Chapter Seven
Jack and Rose were just coming out of their room, getting ready to see about some breakfast when Molly was just coming out of hers. Her smile was bright and happy to see the young couple. She had a wedding present for the pair and was about to go wake them so she could present it to them, but thankfully that was unnecessary with them coming out of their room at the same time that she was leaving hers.
"So I see that you two lovebirds are up and by the looks of it, you're ready for breakfast," Molly laughed, approaching the smiling Jack and Rose. "Now, let me treat you two kids to a breakfast fit for royalty."
"Molly," Jack began, but Molly was too fast for him.
"Don't you bother protesting, Jack. I refuse to take no for an answer. Besides, it's the perfect time to give you two my wedding gift."
"A wedding gift? Oh Molly, you didn't have to get us a present," Rose gasped, her eyes beginning to brim with tears at Molly's kindness. To be honest, she felt that Molly was being more of a mother to her than her own had ever been and it meant a lot. The older woman had no idea.
"Oh pish posh. Of course I did. You two are very special to me. I was there to see your love bloom and want to do all I can to make sure that you have a good start. Make things a little easier for you," Molly shrugged off Rose's attempts to refuse the present. "So enough chattering. Let's go down and eat."
Not a word was said during breakfast. The trio ate quietly, their minds still on the tragedy that they had just survived and the friends and family that they had lost. But finally breakfast was over and it was time for Molly to give her gift. She opened her purse and pulled out a rather fat envelope with Jack and Rose's name on it. She slid it over to Jack, her face set with determination.
Looking at Rose, Jack opened the envelope and gasped at what he had found. A stack of one hundred dollar bills. He looked at Molly in shock. "Holy shit, this is too much. There's no way we can accept this. There's no way that we'd ever be able to repay you..."
"I don't want you to repay me, darlin'. It's my gift to you two. Get a nice start on your lives together. Besides, one thousand dollars don't last very long when you're just starting out," Molly smiled. It did her heart good to help Jack and Rose like this. Neither of them really knew just how badly that they were going to need this money.
"But..."
"I am not taking any arguments, Jack. The money is yours. Accept it."
Jack sighed, seeing that there was no way to argue with Molly. She was going to insist. "Well at least let me pay for breakfast..."
"Jack, I've already told you. This is my treat. You will not pay the bill, do I make myself clear?" Molly picked up the receipt as the waiter placed it on the table. She shook her head with a warm smile. "Please. Just sit back. Relax and enjoy yourself. You'll have enough to worry about later on. Trust me."
"Yes ma'am," Jack obeyed. By the look Molly threw him, he knew that it was fruitless to argue. So again, he'll accept Molly's kindness, but he swore, it was going to be the last time. He needed to take care of Rose and himself on his own sooner or later.
"So, what do you two kids have planned? Are you going to be staying here in New York or are you going to be doing some more traveling?" Molly sipped her tea, also leaning back in her chair.
"We were thinking of returning to Jack's hometown, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin," Rose smiled, excited by the thought of seeing where and how Jack grew up. She was just hungry for any and all information about him.
But Jack wasn't so excited at all. In fact, he dreaded returning. That town held so much pain from his past and it still lingered. His parents deaths...old friends...first loves...he just didn't think he'll ever be ready to face it. He rather that he and Rose just skipped Chippewa Falls and head out for Santa Monica, where the pier and their dreams awaited them.
"Like I said last night Rose, it's an option. It doesn't mean that we're actually going to move there," Jack stared down at the table, hoping that neither Molly nor Rose could read him and see how much pain the subject caused him.
"Well, I don't have a place in Chippewa Falls, but I do have one in the next town over in Eau Claire. I drop in every now and then when I have business in Wisconsin. Drop me a line if you two do go there. I'll be glad to drop in and see how you two are coming along," Molly chuckled. It sure was a little world.
"We'll do that," Both Jack and Rose smiled, knowing that Molly will always be considered a close friend to their family. Titanic brought them together, but all in all the three of them were kindred spirits.
"Well, Molly. If you don't mind, Rose and I have some apartment shopping to do. We'll talk to you when we get back, Jack got up from his seat before turning to Rose and helping her out of her own chair.
"Have fun you two," Molly waved, staying in her chair until the couple were gone out to start their day. She hoped for the best. Jack and Rose deserved it.
...
Once they were outside, the first thing Jack and Rose did was go to the nearest art supply shop and brought Jack a new art portfolio and supplies, on Rose's insistence. She wanted Jack to continue to develop his skill as soon as possible. Next, they went to central park. Rose needed some fresh air and just wanted to enjoy the day and Jack wanted to get started on a new project.
But instead of drawing, Jack found himself sitting on a bench, thinking of Chippewa Falls and the girl he had left behind. In a way, he did miss her. She had been his first love. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her. What she was doing right at that moment. Did she marry Lee Conway? He hoped not. Even though his soul mate was Rose, he still cared about what happened to his ex, and knew that Conway was the wrong man for her.
