Wednesday, April 10th, 1912
Southampton England, Berth 44
There stood the ship of dreams, towering over the crowd of people there to see her off on her maiden voyage. People were getting ready to board in their respective areas of first class, second class, and third class or steerage. A glorious reveal as the gleaming white superstructure of Titanic rose mountainously beyond the rail, and above that the buff-colored funnels stood against the sky like the pillars of a great temple. Crewmen moved across the deck, dwarfed by the awesome scale of the steamer.
It was almost noon on ailing day as large crowds of people gathered at the docks to stare and be amazed at the largest man-made structure in the world. A gorgeous burgundy Renault touring car swung by, hanging from a loading crane. It was lowered toward hatch 2. People cheered and yelled as passengers of various classes and ethnicities made their way to board the Titanic, while others waved to passengers that have already boarded. Cars and even horse carriages came to bring in famous people who would be boarding what some call the Millionaires Special, since these people had immense wealth and status. But the shipping company was targeting the immigration trade and those in the lower class, these people would be looking for a better life in America, Land of Opportunity, and thus was often called the Ship of Dreams. Most of these immigrants stood in queues, waiting for their turn to board as they undergone an inspection for any infectious diseases, thus to prevent anyone from getting sick, especially the upper classes, while enjoying their trip to America and Canada.
A white Renault, leading a silver gray Daimler-Benz, pushed through the crowd leaving a wake in the press of the people. Around the handsome cars people were streaming to board the ship, jostling with hustling seamen and stokers, porters, and barking white star line officials.
The Renault stopped and the liveried driver scurried to open the door for an Asian young woman dressed in a stunning white and purple outfit, with an enormous feathered hat. She was 17 years old and beautiful, regal of bearing, with piercing emerald eyes.
It was the girl in the drawing. Mia. She looked up at the ship, taking it in with cool appraisal, having no particular interest in the Titanic at that point.
"I don't see what the fuss is all about. It doesn't look any bigger than the Maurentania," she commented. She was standing there, staring out into space, almost as if the grand event before her was not even happening. Now it was typical for those of the upper classes to do things that were at times, outside of the norm, in order to be quote: 'avant guarde.' But this was not one of those situations. The young woman was making her party stand out, as she wasn't waving, and not in a good way.
A personal valet opened the door on the other side of the car for Jayden Shiba, the 30 year old heir to the elder Shiba fortune. Jayden was handsome, arrogant, and rich beyond meaning. She didn't particularly want to marry Jayden. Her mother Mrs. Watanabe insisted that the two marry, kneeping money against the rich. Mia' father had taken off with his mistress, leaving her and her mother penniless.
This marriage would ensure that they would stay financially supported, due to Jayden Shiba promising them fortune.
"You can be blasé, about some things, Mia, but not about Titanic. It's over a hundred feet long than the Maurentania, and far more luxurious. It has squash courts, a Parisan café...even Turkish baths," he scolded her.
Jayden's turned and offered his hand to Mia's mother, Isabella Watanabe, who descended from the touring car behind him. Isabella was a 40ish society empress, from one of the most prominent Philadelphia families. She was a widow and ruled her household with iron will.
"Your daughter is much hard to impress, Isabella," Jayden indicated a puddle, "Watch your step."
Isabella gazed at the leviathan. "So this is the ship they say is unsinkable."
"It is unsinkable. God himself couldn't sink this ship," Jayden explained.
Jayden spoke with the pride of a host providing a special experience. The entire entourage of rich Americans was impeccably turned out, a quintessential example of the Edwardian upper class, complete with servants. Jayden's valet, Mentor Ji, was a tall and impassive, dour as an undertaker. Two maids emerged behind him, who were personal servants to Mia and Isabella.
A white star line porter scurried towards them, harried by last minute loading.
"Sir, you'll have to check your baggage through the main terminal, round that way-"
Jayden nonchalantly handed the man a fiver. The porter's eyes dilated. Five dollars was a monster tip in those days.
"I put my faith in you, good sir," he responded curtly, indicating Mentor Ji. "See my man."
"Yes, sir. My pleasure, sir," the porter answered.
Jayden never tired of the effects on money on the unwashed masses.
Mentor Ji turned to the porter. "These trunks here, and 12 more in the Daimler. We'll have this lot up in the rooms."
The white star man looked stricken when he saw the enormous pile of steamer trunks and suitcases loading down the second car, including wooden crates and steel safe. He whistled frantically for some cargo-handlers nearby who came running.
Jayden breezed on, leaving the minions to scramble. He quickly checked his pocket watch. "We'd better hurry. This way, ladies."
He indicated the way towards the first glass gangway. They moved into the crowd. Lauren, Mia's maid, hustled behind them, laden with bags of her mistress's most recent purchases...things too delicate for the baggage handlers.
Jayden led, weaving between vehicles and handcarts, hurrying passengers (mostly second class and steerage) and well-wishers. Most of the first class passengers were avoiding the smelly press of the dockside crowd by using an elevated boarding bridge, twenty feet above.
They passed a line of steerage passengers in their coarse wool and tweeds, queued up inside movable barriers like cattle in a chute. A health officer examined their heads one by one, checking scalp and eyelashes for lice.
They passed a well-dressed young man cranking the handle of a wooden Biograph 'cinematograph' camera mounted on a tripod. Noah Carver (aka Jack Kurtzman), whose father founded the Biograph Film Studio, is filming his young bride in front of the Titanic. Emma Goodall stands stiffly and smiles, self conscious.
"Look up at the ship, darling, that's it. You're amazed! You can't believe how big it is! Like a mountain. That's great."
Emma Goodall, without an acting fiber in her body, does a bad Clara Bow pantomime of awe, hands raised.
Jayden was jostled by two yelling steerage boys who shoved past him. And he was bumped again a second later by the boys' father.
"Steady!"
"Sorry squire!" The father called out as he pushed on after the kids, shouting.
"Steerage swine. Probably missed his annual bath," Jayden spat.
"Honestly, Jayden, if you weren't forever booking everything at the last instant, we could have gone through the terminal instead of running along the dock like some squalid immigrant family," Isabella said in disgust.
"All part of my charm, Isabella. At any rate, it was my darling fiancee's beauty rituals which made us late."
"You told me to change," Mia explained in slight annoyance.
"I couldn't let you wear black on sailing day, sweetpea. It's bad luck."
"I felt like black," she retorted.
Jayden guided them out of the path of a horse-drawn wagon loaded with two tons of oxford marmalade, in wooden cases, for Titanic's Victualing Department.
"Here I've pulled every string I could to book us on the grandest ship in history, in her most luxurious suites...and you act as if you're going to your execution."
Mia surveyed the massive iron ship, the hull of Titanic looming over them...a great iron wall, Bible black and sever. Her heart sank as she realized that the idea of an arranged marriage was very real. Jayden motioned her forward, and she entered the gangway to the D Deck doors with a sense of overwhelming dread.
Present
Mia looks sadly at her granddaughter, who is eyeing her sympathetically. "It was the ship of dreams...to everyone else. To me it was a slave ship, taking me back to America in chains." Mia pauses and looks at the crew, who are anxious for more. She rubs her cold hands together and prepares to continue telling her tale.
Three different worlds...one set destiny...
The wheels of fortune were now turning, the countdown ticking, and unknowably to them the fates of over 2,200 people were now sealed.
Titanic was underway...