molly had given her all
those months ago, her name and address written on it. Rose knew she should have
written, but this was a last minute decision, and by time the letter arrived,
she would have already been on Molly's doorstep, bags in hand.
"Oh, Jack, tell me I'm doing
the right thing." Rose sighed as she closed her eyes.
"I'm always with you,"
a slight voice whispered in her ear. It was then that she knew she was doing
the right thing. For the first time since the sinking, she felt as if she was
making the right decision.
Three Days Later
Molly sighed irritably as she
picked up another rag off the floor. That new maid of hers was definitely not
working out. She was going to have to call the agency for a new girl. Throwing
the rag on a nearby table, Molly was about to head upstairs when the doorbell
rang. Not even bothering to wait for the maid to answer it, she opened the door
and gasped in surprise.
Rose stood on her doorstep, two
bags in hand. By the look of her, she'd been taking good care of herself, even
putting on a little weight.
"Rose, darlin'!" Molly
exclaimed happily, throwing her arms around the smiling girl she hadn't seen
for four months. "What a surprise!"
"I'm sorry to just show up
like this. I would have written a letter, but by time it arrived, I would have
already been here." Rose smiled apologetically.
"Don't be sorry, darlin'.
I'm happy to have ya. Well, just don't stand out there in the weather! Come on
in, make yourself at home, and tell me what brings ya here to Denver."
Rose smiled and accepted Molly's
invitation. Setting her bags on the floor beside her, she took a seat on the
couch and faced Molly.
"Well, first off...you might
as well know this now before you get any further...I'm pregnant."
"Oh, my dear Lord."
Molly gasped, gazing at Rose's extended abdomen. So it wasn't regular weight
gain after all. "Is it Cal's?"
Rose shook her head, her face
twisted in disgust. "God, no. It's Jack's. I'm pregnant with Jack Dawson's
child." She smiled at this. Every time she thought about having this
little piece of Jack with her, she couldn't keep the smiles away.
"Oh, my! But how? You two
didn't know each other that long!" Molly scooted closer in her chair.
"Well...it was the night of
the sinking, of course...and Jack and I...we had fallen completely in love with
each other...no one has ever loved me nor treated me like Jack had. Well,
anyway...we were in the cargo hold after running away from Cal's manservant. We
ended up in the cargo hold...in a brand new Renault car...in the back
seat...and then...it just happened. He asked me if I was nervous. I said no.
Then I told him to touch me, but I wanted more, and so did he."
"Oh, Rose..."
"It was my first time,
Molly, and it was so magical. I should have know it wouldn't last...I should
have known that something would come and take him out of my life. Everything
I've ever loved has been taken away, and Jack was no different."
"Oh, Rose. Jack didn't want
to die. You do know that, don't you?" Molly took Rose's hand and looked
into her eyes. "It's just that sometimes, no matter how hard we fight...we
lose anyway."
"I know he didn't want to
die, Molly. But he knew he was going to. From the moment the ship began to
sink, he knew." Rose wiped the hot tears that were streaming down her face
away. "I wish he could be here now, Molly. I wish our child would be able
to get to know his or her father and love him just as I do."
"Oh, it will, darlin'. This
baby will get to know it's father from the people who knew him...from you and
me. I'll share all I know with the child."
"Oh, Molly, it's not enough!
I'd known Jack for only a couple of days! I didn't even know what his favorite
color was! Or his birthday! Or any distant relatives he may have!" Rose
cried. "I know nothing of Jack to share with our child!"
Molly nodded. "But we can
find out. Did Jack ever tell ya where he was from?"
"Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
He had fallen through some thin ice while ice fishing with his father out on
Lake Wissota." Rose sniffed. then laughed sarcastically. "How ironic
that it was in icy waters that he died."
"Well, I'll tell you what.
We'll go to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. We'll gather as much information about
the early days of Mr. Jack Dawson as we can find, and we’ll follow it from
there. By time this child is born, you'll be a expert on his life. It'll be
like you knew him forever."
"That sounds like a great
idea, Molly. But you don't have to do that..."
"Oh, but I want to. I'm
quite curious myself. And besides, I'm sure the lad had some friends and family
that will want to know of his untimely death. It'd be cruel to leave them out
in the cold, allowing them to believe that he's still out there and will be
coming home. Don't you think?"
Rose nodded. "You're right.
It would be cruel. Okay. Fine. When do we go again?"
"How about two weeks from
now? Give you a chance to catch your bearings and me time to make the proper
arrangements. Then we'll go in search of your young man's history. It'll be
like a little adventure."
Rose giggled at the thought. It
was just like what Jack had told her to do. She was going to head out for the
horizon and she was going to bring back information about Jack for her child.
Rose had never been so happy since she had lost Jack.