A SIMPLE SOLUTION
Chapter Six
When Jack woke up that morning, Rose was gone
and her suitcase was next to the bed, opened, and all the clothes were
scattered about. He sat up quickly, almost hitting his head on Fabrizio's bunk
above him. His heart pounded hard as he surveyed the room. All kinds of
possibilities whirled through his mind…Cal had come back for her was the last
one, and he picked up his pants quickly.
It only took him a few seconds to get dressed
and then he leaned over her suitcase, pushing the hair away from his face.
Where was she?
He sank down on the bed again, covering his
face with his hands. Did she blame him after all? He sighed. Why couldn't
everything just be like it had been a few nights ago? When he had drawn her,
held her in his arms…everything had seemed so easy then. Now she was gone.
He had leaned back and was thinking about her
and the last few days, when suddenly the door opened and automatically he
turned to see who it was.
Rose was standing there, laughing at his
perplexed expression, and she was holding a tray with breakfast.
"You thought I'd left you?" she
asked gently and put the tray down on the bed before hugging him, moving her
hands over his back.
"Sort of," he admitted, pulling her
even closer.
"Hey, let go…" she whispered and he
loosened his grip a bit.
"I thought Cal had…or maybe you…I…don't
know what I thought."
Her smile must have been contagious, because
soon he was grinning, too, and they laughed together.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke
up, but…we're here, Jack. We're in New York now and I just had to see it
all."
He winced and rushed over to the window.
"Oh, Rose, this is so great! We're
finally here. I'm home again…finally…"
She laughed at his happiness and sat down on
the bed, eating hungrily.
"You wouldn't believe the crowds out
there." He brought his arm around her and kissed her again and again,
making her forget about the food and New York.
"Are you still sure about all
this?" he asked suddenly, caressing her red curls softly, oblivious to
Fabrizio's snores above them, about the yelling outside, the commotion inside
the ship.
"I've never been so sure about anything
in my life," she replied, knowing exactly what he was talking about. About
leaving the ship with him, never looking back, never longing for her old life.
The ship seemed to arrive in triumph to the
harbor. People were cheering, the sky was clear blue and the sun was shining
down on the early arrival of the new ship, the largest ship in the world.
Rose's face was filled with happiness and made Jack feel like another light was
shining over him.
Everything was the opposite of last night,
she was laughing now and it looked like nothing would ever wipe the smile away
from her face. She grabbed his arm and pulled him to the rail, pointing at the
people and the city they were approaching slowly.
Suddenly she dropped the heavy suitcase and
threw her arms around him, holding him tightly. "Oh Jack, I can't
wait…it's just so unbelievable…I was so miserable a few days ago and now
I'm…the happiest woman alive."
He smiled, touching her hair softly, watching
as the sunbeams and the red color mixed. Her eyes were full of light and he
leaned closer, kissing her passionately.
Before long, the crew was helping people
leave the ship, making the third class passengers wait in a chaotic line again,
while the first class passengers stepped off the grand ship with style.
Jack picked up Rose's suitcase and his own
bag. Rose was still staring over the railing, looking at her new life almost
dreamily it seemed to Jack. He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Rose, maybe it's better if you leave as
a first class passenger and we'll meet outside somewhere. You don't know what
these crowds can be like and…after all, you still hold a first class
ticket." His voice was steady, but she heard that he didn't really want
her to do that.
"Are you sure, Jack? Then we won't be
getting off together…like I told you we would." A worried expression had
filled her eyes and she stroked his arm softly, staring into his eyes.
He was so eager to take care of her, make
sure she was all right. But she could take care of herself. She could survive
in his world. She was sure of it.
"Yeah…look, Rose…I'm not saying that you
wouldn't be able to go through all that, but I don't want you to have to. I
know I made my life seem wonderful and happy all the time, but it's not always
like that. It's tough and ruthless; sometimes I don't even have a roof over my
head. So…maybe you can just stay in your world for as long as you can. Just for
your sake. Okay?"
He smiled at her, still touching her hair
gently.
