Rose walked slowly towards the stage, although she felt like running.
"Slow, Rose. He'll still be there. Race said he would."
She walked towards stage left (sorry, I'm a theatre person....it's where Jack and David were in the movie) No one was back there at the moment, so Rose found a chair and sat down.
***
Race quietly opened the stage door, and wasn't too surprised to see Rose, already waiting.
"Hi Rose."
Rose stood up and looked to see if there was anyone behind him.
"Well, where is he Racetrack?"
"Matt. My name is Matt. Borden. Eight years ago I ran away from home and joined the Manhattan newsies. I lied about my past and said my whole family died in a fire. But I always knew that, somewhere out there, I had a sister, wondering what happened to me. I always wondered what happened to you. Now we know. If Fate decided to have you find me, we belong together." Race watched her eyes fill with tears. "Rose, say something."
"You mean to tell me..." Rose looked him up and down, "That all this time.....it was you?"
"Yeah." He glanced at her hesitantly, then enveloped his sister in a warm hug. Sobs wracked Rose's body.
"Finally....finally....all this time I've been looking.....thank you....." Rose whispered.
Race just held her in his arms, "We'll always be together. Nothing will split us apart ever again."
As simple as that idea was, it was true. Rose and Race had come to need each other. And when the survivors of the Borden family reunited, they finally felt the love that had been missing in their lives..... all this time.
***
Race and Rose returned to the party and enjoyed themselves for the next few hours.
"Matt." Rose set down her soda.
"Yeah?" Race looked over from his seat beside her.
"Now it's time for me to surprise you. Close your eyes and I'll be right back."
He gave Rose a strange look, but closed his eyes.
"This should be interesting..." He thought to himself.
-A few minutes later-
Catcalls and whistling filled the room. Race was wondering exactly what Rose had planned.
"Aw, shut up all of you." Rose yelled back good-naturedly.
"Okay Race, go ahead. You can look." She said quietly.
Race opened his eyes and glanced up. A tall girl with mud brown curls and sharp green eyes stood beside Rose. It was-
"Anna?" Race asked incredulously.
"Hi Race." She replied softly.
Race stood and realized he was a little taller than her now. (authors note-HA! I crack myself up!)
They watched each other for a second, then Race took her in a fierce hug.
"Anna-I still believed...all this time, I still believed in you and me--I always believed in love...."
Anna said nothing and just let him hold her.
***
"So Rose, how did you find Anna?" Race asked later that night, his arm draped around Anna.
"Well, after you told me about how she was going to be an actress, I did some research. I found out that Anna Mitchell, Anna Bancroft and Anna Learing were three 16 year-old Broadway actresses. I wrote letters to all three and Anna Mitchell replied."
"What did you write?" asked David of Rose.
Anna unfolded a piece of paper, and read it aloud:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Miss Mitchell-
My name is Rose Borden. I have a question to ask you. I have a friend by the name of Racetrack Higgins. His girlfriend moved far out west over a year ago. He told me she was an up and coming actress by the name of Anna. I was wondering, could this be you? Racetrack has done so much for me. He really loves this girl and deserves to be happy too.
thank you,
Rose Borden
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anna looked up at Race as she read the last sentence. She had read it so many times, it was easily memorized. Race leaned over and kissed her.
"Ladies and gentlemen--This is the last song." Medda said from the stage. A slow song filled the room.
"C'mon Sarah," Jack held out his hand and led her to the dance floor (I know technically there isn't one at Medda's but it serves my purposes) Everyone else followed suit. David, Rose, Anna and Racetrack started too, but Race held Rose back for a second.
"Once I had lost all hope--but you came back in my life, and I knew someone still cared. Love ya Rose."
"Love ya too Matt." She hugged him, then they walked over to David and Anna, and started dancing, each hoping this feeling would never leave.
And after all this time--it wouldn't.
The End.
"Slow, Rose. He'll still be there. Race said he would."
She walked towards stage left (sorry, I'm a theatre person....it's where Jack and David were in the movie) No one was back there at the moment, so Rose found a chair and sat down.
***
Race quietly opened the stage door, and wasn't too surprised to see Rose, already waiting.
"Hi Rose."
Rose stood up and looked to see if there was anyone behind him.
"Well, where is he Racetrack?"
"Matt. My name is Matt. Borden. Eight years ago I ran away from home and joined the Manhattan newsies. I lied about my past and said my whole family died in a fire. But I always knew that, somewhere out there, I had a sister, wondering what happened to me. I always wondered what happened to you. Now we know. If Fate decided to have you find me, we belong together." Race watched her eyes fill with tears. "Rose, say something."
"You mean to tell me..." Rose looked him up and down, "That all this time.....it was you?"
"Yeah." He glanced at her hesitantly, then enveloped his sister in a warm hug. Sobs wracked Rose's body.
"Finally....finally....all this time I've been looking.....thank you....." Rose whispered.
Race just held her in his arms, "We'll always be together. Nothing will split us apart ever again."
As simple as that idea was, it was true. Rose and Race had come to need each other. And when the survivors of the Borden family reunited, they finally felt the love that had been missing in their lives..... all this time.
***
Race and Rose returned to the party and enjoyed themselves for the next few hours.
"Matt." Rose set down her soda.
"Yeah?" Race looked over from his seat beside her.
"Now it's time for me to surprise you. Close your eyes and I'll be right back."
He gave Rose a strange look, but closed his eyes.
"This should be interesting..." He thought to himself.
-A few minutes later-
Catcalls and whistling filled the room. Race was wondering exactly what Rose had planned.
"Aw, shut up all of you." Rose yelled back good-naturedly.
"Okay Race, go ahead. You can look." She said quietly.
Race opened his eyes and glanced up. A tall girl with mud brown curls and sharp green eyes stood beside Rose. It was-
"Anna?" Race asked incredulously.
"Hi Race." She replied softly.
Race stood and realized he was a little taller than her now. (authors note-HA! I crack myself up!)
They watched each other for a second, then Race took her in a fierce hug.
"Anna-I still believed...all this time, I still believed in you and me--I always believed in love...."
Anna said nothing and just let him hold her.
***
"So Rose, how did you find Anna?" Race asked later that night, his arm draped around Anna.
"Well, after you told me about how she was going to be an actress, I did some research. I found out that Anna Mitchell, Anna Bancroft and Anna Learing were three 16 year-old Broadway actresses. I wrote letters to all three and Anna Mitchell replied."
"What did you write?" asked David of Rose.
Anna unfolded a piece of paper, and read it aloud:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Miss Mitchell-
My name is Rose Borden. I have a question to ask you. I have a friend by the name of Racetrack Higgins. His girlfriend moved far out west over a year ago. He told me she was an up and coming actress by the name of Anna. I was wondering, could this be you? Racetrack has done so much for me. He really loves this girl and deserves to be happy too.
thank you,
Rose Borden
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anna looked up at Race as she read the last sentence. She had read it so many times, it was easily memorized. Race leaned over and kissed her.
"Ladies and gentlemen--This is the last song." Medda said from the stage. A slow song filled the room.
"C'mon Sarah," Jack held out his hand and led her to the dance floor (I know technically there isn't one at Medda's but it serves my purposes) Everyone else followed suit. David, Rose, Anna and Racetrack started too, but Race held Rose back for a second.
"Once I had lost all hope--but you came back in my life, and I knew someone still cared. Love ya Rose."
"Love ya too Matt." She hugged him, then they walked over to David and Anna, and started dancing, each hoping this feeling would never leave.
And after all this time--it wouldn't.
The End.