AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY
Chapter Eighteen
Rose was sitting on the steerage deck of the
Carpathia, the ship that had come to their rescue. She wouldn’t allow herself
to feel any emotion, not yet. She had gone to the steerage area. She didn’t
want her mother or Cal to find her.
She almost had a heart attack when she heard
his voice behind her. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Cal
spoke to a crewman before continuing his way into steerage; he was obviously
looking for her. She pulled the blanket tighter around her face, praying that
he didn’t spot her. A moment later he was gone. She let out her breath in a
sigh of relief. She continued to spend her time on the Carpathia just staring
into space. She was still in shock. She couldn’t believe that Jack was gone.
All of the events of the night before came flooding back to her. She held back
her tears, telling herself that she would grieve later.
When they finally reached New York, she
couldn’t help but hear her own words, spoken only last night.
"When this ship docks, I'm getting
off with you."
Well, she was indeed getting off, but she was
getting off of the wrong ship, and Jack was not with her. She stared up at the
Statue of Liberty. The rain was falling hard on her shoulders, but she didn’t
care. She was startled to hear a voice beside her.
"Can I take your name please,
love?"
She turned to the officer. "Dawson…Rose
Dawson."
She said it without hesitation. She felt that
she was his wife. If he had lived, they would have been married. She stared at
the Statue of Liberty again, digging her hands deep in her pockets to keep them
warm. She was surprised when she felt an object in her left pocket. She gazed
in shock as she brought the Heart of the Ocean out; it sparkled in her hand.
She couldn’t figure out why she’d have it. Then it dawned on her.
"You look a fright. Here, put this
on."
It was Cal’s coat. She had completely
forgotten that she was wearing it. In the other pocket, she pulled out some
money, a lot of money. This didn’t surprise her. After all, money was Cal’s
life, and he always carried it on him. I’ll count this later, she
thought to herself as she put it back into Cal’s coat pocket. She didn’t want
people to see that she had it. When the ship finally docked in New York, she
got off. Avoiding the reporters, she walked toward her new life. It would be a
life without Jack, but nevertheless; it would be her own.