"Trudy?" Rose nearly dropped the phone, having to press one of her hands against the wall in front of her in order to keep the balance.
"Yes…" it was silent on the other side of the line for a moment, but soon enough, noise filled back in. "You do remember me, do you not?"
Rose nodded, only to realize that she couldn't be seen. "Yes, yes of course I remember." How could I forget, she added mentally. "May I ask the reason for your call?" She didn't want to seem rude or pushy, but the call was out of the blue, and she saw no other way to naturally move the conversation along.
"Well, yes actually, Miss Rose."
Those words nearly shocked her to the core. It'd been years since anyone had called her that. In fact, it had been Trudy who'd last called her that, and Rose had asked her not to. The night the Titanic sank, when she naively believed that she and Jack could run away so easily together...
"I've sincerely appreciated your presence in my life, Miss Rose."
"Please Trudy, just call me Rose."
Clearing her throat, Rose said something very similar to what she said that very night, and Trudy apologized, chalking it up to an old, unfortunate habit.
They moved on quickly, however. "Anyhow," Trudy continued, "I couldn't help but read the news in the paper… about Mr. Hockley.
Though Rose and Cal hadn't ever really gotten along, really, his death was a strange affair for her. She didn't think about it too much, for the whole thing confused her to her wits end. Her emotions were conflicted, especially after the two of them had cleared the air about everything which occurred on the Titanic and before.
He wasn't a good man, she knew, but he wasn't inherently a bad one, either.
"Yes, it's very unfortunate what happened to him. He and I actually met up a few years after it all happened. He had a fine wife, a few kids of his own…" her voice dropped off at the end, and she only waited for it to be picked back up on the other line.
"Oh, my. I hadn't known that bit. After I was let go from my duties at your estate following your supposed death, I never heard from him again."
This was news to Rose, who hadn't heard anything of Trudy's life beyond the moments she'd stuck her on a lifeboat. "You were let go after I disappeared?"
"It seems as though we've got a lot to catch up on."
"Yes, it does." Rose laughed a bit, looking to the side and taking sight of her mother shivering in the cold. She'd forgotten all about the coat she'd promise to retrieve! "Could you excuse me for a moment?"
After a yes was muttered, she made her way outside, meeting her mother halfway with the coat.
"It's only getting colder out here! Who's on the line with you? You nearly toppled over after picking up the receiver."
Rose, not knowing anyone had noticed, diverted her eyes away, looking back out towards her playing children. Only moments ago, she'd heard how Trudy was let go, and she couldn't help but wonder if her mother had fired her previous lady's maid. "Do you remember Trudy Bolt?"
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Ruth's head snap in her direction. Trying to play off her surprise, she let out a simple, "Well yes, I suppose I do. Why do you ask?"
Making her way back inside, Rose locked eyes with her mother. "She just called the house looking for me. I haven't heard from her since that night." Not leaving time for an answer, she walked back inside, getting back on the phone and letting Trudy know she was back.
They conversed for a few more moments, catching up on the little things. Rose learned that her old friend was still living back in Philadelphia and now had a husband and two children of her own: boys who were closer in age to Cora.
Rose told of her ending up with Jack after all, and Trudy wasn't at all surprised. It was somewhat peaceful, they both found, to reconnect as they were. It closed a lot of wonder on both ends, not having to constantly conjure up possibilities for what happened to the other.
"I was actually calling because I originally planned to reach out to your mother, and I found her new address was linked to the name Dawson. I just knew she had to be living with you. But forgive me, I couldn't understand why you'd want to live with her after all she's done."
"She's not the same as she once was. Truly, she's changed a lot in these past eighteen years. I think we all have." Rose smiled, glad to be painting her mother in a positive light, rather than a negative one. "There's been ups and down, of course, but she didn't have anywhere else to turn to. We've been in contact ever since the way, when I took to writing to her while Jack was away at war. After Cal's death, she lost everything and I was the only one willing to let her in. Did you know that the Hockley's were still supplying her with money all those years?"
Trudy didn't, and it honestly shocked her. Working on the inside, she knew that Nathan hated Ruth, and figured the decision to pay her had to have been made by Cal. "No, however, I was let go not too long after your 'funeral', and they wouldn't have told me anyhow."
Rose let out a scoff, "It's no wonder that I hadn't heard about you in any of my mother's letters. I knew she hated the relationship we had with one another, but I didn't expect her to fire you."
"It's no hard feelings, really. If she hadn't done it, I wouldn't have moved on and got a different job. And if it weren't for that, I wouldn't have met my husband."
