AN: I hope you'll like this story as well.
The characters in this story come from various countries, so there will be some sentences in other languages too. I'm going to post the translation in brackets.
The director of the school, Mr. Cunningham, was busy looking through his things. It was one these days, when he had so much to do that he didn't do what to do first. Even though he had worked the whole day, the paperwork on his desk seemed to grow every minute.
It was at the beginning of the new school year. Not that it was anything different from every other year. He had told the teachers and especially the children's parents in time, which was already last February, to bring the documents needed for the application of their children early enough. They had of course nodded their head and promised. The deadline was at the end of May and surely most of them stretched it out to this.
And then was the part with the teachers as well. Almost everybody seemed to have something against his timetable, telling him why he couldn't or better wouldn't do his job as this time of the day.
The principal signed. He was a good man always wanting everyone to be happy and not wanting any quarrel. He was a nice man, but for his job it would've been better for him, if he had been a little bit stricter. But he just couldn't help it.
Looking up at the clock it told him that he would need to interrupt his work once more. The new teacher was coming for a talk. They really needed another English teacher, hopefully the person would fit into the team.
He heard a knock on the door.
"Yes", he said aloud not looking up from his work.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you Mr. Cunningham, I know you must be busy with your work. I just wanted to ask you, if Mrs. Dawson and I would be able to take our classes to the theatre?"
The director turned his head to face her.
"Sure, if you can get enough money together, because you know the school has nothing and of course you've to ask permission from the children's parents."
She nodded.
"I understand. Well I'll go home then. Good…"
"Wait," he stopped her.
"Yes? What is it?" she asked turning around again.
An idea had suddenly come up to him that spare him another work.
"As you can see Mrs. Di Rossi I still have my desk here full of documents waiting to be read and well then there's still...I know of course that you want to go home to your children and I understand that but…" he stammered.
Helga had to laugh. It was so funny how he always tried to make everyone happy, which wasn't possible of course. Many people were of course taking advantage of this. But Helga wasn't one of these persons.
"Mr. Cunningham of course I help you. Just tell what I can do for you?"
He signed in relieve.
"Thank you. Well you know we're getting a new English teacher and…" he posed again searching through his things "...oh here it is", he handed Helga a paper.
"Her name is Mrs. Calvert. I forgot her first name, but you can ask her right?"
"Sure that's no problem. What should I tell her from you?"
"Just talk with her, tell her a little bit about the classes she'll be having and see if she fits into the team. You can go home afterwards, tell her to come to me later on or no…better tomorrow at ten o clock. I'm sure you'll do it right", he told her.
Helga just thanked him for his trust in her and accused herself.
…
Rose Calvert had just come to New York as her husband had taken on a new work here. She didn't know anything further yet, but he would surely tell her in the evening. She had married Henry Calvert about two years after the Titanic sinking. They also had a little son being called Andrew. Rose called him Andy. He was her one and only.
Rose loved her husband; he had helped her come over the death of Jack. It had taken long for Rose to forget him. In fact she still thought of him sometimes, but he was of course part of her past. Rose had seen either her mother, Molly and surely not Cal after the Titanic sinking.
Her son was ten years now. Rose would've wanted to have more children, but Andy's birth had been a very complicated one almost costing the life of mother and baby. The doctors had warned her of a new pregnancy. Henry too didn't want to risk his beloved wife's life. He was just happy to have one child.
Rose had avoided everyone on the Titanic hiding in third class and telling the officer later on that her name was Rose Dawson. When she had met Henry she had told him that she was a young widow, whose husband had died of an illness. It's wasn't that great lie for she was sure that she and Jack would've married, if he had lived. No time to think about that now.
She was on her way to meet the director of the local school. She would take up a job as an English teacher there. The school seemed to be very much in need for a new teacher. Rose hadn't wanted to start work so soon, her husband was earning enough and she didn't want Andy to me alone too much.
But still she couldn't reject this offer. The principal had practically begged her to come and look at the school.
Rose had put on a light dress and a coat as she wanted to make a good impression.
"Let's see how everything's working," she muttered to herself as she opened the door to the school.
…..
"Excuse me, I'm Rose Calvert, I've an appointment with Mr. Cunningham," she told the first person she saw. It was an elder woman obviously a teacher as well.
"Oh of course, well Mr. Cunningham has told me. He is busy however so you'll be seeing Mrs. Di Rossi instead," she told her.
