Chapter 2 - Cruise to Santiago Chile
The next morning, Lee and Rosemary get up early in anticipation for the start of their cruise. They pack everything up and head out for their last breakfast in Los Angeles. Lee treats her to a fancy French Café and then a walk on the beach. "I have one last place we can go today if you are ready for a small adventure."
"You know, I am always ready for an adventure with you."
"Yesterday when I was getting the paper, I heard some people talking about the Venice Canals. They mention you can either walk along side of the canals or take a canoe out and navigate the water ways. It is supposed to be like the canals in Venice, Italy." Rosemary's face lights up with excitement. "What do you say, sweetheart? Do you want to walk or canoe?"
"Oh, Lee! That sounds wonderful. I think we should do both."
They spend the next few hours walking along the different canals and even canoeing through a couple of them. They both have a lot of fun maneuvering the canoe together. They find out that even though they have never done that before, they seem to be in sync with each other, developing quite a rhythm, as they paddle down the canals. Before they know it, it's time to make their way back to the hotel so they can gather their things and board their ship. Lee and Rosemary catch a ride to the shipyard, where they look for theirs among the many ships along the dock. As they walk up to their cruise ship, they are both impressed with its size. The porters take their luggage and show them to their first-class room. The room contains a bed, a wardrobe, a small couch, a mirror, a table with multiple chairs, and a private bathroom. On the table, sits a bottle of champagne. Lee pours them each a glass of and raises for a toast, "Let's celebrate the start of our new adventure with just the two of us."
Rosemary raises her glass, "Thank you for taking me on this wonderful trip. I love you, Lee Coulter!"
"I love you, and I wouldn't want to do this without you by my side."
They both smile, clink glasses, and take a sip. They sit down on the couch and decide to just stay in their first night because they are both exhausted from their whirlwind trip so far. Rosemary rests her head on Lee's shoulder, and he puts his arm around her. They talk about what they are most excited for on this next part of the journey and what their favorite parts have been so far. After a couple of minutes of silence, he looks down at her face and realizes she is fast asleep. He smiles, lays his head on hers, and then closes his eyes.
The next morning, they wake up well rested, and they decide to explore the ship together after breakfast. "What on earth are we going to do on this ship for days and weeks, Lee?"
"There is plenty for us to do. I will give you the tour and show you."
They walk all around the ship, and he points out the various things they both can do together or separately. He points out a couple of places she can frequent. The library, where she can read books or draw in her sketchbook, or the women's lounge where she can play cards, listen to music, play music, or just talk with other ladies. There was also the main lounge where they both could read, listen to music, play cards, or have some tea or coffee. He then shows her the smoke room where he will probably spend a lot of time playing poker, darts, or pool. Next, they walk by the small gymnasium and then out onto the deck. As they are walking outside, they see all the different people enjoying the fresh sea air and the warm sun. They see the great expanse of the ocean and revel in its beauty. "Lee, I think they are from England, and they are from Ireland, and I think they are from Brazil."
Lee wonders to himself, "How does she know the last couple is from Brazil?"
She notices the look on his face and tells him she was the lead in this play about a debutante who meets and falls in love with a man from Brazil. "It turns out, the actor they got to play the man from Brazil, was actually from Brazil. He would tell lots of stories about his home country and the Portuguese language!"
Lee chuckles and points towards the front of the ship and asks, "Do you want to see the bow?"
She looks at him quizzically, "What is the bow, Lee?"
"It is the front most part of the ship. Follow me, and I will show you."
She hesitates a little, "I don't know, Lee. What if we fall overboard?"
"We won't. Trust me. There is plenty of railing to prevent that from happening." He motions to her, "Now come here and see how high we are off the water."
She walks up to the railing and carefully leans over, "Wow, you are not joking, we are really high up here. This is really stunning, though."
Lee agrees and brings her in for a lingering kiss! Rosemary blushes and mischievously says, "Lee Coulter!"
