ROSE DAWSON: REBORN FOR THE BETTER
Chapter Eleven

Thanksgiving, 1912

The cold weather of late autumn held New York firmly in its grip, and Thanksgiving was fast approaching. Rose looked forward to the holiday—she had much to be thankful for—but she worried about preparing for the holiday, and what the day would bring. She had never prepared a large meal before, and she and Hope had invited several friends and neighbors to their apartment for dinner. Although Rose’s cooking skills had improved greatly since she had left her old life behind, she still had a lot to learn, and she didn’t want to make any mistakes at such an important occasion.

But there was something else on Rose’s mind as well—Luke and his proposal. Neither had said a word about it, but it hung in the air between them, always in the thoughts of both. The tension over the proposal, and Rose’s confusion over what she should do, had put a damper on their conversation and strained the easy camaraderie of earlier times.

Although Rose had told Luke that she wouldn’t marry him, she couldn’t help but remember Jack’s prediction that they would end up together. Was she going against what was supposed to happen, or had she done the right thing in choosing not to marry until she was ready?

Rose had developed something of a fatalistic view since the sinking of the Titanic—if something was meant to happen, it would, and fate would conspire to make it happen, one way or another. It was just that unknown factor, the one way or another, that concerned her, that made her wonder if she had made the right decision. If she was truly meant to be with Luke, she would be, but how and when were questions that she couldn’t answer. It had taken a tragedy to bring them together in the first place, and she hoped that it wouldn’t take another to settle things between them once and for all.

And yet, she couldn’t go back on her answer. Not yet. She had loved Jack from the moment she first saw him, standing high above him on the Titanic, and such a love came only once in a lifetime. She could love again, but it would never be the depth of love that she had felt for Jack.

But at the same time, Rose had begun to accept, deep in her heart, that Jack was gone. He wasn’t coming back, no matter how much she wished it. And her heart had begun to open, to accept Luke, just as Jack had predicted. He hadn’t wanted her to mourn him forever, to give up on all the things that life had to offer. Through Jack, she had gained her freedom and a life of her own, and now, he was helping her make the most of it.

*****

On Thanksgiving Day, Rose awoke early, heading to the kitchen for a quick breakfast before beginning the meal preparations. Hope was already in the kitchen, sipping a cup of coffee, when Rose came in.

"Good morning," she told Rose cheerfully, pushing aside her empty plate.

Though the sun was just beginning to rise, Hope had been awake for hours, though that was not unusual. Rose had often heard her roaming the apartment at odd hours, sometimes whispering to herself as though thinking aloud about someone, perhaps her lost husband and son.

This morning, however, Hope wasn’t mulling over the past. They had a feast to prepare, and she had to instruct Rose on the intricacies of preparing certain dishes.

Rose, for her part, wasn’t ready to get to work yet. Waddling around the kitchen, she piled food on a plate and sat down to eat. Though she, too, was eager to get to work, she was eating for two, and nothing was getting done until she’d fed herself and the baby.

Later, as Hope showed Rose how to prepare the turkey, she casually brought up the subject of Luke.

"So, Rose, I’ve invited my friends to dinner, but who did you invite? How many people are we cooking for, anyway?"

"Well, I invited a friend from work, and..."

"And Luke?" Hope asked, eyeing Rose closely.

"And Luke," Rose confirmed, blushing a little, though she wasn’t sure why. She and Luke had been friends for months, and there was no reason to blush about friendship. But Hope always seemed to think it was turning into something more.

And maybe she was right. "How is Luke?" Hope asked, chopping some onions to put in the stuffing.

Rose marveled at how Hope could chop onions without her eyes watering. "He’s fine. We see each other almost every day."

"And have you thought anymore about his proposal?"

Rose’s mouth dropped open. She hadn’t mentioned the proposal to Hope, and Hope hadn’t seen Luke since then, so how did she know about it?

"Were you eavesdropping on us?" Rose asked indignantly.

"Maybe." Hope gave Rose a look of wide-eyed innocence, making her laugh.

"Hope, I’m not ready for marriage yet. It’s too soon."

"You’re right. You should probably wait until after you have the baby. Spring would be a lovely time for a wedding."

"Hope!" Rose couldn’t really be offended, even if Hope was interfering in her life. They had both survived the Titanic, and both knew the pain of losing loved ones to it. Hope was trying, as best she could, to bring happiness to Rose’s life. Even if Rose didn’t always appreciate it.

"Hope, when I’m ready, I’ll set my memories aside and love again. But not yet."

"It’ll happen sooner than you think."