"I know, Jack. I know. But I…I am
already happy. Because you saved me from…that man," she whispered and
leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.
"Be careful, Rose. Don't let him see
you," Jack said suddenly, kissing her cheek and then her forehead.
"I will, Jack, don't worry," she
promised, smiling at him.
"Let's go. I'll wait for you outside the
third class exit," she said reluctantly after another few moments in his
arms and then she kissed him long and deeply before disappearing into the
crowds. He stared after her, feeling his heart pound harder at the thought of
seeing her again.
"Please don't let Cal see her," he
prayed softly and headed towards the stairs.
"Jack! Hey Jackie, wait up," a
thick, Irish voice behind him said and Jack turned around, grinning.
"Tommy, Fabri, there ya are."
Fabrizio looked at him a bit strangely and Jack hit his shoulder playfully.
"Sorry we just left like that. Rose
wanted to see the ship docking."
Fabrizio shrugged and muttered something
about people falling in love and losing their minds.
"Where is she now?" he asked loudly
and Jack just nodded towards the first class passengers.
"Leaving the ship over there. I thought
it was for the best. We'll meet up again outside." His friend looked at
him, a bit doubtful.
"She going to wait for you?"
"Yes, she is." Jack's eyes had
narrowed and he was looking at Fabrizio calmly.
"That first class lady going to wait for
you? Not go back to the handsome and rich man?" Jack winced at those words
and pulled up a cigarette from behind his ear. He lit it quickly, his hands
shaking slightly.
"She would never do that. He hit her,
Fabri, he hurt her so bad and he would have…she's with me now, okay?" But
Fabrizio didn't look convinced. He had been on the road with Jack for almost
two years now and he knew that when Jack fell in love, he really fell.
There hadn't been many girls, but Jack had
always cared a great deal for the ones he had met. He hadn't been willing to
marry anyone though, or spend the rest of his life with someone.
With Rose, it was different, more profound
and Fabrizio knew that Jack believed that this was the girl he was going marry
some day. If Rose betrayed him, Jack would be devastated.
"Jack, she rich all right? She not like
your life. It's not for her. She go back to rich man, no?"
Tommy saw Jack's expression go from annoyed
to angry and he stepped between the two men.
"Hey, come on, let's not fight now?
We'll get off the ship and then wait for the girl. Okay?" Jack nodded, but
avoided looking at Fabrizio as they left the ship that had been their home for
the last few days.
*****
"Face it, Jack, she isn't coming,"
Tommy said, when they had waited for half an hour, sitting on a bench near the
harbor. Jack sighed, avoided the compassionate looks from his friends and
started pacing the street again. The feeling from that morning was washing over
him again. Had she left him? After everything she had said…
"She'll come. She told me she'd
come." He lit another cigarette, but he had barely started smoking it when
he saw a lonely figure come walking across the next street. She was wearing
something blue…Rose had been wearing a light blue dress that morning.
He dropped the cigarette and started running
towards her, forgetting about his friends.
The second she saw him, she started running
too and they collided in an embrace. He hugged her tightly, pulling her to lean
on his shoulder again.
"I'm so sorry, Jack. I tried to come
sooner, but…Cal saw me, and he tried to…make me go back with him. I had to
trick him to get away and mother wouldn't help me. Could we go someplace where
no one sees? I'm scared they're still behind me…I don't want him to hurt
you." She babbled wildly, looking into his eyes now and he just nodded, hugging
her tightly as they walked over to his friends.
"Shh. You're safe now. We'll go to the
nearest restaurant and get something to eat and then we'll look for a place to
stay," he whispered to her and then looked up at Fabrizio and Tommy.
"Hi," Rose said, smiling again when
she saw them. Tommy grinned at her and nodded his head.
"Hello, Rose. It's sure nice to see you.
Jack here was going crazy."
Jack poked Tommy in the ribs, making Tommy
pretend to gasp for air. Rose laughed, but her smile disappeared again when she
saw Fabrizio. He was looking at her suspiciously and she reached out her hand
to him.
"Hello," she began slowly and he
smiled hesitantly.