As each day passes, they find new things to do and new people to meet. Often times, they would split up and do activities with other men or women. Rosemary would spend a lot of time in the library or the women's lounge. She could always find someone to talk to or play cards with or she could just listen to music or even play the piano. She also likes to sit on the deck and work on her dress designs. She already has a favorite spot she gravitates to anytime she gets a chance. One evening, as they are walking back to their room after dinner, Rosemary tells Lee she wants to spend more time with him. She feels like she never gets to see him because he seems to always be in the smoke room with the other men.
He thinks about it for a minute, "Rosie, that is not true. I see you all the time."
She frowns and quietly mumbles, "You mean only during meals and at night when we go to bed?"
"Ok, sweetheart. What do you have in mind?"
"Lee, I heard some of the ladies talking about a dance that is going to take place in two nights. Can we please go together?"
"Sure, I would love to take you!"
She tries to hold in her smile and quietly asks Lee, "Can we spend the whole day together tomorrow?"
"Of course, we can. Anything for you!" Rosemary giggles and they quicken their steps.
The next morning, Lee and Rosemary head up to the dining room for breakfast. They have both come to love this morning ritual. There is always plenty to eat and the options are always different. Lee could have his coffee, and Rosemary could choose a different tea each morning. They could choose to sit alone or with friends they have made on this trip. This morning, Rosemary decides she wants to eat alone with her husband, so she picks a table away from the rest of the crowd. "What would you like to do today?"
Lee puts down his newspaper on the table. "Oh, they are having this poker tournament that I wanted to play in."
Rosemary sternly says, "LEE, you were going to spend the day with me. Don't you remember?"
"I am so sorry. I forgot I already entered the poker tournament. Do you mind? I can win quite a bit of money for us. I can get you an expensive gift." He looks over at her and sweetly says, "Won't you like that, sweetheart?"
A sad look washes over Rosemary's face, "Okay, I guess we can spend the day together another day." Lee gets up, kisses her on the cheek, and tells her he will make it up to her. He promises.
Lee has a great day and wins the poker tournament. He is so excited to come and tell Rosemary he won a bunch of money. He goes to their room, but she is not there; so instead of waiting for her to come back, he decides to go find her and tell her the good news. He goes to the library and the women's lounge, but she is not there either. He starts to worry, but then tells himself she is around here somewhere. There are only so many places she can be. He then remembers that she likes to sit in her spot looking out at the ocean and working on her designs. He walks up to her and sits next to her on the bench. "Guess what?"
"What?" Rosemary replies quietly.
Lee excitedly tells her he won the poker tournament and a lot of money! He stands up thinking Rosemary is going to jump into his arms with excitement, but she just sits there. She looks over at him with half a smile, "That's great. If you'll excuse me, I need to go back to the room."
Lee sighs and puts his hands in his pockets, "Ok, sweetheart. I'll be there in a little while. I need to go take care of some things." About an hour later, he goes back to the room and sees Rosemary sitting on the couch, wallowing in her sadness, reading a book. He comes over and sits in the chair next to her, "It is almost time for dinner. I figure you would already be dressed and ready to go by now. Why don't you put the book down and go get ready? We can go on a romantic stroll after dinner! Doesn't that sound like fun?"
Keeping her eyes on the book, she announces, "I'm not hungry. I am just going to stay here and read." She knows if she looks at him, she will cave. He always has a way to charm her and make her forget about her pettiness.
When she didn't look up at him, that made him worry. He could always get her to at least look at him with her captivating blue eyes, "Are you okay, sweetheart?"
Still looking down at the book, "Yes, Lee, I am fine. Go have a nice dinner."
As he is walking out the door, he turns around and asks, "Do you want me to bring you any food back?"
She finally looks up at him and gives him a meek smile, "No thank you. I am not hungry."
Lee reluctantly leaves to go eat some dinner. He feels bad that he disappointed Rosemary, but his stomach is growling. He sits down with some of his new friends, but he is lost in thought as he scarfs down his food. He soon comes to the conclusion that he needs to make it up to her tomorrow. Obviously, she is feeling a little neglected, and he needs to show her how much he loves her. He decides to try and sneak out so he can get her flowers before she wakes up! He will then spend the day with her doing whatever she wants to do and then take her to the dance that evening.