"Jack?" Rose interrupted his thoughts, noticing that he had yet to draw anything, and his mind seemed to be a billion miles away.
"Hmmm?"
"Why don't you want to return to Chippewa Falls? I mean, it was your hometown. It was where you grew up and it sounds like a great place to raise a family, if one has the mind to," She sat down next to him, staring at him with loving, yet inquisitive eyes.
"To be honest, Rose...not all my memories of that town are good ones. I just have to find a way to deal with them before I do return. Besides, I don't think that you'd like the people there. In fact, there was one person, a man, he'd remind you of Cal."
"Really?" Someone like Cal? Rose had to admit that her interest was peaked.
"Yeah."
"Was he mean to you, Jack?"
"He was pretty much mean to everyone, to be honest. Not just me. I had a friend there, who he had taken an interest in when I had left," Jack was now talking to himself mostly, a memory of green eyes and blond hair playing in his head. "I hope to god that she hadn't married him..."
"She?" There was a she in Jack's life? Who and what was she to Jack?
Jack snapped back to attention and he blushed with embarrassment. He had almost spilled the beans about his first real relationship and he was not ready to answer any questions about that. He could think of a better way to spend his honeymoon.
"So, how do you feel about wishes?" Jack asked, changing the subject as he spotted a wishing well.
"Well, my wish came true yesterday. So I guess that I believe in them. Why?" Rose giggled, letting the subject of Chippewa Falls and ex-girlfriends slide away for another day.
"There's a wishing well right over there. If we throw a penny in and make a wish, it'll come true," Jack smiled, pulling her over to the well, happy to see that his plan worked.
"But what will I wish for?" Rose laughed as Jack handed her a penny that he had dug out of his pocket.
"Anything at all," Jack smiled, the optimism that had disappeared returning.
Tossing the penny in, Rose made a wish.
I want to go to Chippewa Falls, Jack's hometown. I want to learn all about him.
"So what did you wish for?" Jack placed an arm around her shoulder.
"I can't tell you that. If I do, it won't come true," Rose laughed, playfully punching his arm.
"Okay, okay. I understand," Jack laughed. His eyes suddenly turned serious as he took her hands into his. "I love you Rose Dawson. I always will."
Rose smiled up at him, her eyes filled with the emotions that hearing those words from him brought. "I love you, too. Let's go find a home together."
"I like the sound of that," He grinned, leading her towards the exit of the park. It was time to leave the past where it belonged and concentrate on the new future ahead.
...
The next morning, Molly woke up to the sound of slight knocking at her door. She frowned. Who could be coming to visit her at this time in the morning? Well whoever it was better have a good excuse.
"Coming, coming! Keep your shirt on! She yelled, annoyed. She opened the door to a nervous bellboy, holding out a letter with her name written across the front.
"It was requested that I deliver this to this room, Mrs," The bellboy explained. "It is from room A45."
"Thank-you," Molly tipped the boy after she took the letter. A45? That was Jack and Rose's room. Now why would they be sending her a letter so early in the morning? Heck, why not come by themselves?
She opened the letter and couldn't help but smile to herself as she read:
Dear Molly,
We'd like to thank you for all of your kindness and hospitality these past couple of days. You'll never know how much your continued friendship has meant to us. Not just now, but on Titanic as well, when you had helped Jack with the first class dinner. You saved him from being Cal's first class joke. I for one will always be grateful for that because that was the night that I had first fallen in love with him.
Molly, if you see my mother again, I must remind you, please keep the fact that I'm alive a secret. The last thing that Jack and I need is for her and Cal to come looking for us. She's so money hungry...she won't give me a moments peace. I've carried her burden for far too long. Jack has given me the strength to finally shrug it off.
By the way, have you read the papers? Have you heard what they're calling you now? 'The unsinkable' Molly Brown. Its too bad that the same couldn't be said about Titanic. It really was a remarkable ship, despite what had happened to it. I do hope that Mr. Andrews had found some peace before it went down. He had loved it so much.
We'll leave off here. If we do end up in Chippewa Falls, or in Denver for that matter, we'll drop you a line.
Love
Jack and Rose Dawson.
A tear slipped from Molly's eyes as she realized that the two young people were again off on their own. All in all, she was glad that she had given them a hand when she could and wished that Jack would have allowed her to do more. She had grown to love them both dearly.
"Good luck, Jack and Rose," Molly smiled. She walked over to a small box that she had purchased earlier, to keep her mementos in and placed the letter inside, along with the newspaper article that Rose had mentioned, her first class ticket on board Titanic, a postcard with a picture of the ship, and what looked like a menu. Titanic was something that she'll never forget for as long as she lived. She was just glad that she came away with two life long friends out of the tragedy and hoped the best for them in the future.
