April 11, 1912
The next day was just as bright and sunny as the day before. My family and I took our breakfast in the cafe, the same place where we took our lunch yesterday. I wasn't very hungry, and the conversation was about business topics, so I grew bored quickly. I looked around the room, it was a narrow room, with windows all along one side, and only two rows of tables. There were potted plants in every corner, and there was white lattice woodwork on the wall. At the far end of the room, there was a cart with different pastries and such, and at the other end, there was a stand with the china and silverware. It was a lovely room, so full of light. I looked around at the people sitting at the other tables, Mr. Andrews, the Master Ship Builder, was at one table, the Carters, the Ryersons, and Mr. Ismay. At another table, my eyes stopped on a pair of emerald green eyes from across the room. Instantly, a smile spread across my face when I saw his handsome face smiling back at me. He excused himself from the company he was with, and winked at me when he walked by, tilting his head toward the door.
"If you'll excuse me, I'll be in the library," I said, getting up from my table and following Robert out the door.
"So, we meet again," Robert smiled as she turned to face me.
"We meet again," I smiled back, taking his arm.
"Is that your family that you were sitting with?" he asked as we climbed the Aft Grandstaircase to A deck.
"Yes, my father and mother, and my younger sister, Marie," I answered.
"She's your sister? Hmm, you don't look anything a like," he said chuckling.
"Sometimes I think I was adopted," I said laughing. We walked out a door and onto the covered promenade deck.
"So, Isabelle, tell me about yourself," he said, looking right at me.
"Please, call me Belle," I said, he nodded, "Well, let's see, I'm sixteen, and I was born in New York City, I love to read, and explore new sights."
"Explore?" Robert asked, one eyebrow raised. I laughed at the face he made.
"One eyebrow? How can you do that?" I laughed.
"It's easy, I guess it's hereditary," he laughed back. "You were born in New York City?"
"Yes, but we had to move to Philadelphia when I was twelve, it was hard to leave all my friends," I said seriously.
"Ah, but you like Phily better, though," he said.
"Yes, how would you know?" I asked.
"Well, you just seem to be a Phily girl," he said, smiling. I stopped walking and looked at him. A smile that I couldn't help crept across my face.
"And just how do I seem to be a Phily girl?" I asked slyly.
"Your different from the others, I can tell. You're not all into stupid boring parties, you're in for adventure," he said seriously, much to my surprise. My smile grew wider, and I started to walk again.
"Now, Robert, tell me all about you," I said.
"Call me Rob," I smiled up at him, "I was born in Boston, and I'm nineteen."
"Wait a minute, how do you get off without an accent?" I asked him.
"Ah, you didn't let me finish," he smiled back.
"Oh, well, go ahead," I urged him.
"When I was four, we moved to Pittsburgh. My uncle was starting a new railcar company, and he wanted my father to be his partner. And I've lived there ever since," he finished.
"What do you like to do in your free time?" I asked him.
"I like to collect paintings, and I hope to own my own art gallery someday," he said.
"Really? I like art, but I don't collect anything. My favorite thing to do when we go to New York is to go to the art museums," I said.
"So we have something in common," he said, smirking.
"We do," I said. At this point, we had reached the end of the covered promenade, so Rob lead me up to the boat deck, which was breezy, but nice. A few strands of my dirty-blonde hair fell from my clips alongside my face.
"What have you been doing in Europe?" he asked, continuing our conversation.
"My father decided to take us on a small tour of Europe, to get us out of the house. We went to France, and Spain, and stayed in England most of the time with my grandmother. I love visiting my grandmother, she's the total opposite of my mother, which I love. The only thing that I regret about this trip is not going to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris," I said.
"I heard it's a wonderful sight from up there, they even say you can see England," Rob said. I smiled.
"That would be spectacular to see," I said. "What brings you on Titanic?" I looked up at Rob, who was looking at me contentedly, like he was hanging on every word I said.
"My mother's sister lives in London, and she just had twins. They are the cutest little babies," he said smiling. "We stayed there for about a month, and now we have to head back to the factory." He sighed heavily.
"You don't like the factory?" I asked, sensing his sadness.
"It's nice, but it's not what I have planned for my life, I don't want to be tied down, like my father," he said slowly. He lifted his head back up. "The worst part of going back is the annoying flirting girls."
"The boring formalities of the upper class," I sighed. "Wait, annoying flirting girls?" I smiled mischievously up at him.
"Oh, yes," he laughed, "you're not one of them, trust me."
"I trust you," I said. He looked at me as we approached the aft railing, smiling at me with that already familiar twinkle in his eye. On the first class deck below us, a red haired woman stood looking down on the steerage deck. I assumed it was Rose Dewitt Bukator, the one mother always talked about.
"See that man in steerage, with the sketch book?" Rob asked, taking my gaze away from Rose. I scanned the stern deck, and saw a blonde man with a sketchbook.
"Yes," I nodded, looking back up at Rob with questioning eyes.
"You said you liked art, so let's go down and see what he's got," Rob said, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the second class stairs.