Luckily, the next morning, he is able to sneak out before she wakes up. He manages to find some red roses, but it takes much longer than he originally thought. By the time he gets back to the room, she is sitting on the couch looking through a magazine. He walks in with the roses behind his back. He approaches her, brings them out, and hands them to her. "Here you go, sweetheart. I know how much you love getting flowers, and I want to make up for yesterday."
Rosemary smells the beautiful red roses and looks up at him with the smile that always melts his heart. "These are lovely, Lee. Thank you." He takes them from her and puts them in some water. She points to the table, and he happily leaves them there. She puts the magazine down and pats the couch next to her.
He joins her, taking her hands into his, "One more thing. Today, we will spend the entire day together just you and me! So, what would you like to do today?"
She jumps up off the couch and immediately starts quickly naming all the things she wants to do. "I want to walk around the deck and people watch. I want to sit in our spot and watch the ocean. I want us to play shuffleboard or quoits. I want us to listen to some music in the main lounge, and I want us to go to the dance tonight!"
Lee chuckles and gets off the couch, "Okay, what do you want to do first?"
Rosemary thinks about it for a minute and waves her hands in excitement, "Let's go eat breakfast and then walk around and people watch!"
"Well, then get dressed so we can go!"
They have a wonderful day together people watching, listening to music in the lounge, and playing both shuffleboard and quoits on the upper deck. Rosemary delights in beating him every single time…if only she knew Lee is letting her win. They take a long stroll around the deck, hand-in-hand, where they end up in their spot. They enjoy each other's company as they look out at the ocean. "Oh, what time is it, Lee?" He looks at his pocket watch and realizes it is almost time for the dance. They go back to their room to freshen up and change clothes. She picks out a maroon satin dress with long lace sleeves. "What do you think, Lee? I am so glad I packed a couple of fancy dresses to wear on our trip."
He comes up behind her and takes her into his arms, "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"
She playfully responds, "No, I don't believe you have."
Lee laughs, "I will definitely have to make that up to you. Are you ready to go?" She nods and they head up to the dining room for the dance. They walk in and the dining room is transformed into what looks like a ballroom. There is a wooden dance floor, a live band, a buffet with lots of food and desserts, and an area where people can sit at the tables and eat. Everyone is dressed up in their fanciest clothes ready to enjoy the evening. As they are sitting down eating dinner, Lee says, "Rosie, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, you can."
"Why have I never met your parents? I know I hadn't exactly told you everything about my family. Up until a few weeks ago, you didn't even know I had a sister. That is my fault, I know, but I don't want us to have any more secrets from each other."
"Oh. Lee, do you really want to get into all of that now?"
"You are my whole world, and I want to know everything about you whether it is good or bad."
Rosemary demurely smiles and takes sip of her tea. She is trying to think of what to say. "Well, as I have mentioned to you before, my parents weren't around like most parents. My father was a quiet and unassuming man and a Mountie. He was gone a lot on Mountie business. My mother, on the other hand, was loud and the talk of the town. She was always busy with her theatre and her friends. You think I am larger than life, wait until you meet her! Since they were gone a lot, I had to keep myself entertained. I made new friends as often as I could. Do you remember Sofia? She came to Hope Valley a couple of years ago, and of course, you know that I knew Jack! Now don't get me wrong – they were great parents. They loved me, provided for me, and made sure I had everything I ever needed or wanted. But when we were old enough, Sophia and I decided to go to New York, and Jack decided to join the Mounties. After that, I didn't see my parents very often. They did come to see me once when I was living in New York. I think they were disappointed I left and didn't come back. I wrote them about our wedding, and I thought they would come. My mother's excuse was she didn't want to be on a train that long. Since then, I have asked if they want to come out and meet you or offer for us to come see them, but they always have some excuse."
