THE CALVERTS
Chapter Twelve
July, 1917
It had been ten
months since Rose had left, catching a train to California early in September
of 1916. Mary and Nadia missed her, but she wrote to them often, telling them
about life in California and her newfound career as an actress. Mary was
fascinated with Rose’s stories, and vowed that someday she too would become an
actress.
John had initially
been surprised at Rose’s decision to move so far away, but, though she had
never said anything, he soon came to realize that she had wanted to put some
distance between them. His proposal hadn’t frightened her off, not exactly, but
she knew that it would be uncomfortable if they were living in the same city,
running across each other frequently, so she had followed her dream of becoming
an actress and moved across the country to California.
Rose had stayed
long enough to see Nadia start school, and to help the Calverts become
established in their new home after John had taken the management job. They
weren’t upper class, but their standard of living was much higher than it had
been. No longer did they live in a small apartment, with the girls sharing a
room. They had moved to a house on the edge of the city, with enough space that
each member of the household had a room to call their own, with additional
space left over. John had hired a new housekeeper, as well as an afternoon
caretaker for Mary and Nadia when Rose had left.
The arrangement had
worked well thus far, but now John found himself wishing that Rose was still
with them, and wondered if there was any way he could get her to come back to
New York for a time. He could easily hire a full-time caretaker for his
daughters, but he wanted someone they could rely upon and trust. He had
received a draft notice on July 2.
John had become a
citizen in 1914, and had been able to make Mary and Nadia citizens along with
him. He had legally adopted Nadia a few months later, making her truly a member
of his family. The downside to being an American citizen, he had discovered,
was that he was expected to be a part of the things that other American
citizens had to take part in--such as going to war. He hadn’t objected to most
things expected of a citizen, such as serving on a jury or voting, but leaving
his daughters behind and going to war was another matter.
Of course, John
realized that had he stayed in England, he probably would have wound up going
to war anyway. But, had he stayed in England, he wouldn’t have had the problem
of what to do with his children while he was away. Had he and Miriam not sailed
on the Titanic, she would still be alive and well, and he could safely leave
Mary in her care. But Miriam was gone, and had they not sailed on Titanic, he
never would have adopted Nadia.
There was no use in
thinking about what might have been. He had to deal with the reality of the
situation. He was a single father who had been drafted to fight in the war in
Europe, and he had to find some way of caring for his daughters while he was
gone.
He couldn’t very
well leave them to fend for themselves. Mary was only seven years old, and
Nadia six. He doubted that he could get Rose to give up her career to take care
of them while he was gone, though she probably would allow him to send the
girls across the country to her. She would do her best for them, but he didn’t
want to put that burden on her. If he didn’t come back, she might well wind up
raising them, with little money and few resources. In spite of her blossoming
career as an actress, John knew that she was not well off financially, barely
making enough to support herself and her son. He could provide for Mary and
Nadia for a time, but if he didn’t come back, he knew that the money would run
out eventually, and he couldn’t bring himself to place that burden on her.
The question still
remained of what to do with the girls while he was gone. He supposed that he
could hire someone to stay with them, but he needed to ensure that they were
provided for in the event that he didn’t return.
He read the draft
notice over once more, thinking. He had to report for basic training soon, and he
needed to have something arranged for his children before then. He wasn’t even
sure if he had the money to hire someone to care for them on a long-term basis.
He had no idea how long he would be away, or even if he would return. Mary and
Nadia were much too young to take care of themselves, but he doubted he could
get out of serving his country for their sake.
The girls were well
established in their home and in their lives, and he didn’t want to disrupt
them too much. It would be hard enough having their father gone, but to disrupt
their lives would be even harder on them. That they would survive, he had no
doubt, but he didn’t want to upset them any more than necessary. He would send
them to Rose if he had to, but he far preferred to make arrangements closer to
home, if possible.
John sat for a long
time, thinking about what to do. Late into the night, long after the two
youngsters had gone to bed, he continued to wrack his brain for a solution. At
last, in the wee hours of the morning, he realized what he could do.