Smiling, Rose leaned her back against the wall. "If you're ever in town, don't forget to let me know. I'd love to catch up in person, meet this family of yours."
"As would I." Trudy smiled, looking to her husband across the room. "Though, I think this meeting could become more of a reality rather than a dream."
The next few days consisted of cleaning, organizing, redying the house for a guest. Jack felt like Rose was being too much of a stickler about the whole thing, but she protested, reasoning that their guest happened to be a former lady's maid. Because of this, she knew what clean was, and Rose wanted to live up to it after not having seen her for so long.
Ruth asked what all the sudden commotion was about, and Rose, not wanting to cause another argument in the midst of everything, decided to let her mother in on exactly who was coming to town. The reaction was everything to be expected: shock, mostly, mixed in with a bit of fear.
It'd been so many years since the client and worker had seen each other, much less spoken, and it wasn't something she was particularly aching to do. Especially not after losing everything. It was a strange thing, to lose all of one's riches, and it wasn't necessarily something Ruth wanted those who once knew her to see.
"Perhaps I should schedule another meeting with Alice while she's in town." She'd said the day before arrival.
Rose had to hold back a sigh. "If you please, Mother. Though I'm sure Trudy would love to see you. She holds no ill will towards you, I can assure you."
So it'd been decided. Every one of the Dawson residents would be home to welcome the small family, who'd been strangers for nearly two decades and many of whom hadn't ever been acquainted with the others.
It was a Friday evening when they arrived in town. A day everyone had been eagerly waiting upon.
"Jack, I can't even tell you how elated I am about all this." The couple had decided to take a few minutes of solitude in their bedroom, for they knew it'd be a while before one came again.
Smiling, he tucked a strand of hair behind her, long, curly hair. "I haven't seen Trudy since that night in your stateroom. That seems forever ago."
"A lifetime, honestly." Rose then closed her eyes, relaxing into her husband's shoulder as they swayed back and forth. Opening her eyes, she stood on her toes, planting a kiss on his lips. It was a blissful moment, one that they both needed.
"I felt like I haven't seen you in ages."
Rose smiled weakly, trying to hide her guilt. "I know. We've been so busy lately… what with your working so often and my doing house chores and dealing with my mother."
Jack rubbed his finger across her cheek, a habit he doubted he'd ever be able to break, not that he wanted to. He thought her skin felt softer than the smoothest material. Something so tangible and real that he'd never get sick of touching it. "It's not your fault. Life just gets in the way of everything now. Ever since your mother came to town, nothing's slowed down. Event after event, it never stops."
Chuckling slightly, Rose pecked him on the lips again. "She has a habit of bringing trouble along with her." It was quiet then, as the two of them enjoyed the silence before it was bound to end, just as it always did. Suddenly, as she looked over at her jewelry box, a memory was called to mind. Quickly, she rushed out of Jack's grip and opened the box, digging through it.
With a scrunch of the eyebrows, Jack stuffed his hands in his pockets. "What are you looking for?"
"Could you help me, darling? I'm looking for something gold. It looks worn" she pointed over to a small box, where more of her jewelry was held.
Not even questioning her, Jack did as she asked. He dug for only a moment, before noticing the issue at hand, "These are all brass."
Chuckling a bit, she nodded. "I've got it."
Holding out an old, dated looking piece of jewelry out, Rose smiled. Positioned on the front, it had a gold heart pendant with a ruby in the middle, a dainty little bracelet. It was something not only sentimental to her, but to someone else as well. Rose had only worn in once, when it was given to her. As soon as there was a place for it to be stored, it was.
"Is this the one that-"
A knock came at the front door, stopping Jack. With a slight, "Yes, let's go." The two emerged from their bedroom, preparing to meet their guests.
They were surprised to see that little Elizabeth had already opened the door to welcome everyone inside, being the little hosteset that she was.
"Where's your mommy, dear?" A feminine voice chuckled, and Rose's heart beated faster.
Elizabeth turned her head, pointing to the pair and running towards them, Jack picking up the small girl before she tripped in her haste.
"Here we are," Rose smiled, turning around the opened door and facing the group.
Once everyone was ushered in out of the cold, they made their way to the couches in the living room. There was a long moment, where old friends only looked into each other's eyes, trying to understand everything that'd gone down since the other had been radio silent.
And then, the trance broke, and the two of them closed the gap between each other, embracing in a hug that was long overdue.
In the meantime of all this, Jack introduced himself to Trudy's husband, named Jonathon, and their two sons: John Jr. and Fidel, who were eleven and nine respectively. Then, he called the children and introduced them to everyone while the women had their moment aside.
