Chapter Two

1931

Rose couldn't help but smile as she watched the familiar trees pass by. The last time she had seen them was the day she left. She thought it would be only a few months and she would see this sight again. And then, after some time had passed, she didn't think she would ever see this sight again. It had turned into seven years. Had it really been that long? It all seemed so unchanged. Rose could only wonder if the same went for the people here. The people she had grown up with, her friends, her mother. Forrest. Had he changed? Had he missed her as much as she missed him? Did he regret what happened between the two of them as much as she had?

Rose hadn't changed that much, appearance-wise. She decided to cut her hair short, and she kept it like that for a while. Now, it had grown the be just above her shoulder, resulting in it being a long bob. She still always painted her nails red and wore red lipstick. She did look a little older, a more mature face, as well as a more mature air about her. She walked with more confidence, not that she hadn't always been confident, but it was more noticeable with how she carried herself. She was dressed in a sheer white dress that fell halfway down her calves. There was a ruffle of tulle at the hem of the skirt and her slip was just barely noticeable underneath the dress. She had a red belt around her waist and a matching short-sleeved jacket.

But, Rose liked to think that she had matured in more ways than one. She wasn't so naive as she had been when she left. She still believed in love, but she didn't believe that it could conquer all like she believed so many years ago. And she liked to believe that she was more worldly, as well, though that was entirely a matter of had spent a year and a half in Alexandria, two and a half in St. Louis, and the last three in Chicago. But she believed that she was far better suited to the big city than she was to a place like Franklin County. She had adapted to living in a city far quicker than she expected. She had continued to produce articles and she had made far more money than she had ever expected. She had always hoped to be able to support herself by writing. But she had done more than that. She lived in an apartment in Downtown Chicago with a living room bigger than her house in Franklin County. It was more than she had ever expected in life. She had never cared for the finer things in life, but that's because when she grew up she hadn't thought a girl like her could have it.

Rose had a few relationships since her and Forrest called off her engagement. Nothing serious a few dates with a few friends here and there. Every time she went out with a man, she always found herself comparing him to Forrest, and they never matched up. She thought of him everyday and when a man showed interest in her, she always wished it was Forrest. It was a silly thing to think about. The man was probably already married by now. Probably had a few kids, too. Rose didn't regret the decision. She told herself every morning when she woke up and every night before she went to bed that she didn't regret it.

And now, she would have to face him again. She wanted to avoid him as much as possible. But she couldn't do it forever. She doubted he thought highly of her after what happened between the two of them. But it would be inevitable for her to run across him eventually. The only way that she would be able to avoid him is if she shut herself up in her mother's house while she stayed there. And if she stayed in that house when she would be here for a month, at the very least, she would lose her damn mind. She would run across him eventually and that terrified her. The only thing that she would be able to do is avoid him for as long as she could. That couldn't last forever. She would have to face him eventually.

The train pulled to a stop, and Rose, along with everyone else stood and collected their belongings. Rose took a deep breath before stepping off the train, feeling a little nervous coming back to the place where she said she would go back to. It was a place full of 'what if's?' that Rose hated to think about. Her poor mother, was given only a few more months to live, at most. Rose had wanted to move her mother off to Chicago, so the two of them would be together. But her mother never budged, and Rose would be damned if she didn't get to see her mother one more time and spend as much time with her as she possibly could.

As much Rose was terrified of confronting Forrest after so many years apart, her desire to see her mother was greater than her fear. Rose was a bit of an oddity in a place like Franklin County. In a place where most people had at least three or four children, Rose was an only child. And as such, she had been the light of her parents life as a child and they doted on her. She had a close relationship with both of her parents. She had lost her father during the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, leaving just Rose and her mother. The loss of their father and husband brought mother and daughter closer than they had been before. But there was one distinction between the two of them. Ethel Shaw was born in Franklin County, and she would die in Franklin County. She was perfectly content where she was. Rose, however, had always hoped to get and see just a little bit of the world, even if just for a short amount of time. But despite Rose getting her wish, their relationship stayed the same. They wrote to each other often and called each other from time to time. And when her mother called telling her the news that there wasn't much time left for her, Rose broke down in tears and immediately packed and bought a ticket to Virginia. Her car was long gone. She found she hadn't needed it in Chicago. For the most part, everywhere she went was a close distance from her house, and if it was too far too walk, she could take a cab. Transportation was quicker and easier in Chicago, and she honestly preferred that to Franklin County where there were few roads, and if you had to walk someplace, it took a while to get there. Rose had two bags with her. She had one suitcase, containing her clothes and other necessities, and the other, her typewriter case. She wouldn't leave that behind. She couldn't. She had another one that she wrote on now, but she kept her old one, out of sentimental value. But she had to bring the old one with her, there was a nagging voice in her head telling her to. It was one of her most prized possessions that she couldn't live without.