At the mentioning of the name Rose wondered. She thought that she had heard it before, but she couldn't make out where. She quickly rejected it. Of course she was just imaging things.
"Where do I find her?" Rose asked the woman.
"I'll bring you to her, just follow me," she told her.
Helga was already waiting impatiently for the new teacher. She wanted to go home. Fabrizio, Jack and Jack's wife Gisela would meet at her husband's Italian restaurant. It was the best and easiest way to spend time together and with their children.
She suddenly heard the door open.
"Thank you for bringing me here," she heard a voice.
"No problem Mrs. Calvert", the woman told her walking away again.
Rose entered the room.
When Helga saw her entering the room her eyes grew wide. It couldn't be. Jack had told her and Fabrizio that she was dead.
Rose too wondered where she had seen the woman standing in front of her before.
"I'm Mrs. Calvert, I've been told that…" Rose started, but she felt Helga's gaze on her.
"Is something wrong?" Rose asked.
I just wonder what happens, when Jack finds out that…
No he can't find out, it would make everything just too complicated.
"What? Oh no", Helga stated snapping out of her daydream. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking of something."
"That's alright hopefully nothing bad?"
That depends how you define bad she thought, but to Rose she said "No, of course not. It was nothing important."
"Please sit down Mrs. Calvert", Helga said to her offering her a seat.
As Rose sat in front of her, Helga asked her some questions about her family what she had done so far, but she quickly knew that Rose would be perfect.
"And what do you think?" Rose wanted to know after a while.
"I believe that you would perfectly fit into the team," Helga told.
"Really? Oh that's great?" Rose's eyes lit up.
"You should go tomorrow to Mr. Cunningham and speak with him about everything else", Helga said to her.
"I will oh I'm so happy. I can't wait to start my work here."
Helga forced a smile.
The door opened once more.
"Bist du fertig, Helga? Können wir gehen?" (Are you ready Helga? Can we go?) she heard Gisela ask her.
"Ja, sofort…" (Yes, immediately) was Helga's answer.
Gisela stepped inside.
She noticed however suddenly standing Rose inside the room.
"Oh I'm sorry I didn't want to interrupt you," she apologized to Rose.
"No problem," Rose told her wondering what they had been talking about.
Gisela looked from Rose to Helga and back.
"I'm really impolite," she got out. "I didn't even tell you my name."
Helga nervously watched her.
Maybe it wouldn't be that good idea to tell Rose, but Gisela couldn't know this.
"I'm Mrs. Dawson," she told her holding out her hand for Rose to shake.
Rose was stunned for a moment.
But of course Dawson was a very common name.
"Pleased to meet you," Rose answered shaking her hand. "I'm Mrs. Calvert."
Gisela smiled at her.
Helga wondered, if she would still smile when she found out the truth. She couldn't know for sure of course, but what if Jack really still had feelings for her?
"Mrs. Calvert will be working here as an English teacher," Helga explained to her.
"Really? That's great. Well I think that it's a little bit strange to be formal with each other then. You can call me Gisela, if you want," she told Rose.
Rose found the woman very nice. If only she knew to whom she was talking at the moment.
"My name is Rose."
"And this is my friend Helga", Gisela said to Rose mentioning at Helga.
The name too sounded familiar to Rose.
"Well I'm sorry Rose, but we've to…" Helga began.
She thought it better to drag Gisela away from her, before she told Rose anything to make her suspicious, but Gisela wouldn't go.
"Of course I to want to go home," Rose said about to leave.
"We're just going to eat something," Helga told her.
Rose just nodded.
"I've an idea," Gisela started while Helga was getting nervous. Hopefully she wouldn't ask that one, but of course she did.
"Why don't you come as well? We could get to know each other better. It'll be fun," she told Rose.
"I don't know, I don't want to disturb anyone," Rose got out.
Helga hoped that she would say no.
"No, you won't bother anyone, right Helga?"
Helga nodded forcing a smile.
"It's always better to have more company," Gisela added.
"But my husband…"
"You can bring him as well of course; Helga's husband and mine will also be there. He won't have to sit alone with us women," she laughed.
Rose thought about it for a moment and decided to go.
It couldn't be bad to make new friends.
"Fine, I'll come."
"Great," Gisela told her writing her down the address. "Just come around seven. See you later."
Helga, Gisela and Rose went out of the room and Helga locked the door again.
Gisela was happy and content. Rose was still wondering. And Helga, who knew very well what would happen was just nervous.