He could see sadness building in her eyes, "I am so sorry for bringing that up. I just assumed you didn't want to see them for some reason."
"Can we please change the subject?"
"Have I told you how much I love you?" Rosemary grabs his hand and leads him out to the dance floor.
They enjoy doing the tango and the foxtrot. Next, came a two-step. Lee suggests for Rosemary to take a break and drink some water while he runs over to the band. She notices him running back with a big grin on his face. "Lee Coulter, what did you just do?" He ignores her question and leads her back onto the dance floor. Then she hears the first few notes, and they start to slowly dance to their song, "Let Me Call You Sweetheart!" They continue to dance and talk for what seems like hours. They are lost to the world, just focusing on each other. Lee happens to look up and notices most of the other passengers left, and there are only a few couples still on the dance floor.
"Do you want to take a long walk around the deck with me?" Rosemary laughs and reminds him that it is cold out there at this hour. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I will keep you warm!"
She extends her hand out for him to take, "Lead the way, Mr. Coulter."
The next morning, they get a late start. Rosemary plans on meeting a couple of ladies for cards in the women's lounge, and Lee is meeting a couple of guys in the smoking room for some pool. They quickly get ready and head out for their day. On his way out the door, he turns back and asks, "When will I see you?" She tells him to meet her at their spot at two. He quietly tells her he loves her and leaves the room. Rosemary has a fun day playing cards and talking with her new friends while Lee is busy playing pool, darts, and some poker with the guys. She notices the time and excuses herself so she can go back to the room and freshen up before she meets Lee at their spot. Lee gets there first and is waiting for her on their bench. She quietly sneaks up on him and gives him a kiss on the cheek before she joins him on the bench. "I really enjoyed yesterday with you. Thank you for always knowing how to make me feel special." Lee smiles, and they enjoy their view for a few minutes.
"Hey Rosie, we need to start thinking about what we want to see in Santiago when we get there. I believe we dock in a couple of days."
"I'm sure you already know I want to see an opera at the Municipal Theater of Santiago. I also want to shop at Mercado Central and go to the La Moneda Palace. What do you want to do?"
"I was thinking we could go to Plaza de Armas and Cerro Santa Lucia. Plus, maybe Iglesia de San Francisco, Santiago de Chile or Casa Colorado."
Rosemary looks over at him with a perplexed face, "Really, Lee? That is what you want to see? Those are boring." The actress comes out in her, "Don't you want to see something exciting like an opera or go shopping to find things we cannot find anywhere else in the world?"
Lee responds trying to match her reasoning, "Don't you want to learn something about the city and country and its rich history?"
Rosemary chuckles and rolls her eyes, "I really think we need to go shopping at Mercado Central. Don't you want to get something for little Jack and your niece and nephew?"
"Well, I would like that, Rosemary, but I would also like to see something historical and learn something about Santiago and Chile in general."
"Why do you want to learn the history? You don't live here, and you will probably never come back here again."
Lee scratches his head because he knows when it comes to his wife, he is in a losing battle. "Rosemary. It is good to learn about other cultures and their history. Don't you think?"
"Well, I think we will learn more about the culture of the Chilean people at the opera and or the market than in those old buildings."
Just then, Eugene and Marjorie, a nice young couple they met at the dance, came walking by and say, "Good afternoon!"
"Good afternoon," replies Lee and Rosemary.
Rosemary adds, "It is so nice to see you again, Marjorie."
Eugene asks, "Have you two decided what you are going to see in Santiago?"
"We have just been talking about that. My wife and I seem to disagree on what we should see."
Rosemary proudly says, "He'll come around. He always does!"
Lee turns to face her, rolls his eyes, and clears his throat. He turns back to them and forces a smile, "We are still in discussion."
Eugene apologizes for bothering them, "We should probably get going." He wishes them good luck in deciding what to do and reminds them there is a lot to see but not a lot of time. Lee and Rosemary wave goodbye.
