"You jump, I jump."
"Don't be absurd. Just go away!"
"You see, I cant do that now, I'm involved."
"You're crazy."
"Um, with all do respects miss, I'm not the one hanging over the back of a ship here."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rose woke up to find herself with her head on Joshua's shoulder, where she had cried for hours the night before until finally drifting to sleep. She looked at him, asleep with his head tilted down, hair in his face.
"No Rose, don't do it," she told herself. She couldn't let herself look at another man, not when Jack wasn't there.
She found her way through the drifts of pictures to the bathroom, where she washed her face in the small sink and looked at reflection in the cloudy mirror. Still the same face, the same hair, though now having had lost its luster and still caked together from the seawater. She ran a bath and washed her hair. Seeing that she had nothing else to wear she put her somewhat wrinkled white dress back on and braided her drying auburn hair. A knock at the door signified that Joshua had awakened.
"Hey how ya feelin?" he said to her when she opened the door.
"Better," she said with a slight smile. "I just… want to thank you for all your hospitality. You are a noble person Joshua Calvert. I suppose I should try to find a place of my own now, maybe I can find work as a waitress or something."
"Or maybe you could stay here awhile, if my humble garret suits you. Ya know, if- if you want to."
"Oh no, I couldn't impose, re-"
"No, please stay!" Not wanting to sound too eager he added, "I mean, you know, until you get your feet on the ground. A lady shouldn't have to live alone."
"Hah, do you mean I can live alone because I'm a lady?" she said good- naturedly.
"You know what I mean. Hey why don't I give you a tour of the city? We can grab breakfast, my treat." Rose realized that it would have to be his treat seeing as she had not a cent to live on.
"Sounds lovely!" she replied.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weeks passed, life went on, and Rose felt her wounded heart begin to heal. Joshua was there for her, and helped her to be strong. Rose had met many characters in his apartment building, but she took a special liking to the robust psychic Madame Polly. She was a jolly lady, who looked on Rose as the daughter she never had.
"Are you two an item yet?" she had asked Rose at dinner one night, as Josh sat and sketched at his easel. Rose blushed and replied,
"Oh no, its not like that! We are just… just friends"
"I see the way he looks at you," Polly said knowingly. "Men don't look at friends that way. You aren't exactly innocent either. I know you have feelings for him, even if you don't know yourself yet."
Rose just brushed it off, but it did leave that thought in her brain. But no. Jack was the love of her life, not Joshua. She could never love again. She looked over at the handsome young man sketching, his arm gracefully sliding over the paper. She felt a flicker of feelings rush to the surface of her thoughts.
Could she love again?
"Don't be absurd. Just go away!"
"You see, I cant do that now, I'm involved."
"You're crazy."
"Um, with all do respects miss, I'm not the one hanging over the back of a ship here."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rose woke up to find herself with her head on Joshua's shoulder, where she had cried for hours the night before until finally drifting to sleep. She looked at him, asleep with his head tilted down, hair in his face.
"No Rose, don't do it," she told herself. She couldn't let herself look at another man, not when Jack wasn't there.
She found her way through the drifts of pictures to the bathroom, where she washed her face in the small sink and looked at reflection in the cloudy mirror. Still the same face, the same hair, though now having had lost its luster and still caked together from the seawater. She ran a bath and washed her hair. Seeing that she had nothing else to wear she put her somewhat wrinkled white dress back on and braided her drying auburn hair. A knock at the door signified that Joshua had awakened.
"Hey how ya feelin?" he said to her when she opened the door.
"Better," she said with a slight smile. "I just… want to thank you for all your hospitality. You are a noble person Joshua Calvert. I suppose I should try to find a place of my own now, maybe I can find work as a waitress or something."
"Or maybe you could stay here awhile, if my humble garret suits you. Ya know, if- if you want to."
"Oh no, I couldn't impose, re-"
"No, please stay!" Not wanting to sound too eager he added, "I mean, you know, until you get your feet on the ground. A lady shouldn't have to live alone."
"Hah, do you mean I can live alone because I'm a lady?" she said good- naturedly.
"You know what I mean. Hey why don't I give you a tour of the city? We can grab breakfast, my treat." Rose realized that it would have to be his treat seeing as she had not a cent to live on.
"Sounds lovely!" she replied.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weeks passed, life went on, and Rose felt her wounded heart begin to heal. Joshua was there for her, and helped her to be strong. Rose had met many characters in his apartment building, but she took a special liking to the robust psychic Madame Polly. She was a jolly lady, who looked on Rose as the daughter she never had.
"Are you two an item yet?" she had asked Rose at dinner one night, as Josh sat and sketched at his easel. Rose blushed and replied,
"Oh no, its not like that! We are just… just friends"
"I see the way he looks at you," Polly said knowingly. "Men don't look at friends that way. You aren't exactly innocent either. I know you have feelings for him, even if you don't know yourself yet."
Rose just brushed it off, but it did leave that thought in her brain. But no. Jack was the love of her life, not Joshua. She could never love again. She looked over at the handsome young man sketching, his arm gracefully sliding over the paper. She felt a flicker of feelings rush to the surface of her thoughts.
Could she love again?