Rose could hardly believe it, one of the last physical things from her old life, a connection to the person she once was. And Trudy, not quite able to come to terms with the fact that the girl she used to be confided in had finally escaped; had ended up with everything she once deemed as impossible to achieve.
Once they let go of one another, they looked at each other long and hard. Trudy looked nearly the same, Rose decided, despite the few grey hairs beginning to line her hairline. Trudy was only a few years older than her, but she figured her life had been far more strenuous in the long run.
Grabbing Trudy's hands, Rose saw a familiar pearl necklace strapped around her neck.
"Before you go..." Rose started as she began to unclip the pearls from around her neck. "Take this. As a reminder of me."
Trudy stared at the pearls in front of her, unsure if she should take them. But once they were ushered her way once more, she took them in her hands.
"You kept them," she nearly whispered, touched by the sentiment.
"Of course," Trudy dropped one hand, grabbing the pearls at her neck.
After a moment, Rose remembered what she was going to say."Oh!" she continued her thought, tapping the pockets of her pants. Finally, she found what she was looking for.
Quickly, Trudy too began to move a piece of jewelry from her wrist.
"This was my mother's. There's no one else I'd rather see wear it than you."
Rose took the bracelet, and Trudy helped her one last time as she clipped it to her wrist. The two embraced each other for a few moments before separating, tears lining in both of their eyes. On her way out of the cabin, Trudy nodded to Jack, who returned the gesture.
"I've been thinking about this for years, and I wanted to return this to you."
"Rose, I- I couldn't."
"But you must. It's alright, especially now that I've gotten to see you again. I don't need this reminder, but you do."
Trudy smiled, mummering out a thank you, before turning to her family. She was beaming with pride while introducing the small group. "This is my John and my boys, John and Fidel."
"Very pleased to meet you all," Rose shook hands with all three of them, and took particular notice of how professional John seemed to be. She nearly had to hold back a laugh. "Of course, you know Jack. And these are our children: Elliot, Cora, and Eliza."
"Eliza-beth." the small girl corrected, raising her chin up high. Rose rolled her eyes, forgetting that her daughter liked to be first introduced by her full name.
"I believe I was previously acquainted with Eliza-beth." Trudy snickered, putting extra emphasis on the beth part of her name. Next, she turned to Jack, shaking his hand, "How do you do, Jack; very pleased to see you."
The last time she'd seen him, their situation had been grave. All night long, all she'd hoped for on that lifeboat was that the couple had made it off safely. It was a grand wish, she knew, but she didn't think she'd be able to live with herself if they hadn't survived.
After all, Rose had given up her seat for her.
The day went on as expected. The women caught up a bit, being interrupted by Ruth's presence in the room. Somewhat surprisingly (more so to Rose), Trudy was rather happy to see her mother. In her mind, knowing that she was alright was better than anything else. She'd been in a bad place when she'd decided to let Trudy go, and she was just delighted to see her former boss had been able to pull herself out of the rut she'd been trapped in.
Rose told Trudy about Alice, and to say she was shocked was the understatement of the century. It wasn't something anyone would have expected, really, and especially not someone who'd lived and worked for the family for a number of years. She hoped to meet Alice before she had to return to Philadelphia, though nothing was set into a solid plan.
That evening, Rose excused herself, deciding to sit on the back porch swing (one of the only things safe from the fallen snow) with a book while Jack and the children worked on dinner. Their guests had dropped by their hotel for a few hours to settle in, but were to return any minute.
While sitting, a book laid sprawled in her lap. She could've sworn she'd read the same lines ten or more times, considering she hadn't been paying attention to it for the last ten minutes. She had become lost in her own mind, which seemed to happen whenever she was left to her own devices.
Truthfully, she hated being alone. She'd had enough alone time and silence to last a lifetime during the years of the war. Being alone only brought thinking, and thinking always brought thoughts she didn't want to think. That's the current predicament she was dealing with.
Her mind had been stuck on the idea of the past all day, ever since Trudy arrived in town. Now, she was thinking of when her children were young. Whether it was due to the literal winter around her or how bright everything seemed when she was in her twenties, the past just seemed a lot warmer than the present.
They didn't have much, hardly anything at all, but they were the happiest that they'd ever been. Even after the war and all its terrors, the days felt full of more hope and shine. Not that she didn't enjoy her life now, for she was more grateful for anything, but something about getting older felt more dull and less polished.
She could remember the summer Jack left for the war - the summer when Cora was born. There were so many precious moments in that very backyard, one of the best summers of her life. If only Elizabeth had been born before the war, she thought, then everything truly would have been perfect…
"Jack! Be careful with him, would you!" Rose scolded, trying to be the responsible parent of the two, while still trying as hard as she could to hold back a laugh.
