SWING
Chapter Twenty

Later that evening, at the DeWitt Bukater house, Hansel and Cal met to discuss how to find the runaway teens. They had to be somewhere in the city. There was no other place to go.

"It’s a small city. There’s only so many places they can be." Hansel angrily paced the floor. If only Gretel weren’t so attached to that blasted boy. He would have gone to the front lines a long time ago.

"We’ll find them. They can’t hide forever." Cal squeezed his friend’s shoulder. "So let’s get started, shall we? I’ll check Rose’s friends and you check Jack’s friends. And then we’ll check out the swing halls. They’re bound to be at one of those places."

So the search began. Both men were determined to find the teens, one way or another.

*****

Jack and Rose lay in each other’s arms, gazing into each other’s eyes. They were unaware of the search going on outside, or the ongoing prayers of the people from across the hall. All they were aware of were each other, and their dreams for the future.

"So, Rose…what do you plan to do once we get to America? What is it that you’ve always wanted to do, but life here was stopping you?" Jack pushed a red curl out of her eyes.

Rose smiled, happy to share with Jack all of her hopes for the future. It was funny. This time a couple of weeks ago she had felt that her life was void of all hope. But then Jack had come into her life and made all her hopes and dreams seem a possibility. She owed him so much.

"I want to be an actress." Rose giggled. "I want to disappear for a couple of hours and be someone else."

"Wow." Jack smiled. "Now that’s an aspiration. I want to own my own gallery. Not only to show off my own work, but the work of other up-and-coming artists as well."

Rose sighed, and snuggled closer to Jack, both picturing their lives as they wanted them to be. Rose a famous actress and her successful artist/gallery owner boyfriend, Jack. Both sighed happily.

"Our dreams will come true now, Rose. Now that we’re going to America, nothing can stop our dreams from coming true." Jack pulled her closer, kissing her forehead.

"Jack? Do you really think it’ll be better in America?"

Jack nodded. "It may not be perfect, but it’ll be better than here. We’ll be free, Rose. You’ll never have to worry about being sent away to a camp, and I won’t have to worry about joining the youths."

Rose smiled and closed her eyes, her mind still on being an actress. "We’re going to be something great, Jack. I just know we will."

"I believe you. Rose…"

"Yes?"

"Do you…do you want to visit the stars again?"

She looked at Jack, confused at for a moment. Then she smiled as she remembered the meaning of his words. "I’d love that, Jack."

He grinned, pulling her closer as his lips pressed against hers, causing the surrounding room to disappear as they soared above the clouds, enjoying the warmth of each other.

*****

One hour later, Rose and Jack lay quietly in each other’s arms, just enjoying the presence of one another. Jack was surprised that he had fallen for Rose so hard and so fast. He couldn’t even think of his life without her in it. He wanted to be with her forever.

"Marry me, Rose," he whispered in her ear.

"What was that?" Rose turned to stare at him with wide emerald eyes. She blinked, sure that she had heard wrong.

"Marry me. Become Mrs. Jack Dawson."

"Jack…what brought this on?"

He sighed and curled one of her red strands around his finger. "I can’t picture my life without you, Rose. I want us to always be together. Today, tomorrow, and forever. The only way I know to ensure that is to get married. So what do you say? Marry me?"

Rose swallowed. Tears of joy leaked from her eyes. She tightened her hold on his hand. "You mean it? You really want to marry me?"

"There’s nothing I want more," Jack whispered. "Marry me, Rose."

Rose giggled and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "Okay, Jack. I’ll marry you…as long as you want me."

The couple embraced, happier than they’d been in a long time.

*****

Two more hours passed, and Rose had decided to sneak back to her mother’s house and pack up what clothes she’d need. Ruth was sitting on her bed as Rose climbed through the window. Rose didn’t see her until she had closed the window and turned around.

"Mother." Her eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"We were waiting for you. I’m not even going to ask where you have gotten off to. I already know that you were with that boy. I hope you enjoyed yourself, because you will not be seeing him again. We are going to get a few things straight. First of all, you will tell Cal’s superior officer where he can find his stepson, and then you will prepare to be married to Cal this weekend. In the meantime, you are not to leave this room. Is this in any way unclear?"

Rose stared at Ruth as if the older woman were mad. She swallowed and gathered up her courage…the same courage that had helped her save Jack earlier that day.

"I will do no such thing. I will not tell that barbarian where to find Jack, and I certainly will not marry Caledon Hockley. He’s a bully and a monster."

Ruth sighed, obviously irritated. "Rose, I have no time for this. I have a wedding to plan, and you have to think of how to regain Cal’s trust. Tell him it was your Jewish blood. He’ll buy that…"

"Mother! Haven’t you even heard a word of what I said? I am not going to marry Cal! I refuse to! And my Jewish blood is something I’m proud of, so stop talking about it as if it’s some kind of disease! It’s not! It’s who I am!"

Glaring at her, Ruth walked up and slapped her daughter hard across the face. "How dare you talk that way to me? You will never talk such nonsense again, Rose! And you are marrying Cal!"

"No, I won’t!"

Ruth glared, her eyes as cold as ice. "Well, then, I have no other choice but to send you to Auschwitz."

"Fine! That’s better than marrying that Nazi!"

"Very well, then. I will make arrangements with Cal to ship you out as soon as possible. Rose…I really am disappointed in you. I thought you were smarter than this. You should have listened to me, Rose. You’re going to wish you had. Mark my words." Ruth walked out the door and locked it behind her.

Glaring at the door, Rose began to throw some clothes into a sack. After an hour of packing, she went to her window, ready to crawl out, just to find two SS soldiers barring the path. Moving to the door, she found it locked. Rose was stuck. Trapped in her room, waiting to be sent to a concentration camp.

A tear escaped her eyes as she began to lose hope. All her hopes and dreams were over with. She just hoped that Jack would be able to go on without her. To go on with his life and find happiness in America. She just wished she could go with him.

*****

Jack nervously paced his apartment. Rose has been gone for four hours now, and not a word from her. He had questioned Frank a number of times, but still no word.

"Maybe she changed her mind," Frank suggested. "Maybe Cal made her an offer she couldn’t refuse."

"No, Frank. She hated Cal. She’d never accept anything he had to offer. Something must have happened." Jack ran a hand through his hair.

"What do you want me to do, Jack?"

"Buy the tickets…and check Rose’s house. There has to be a clue to why she’s been gone for so long."

"Okay, Jack. Just try to calm down. I’ll take care of everything."

"Thank you, Frank. Thank you for all the things you’re doing for the both of us." Jack watched the older man leave, determined to get some answers for his young friend.

Chapter Twenty-One
Stories