Chapter Fifty-Three

July 6th, 1912
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

Rose stood before the charred ground. A mangled lump of what used to be Jack's house lay before her. The wind whipped her curls over her shoulders as she looked at it. Jack hadn't wanted to come down to the plot, but encouraged Rose. He had resigned back to the hotel to search for his Aunt Melinda's phone number. She stepped forward onto the grass. The white washed mailbox still stood perfectly errect. The Dawson's was painted on the side of it in red, though it was chipped and faded from the abusive weather and neglect.

Rose lifted the end of her skirt to step into the charred remains of the home. Rose looked all around her. She was washed over in a feeling of grief. A family so close lost everything. How unfair it was. Rose knelt, pushing some black dust out of the way to reveal a charred book. Pride and Prejudice. Why did this have to happen? Still knelt, Rose looked all around her at the broken hearts, dreams, and desires of what remained. My loveless family lived fat while Jack's loving family was ripped violently away. How is this just? Why is the world so backwards?

Rose tucked a curl behind her ear and continued wading through the house, not caring if she scuffed her white heels. A shimmer caught her eye. Upon investigating, she discovered it was a spoon from the state of Michigan. When she lifted it, more debris fell away, revealing more. It must have been Jack's mother's spoon collection. Feverishly, Rose began collecting the spoons. Michigan, Minnesota, Alabama, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Maine, Delware, New Jersey, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Fifteen total. She spread them out to stare at them. They were all in near perfect condition. She sifted a bit further to be sure she had the collection in its entirety. She began pushing more around to find things to bring back to Jack.

After that, Rose found a watch that was soot stained. She brushed the darkness away from the face of the watch to reveal the watch frozen at the time of 11:52. She wondered if that was the time the house burned down. She kicked some more around when suddenly, she stopped. She knelt and pulled up a brown leather book. It was melted in the bind and a few pages were singed, but upon opening it, she realized it was Jack's portfolio from when he was a child. He had drawn trees, his house on the field, a fruit bowl, all beautiful masterpieces, even in his youth.

The further Rose flipped through the portfolio, the more loose the drawings because because of the ruined binding. She stopped on a portrait Jack had done of his parents. His mother was stunning her beauty. She was looking at her large bear of a husband with a wide smile. Jim Dawson was grinning infront of him, carelessly happy with his wife. Rose was enchanted by Jack's parents. How tender they seemed, how down to earth. They had molded the man of her dreams. She dearly wanted to thank them. Rose searched for a few more minutes in the debris before she stood up and held the goodies to her chest, not caring if soot stained it.

...

Elizabeth Cartwright peaked out the blue drapery of the dining room and watched as Rose Dawson rose from the nearby debris to walk back to town. There was something odd about that girl. Elizabeth only visited briefly to Chippewa Falls in her childhood. Her parents had her sent to rich Catholic boarding schools as a young girl. On school breaks she would travel back to Chippewa Falls, but realized she never enjoyed the small hick-like environment of a town like Chippewa Falls. She enjoyed the finer things in life and began finding new things to do when school breaks rolled through. She remembered Jack Dawson from her youth. He was an energetic boy, one she found simply annoying. When she was home for the summer time, the boy was always running around in his khaki shorts and shirtless with a fishing pole slung over his shoulder. He climbed trees and shot rocks from his slingshot. Elizabeth simply wanted nothing to do with such a "savage" boy.

She had come back to Chippewa Falls with a heavy heart. She had been engaged to a wealthy man in New York City, but upon learning her family was poor, he broke the engagement off. Around the time that happened, her father died suddenly from a heart attack and she had to return to Chippewa Falls to care for her mother in her old age. Elizabeth knew what she wanted and living in Chippewa Falls was not it. She wanted money, lavish dresses, jewelery. She wanted to be a Dutchess.

Elizabeth was surprised when she saw Jack Dawson. He hadn't gotten any richer, but he had grown into his looks. But Elizabeth was a bit more shocked to see his wife. She looked very well off and well trained. Elizabeth could swear she was the daughter of fortune. She definitely didn't act like it, though. She smiled and snorted when she laughed too hard. She didn't compose herself to look like the money in her coin purse. Her sifting through the remains of Jack's land was also an eye opener. Her disreguard for her shoes and dress was odd. Elizabeth would never put her dresses in danger for a few burnt products from Jack's childhood.

Elizabeth followed Rose with her eyes and almost wanted to call out to her. She walked to the screen door as Rose looked to the crystal blue clear sky. She looked serene and content. Elizabeth flipped the latch over on the screen door and pressed her hand to it to push, but she paused and bit her lip. She couldn't just go barging out there demanding to understand why she was with such a peasant? It wouldn't be lady-like. Elizabeth was all for practicing her lady-like actions. She was going to impress a man with a thick wallet one day. Maybe Rose held the key to the secret. With Rose's looks and status, that girl could have any man she wanted. Elizabeth flicked the lock over on the screen door and stepped away to finish her mother's lunch. The stew was bubbling on the stove top. From the kitchen window, Elizabeth watched Rose Dawson with curiousity.

...

"Jack, look!" Rose called, throwing the door shut behind her with a winding passion. Jack barely had time to turn around from sitting at the desk before Rose was throwing herself into his lap. He smirked at her excitability. He settled his arms to her waist. "I found a spoon collection." Rose said, handing them to Jack. His eyes were very sad as he looked at them.

"My mom was a really into collecting things when we on vacations. Her friends would even bring them back for her," Jack said, looking over the Michigan spoon. "They were on a shelf in our kitchen. I'm surprised they survived." Jack looked up to Rose who was smiling at her, "Thank you for finding this."

"Also, I found this watch."

"This was my dad's." Jack nodded. He furrowed his brow, "Looks like it's dead."

"We can get a battery for it," Rose offered. She set the leather book into her lap, "I also found this." Jack looked at it, his eyes frozen. "Do you recognize it?"

"Of course I do." Jack nodded, remembering the exact moment of when he stood on the chair. Young Jack had furiously looked at before bailing out the window in the thick smoke. "I was going to save it, but I didn't think I had time. I left it on my desk." Jack took it into his hands, "I can't believe it's okay, for the most part." He opened the portfolio, "I needed more practice this young, but I'm glad to see it." Jack stopped on the same portrait of his parents that Rose also lingered on.

"I love that picture," Rose told him. "I think it really captures your parents."

"Wow." Jack whispered, "I... I miss them, Rose."

Rose wrapped her arms around Jack's neck, pressing her face into his hair.

"I got my Aunt's number," Jack continued, somewhat numbly.

"Mhm?" Rose said into his hair.

"And... I guess I'm going to call her."

"You need to." Rose encouraged, "You should want your brother in your life."

"I do." Jack confirmed, "He's got be around twenty-seven. I just... wonder what he has made of his life. He's an adult out there somewhere, Rose. He might not even know I exist. Isn't that crazy. He's my full blooded brother. I have blood out there, somewhere."

"It's a fascinating thought," Rose agreed.

"Somewhere out there, my brother is living his life. And I want to be apart of it." Jack closed his portfolio, now, "I'm sure my parents had every intention of telling me about him when I grew older. I suppose that time just never came. But I know I'm doing the right thing." Jack offered a confident smile now that Rose found infectious. How great it was to see him happy again.