Lee waits a minute and then asks Rosemary, "Do you want to talk about this some more?"
Rosemary curtly says, "I don't know, Lee. It sounds like you have already made up your mind on what we will do."
"You know that is not true, Rosie."
She huffs and gets off the bench, "Well, if you'll excuse me, I am going back to the room so I can write a letter to Elizabeth and little Jack. I owe them one."
Lee stands up as well and puts his hands in his hips, "Ok, I'll join you in a little bit."
Lee comes back to the room a couple of hours later and finds that Rosemary is not there. She left a note saying she went to play cards with some of the ladies she knows. He then sees the letter on the table, so he decides to read:
Dear Elizabeth and Little Jack,
We are having so much fun on our trip. We stopped in to see Lee's sister, Susannah, and her family on our way to Los Angeles. I am so glad Lee reconnected with her. I can tell he didn't really know how much he missed her until she came to Hope Valley. I hope they can stay in touch.
You won't believe who we saw when walking on the streets of Los Angeles: Gloria Swanson, Bobby Vernon, and Ethyl Lynne. Lee had to calm me down! We walked on the beach and on Santa Monica pier. They even have rides there now. One day, you should bring little Jack. Oh Elizabeth, this trip has been absolutely wonderful!
Then we got on our ship to Santiago. The ship has been so nice. We have been able to spend a lot of time together, eat a lot of great food, enjoy music, and even went to a dance. We will be pulling into port here in San Antonio in the next day or so. We miss you and look forward to seeing you sometime soon!
Love, Rosemary and Lee
He sits down to read a magazine to kill some time before she gets back. He is hoping she'll be calmer now and will be ready for a real discussion. Rosemary finally gets back to their room, but instead of her happy, bubbly self, she has a frown and matter-of-factly says, "Oh, you are here, Lee?"
He knows to tread lightly going forward, "Would you like me to take that to the mail room for you?"
"Yes, that would be nice." She keeps her eyes on the floor and grabs her sketchbook. "I think I will go for a walk and then work on my designs in our spot."
"Please wait, Rosie. I want us to talk."
"I will see you later, Lee." He sadly nods.
Lee drops the letter to Elizabeth at the mail room and decides to go check on Rosemary. He walks up and sits right beside her. They both turn to each other and simultaneously say, "I'm sorry."
Rosemary happily says, "We can compromise. We can go see the Plaza de Armas and Iglesia de San Francisco, Santiago de Chile."
"I will take you to see an opera at the Municipal Theater of Santiago if there is one showing, and we can even do a little shopping."
Rosemary excitedly says, "I love that plan!"
"Not as much as I love you!"
They finally dock at Port San Antonio and get on a train for the short trip to Santiago where they will spend two days. They check into their hotel, and Lee offers to go find out what there is to do around the hotel. "Rosemary, why don't you stay here, relax and unpack our things." She gladly nods. He is able to find out there is an opera performance tonight and tomorrow, there is a festival at Cerro Santa Lucia. He also gets directions on how to get to the different locations they want to see while they are there. Luckily, they are very close to the theater, so he is able to run and get tickets for the night's performance. Lee comes into their room eagerly with tickets in his hand, "Guess what I have?"
Rosemary runs up to him, grabs the tickets, screams, and jumps into his arms! "How did you get these?"
"I asked the concierge, and he told me about the performance tonight and about the festival tomorrow. He said we came at the right time."
"Lee, what do you want to do today?"
"Why don't we head to Plaza de Armas first. I think Iglesia de San Francisco, Santiago de Chile is fairly close to there as well. Then we can go shopping at the Mercado Central."
"What are we waiting for, Lee? We have too much to do to just sit around. Let's go!" Lee chuckles and agrees.
The Plaza de Armas is just a short trolley ride away from the hotel. He tells her it is the main square of Santiago, and it literally means "square of weapons." He goes on to tell her when they were designing cities in the Americas back then, they would purposely leave a city square block empty, and then build on all four sides of the square to provide the people a place to go if there was an attack. Rosemary smiles and asks, "Where did you hear that piece of information?"