The next day was just as bright and sunny as the day before. My family and I took our breakfast in the cafe, the same place where we took our lunch yesterday. I wasn't very hungry, and the conversation was about business topics, so I grew bored quickly. I looked around the room, it was a narrow room, with windows all along one side, and only two rows of tables. There were potted plants in every corner, and there was white lattice woodwork on the wall. At the far end of the room, there was a cart with different pastries and such, and at the other end, there was a stand with the china and silverware. It was a lovely room, so full of light. I looked around at the people sitting at the other tables, Mr. Andrews, the Master Ship Builder, was at one table, the Carters, the Ryersons, and Mr. Ismay. At another table, my eyes stopped on a pair of emerald green eyes from across the room. Instantly, a smile spread across my face when I saw his handsome face smiling back at me. He excused himself from the company he was with, and winked at me when he walked by, tilting his head toward the door.
"If you'll excuse me, I'll be in the library," I said, getting up from my table and following Robert out the door.
"So, we meet again," Robert smiled as she turned to face me.
"We meet again," I smiled back, taking his arm.
"Is that your family that you were sitting with?" he asked as we climbed the Aft Grandstaircase to A deck.
"Yes, my father and mother, and my younger sister, Marie," I answered.
"She's your sister? Hmm, you don't look anything a like," he said chuckling.
"Sometimes I think I was adopted," I said laughing. We walked out a door and onto the covered promenade deck.
"So, Isabelle, tell me about yourself," he said, looking right at me.
"Please, call me Belle," I said, he nodded, "Well, let's see, I'm sixteen, and I was born in New York City, I love to read, and explore new sights."
"Explore?" Robert asked, one eyebrow raised. I laughed at the face he made.
"One eyebrow? How can you do that?" I laughed.
"It's easy, I guess it's hereditary," he laughed back. "You were born in New York City?"
"Yes, but we had to move to Philadelphia when I was twelve, it was hard to leave all my friends," I said seriously.
"Ah, but you like Phily better, though," he said.
"Yes, how would you know?" I asked.
"Well, you just seem to be a Phily girl," he said, smiling. I stopped walking and looked at him. A smile that I couldn't help crept across my face.
"And just how do I seem to be a Phily girl?" I asked slyly.
"Your different from the others, I can tell. You're not all into stupid boring parties, you're in for adventure," he said seriously, much to my surprise. My smile grew wider, and I started to walk again.
"Now, Robert, tell me all about you," I said.
"Call me Rob," I smiled up at him, "I was born in Boston, and I'm nineteen."
"Wait a minute, how do you get off without an accent?" I asked him.
"Ah, you didn't let me finish," he smiled back.
"Oh, well, go ahead," I urged him.
"When I was four, we moved to Pittsburgh. My uncle was starting a new railcar company, and he wanted my father to be his partner. And I've lived there ever since," he finished.
"What do you like to do in your free time?" I asked him.
"I like to collect paintings, and I hope to own my own art gallery someday," he said.
"Really? I like art, but I don't collect anything. My favorite thing to do when we go to New York is to go to the art museums," I said.
"So we have something in common," he said, smirking.
"We do," I said. At this point, we had reached the end of the covered promenade, so Rob lead me up to the boat deck, which was breezy, but nice. A few strands of my dirty-blonde hair fell from my clips alongside my face.
"What have you been doing in Europe?" he asked, continuing our conversation.
"My father decided to take us on a small tour of Europe, to get us out of the house. We went to France, and Spain, and stayed in England most of the time with my grandmother. I love visiting my grandmother, she's the total opposite of my mother, which I love. The only thing that I regret about this trip is not going to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris," I said.
"I heard it's a wonderful sight from up there, they even say you can see England," Rob said. I smiled.
"That would be spectacular to see," I said. "What brings you on Titanic?" I looked up at Rob, who was looking at me contentedly, like he was hanging on every word I said.
"My mother's sister lives in London, and she just had twins. They are the cutest little babies," he said smiling. "We stayed there for about a month, and now we have to head back to the factory." He sighed heavily.
"You don't like the factory?" I asked, sensing his sadness.
"It's nice, but it's not what I have planned for my life, I don't want to be tied down, like my father," he said slowly. He lifted his head back up. "The worst part of going back is the annoying flirting girls."
"The boring formalities of the upper class," I sighed. "Wait, annoying flirting girls?" I smiled mischievously up at him.
"Oh, yes," he laughed, "you're not one of them, trust me."
"I trust you," I said. He looked at me as we approached the aft railing, smiling at me with that already familiar twinkle in his eye. On the first class deck below us, a red haired woman stood looking down on the steerage deck. I assumed it was Rose Dewitt Bukator, the one mother always talked about.
"See that man in steerage, with the sketch book?" Rob asked, taking my gaze away from Rose. I scanned the stern deck, and saw a blonde man with a sketchbook.
"Yes," I nodded, looking back up at Rob with questioning eyes.
"You said you liked art, so let's go down and see what he's got," Rob said, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the second class stairs.