April 13
Day
Atlantic Ocean
During the watch on the bridge, everything is as usual. Four more hours of standing in the cold wind, peering into the endless ocean.
Nearby, Lowe marks our coordinates and puts them on the map.
"It's evening soon. So far, everything is in order with Marconi's telegraph. Maybe nothing will happen?"
"Definitely will. Just wait until eight o'clock."
"If everything is very serious, maybe we should tell the others?" Lowe is nervous.
"What are we going to tell them, Harold? Hey guys, the Titanic is going to hit an iceberg tomorrow night and do we have to do something?"
"Hey! Who's going to hit the iceberg out there?" Asked Murdoch appearing from nowhere. "Is there something you want to tell us?"
"It depends on whether you are ready to hear what I have to say to you, Will" was my answer.
"I will try. But it's better to tell the truth."
And I told the truth about everything that was going to happen on the night of April 14-15. About hitting an iceberg during Murdoch's watch, about the captain's helplessness during the evacuation, about big problems with lifeboats and it going to be even worse... Will listened very carefully. To my great surprise, he didn't think I was crazy. In response, he only said: "Henry, I've known you too long to believe every word you say. Many years ago, telephone conversations seemed like a fantasy, but now they surprise no one. I do not rule out that information is quite possible to send or receive in other ways. In any case, we will soon be able to check all this. Are you saying the telegraph is supposed to break down at 8 pm tonight?"
"Exactly, Will."
"Who else knows about it?"
"You, me, Harold, the electricians Sloan and Jupe. And nobody else."
"That's good. Don't tell anyone more. Before scaring everyone, we need to make sure that things are going the way they were." Will rested his head on the railing of the bridge. I feel like Scrooge in A Christmas Carol".
"And I'm like The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come"
"It's not funny at all, Henry. We must do something. Behind us are 2200 people on board."
"Let's start thinking tonight. Anyway, nothing has happened yet" I shrugged.
"I marvel at your calmness, Henry. Maybe you and I have less than a day to live."
"At least we have a whole day" I laughed.
April 13
Afternoon
Around 3:00 pm I took a short break for lunch. The food on the Titanic was very tasty. It was prepared for the officers like second-class passengers. Then imagine what was served in the first class.
The sound of waves, seagulls...it's good to sit and admire the ocean after lunch. I kept thinking. About children, about such a cozy house on Grey Road. The house where I was loved and waited. I'm almost used to everything British. I must admit that Edwardian era and Britain are simply charming compared to the place where I have lived all my life.
There were 10 minutes left before the end of my lunch break. Someone's warm soft hands touched my eyes, closing them.
"Dorothy?" I touched her hands.
She sat down on the bench next to me. Dorothy was cheerful, but I was sad. Very possible that this is the last day we see each other.
"Why are you so sad, Henry?"
"No, not sad. A little tired. I have three more hours of the watch."
"I hope you'll come to dinner in honor of the captain tonight?"
"The captain gave me an invitation. I will come, although I'm not sure for how long. Work, you know."
"Of course, I understand that you are working here, not just travelling."
I smiled at her. Then took Dorothy's hand and led her to a secluded corner on the boat deck.
Dorothy had very soft skin and smelled of orchids. When we kissed, I forgot about everything. Just got dizzy. Of course, I understood that this is a relationship without a future. Kind of a holiday romance. But it was awesome. Then we will arrive in New York and go in different directions. Dorothy will return to her world of the rich, and I will be preparing Titanic for the return voyage to England. Fairytales exist only in movies.
April 13
Evening
The sun is starting to set. The horizon is empty. Even the ocean plunged into boredom. Not even a smoke on the horizon. Lowe uses the sextant to calculate our coordinates. I sent Pitman to make the rounds. Evening rounds I will do by myself.
The captain comes to the bridge.
"Report the situation, Mr. Wilde."
"Watch goes without incidents, sir."
"Were there ice warnings?"
"Not a single one. Everything is calm. Complete calm."
"Wonderful. Speed?"
"22 knots sir."
"Fine. Keep the speed at least twenty-two. At seven I expect you to dinner at the captain's table."
The captain went to change into dress uniform.
Exactly at 19-00 I come to a first-class restaurant. Titanic orchestra played waltz "Waves of the Danube". I smiled, nodding affably, to the musicians. Taking a glass of champagne from the waiter, stepping aside, listened to the waltz to the end. How can all these people sit chewing during such magical melodies?
Diamonds blind your eyes. How many suitcases do you need to carry with you in order to go out once in each dress? You can go crazy if you carry a mountain of tailcoats, evening dresses, jewelry boxes with you every trip. The cult of materialism here is much more developed than in my world. At the airport, a person carrying ten suitcases would be looked at with irony, on the Titanic they are looked at with respect. At school, we were told: how many languages a person knows, so many times he or she is a human. Here, how many suitcases a person takes with him or her on a trip, so many times he or she is a human.
Women from the upper classes are behaving quite expectedly - smiles, small talk. They don't pay attention to me. What is some ship officer to them? Even Chief.
Men go a little over the top with grease. Tailcoats fit well on everyone. A handmade suit has not yet spoiled a single person.
Sitting at the table, I find an infernal number of forks. I feel like Jack Dawson. Thanks to the greatest invention of the future - the Internet. From there, a few years ago, when I was going to buy dishes for myself, I learned about the purpose of various cutlery.
Until tonight's dinner, I didn't really see the dining room. I'm completely delighted with it. It is one thing to read about the luxurious Jacobin style and quite another to see for yourself. Solid soft chairs upholstered in leather, snow-white tablecloths, exquisite crockery. The ceilings are decorated with intricate patterns. Luxurious chandeliers. Advertising did not deceive. Full immersion in the atmosphere of a solid English manor.
All first-class passengers could eat here at the same time. After our dinner, the captain told me that it was impossible to transfer without permission. Each passenger was riveted to a specific table. So, if you were not lucky enough to sit in the company of a boring old lady or a vulgar, elderly millionaire, you had to endure unpleasant fellow travelers for a whole week of travel. The meaning of this rule remains a mystery to me. So British.
Waiters dressed in short white tuxedos began to serve dinner. Being hungry and tired after the watch, I wanted everything at once. In the officer's canteen we were fed very tasty, but much more modestly. Who will spend caviar on us?