"So what are you saying?" Rose was growing angry now. "Are you saying that I should forget Jack? How can I forget him? I loved him. He’s the father of my daughter."

"I’m not saying that you should forget him, Rose. You won’t ever forget him. But life does go on, and you’re a part of life. And you’re looking toward the future already; I can tell."

"Of course I’m thinking about the future. I have a baby on the way."

"You’re thinking of more than that. Your baby is important, but you’re thinking about the other things in life, too."

"Hope, if you think you can talk me into changing my mind about Luke’s proposal..."

"I’m not trying to change your mind. Only you can do that."

Rose looked at her, startled, as she always did when someone said something that Jack had once said to her.

"So you assume I’ll change my mind? You think you know me so well?"

"I don’t assume anything. There’s just some things a person knows."

Rose stared at her, dumbfounded. It was as though Hope had looked inside her heart and seen her dilemma, and cut through the confusion in one fell swoop.

*****

As evening approached, the guests began to arrive. There were really only a few guests, three friends of Hope, plus Rose’s co-worker and Luke, but it seemed like a lot of people in the small apartment.

Hope bustled around the kitchen, having long ago given up on teaching Rose how to cook a Thanksgiving dinner. Rose was too distracted, too easily upset since their conversation that morning, so Hope had shooed her out of the kitchen. Rose had busied herself cleaning and setting the table, then had gone out and bought flowers from a street vendor to put on the table.

As the guests began to arrive, Hope stepped out of the kitchen to greet them, then hurried back, leaving Rose to entertain. Rose, nervous about hosting her first party since she left high society, wished that Hope would come out and talk to the guests herself, especially the ones Rose didn’t know, but her roommate was absorbed in the task of finishing the meal.

Rose was relieved when her own guests arrived. She answered the door when someone knocked, to see her co-worker, Ella, standing at the door with a bowl of some kind of vegetables.

"Come in," Rose told her, ushering her guest in. She took the bowl from Ella and went into the kitchen so that Hope could warm it up, then hurried back out. At least now she knew someone.

As she was introducing Ella to the other guests, someone knocked on the door again. Rose, knowing who it was, wiped her hands on her skirt nervously and went to answer it.

"Hello, Rose," Luke greeted her as she opened the door. He handed her a bouquet of flowers, the first he had given her since she had rejected his proposal.

"Hello, Luke. Thank you. Come in." Rose hurried to put the flowers in water.

A moment later, Hope came out of the kitchen. As Rose hurried to introduce her to Ella, Hope cast surreptitious glances at Luke, her mind working over ways to encourage the relationship between him and Rose. How long would it take to bring their slowly blossoming romance to fruition?

A thought occurred to her. "Thank you, everyone, for your contributions to this dinner," she said, knowing that Luke hadn’t brought a dish to share. If he had, Rose would already have brought it to the kitchen.

Luke slapped a hand to his forehead. "I knew I forgot something!" he exclaimed. "I bought a pie to bring yesterday, and then left it sitting in the icebox."

"That’s all right," Rose started to say, but Hope interrupted her.

"You only live about fifteen blocks from here. With your car, you should be able to make it home and back in time for dinner. Rose can go with you."

"Hope," Rose hissed under her breath, knowing what her friend was doing. To Luke, she said, "Don’t trouble yourself. We’ve got plenty of food, and you did bring flowers to brighten the table."

Hope glanced at the flowers, smiling slightly. Luke had been more eager to bring something to Rose than he had been to eat, or else he would have remembered the pie. This boded well.

"There really aren’t enough desserts," Hope corrected Rose, "and we really could use another pie. Why don’t you two go and get it? It’ll be a good hour before dinner is ready. There’s time."

"Sure. We can go get it," Luke responded, not realizing what Hope was doing. He headed for the apartment door, helping Rose into her coat.

Rose shot Hope a baleful look, but Hope only smiled, giving them a little wave. "Hurry back, you two."

Rose scowled as they made their way down the stairs, her temper simmering at Hope’s obvious matchmaking. Who had given Hope the right to interfere in her life? Even if she didn’t mind taking a short drive with Luke, she still didn’t like being manipulated.

"I apologize," she told Luke, as he helped her into the car.

"For what?" he asked, wondering if she’d done something he hadn’t been aware of.

"For what Hope is doing, trying to play matchmaker."

"She is?" Luke hadn’t even noticed the tension between Rose and Hope.

Rose sighed, wishing she could take the words back. Luke had obviously had no idea of what Hope was attempting, and now it looked like Rose was throwing herself at him.

"Forget I said anything." She sighed, waiting as Luke started the car.

