Rose nervously bit her lip while she and Henry waited for the others. Since they didn't know Cal and his wife, well at least Henry thought so; they had agreed to meet them in front of the restaurant. Rose was stabbing from one feet to another making her husband tense as well.
"Darling you're going to stab a hole in the ground, if you don't stop now," he told her.
They were late and Rose knew from experience that Cal didn't like it to wait for anybody. But that was not the only problem of course. The main one was that Cal had invited Jack for dinner.
Rose wondered why Jack had even accepted. His wife hadn't seemed wanting to go. Rose didn't even give one thought to the fact that Jack might've said yes, because of her and not because of Cal. Her relationship with Jack was over.
"I just wonder what's taking them so long," she answered her husband.
"Oh darling they'll come. They wouldn't miss an evening with such a lovely and nice man like Mr. Hockley."
Rose felt the instant urge to throw up, when Henry called Cal a nice man.
Just why did everything have to be so complicated?
Henry meanwhile asked himself, why she had even become friends with them. They surely had nothing in common with his wife's lifestyle. Sure they were nice people, but other than that Henry didn't see any point in meeting with them. When had met Jack yesterday, he had found him completely without any manners.
Henry surely would never allow his wife to have too contact with a man like Jack Dawson. He wasn't good for her. And he wasn't so sure, if he wanted his son to have contact with them. He could think of better people for Andy to spend time with, people from whom his son could actually learn something, people, who would later on help him with his carrier. Of course Henry never bothered himself to ask his son about his wishes. Andy would a lawyer or a doctor, no less. Surely not some restaurant owner and living like a drifter as his wife's new friends seemed to be.
Rose watched her husband carefully from the side. She hated him for how he had treated her Jack yesterday.
Oh stop it Rose, he's not your Jack anymore. You've to forget him.
In many ways Henry was just like Cal with the only difference that he hadn't been violent against her. But he would also belittle people and treat him like his employees, making them feel like they were beneath his dignity. Rose actually hadn't really noticed this until yesterday, when Henry hadn't even shaken Jack's hand.
Jack.
Oh god Cal will be furious, when he sees him. Rose was sure that even after this long time that Cal would still hate him. Caledon Hockley never forgot anything nor did he ever forgive anything, Rose knew that quite well.
Why couldn't Jack just reject the invitation?
Rose's thoughts were interrupted by Helga, who greeted them.
"Sorry that we're late," she stated "…but we had to bring the children to Jack's and Gisela's neighbour."
"No problem," Rose simply stated although she knew that is was.
And there was even a bigger one coming up.
Jack hadn't even dared to shake her hand now and Rose wondered, if it was because he didn't like her anymore.
Why was Jack suddenly so reserved, when it came to her?
Rose couldn't know of course that Jack still had quite a lot of feelings for her and that he was just afraid that they would come up.
"Well then should be go inside?" Henry asked everyone after a while.
This was it, the moment of truth.
…
Cal was already furious. He didn't like to wait. His wife sat beside him, but Athenaise knew better than to say anything to him. She was happy that she would see Rose again; she had instantly come to be fond of her. Even though Cal too hadn't told her anything about his relationship with Rose something inside her told her that Rose completely understood this situation she was in now with being married to Cal.
Cal was watching the door meanwhile, wondering when they would come. Athenaise watched him carefully from the side. This evening surely wouldn't go ahead without any troubles that much she could tell even now without knowing, who her husband had actually invited to dinner.
"I would have thought that you could at least expect from people you're going to invite to an expensive place like this that they're punctual," Cal stated.
Athenaise knew that he didn't expect an answer.
Before Cal really had enough and was really losing his patience completely he saw Henry and Rose walk towards the counter. Behind them he could make out two more couples obviously Rose's new friends. Looking more closely at them Cal thought that he had seen one of them before. One of the two men seemed to be familiar to him, but from the side he couldn't make out everything.
He almost looked like…
But Cal quickly rejected that thought.
That can't be. He's dead.
But he still gave the impression of being him.
Cal could see the man at the counter pointing at their table and knew that they would be there soon. He stood up to greet them, while Athenaise remained sitting. She didn't very well and would've wanted to stay at home but she knew better than to reject her husband's wishes.
Henry walked up to Cal with Rose on his hand.
Jack meanwhile didn't know, if he should laugh or remain calm, when Cal saw him. The situation that would undoubtedly follow would surely be interesting. Jack stood behind Henry. From watching Cal's attitude he could tell already that he hadn't changed at all.
While Jack found the whole situation strange, but at least a little bit funny, Rose was more nervous than ever. She was well aware of Cal's quick temper.
Maybe she should just run away?
But it was too late for that; Henry was already introducing them to Cal and Athenaise. She was still sitting at the table, when Cal turned his face to her and shot her an angry look. Athenaise immediately stood up.
"These are Mr. and Mrs. Dawson," Henry spoke up to Cal.
When Cal noticed Jack standing before him only a mere feet away he thought for a moment that he had lost his mind. So it really had been him. His first assumption hadn't been wrong.
Dawson? That's good you almost look like a gentleman.
He hadn't changed at all.
But then Cal noted another thing. Henry had said Mrs. Dawson, so Jack was married and not to Rose, but to some other woman. This could be interesting.
Being charming as ever and trying of course to get to Rose, Cal played out the perfect gentleman as he gently took Gisela's hand and kissed the palm to it: "It's really a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Dawson," Cal told her in most delightful voice he could come up with.
"Thank you Mr. Hockley," Gisela only answered.
She was stunned a little bit. While Cal moved over to Helga to greet her almost as friendly as he had done with her, Gisela turned her head to her husband. Jack seemed to be completely out of place.
After Cal had shaken Fabrizio's hand, he finally returned to Jack.
"Well Mr. Dawson I'm glad that you could come," Cal told him shaking his hand.
Cal knew better than to make a scene now. There were better for that.
But Cal surely hadn't forgotten anything. Jack Dawson wouldn't get away lightly.
Athenaise was happy, when the greeting were finally over and she was able to sit down again. Her body hurt now more than ever, but she didn't dare to show her pain.
Cal didn't like this.
Gisela had noticed the tension that seemed to exist between Jack and Cal.
"If you want we can go," she whispered to him, when Cal led them over to the table.
"No," Jack shook his head whispering back. "I want you stay."
"Sure."
When everyone was seated Cal promptly returned to what he could do best, speaking endlessly about himself and his work. The other expect for Henry were just as quickly bored.
