AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY
Chapter Three

Jack couldn’t believe their luck! He and his friend, Fabrizio, were on the grandest ship in the world. He was going home! And it was all thanks to a lucky hand at poker! He couldn’t believe that they had won their tickets to America.

As he and Fabrizio walked down the third class corridors of Titanic, looking for their room, Jack was amazed at how luxurious Titanic actually was. Even for third class, it was extremely nice. Once they found their room, they introduced themselves to the two men whom would be sharing a room with them for the length of the voyage to America. The two men said something in another language, then went back to doing what they had been doing before Jack and Fabrizio had entered the room.

"Come on Fabri, let's go take a look around the ship," Jack said as he headed for the door. Fabrizio followed close behind as Jack led them up to the poop deck.

"Can you believe our luck, Fabri? We are traveling back to America in style!"

Fabrizio laughed. "I cannot wait to get to America. It will be a dream come true. Yes?" he said in his strong Italian accent.

Jack looked over the rail at the swirling ocean. He couldn’t wait to get home. He had stayed away long enough. David and Nora will be happy to see me. It’s been way too long. He smiled as he thought of his brother and sister. But the smile faded when he thought of his parents. His mother had gotten very sick and had died when he was only thirteen. Nora, his younger sister, had been too heartbroken to stay in a place that reminded her so much of their mother. She had left to live with an aunt in Virginia; David had gone with her to watch over her. Jack had decided to stay with their grief-stricken father.

Then another tragedy had happened. His father had died two years after that, also from an illness. Jack had left after that. He had left his family’s house in the care of some good family friends. He didn’t have the heart to sell the house. Half of him hoped that he would be back there one day with his family. And now his brother and sister had returned home. He couldn’t wait to get back! Jack closed his eyes and breathed in the cool air. He knew that this trip home would change his life. He could feel it.

*****

Rose sat staring at her reflection in the mirror once again. She had just excused herself from dinner. It was the next night, and she was beginning to feel more hysterical with each passing moment. Her long red hair cascaded down her back in disarrayed curls and her mascara ran down her face. What should I do? I can’t marry him, I can’t! she silently cried in desperation. Then a thought occurred to her. She could end it all. It would be so simple! She could be free. Yes, I can do it. Mother and Cal wouldn’t even know what had happened. But where? Where do I go? she wondered. Then she saw it in her mind. The stern. That is where she would go!

Without thinking another thought, she bolted out of her suite and ran for the back of the ship. She bumped into people in her hurry, but she didn’t care. All she could think about was getting to the stern. Tears ran down her face as she ran. The sound of her shoes hitting the wood vibrated loudly in her ears. Finally, she reached the end of the ship, not even realizing that she had passed a young man lying on one of the benches on the poop deck. Stopping to catch her breath, she looked at the railing that separated her from her freedom. Slowly, she walked over to that railing. Taking a deep breath, she climbed over. The water was so far down, but that didn’t scare her. Going back to Cal was what scared her. She could still feel the sting where he had struck her earlier that evening. She had finally stood up for herself.

"Cal, I’m not wearing that. I’m tired of you and Mother always telling me what to do and what to wear," she had said.

At first, he had seemed shocked at her words. But then he shocked her by striking her. Afterward, he had stared at her for a moment, then left without saying a word. She had quickly changed into the dress that she had wanted to wear. After all, she had been slapped over it; she might as well wear it. But now, looking down at the water, she felt that she had finally found a way out. She leaned forward, feeling the cold air against her face and hearing the ship's sounds loud in her ears. Good-bye, Mother. Good-bye, Cal. Hello, Daddy, she thought as she prepared to let go.

But a voice from behind stopped her. She turned around abruptly, a startled expression on her face. When she looked at the person to whom the voice belonged, she could hardly keep from gasping. It was the man she had caught a glimpse of earlier that day! She had felt his eyes on her, eyes so striking blue that you could swim in them. He had stared at her intensely. Normally she would have found his staring rude and offensive. But when she had looked back a second time, she had felt something stir within her. Something unexplainable, like a feeling of desire to be sitting down there with him. He looked so…free.

"Stay back!" she cried. "Don’t come any closer! I’ll let go!" she cried, gripping the cold rail behind her.

He didn’t say anything at first. He seemed to be contemplating her words. "No, you won't," he said after a few moments.

His words enraged her. She was sick of people telling her what she would and wouldn’t do! "Don’t presume to tell me what I will and will not do! You don’t know me," she scoffed indignantly.

"Well, you would have done it already," he explained simply.

She felt as if her mind was in a hazy cloud. She was amazed when he started to take off his jacket and shoes. She couldn’t believe that he was preparing to jump in after her. He went on to tell her about some place in Wisconsin where he had gone ice fishing. She could hardly comprehend his words. But when he spoke about falling through some thin ice, that got her attention.

"It hits you like a thousand knives stabbing all over your body. You can’t breathe, you can’t think, at least not about anything but the pain," he explained.

She looked down at the water again, and suddenly it didn’t seem so inviting. She realized how cold it must be. After all, they were in the middle of the north Atlantic. Her desperation had made her irrational.

"That’s why I’m not looking forward to jumping in after you. I'm kind of hoping that you’ll come back over the rail and get me off the hook here," he said, his eyes pleading with her not to jump.

"You’re crazy!" she said, before facing the water again. But her resolve had weakened.