When it was running, he got into the driver’s seat and started down the street. "She means well," he told her, steering the car through the light evening traffic.

"She may mean well, but she doesn’t need to be manipulating me—us," she corrected, knowing that Hope had definite plans for both of their futures. "My mother meant well, too, when she played matchmaker between Cal and me."

"You aren’t really comparing me to your ex-fiancé?" Luke asked, knowing how Rose had felt about Cal.

"No, of course not. You’re much more of a gentleman than he could ever hope to be, and I like you much more. I simply don’t like having someone trying to direct my life."

"I wouldn’t think you would. You’re much too independent, Rose. I don’t think anyone can run your life. I think Hope knows it, too, but she can’t resist."

"Luke, I don’t expect you to understand. You’re a man; you’ve always had the freedom to go where you wanted and do what you wanted. I never had that kind of freedom before, and I’m not eager to give it up."

"Men don’t have as much freedom as you might think, Rose. We’re expected to be the breadwinners, to work a steady job, settle down with an acceptable wife, and produce heirs, even if we don’t have much to pass on. I’m sure there are other ways to live, but they aren’t what society expects."

"To hell with society." Rose clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing what she had said. "Pardon my French."

Luke laughed. "You do know how to speak your mind, don’t you?"

"I most certainly do. And as to society’s expectations, I’m going to meet their expectations when those expectations match what I want. Otherwise, why should I? This is a new century. Women are pushing for their rights and freedoms, and I want to be a part of that, too."

They had reached Luke’s apartment building. He shut off the car, then turned to Rose.

"I should only be a few minutes. Do you want to come up with me, or wait in the car?"

Rose shivered in the evening chill. "I’ll come up with you. It’s cold in here." She accepted his help in climbing from the car.

When they reached Luke’s apartment, he opened the door quickly before any of the neighbors could come out and wonder what he was doing with a pregnant woman outside his apartment. Rose stepped in, looking around curiously. She had never seen the apartment before.

It was neatly furnished, though it lacked the homey touches that a woman would add to the decor. Still, it looked lived in, even without those extra touches. Several books and magazines were scattered on a coffee table near a large horsehair chair, and a discarded shoe sat incongruously on the seat of the chair, evidence that Luke wasn’t always neat. A dirty plate and cup sat on the table next to the chair.

Luke shrugged, a little sheepishly, as Rose viewed the mess. "I’m not much of a housekeeper," he confessed, "and my paid housekeeper only comes on Saturdays."

"No wonder you wanted to marry me," Rose teased him. "I may not be the greatest housekeeper in the world, but I can certainly do better than this."

Luke laughed, teasing her back. "Oh...you’d do well enough."

"You’d better hope so, if I change my mind about marrying you."

"Have you thought about changing your mind?" Luke asked, suddenly serious.

Rose looked up, not sure how to answer. The truth was, she had thought about it, but sheer stubbornness, along with an unwillingness to let go of her memories of Jack, had kept her from speaking of it.

"I...I don’t...I don’t really know. Let’s get that pie."

Luke watched as Rose walked around, looking for the kitchen. Finally, he showed her where it was, taking the pie from the icebox himself.

He glanced at the time. "We should be getting back, before Hope serves dinner without us." Balancing the pie in one hand, he offered Rose his arm and escorted her to the door.

As they walked back out onto the dark street, Rose shivered, then looked up in surprise as Luke put a warming, friendly arm around her. She took the pie from him, climbing awkwardly into the car.

Even in the cold, dark car, Rose felt an unexplainable feeling of warmth. It was from inside her, she realized, brought on by Luke’s presence. She trusted him, cared for him, and now, in this moment, she at last realized that she also loved him.

Hope had been right. She didn’t need to assume that Rose would change her mind about Luke’s proposal; she had known that Rose would, and she had been right. On this night, a night to give thanks for all of one’s blessings, Rose had finally learned just how many blessings she had.

As Luke climbed into the car, Rose suddenly turned to him, her eyes shining with her newfound knowledge. Luke was indeed special to her, someone that she could love and trust, someone who would respect her and not expect her to change for his sake. He loved her just as she was, and he had been waiting for her to see what was in her own heart.

"Luke," she began. "About that proposal...is the offer still open?"

He turned to her, hope shining in his eyes. "Of course. I said I would wait, didn’t I?"

"Then, in that case, I think your wait is over. Luke, will you marry me?"

Luke looked at her in surprise, not expecting Rose to propose to him. But he knew the answer, just as much as he’d known it over a month before.

"Yes, Rose. Let’s get married. I love you."

And Rose threw her arms around him as they shared their first real kiss.

Chapter Twelve
Stories