TWO.
-drink a beer-
Rose emptied her bag, filling the dresser with her clothes. In the hurry she was when she left, she had taken the strict necessary. A couple of t-shirts, three pair of jeans, two summer dresses, a pair of flats, of boots as well as her black Converse shoes she wasn't usually allowed to wear in the city. Her mother would simply behead her if she saw her wear those shoes in public. She also had a toothbrush, toothpaste, a hairbrush, some makeup and hair accessories to try and discipline her crazy red mane. It was less likely that she'd find a convenience store to buy the missing items in a 15 miles radius and she wasn't keen on walking this long for a couple of knick-knacks.
The Browns were charging her 150$ per month for rent, which was cheap in her opinion. They were the sweetest people she ever met and a bond was already installed between them. After all, she would spend at least a couple of weeks with them. Looking through the window, she spotted Jack in the horses' paddock, holding one by the reins to make him walk around. He looked really handsome from up here, she thought. She debated on whether to go down and talk to him or leave him to his work and she concluded it was better to wait until tonight before seeing him again.
She had dinner with the Browns. She was served a delicious vegetable soup with homemade bread and a chicken breast covered in a Dijon's mustard sauce. It was cooked with love and that was what made it so good. The meal was spent in a friendly ambiance and for the first time in months, Rose was happy. She laughed and meant it, which was a delightful feeling. She helped with the dishes and excused herself from the kitchen to get ready for her first evening in Cedar Grove. She showered then braided her hair. She chose to wear a dress; the one with the small yellow flowers on it, and white flat shoes. She put mascara on her eyelashes and a faint spray of perfume on her skin. At 8:55, the doorbell rang. Rose swallowed nervously and looked at her reflection one last time before walking down the stairs to the kitchen. Jack was standing there, wearing a plaid shirt, jeans and black shoes. He wasn't wearing a hat this time and she could see his blonde hair.
"Hello there," he said, spotting her in the stairs.
"Hello," Rose replied with a smile, stopping in front of him. "So where are you taking me?"
"Ryan's Ranch, where else would we go on a Friday night?" he asked with a grin.
"Ranch? Would it be better if I wore pants?"
"Your dress is fine. You look beautiful, by the way."
"T- Thanks," she stuttered, her face bright red. "Shall we go?"
Jack nodded and let her walk outside in front of him. He winked at Mrs. Brown in the kitchen to say goodbye and joined Rose in the truck. Once again, country music played on the radio. The sun had been gone for the past ten minutes and the road was dark. Jack was used to it, he told her.
"So what's your story?" Jack asked.
"I don't have one," she replied.
"Nobody ends up here without a good reason. But, hey, that's fine if you don't want to talk about it, I understand," he assured her and she kept silent for a few minutes. "Do you like beer?"
"What?"
"Beer? Don't they have beer where you come from?"
"I know what beer is!" she said, her tone defensive.
"Sorry, it's just - you seem more of a champagne kind of girl, you know?"
"I do, as a matter of fact. Like beer, that is."
"Great, 'cause I bought a pack for us. Of course there are other things to drink there if you're not in the mood for beer."
"Okay. I'm sorry for snapping at you, it's just... I have a lot on my mind these days."
"Nah, don't even think about it," he dismissed.
They looked at each other from the corner of their eyes and laughed. Jack drove up until they reached a barn. The parking lot was full and Jack drove around for 10 minutes before finally parking his truck. From outside, Rose could hear loud music coming from the barn as well as people shouting to try and hear each other over the music. As they entered the place, Rose saw that most girls were wearing Daisy Dukes or summer dresses resembling her own. Some were wearing cowboy boots, others high heels or flat shoes. Half of the people present had a cowboy hat on. This place was their version of a night club and to be honest, it was a thousand times cooler than any nightclub she had seen in the city. People of all ages gathered here on Friday nights, she realized.
She felt Jack's hand on the small of her back, softly pushing her inside. She turned to him and he nodded towards a table.
"You can sit there, I'm just gonna put these somewhere cool," he told her, showing her the beer pack.
She waited for him to come back and after waiting for a long time, she started looking around for him. She didn't know anybody there and it was awkward to just sit there in the middle of all these strangers like she belonged here. She spotted him near the bar with a pretty blonde girl. She was standing really close to him and Rose felt something she had never felt before; jealousy. She had experienced envy before but never as strong as this. It was stupid, she thought to herself. She had known Jack for nine hours, how could she already have these feelings towards him? She was foolish to think a handsome young man like him would be single. Handsome was an understatement even, he was hot and everything she was attracted to in a man. Plus, he was the complete opposite of the man her mother had forced her to marry back in Philadelphia.
The girl's hair was perfect, unlike her own, and a beautiful shade of blonde. Her eyes were blue, her legs seemed endless and there was simply nothing wrong about her. Rose saw Jack's hand on her arm before towering over her to kiss her forehead. The girl whispered something in his ear and he smiled. He took two bottles of beer and left the blonde girl behind him. He walked back to Rose who smiled up at him as if she had witnessed nothing.
"Sorry, got held up," he apologized and she melted at his accent.
"It's okay," she simply said and he gave her a bottle he had taken care of opening for her.
"So, do you dance?"
"Yes, I might, but you've got to let me drink at least two beers first," she admitted and he laughed.