"I read about it. Now let's walk over to the Iglesia de San Francisco, Santiago de Chile. It is one of the oldest colonial-era buildings in the country. It was built in 1622."
"Well, aren't you are filled with lots of knowledge."
Trying to stifle his laugh, Lee only manages to say, "Rosemary, I read." They both roll their eyes and laugh.
"Lee, can we go shopping now?
"Of course. We can take the trolley over to the Mercado Central."
Rosemary spends the next few hours poring over all the different things people are selling. There are so many things to choose from; it is hard for her to make a decision. She is able to find a small handmade clutch for Catherine, a handmade knit vest for Patrick, a block set with colorful drawings of Santiago on them for little Jack, and a handmade wooden jewelry box for Elizabeth. She also finds a small camera and tells Lee they have to get it and the cable release that goes with it! We can take pictures of everything – including us! Isn't that a great idea? Lee nods reluctantly. He looks at his watch and tells her they need to get back to the hotel to get ready for the opera. She happily agrees.
They have a wonderful night going to the opera and eating out at the most expensive restaurant in Santiago. Lee realizes he actually enjoyed it more than he thought he would. He didn't think he would like listening to someone sing in a language he did not know. "Oh, Lee. It was beautiful even though I have no idea what it was about."
The next day, they decide to go to Cerro Santa Lucia for the festival. He tells her it has the best views of the city. It is a great place to see the snow-capped Andes Mountains, and it is an actual remnant of a 15-million-year-old volcano. "Are you telling me we are on top of a volcano, Lee?"
"Yes! But it is just a remnant. It will never go off again. At least I don't think it will," he chuckles.
They spend the next few hours people watching, admiring the view, and of course, shopping. Lee reminds her we better get back to the hotel and pack up, "We need to catch the train back to the ship around 7 pm." They get back to their room, and they pack everything up including all the things they had bought the last two days. Lee mumbles under his breath, "If you keep buying at this rate, there will not be enough room in our luggage by the end of the trip."
"What was that, Lee?"
"Oh, nothing, sweetheart. Are you ready to go?" She nods.
Lee and Rosemary catch the train just in time. They take their seats while trying to catch their breath. After a few minutes, Rosemary asks, "Lee, can I ask you a question? Have you noticed all of the children on the streets here?"
"I have."
She quietly says, "That is so sad. Are there no orphanages or homes for the children here?"
"I don't know sweetheart. Maybe there just aren't enough places for them to stay." He clears his throat trying to figure out how to say what he wants to say, "Rosie, there is something I have been wanting to say to you since my accident. I've been thinking about how short life is and how fortunate we are."
"I know you have, Lee. Me too."
"We have so much love to give a child. Why haven't we ever talked about adoption?"
Rosemary's face fell, "Have you given up hope on us having a child of our own?"
"Of course not, sweetheart. I know you are still holding on to the hope that we will have our own child and so am I, but there are kids out there that need a home and need to be loved right now. We can give that to them!"
"I agree. I just really want us to have a child of our very own. Is that me being selfish or naive?"
"Rosie, we can still hope for our own child. I am in no way saying we should give up. I am just saying we should look into adoption going forward. It would be a shame not to share our love with a child or children. Don't you think?" He takes her hand into his. "The answer to your question is no. You are not being selfish or naïve. I believe God gave you the desire to be a mother for a reason. We just don't know what His plan is yet. In the meantime, hoping and wishing for a baby is perfectly normal. I will be hoping and wishing right along with you, but at the same time, we need to open our hearts to the idea of adoption. I truly believe God will bless us with a child in the future whether it is through adoption or us having one of our own. We are in this together, remember?"
She squeezes his hand, "I know you are right, sweetheart."
"Besides, I know you will give motherhood 110% of your time and attention. I have no doubt you will fully love any child or children we bring into our home like they are our own."
She leans in and gives him a soft kiss, "I love you so much!"
He kisses her back, "I love you even more!"