TOMORROW'S APRIL
Chapter Ten
The Photograph
"No matter how much I despise those two,
I have to be grateful to them." Rose walked back into the stateroom,
clutching her lost purse, and closed the door silently behind her. Jack glanced
up from his packing, a confused look on his face.
"What are you talking about Rose?"
And then he saw the bag she held, and smiled. "Is that missing purse
you've been obsessing about?"
Rose laughed. "Yes....Annabelle and
Katie, they just brought it. I saw them in the hallway, headed here. Quite a
pair. Seems someone found it where I dropped it, outside the dining hall that
night, and returned it to my room." She opened it slowly and peeked
inside, shuffling through the contents. "Of course the money's gone."
She sighed and threw it next to her already packed belongings.
Jack stood up straight and crossed the room,
folding his arms across his stomach. "Well at least you found it. You
don't think that those would have.."
Rose grinned good naturedly, moving close to
him. "Those two steal anything? I highly doubt it. From what I heard them
say- they're as naive and perfect as they can be."
"And..." Rose stepped forward and
kissed him, then leaned back to look him the eye. "I think we were
certainly an enigma to them."
Jack opened his mouth in a laugh and nodded.
"A little shock to their Southern upbringing?"
"Exactly..." Rose surveyed the room
and turned back to him. "But you, Dawson- you-" She led him back to
his suitcase on the table, "You have got to finish packing. So we can get
off this boat." Yet she was smiling as she talked.
"Okay, okay." Jack kissed the top
of her head and then set back to work. Rose smiled and turned to glance out of
the porthole. The dock was in clear view, and it seemed they'd be home in mere
seconds. Yet knowing a huge ship like this, there would probably be another
hour before disembarking began. The flags waved and she could make out already,
the pack of anxious greeters on the docks, patiently awaiting the return of
loved ones. There was no one waiting for Jack or herself, but it didn't matter-
because, quite simply- now they had each other. The long lonely trip back to
California was no longer on her list of worries, and in fact- she had a strange
feeling that she would not be returning anytime soon. She and Jack had
discussed quite a lot on this voyage, after his proposal, and they knew they
would be married in New York, as soon as possible. And Rose would have to find
some way to get her things from Santa Monica, transferred here.
Rose sighed and made her way back to her own
suitcase, smiling to herself as she slipped something out of the lining on the
top. She covered the thick paper with her hands, carrying it over to Jack, who
was busy trying to close his bulging bag.
"God, Rose- these suitcases- they never
close a second time." He blew a piece of hair from his forehead and
slumped into the chair next to him, laughing at himself. "Oh well- we've
only got a short ride anyway. I guess it doesn't matter....."
Rose placed the photo she held face down on
the table, and looked Jack in eye as she approached the menacing suitcase. Jack
watched amused as she pressed down on the heavy case, but to his surprise, she
managed to clasp the handles. She smiled at him, a little twinkle in her eye.
"Okay, okay. I applaud you Rose."
He pulled her into his lap, staring out of the tiny window himself as he
talked. He ran his hand up and down her arm, his eyes glazing over in thought.
"Jack?" Rose waved a hand in front
of him, trying to get his attention.
"Oh..." he shook his head and
turned to her, "hmm?" Obviously he'd been in deep thought, and Rose
sighed, relaxing against him.
"I have something to show you." She
smiled and leaned over, reaching for the photo she'd left on the table. Jack
watched her carefully, and pulled her tightly to him. She closed her eyes once,
as if to remember something, and looked up. Jack studied her, shifting his
serious gaze from her eyes to the piece of paper she held so passionately
against her chest.
Locked inside the safety of Jack's blue eyes,
Rose brought the photo down, laying it across the palms of her hands, motioning
with her head toward it. Jack ran his hand over hers, focusing in on what lay
there. The early afternoon light was playing across the black and white paper,
but he could just make out a beach, a horse- and...
"Rose." His breath shuddered as he
took the photo into his own hands, bringing it toward himself. Rose studied
him, living every emotion she could see in his face- herself. She had hoped he
would react like this- she had known this would be special.
"Rose, I..." he tightened his grasp
on her hand, closing his eyes to a single hot tear. He took one more look at
the scene she had presented him with- the memories that were flooding back like
a torrent of rain. The wind played in her wild hair, pulled loosely to one side
of her face. And the glorious sands of the beach sputtered at the horse's feet,
its knees bent in a slight pose. The photographer had captured so wonderfully
the up and down turns of the roller coaster far behind her, and the foam of the
ocean so close. The light in her eyes shone so brightly- so brightly.