Rose left the station and began making her way to the bus stop. Even with a bus ride from the train station, she would have to take quite a walk from there to the place that she once called home. And she'd be lugging two heavy cases with her. Rose missed the convenience of Chicago already.

The bus stops were much too far apart than they were in Chicago, as well. She could get used to the life that she used to live again, as much as she had gotten used to and preferred city life. But she hated transportation. There was a car that passed her on the street and stopped just in front of her. Rose paid no mind as she passed it until she was called to a stop.

"Miss Rosie!" a voice called from behind her.

Rose's head whipped around to the car and saw the man in the driver's seat sticking his head out the window with a wide grin on his face. For just a moment, Rose stared at him with a look of confusion, trying to place his face. Then a look of familiarity crossed her face, as well as a beaming smile.

"Jack Bondurant?" Rose asked, walking towards him. "Look at you! You're a man now!"

She could remember Jack Bondurant when she left. He had to have been about fifteen or sixteen. Now, he looked like a man. She remembered him as being the sweetest little boy, along with his best friend, Cricket Pate. Rose always had a soft spot for the two for the two of them. She would often sneak them a penny so they could buy a bit of candy.

Whenever Rose would call Forrest or write to him, she would always ask about Jack and she would always tell him to be sure to send him her love. He wasn't like his brothers. His brothers were tough and they had been since they were little. Jack wasn't though, and that, no doubt, was why Rose had developed such a soft spot for him. She almost forgot that when she saw him, he would be grown, but he still had that familiar eager grin.

"What're ya doin' here?" Jack asked her.

"I came to see Mama," Rose said, a soft, bittersweet smile crossing her face.

"Oh, yeah, heard 'bout that," said Jack, his voice loosing a bit of the cheerfulness that it held. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Thanks," said Rose softly.

"Hey, you need a ride?" Jack asked, his voice returning to cheery one he originally had.

"Really?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, hop in!" Jack said.

Rose didn't need to be told twice. She moved to the other side of the car, putting her bags down for just a moment so she could open the door and climb into the passengers seat. She got her bags and settled in, reaching across to give Jack a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She settled into the seat and Jack started driving to her mother's house.

"So, tell me everything I've missed," said Rose. "I want to know every detail!"

"Do ya really mean ya wanna know everything?" Jack asked. "Or about Forrest?"

Rose faltered. She did mean Forrest. She missed him and she hoped he missed her. There wasn't any animosity towards him on her part, Rose only hoped the same for him. A part of her hoped he was settled and married and happy, while another part of her hoped he wasn't. Well, she still wished for him to be happy, but she wanted him to be happy. She hoped he was happy.

"Sorry," said Jack, realizing what he said might have been a little insensitive.

"No, don't be," said Rose with a small smile. "How is he? Is he settled?"

"Nah," said Jack. "Don't rightly think I seen him with a girl since ya left."

"Really?" Rose asked, slightly shocked by the statement.

A part of her was ecstatic to know that Rose was not only unmarried, but never even went out with another girls since she left. She didn't know why it made her so happy. Any chance of the two of them being together was over and done with. As soon as everything with her mother was settled, she would be on her way back to Chicago, and never return to Franklin County again. And this time, she meant it. If her mother wasn't here, she had no reason to be here.

Another part of her was a little upset. She hoped that Forrest was married. It was a small part of her that wished it, considering how happy she was that he wasn't married, but hearing he wasn't made her feel a bit of hope that she quickly shut down. She couldn't try and be with Forrest. They had tried and it wasn't meant to be between the two of them. What use was there in trying again?

Her mind kept nagging her to feel a little bit of hope. That there was a chance that things could work out between her and Forrest, and Rose kept telling it to shut up. If it was meant to be, they would have been married for years, probably on baby number four or five at this point. But they went their separate ways, and that was that.

The rest of the ride was spent with Jack filling Rose in on what she had missed in the seven years since she was gone, and she told him all about her grand life in Chicago. She never thought that she would miss it just as much as she did. She wasn't surprised that everything seemed so unchanged, but she was happy to be back, happier than she thought she would be. She thought she would hate how it hadn't changed at all. But she found it relaxing to be in a place that was so familiar.

"Thank you so much!" said Rose as Jack pulled up in front of her old home.

She leaned over and gave him another hug and another kiss on the cheek.

"No problem," Jack said. "And ya come to the Station sometime soon. E'rybody'll be happy to see ya!"

Rose wanted to believe that was true.

"All right, Jack," said Rose. She didn't know if she was lying or not. "I'll be seeing you soon."

Rose grabbed her bags and turned walking towards her house. When she got to the door, she waved to Jack as he drove away.

Once he was out of sight, Rose took out her old key, one she was glad that she hadn't gotten rid of.

…

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed and please let me know what you think.

Also, a note on the timeline: this is about a few weeks before the start of the movie.