He stood behind her. "A lot of people say that…but with all due respect, Miss, I’m not the one hanging off the back of a ship here." He reached his hand out to her. "Come on. Give me your hand. You don’t want to do this."

She looked down at the water again, and realized that she didn’t want to die. She just wanted the pain to go away. But I’ll have to face Cal, and Mother, she thought in despair. He looked at her with desperation in his eyes. What will I tell them? They will ask me where I have been. Slowly, she reached her hand out to this man who seemed genuinely concerned for her life.

Once he had hold of her hand, he let out a sigh of relief. "Jack Dawson," he introduced himself.

She looked into his eyes. "Rose DeWitt Bukater," she said in a rush.

He smiled. "I’ll have to get you to write that one down."

She let out a small laugh at his comment. But soon, she wasn’t laughing anymore. She screamed as she suddenly lost her footing. Jack grasped her hand tightly. Oh my gosh! I’m going to die, she thought in a panic. But when she looked up into his eyes she saw reassurance in them.

"I won't let go," he said. "Now pull yourself up!"

She used all of her strength in helping him pull her up. The next thing she knew, they were lying on the cold deck, relieved and out of breath. Jack had saved her life!

He looked at her, concern in his eyes. He was about to ask her if she was okay when he was interrupted by two of the ship's crewmen.

"You stand back and don’t move an inch!" one of them yelled at Jack.

Jack realized that the crewmen must have heard Rose’s screaming. Now they were mistaking the situation. Jack lay on top of Rose, her face revealing the fear that she felt. But the crewmen didn’t understand that the fear was not because of Jack. All they could see was a third class man lying on top of a first class lady with her clothes and hair in a disarrayed condition. The first crewman ordered the second to get the Master-at-Arms.

The next few minutes, Rose felt like she was in a daze. She was sitting on a bench, wrapped in a blanket, and Cal was yelling at Jack. She couldn’t even remember how she had gotten the blanket that was now around her shoulders.

"How dare you put your hands on my fiancée!" Cal hissed into Jack’s face.

Rose looked at the two men, and realized that Jack’s hands were in handcuffs. I have to do something! I can’t let Mr. Dawson go to jail. He saved my life! But what should I say? If Cal and Mother find out what I was about to do…she didn’t even want to finish that thought. But she had to do something.

"Cal! Cal! It was an accident. Stupid, really. I was leaning over and I slipped." Rose knew that it wasn’t much of an explanation, but it was all that she could come up with. Cal looked at her unbelievingly. Jack looked at her with an amused expression on his face. Rose realized that her explanation wasn’t good enough. "I was leaning far over, to see the uh, the uh, uh…" Why can’t I think of that dammed word? she thought as she moved her hand in a circular motion.

"Propellers?" Cal asked.

She nodded in relief. "And I would have gone over, but Mr. Dawson here saved me and almost went over himself."

Cal laughed. "She wanted to see the propellers."

She looked at Jack pleadingly after a crewman had asked him if that was what had happened.

Jack nodded his head. "Yep, that was pretty much it."

Rose sighed in relief. Cal started to escort her back to her suite when Archibald Gracie, who had come with Cal, suggested a reward for Jack’s heroism.

"Ah, of course," Cal said as he turned to his manservant. "Mr. Lovejoy, I’m sure a twenty should do it," Cal instructed him.

Rose looked at Cal in disgust. This man had just saved her life! Was that the best Cal could do?

"So is that the going rate for saving the woman you love?" she ask Cal.

Seeing her displeasure and not wanting to cause a scene, he invited Jack to dinner the next night. This surprised her. But soon she realized that Cal was trying to make a joke out of Jack. She thought back over the night as they continued toward their suites. An hour ago, she was ready to end it all. But now she had a desire to live. Jack had given her hope. He had not judged her; he had simply helped her with no questions asked.

Her thoughts of Jack were interrupted when they reached the sitting room. Ruth sat on the divan, a look of disapproval on her face.

"Where have you been, Rose? Cal was looking everywhere for you. He left quite some time ago, soon after you left the dinner table. Is he now just finding you?"

Rose looked at her mother. "Yes, Mother. I was in some trouble. I almost lost my life tonight. If it had not been for the assistance of a kind man I would have died."

Ruth stared at her daughter in astonishment. "My gosh, Rose! What in the world were you doing?" Ruth cried.

"Do not worry, Ruth. She is fine now. She was looking over the railing to see the propeller blades and she slipped," Cal answered for Rose.

Ruth looked at her daughter. "Really, Rose, this would not have happened had you been acting appropriately. You should not have been wandering the ship alone at this time of night. That kind of behavior is completely unacceptable!" Ruth scolded.

Rose couldn’t believe what she was hearing! She had almost died, but all her mother could think about was appropriateness!

"I can’t believe you, Mother. Do you even care about me at all?" Rose asked in a low voice.

Ruth looked at her, unaffected by her daughter’s question. "Don’t be silly, Rose. You’re tired. You should get some rest." Ruth got up and left the room, clearly showing that the conversation was over.

Cal turned to Rose. "I don’t know why you are behaving this way, Rose, but it must stop. What were you thinking? You could have died tonight," Cal spat. He took in a deep shaky breath, trying to control his temper. "Your mother is right. You should get some rest. We will discuss this tomorrow." He quickly kissed her on the cheek before leaving the room.

Chapter Four
Stories