AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY
Chapter Seven
Jack was waiting at the bottom of the grand
staircase when he spotted Rose. She stood like an angel, gazing down at him.
Cal and her mother had just passed, not even bothering to recognize him. Thanks
to Molly’s help he was dressed as a first class man. She smiled when she saw
him. He tried to calm his racing heartbeat, but finally gave up after a few
moments. His heart always beat out of control when he was anywhere near her.
She started to slowly descend the stairs. When she reached him he slowly took
her gloved hand and kissed it.
"I saw that on a nickelodeon once and I
always wanted to do it," he said with a smile. He offered her his arm.
When they started to walk he stuck his nose up in the air, acting in
exaggerated snobbery.
Rose laughed. No matter what the situation,
he always found humor in it. Rose called to Cal and her mother, who were
walking a few steps ahead. "Surely you remember Mr. Dawson?" she
asked Cal.
Cal looked at Jack in shock. "Dawson?
Why, it’s amazing! You could almost pass for a gentleman."
Jack looked him in the eyes, never wavering
for a moment. "Yeah, almost," he replied. Cal continued to escort
Ruth down the grand staircase.
Rose turned to Jack, her eyes filled with
sadness. "I'm sorry, Jack. That was terribly rude of him," she
apologized.
"Don’t waste your night thinking about
it. I'm not," he said.
They continued down the grand staircase that
never seemed to end. Finally, they reached the D Deck reception room, where
everyone was gathered before entering the dining room. Rose pointed out a few
of Titanic’s popular passengers.
"There is John Jacob Astor and his wife
Madeline. She is my age and in a delicate condition. See how she’s trying to
hide it? Quite the scandal." She went on to name some other high society
people. Jack felt nervous but managed to appear calm. He had never been around
such important people before.
Molly came up to them. "Well, hi Jack.
Care to escort a lady to dinner?" she asked.
He smiled. He thought that Molly was a very
special lady. She was not in the least bit stuck up. She cared about people.
"Of course." He offered Molly his other arm before continuing on into
the dining room. He took a deep breath. Earlier, Molly had mentioned that going
to dinner would be like going into a snake pit. He was beginning to think that
she was right. But Jack Dawson wasn’t one to get rattled by people. They
entered the dining room, then sat down at their table. The evening was just
beginning.
*****
Rose looked at the piece of paper that was
folded in her hand. Dinner had just ended, for the most part. The men had just
left to go to the smoking room to have their nightly brandy and discuss
politics. Jack had also left.
"Time to go row with the other
slaves," he had joked.
He had kissed her hand once again, only this
time leaving a note in her palm. She looked around to make sure no one was
watching her. Then she took a deep breath before opening the note.
Make it count, meet me at the clock, it said. She smiled when she thought how graciously
he had handled her mother tonight at dinner.
Ruth had thrown one rude comment after
another at him, and each time he had come out on top.
"Just the other night I was sleeping
under a bridge, and now, here I am on the grandest ship in the world, sipping
champagne with you fine people. I figure life is a gift, and I don’t intend on
wasting it. You never know what hand you’re going to get dealt next. You learn
to take life as it comes…to make each day count," he had said when her
mother had asked him if he found this type of rootless existence appealing.
Everyone had raised their glasses. "To
making it count," they had chorused.
Rose knew that it was a night that she would
always remember. But the night was only starting; Jack was waiting for her.
"Mother, I am going back now. I’m suddenly not feeling well."
Ruth looked at her daughter. "Rose, you
had better behave yourself," Ruth warned.
Rose got up without answering.
By the time Rose reached B Deck, her
curiosity was getting the best of her. What does Jack want? she
wondered. He was standing at the top of the stairs, right in front of the
clock; his back was facing her. She slowly walked up the stairs to meet him.
At the sound of her footsteps, Jack turned
around. He couldn’t believe how beautiful she looked. Every time he saw her, it
was like seeing her for the first time. She looked up at him nervously. But she
couldn’t hide the excitement she felt. He could see it in her blue eyes
clearly. What is she doing with someone like me? he asked himself.
People of her class didn’t even acknowledge him, let alone spend time with him.
But Rose is special, which is why I can’t
get her out of my mind. She sees people for who they are, not for what they
have or where they come from. Once
she reached him on the landing, he stared into her eyes for a moment. "So,
do you want to go to a real party?" he asked.
She laughed. "Why, yes, Mr. Dawson. I do
believe that I've waited my whole life to go to a real party." He reached
his hand out to her, and without hesitating she took it tightly in her own.
She stared into his eyes, almost mesmerized
by them. She was surprised to find that her pulse was racing as he took her
hand. You’ve had too much champagne, Rose, she told herself. They walked
out onto the boat deck, then found their way down to third class from there.
"What are we doing, Jack?" she asked as they went down the third
class staircase.
"I already told you. We’re going to a
real party."
She smiled at him. "Okay, Mr.
Mysterious, I won’t ask any more questions," she said teasingly.
When they entered the third class common
room, Rose was shocked at what she saw. There were people of all ages dancing
and talking loudly; it looked as if they were having the time of their lives.
Some men were playing some instruments in one part of the room. Rose thought
that the music sounded wonderful. She had never seen such a party before.
"Jack! Look at that little girl over
there dancing. She looks like she’s having so much fun!" Rose exclaimed.
Jack turned to her, smiling. "That’s
Cora. She has so much spirit. You’ll like her," he said, referring to the
little girl who was dancing happily with her father.
The little girl stopped dancing and pointed
at Jack. Her father followed her gaze and his mouth dropped in astonishment.
Jack looked down at himself and remembered how he was dressed. He noticed that
quite a few people were staring at them. He looked at Rose; his eyes lit up
with happiness.
"Are you ready to have the time of your
life?" he asked loudly, so he could be heard over the music.
She nodded. "Jack, I've never been more
ready in my whole life!" Rose DeWitt Bukater was about to discover the
meaning of the word fun.