Two beers later, they were both in the middle of the crowded dancefloor. Rose was having so much fun that she forgot about everything else. Jack made her dance around like they were the only people in the place, not caring about who they bumped into. After forty minutes, she pleaded him to stop, she needed a break. He laughed but suggested they go outside for some fresh air. She followed him out, walking into a cloud of cigarette smoke.
"May I call you Lily?" Jack asked uncomfortably as they walked away from the crowd.
"Please don't," Rose replied, leaving him stunned. "I mean, Lily isn't my real name, I lied," she confessed. "It's just... I'm running away and I... I thought it'd be safer this way."
"I see. What should I call you then?"
"My real name is Rose Dewitt Bukater."
"Okay you might have to write that one down," he said, half-joking, and they both chuckled.
"Rose will be fine," she laughed.
"That's quite a fancy name," he pointed out. "Where are you from anyway?"
"Philadelphia," she answered truthfully. She didn't feel the need to lie to him, she knew she could trust him even if he was still a stranger.
"I see. Makes sense since you were wearing that UPenn sweatshirt earlier. Are you studying there?"
"I am. Biophysics."
"Christ. And here I am, working with manure, horses and hay every day."
"That's as good a job as anything else," she said, meaning it. "I'm not going back, anyway."
"What are you running from, exactly?"
"I'd rather not say yet. I will tell you though, I promise. Soon. I'm having fun tonight and I don't want to think about it, is that okay?"
"Yes, of course. You're quite the mystery, Rose."
"So I've been told. What are you running from?" she asked.
"Nothing," he answered too quickly for it to be the truth.
"Was that your girlfriend earlier?" Rose demanded, knowing how rude it was.
"Who? You mean Diana? The blonde at the bar?" he asked and she nodded.
"Nah, she wished though. I won't lie to you, we had a summer fling two years ago but I quickly realized she wasn't for me."
"How come? She seems like the kind of girl every guy would want."
"That's exactly why."
He told her that his mother died five years ago and that the Browns were family friends who promised to take care of him. His father had left when he was barely two years old and he didn't remember anything about him. He had grew up in Cedar Grove up until his mother's death then decided to spend only his summers here, traveling throughout the country the rest of the year. He lived in a trailer, which was parked behind the Browns' barn from May to September. Next stop was Kansas. He worked at each place and his ultimate dream was to own a farm. Rose looked at him and was amazed with his words. He was a romantic, just like her, and it was the first time she had the chance to talk with someone like that.
"I'm sure you'll get it," she told him.
He smiled at her and suggested they go back inside. They danced some more and even closed the place down. It was three in the morning when he stopped in the Browns' driveway.
"This is me," she said, turning to him. "Thanks for taking me, I had a great time."
"I hope we can do this again," he told her with a tired smile.
"Yes. Well, I should go," she said, opening the door.
"Would you - Would that be okay with you if I invited you for breakfast one of these days?"
"I'd like that," she replied.
"Sunday? 9:30? I'll pick you up."
"Sunday's perfect. I'll see you then, Jack. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," he whispered, staring into her eyes.
She stared for a second then looked away, blushing. He winked at her before driving away and she walked inside, trying to make as less noise as she could. She walked upstairs to her room and changed into her pajamas before slipping comfortably between the cool sheets.
"Excuse me, Sir, I'm looking for that young woman," he began. "Would you have seen her?"
The man looked at the school portrait of a young redhead. Her flashy white smile and sad green eyes not familiar at all.
"No, I'm sorry. Perhaps you should try the bus station," the man in his fifties suggested.
"I already did. Are you sure? Please look again," he insisted, shoving the picture into his face.
"I told you, I haven't seen her before in my life now would you please let me do my job. Next!" he shouted.
Cal, defeated, stepped aside. He had been looking for her non-stop for the past twelve hours. He had not slept in 26 hours and barely eaten, only a sandwich coming out of a vending machine at the airport. He had searched the city, hopeful, but nothing had been in his favor. She was nowhere to be found. When Ruth had called him in panic, telling him that Rose had disappeared, he had first thought she was joking. But when he walked into her room and saw the mess, he knew she had run away for real this time. When he saw the ring on her dresser, his heart sank. Couldn't she see how much he cared about her? He loved her, in his own way at least, and he wanted so much for her to be happy. With him. He knew she wasn't crazy about him but he tried his best to give her a decent life. He was worried sick, his feeling getting worse every time he heard the answer 'no' after he showed Rose's picture.
He tried, for the thousandth time, to call her phone but it went straight to voicemail once again. He listened to her voice, his eyes filling with tears at the thought of her alone out there.
"Darling, it's me. I'm worried sick, would you please call me back? You don't have to come home if you don't want to, I just want to make sure you're safe, okay? Please," he finished and hung up.
They had been engaged for a year already and the wedding was supposed to take place in August, three months from now. She had asked him to wait until her first year of college was over and that's what he had done. But now she was gone and there wouldn't be a wedding if he didn't find her. He wanted to speak with her, to let her know that it was okay if she didn't love him like he loved her, that he only wanted her to have a secured life. He could give her everything she ever dreamed of, whatever that may be, if she only gave him the chance to show her how he cared about her.
"I haven't found her yet. Did you get any word from the police?" Cal asked over the phone to Rose's mother.
"They're still looking as well," she replied. "I swear to God, this spoiled brat will never hear the end of it."
"I'm taking care of it, I'll bring her home. I'll get her home and make sure she stays there."