"Glad to see you again," he
muttered, but Jack smiled at him, placing his hand on his shoulder, thanking
him silently.
They had something to eat in a restaurant and
Rose tried to take the opportunity to get to know Jack's friends better. And,
most of all, to make them see that she wasn't just a first class girl, that she
could be funny and free-spirited, too. But somehow meeting Cal again had placed
a dark cloud over her good mood and she didn't say much during lunch.
The rest of the day went by quickly. They sat
around doing nothing, just talking and discussing their plans for the nearest
future.
"I'm going to look for my cousin
tomorrow. He has a shop here in town somewhere and he promised that I could
stay with him," Tommy announced happily and leaned back on the bench,
smiling at the sun that was warming them in the somewhat chilly April air.
Fabrizio looked at Jack for an indication on
where they were going now and what they were going to do. But Jack didn't
notice that, he was too busy looking at Rose and talking to her quietly.
"Jack, what are your plans?"
Fabrizio finally asked loudly and Tommy looked at the others curiously. Could
Fabrizio really be jealous of Rose?
"We don't know," Jack just said
softly, not taking his eyes off Rose. "We should start by finding a place
to stay for tonight," Rose suggested and smiled at Fabrizio.
"Yeah, maybe we can share a room all
four of us. I don't have enough money for a room," Jack concluded and
looked up at the sky, where the sun had already set and the night was falling,
pulling a blanket of uncertainty over him and his friends. He had to make sure Rose
was safe and warm, first of all tonight and then, the next day would have to be
a problem for later.
They all agreed to try to find someplace to
stay and it didn't take them long to find a house with rooms for rent. It
wasn't in a nice neighborhood, Jack noticed with an uneasy feeling, but didn't
talk to Rose about this. The important thing was that they had a place to stay.
He paid for one night, after getting money
from all of them, except Rose, who didn't have a dime. Cal had taken her
suitcase and the money that had been hers. He had even taken the diamond, Rose
remembered and swallowed at the thought of the blue stone and how Jack had
drawn her, wearing it.
Rose had to sneak inside, since they didn't
allow women and men in one room. She was already sitting by the window when the
others came inside and Jack walked over to her immediately.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly,
because he had seen the look in her eyes. Confusion, disorientation, worries
about the future.
She felt his hand coming around her waist and
she looked up at him, smiling.
"I'm fine. Just thinking about the
day."
He nodded and pulled her into his arms, as
they watched the street below.
"Want to tell me about what happened
with Cal? You don't have to I mean…but if you like…" She turned around
slightly and after making sure they were alone, she nodded.
"Where did they go?"
Jack laughed slightly and moved to sit down
on the bed.
"Outside I guess, to a poker game or
just to go get drunk. They probably wanted to give us some privacy."
Rose smiled and let Jack pull her into his
lap.
"They're good friends, Jack."
"So, tell me about Cal?" he said
softly and it all poured out of her, quickly, but not in a wild or uncontrolled
way. Cal had stopped her in the doorway, just as she had been leaving and he
had taken the suitcase, tried to force her to stay with him, but she had fought
back.
"I tricked him into believing I was
going with him, let him…kiss me…" Rose paused and shook her head in
disgust.
"And then he was off his guard. That's
when I ran away and finally found you again."
Jack held her close and couldn't stop
thinking that he was thankful she had managed to get away. That she was in his
arms again.
*****
Rose woke up in the middle of the night and
immediately noticed that Jack wasn't holding her in his arms anymore. Fabrizio
was asleep on the floor and so was Tommy. She rolled over and then she saw Jack
sleeping next to her.
She smiled and leaned over to him, kissing
his cheek. He was sleeping so peacefully, she thought with a calm smile. Her
smile disappeared only seconds later, when she heard noises at the door and she
turned around.
She felt her heart jump when she saw what was
happening. A stranger, staggering into the room, holding a knife in one hand
and she threw her hand over her mouth to muffle her scream.
"Jack," she whispered desperately,
leaning over him, praying that he would wake up quickly.