"Oh, Rose." He looked from the
picture he held, to her delicate face. Her hand came to rest on his neck, and
he smiled through his tears. "This is beautiful, Rose."
Rose smiled wistfully, her power over him so
apparent at this very minute. She brushed her lips against his and then leaned
upward, gently kissing away his tears.
"I had to show this to you, Jack. I keep
it with me always, all the time. I even took it to Paris with me."
She settled again, running her hands over the
picture.
"Everything we talked about....Rose you
made it count. I.....you made it count." Jack turned his face toward her,
leaning his forehead to hers. He was having trouble taking each breath, trying
to concentrate on what Rose was telling him. If only she knew the impact just
seeing this had on him. If only she knew what this symbolized to him.
She had made it count. Through all that
happened, she had triumphed, and showed her love for him in best way he could
imagine. Rose had gone on, to accomplish all that they had talked about,
planned for in those three short days aboard the Titanic. He had never needed
any proof that she loved him, but this, more than anything, represented all
that she cherished. And she had cherished him.
"I tried Jack," she sighed,
snuggling against him as they both stared at the image before them, "but
it wasn't the same- without you. All I wanted was to make you proud of me- I
wanted to live for both of us."
"Rose," Jack took a deep breath and
stared into her eyes, attempting to convey the truth in his heart, "you
did. You made it count, and I didn't. I taught you that, and after I lost you, it...it
was as if I had nothing to live for anymore. I tried, God knows I tried, but
you....you succeeded." He brushed a strand of hair from her face and
smiled tenderly. Rose studied him for a moment.
"No, Jack, no- Don't disregard yourself
like that. You gave me the strength for my life- all I achieved. Without you,
I...." she took her index finger and placed it firmly on the photo,
pointing to a spot directly behind her, on the horse, "there- right there,
Jack. When I look at this picture, I see something no one else does."
Jack lifted his eyebrows, leaning his head
back against the softness of the chair.
"I see you there Jack, right behind me.
It took me so long to muster enough courage to go to the pier alone- months.
And the minute I saw all the things you told me about- I felt like breaking
down, as I had so many times before. But when I got on that horse, and started
riding, I could feel you, hear you. And the blue water, the sky- they reminded
me of you." She pressed her cheek to his and closed her eyes, reliving
that time in her life.
"Rose, Rose.." he whispered her
name over and over, stroking her soft hair. "This means....I could never
even tell you how much. I am proud of you Rose...." he kissed the top of
her head, murmuring, "so proud. Thank you."
Jack gazed out towards the dock, running his
hands down her back, comforting Rose. He thought back to the past eight years-
all the loneliness, all of the longing. It was as if this photo, this memory,
made up for all that. As long as she had kept his spirit alive, he had never
died. And she had been the one to save him, despite the scene at the back of
the ship. Rose was what made his life worth living. With only pain in his heart
for all those years, now that was replaced with the comfort of her life, and
what she had done.
"Jack, you were there. Always- right
with me." She whispered against his shoulder quietly, turning her face to
the side. Jack smiled and lifted her head, a mischievous light in his eyes.
"What, Jack?" Rose studied him
breathless, a grin forming at the corners of her mouth. She could never stare
at him too long, before she felt the giddiness and joy return.
The blue shirt he wore accented his eyes as
he leaned back to look at her, stretching his neck to take her in. "Looks
like you learned to ride like a man too, huh?"
"Yes, I did." She fell back against
him, her face only inches from his. "And it was so much more fun than
riding like a lady." She said this very matter of factly, as Jack's face
lit up.
"We'll go together someday, Rose- like I
promised. And we'll get another picture taken. But we have to keep this one
too."
Rose nodded, kissing him once before she
leapt up from his lap, offering her hands to help him up also.
"Right now we have to get off this
boat," she laughed, "and get married. That's all that I want."
That's all that I want.
Jack stood up quickly and wrapped his arms
around her, pulling Rose to him fiercely. Rose gasped, returning the embrace
with all of the passion she had. Her hands dug into the rough fabric of his
shirt, and she lifted her head to rest on his shoulder, watching the crowded
dock through the porthole.
"Rose, let's get off this damn
boat." Jack laughed against her, closing his eyes to the happiness inside
him-