Jack only threw Elliot higher, the four year olds screech infecting both of their ears; a sound they never wanted to end. He was so joyful, so much like his father, Rose thought. Even though he wouldn't be five until August, so much of his personality was shining brighter than the brightest star in the sky. And that was so much like his father that it honestly scared her.
Looking down at their daughter, who was only a month old, Rose couldn't help the wide grin that spread across her face. Her features were beginning to develop more as she took on more traits of her parents rather than looking like any other newborn did.
"Mama! Watch me!" Elliot wailed from across the grass, causing her eyes to turn back. Just as she did, the boy dropped onto his knees, attempting to do a somersault, which turned out to look more like him flopping down onto his back and standing up again.
Smile only growing wider, she called out to him, "Great job, sweetie."
Jack looked over to his girls, squinting and using an arm to block his eyes from the sun. "I taught him that one."
Everything seemed so perfect in that moment. Despite the lingering pain in her body from a rough pregnancy and birth, Rose was more content than she'd ever felt. In her lifetime, she'd heard people say that they wished they could freeze a moment and stay in it forever; and in the past, that idea scared her more than anything.
Life even a few short years prior had been scary, and even imagining having to be stuck in one moment was more terrifying than anything she could possibly imagine. But now, as she watched her husband and son play, and as she held their daughter close to her chest in the warm June sun, she wanted nothing more than to stay there. Forever.
In the past, forever seemed like the nightmare. But with them, forever was more than bearable.
Rose had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't heard the back door open and a figure came up behind her.
"May I join you?" Trying to not jump in her sudden surprise, she happily nodded, and Trudy sat down beside her. "I'm not disrupting you, am I?"
"No, no." she shook her head, closing the book in front of her. "I haven't even been reading this, to be honest. I've been… thinking."
"Do you mind sharing?"
Rose tapped her fingers against the cover of the book. She felt as though she could still confide in the woman she once considered her best friend. There wasn't any particular reason as to why she felt this way, but she was thankful that there wasn't any sort of rift after all the time that had passed.
Licking her lips, she looked out into the sunset, "I'm just thinking about life, and how everything moves by so quickly, you know?"
Trudy nodded, she too looking at the sky. "I know the feeling quite well. It used to feel like an eternity since I'd last seen you, since I had to wonder if you were alive. But but now that I'm here, it feels like seconds."
"I'm more than happy to have you here with us. All these years, part of me wished I would've looked for you on the Carpathia. But Jack… he was so sick. And I was worried about being spotted by someone who knew me in first class, because you know how they are. Or- how they were."
"Indeed," Trudy sighed. "I can't say that I miss that life. And how amazing it is that you and Jack ended up together! It would've been nice to know that you made it, but your safety means more to me than anything. You made all the right decisions during those days, Rose. Trust me."
"I think it worked out for the both of us in the end." Rose finally turned and faced Trudy. Once again, she couldn't believe they were beside one another. It made her feel young again, in a way, like that seventeen year old girl trapped in an engagement she didn't want to be in.
Somehow, in his own way, Cal had ended up bringing them back together. If it hadn't been for his death, Trudy would have never wanted to reach out to Ruth, at least not as soon as she did.
"I still have it." Rose paused, waiting for a response, until she remembered she hasn't been sharing her thoughts aloud. The diamond, I mean."
That caused Trudy's head to snap back, "The Heart of The Ocean?" She remembered how much Rose had hated that thing. She'd complained about the heavy stone for quite some time the night after she'd received it. Trudy herself thought the thing was a bit much, even for someone like the Hockley's.
But, of course, as a lady's maid, she couldn't really say that.
Nodding, Rose rubbed her numb hands together. "I didn't know what to do with it. I told you how I had a meeting with Cal years ago, but I just wasn't able to give it back. It was an odd thing. I knew going into the arrangement that I wanted to, but it felt like we'd both moved on from that point in our lives."
"Sounds like he redeemed himself in the end."
Hearing it from someone else solidified a thought that Rose had been too scared to admit to herself for years: Trudy was right. As much as she loathed the man, and as much as she wished their time together had never occurred, he'd learned from his past mistakes. He'd not only learned, but he'd made it up to her when he realized his wrongs.
She finally felt like she was able to close that chapter in her life. She didn't need to think of Cal anymore, and she didn't need to think of Rose DeWitt Bukater. It was liberating, and for once she felt able to smile at the thought of the man.
"He had."