Ode to Titanic: A musical experience

Chapter Five

Rose sat at her vanity dresser, brushing her hair and listening to her favorite music box, as she got lost in thoughts of the young man that had saved her life. She'll be seeing him again tomorrow. She couldn't believe it. Of course, she knew it was all a joke to Cal. An attempt to embarrass, not only the young man but herself as well. But she couldn't wait to look into those wonderful blue eyes again. To be the object of their attention. Sighing, she placed the brush back on the table and jumped when Cal spoke up from the doorway.

"I know you've been melancholy. I don't pretend to know why," He stepped into the room and leaned over her as he withdrew a long jewelry box from behind his back.

Rose sighed. Another necklace. She has a thousand necklaces from him already. Couldn't he give her something new as a gift? Like a real interest in her thoughts. Maybe even a book?

"I was going to wait to give you this at the engagement gala, but I see now is the time. I hope this expresses my feelings for you," He opened the box and Rose gasped in shock. She had read about this necklace in her history lessons. She had seen it only once in a museum.

Cal smiled with satisfaction at Rose's reaction. He was hoping for that. He lifted the necklace out of the box and drapped it over Rose's neck.

"It's le ´Coeur de la mer´," Rose gasped.

"Yes. The Heart Of The Ocean. From the jewel crown of King Lewis the fourteenth. It's meant for royalty Rose, and we are royalty."

Rose lightly touched the blue stone, trying to think of ways to tell him that she couldn't accept it. It was too much. "It's overwhelming."
Cal smiled and got down on one knee. "Ah open your heart to me Rose. I can never deny you…if you don't deny me."

Being met with silence, Cal got up as music began to play.

Cal: You've been dreaming, just one dream
Nearly all your life
Hoping, scheming, just one theme:
Will you be a wife?
Will you be some he-man's property?
Good news! That he-man's me!
This equation, girl plus man
Doesn't help just you
On occasion, women can
Have their uses too
Mainly to extend the fam'ly tree
Pumpkin, extend with me!
We'll be raising sons galore

Rose: Inconceivable!

Cal: Each built six foot four!

Rose: Unbelievable!

Cal: Each stuffed with every Caledon gene!

Rose: I'm not hearing this!

Cal: You'll be keeping house with pride!

Rose: Just incredible!

Cal: Oh so gratified

Rose: So unweddable!

Cal: That you are a part of this idyllic scene

Picture this: A rustic hunting lodge,
my latest kill roasting over the fire,
my little wife massaging my feet, while
the little ones play on the floor with the dogs.
We'll have six or seven!

Rose: Dogs?

Cal: No, Rose! Strapping boys...like me!

Rose: Imagine that!

Cal: I can see that we will share
All that love implies
We shall be a perfect pair
Rather like my thighs
You are face to face with destiny!
All roads lead to...
The best things in life are...
All's well that ends with me!
Escape me? There's no way
Certain as "Do, Re,"
Rose, when you marry...

So Rose, what would it be?
Is it "yes", or is it "oh, yes"?

Rose: I...I just don't deserve you!

Cal: Who does?
ME!

"Well think about what you have to look forward too. I'm expected back in the smoking room. Good night Sweetpea," Cal pinched her cheek before sweeping out of the room.

Rose rolled her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was marry that pompous jerk. There had to be a way out of this. There just had to be.

Rose: Is he gone? Oh, can you imagine? He asked me to marry him.
Me, the wife of that boorish, brainless . . .
"Madame Caledon!"
Can't you just see it?
"Madame Caledon!"
His "little wife", ugh!
No sir! Not me!
I guarantee it
I want much more than this provincial life!
I want adventure in the great wide somewhere
I want it more than I can tell
And for once it might be grand
To have someone understand
I want so much more than they've got planned

Hmmm. Someone to understand? To sympathize and probably help her get out of this gilded cage she's been trapped in for so long? Hmmm…then she knew. Of course. It made perfect sense. He was of course her knight in shining armor. She just had to find him tomorrow before they go to dinner. She'll tell him her plight and perhaps they can come up with some ideas. Feeling at peace for the first time in months, Rose went to bed and dreamt of blue eyes and hair of spun gold and a strong warm hand pulling her to freedom.

******************************

The next morning. The sun was shining brightly above Jack and Rose who were walking around the first class deck, deeply absorbed in a conversation. Rose had sought Jack out since she truly owed him a thank you. She hadn't even come to thank him last night. But now, she was listening attentively to Jack who was telling her about how he had grown up and left home.

"Well, I've been on my own since I've been fifteen, since my folks died," he went on, grabbing sketch book he used to carry around tightly in his hand. "I didn't have any brothers or sisters in that part of the country. So I headed out there and I haven't been back since. See, you could call me a tumbleweed, blowing in the wind," he grinned and Rose lightly laughed at that expression. Jack cleared his throat and ran his hand through his hair. "Well, Rose," he began again, "we've walked a mile on this deck and talked about how great the weather's been and how I grew up, but…I reckon that's now why you came to talk to me, is it?"

Rose fumbled with her fingers, suddenly nervous at what she was going to say.

"Mister Dawson, I…,"

"Jack," he interrupted her, calming her nervousness down a bit.

"Jack…I want to thank you for what you did. Not just for…for pulling me back but for your discretion."

"You´re welcome." Jack nodded understandingly, making it impossible for Rose to keep what she really wanted to tell him."

"Look…I know what you must be thinking," she suddenly burst out, surprised at her own directness. "Poor little rich girl. What does she know about misery?"

Jack stopped walking and looked at her seriously. "No, no, that's not what I was thinking," he replied honestly, making Rose frown slightly. "What I was thinking was what could have happened to this girl to make her think she had no way out."

Rose looked at him, not bothering to keep her emotions at bay.

"Well, it was everything," she admitted frankly, putting her hands on the railing, letting her eyes survey the ocean. "My whole life and all the people in it. And the emptiness in my life, plunging ahead in me, powerless to stop it." She showed him her engagement ring and Jack let out a slight laugh.

"Gawd, look at that thing! You would have gone straight to the bottom."

Rose went on, not being confused by his remark.

"Five hundred invitations have gone out. All of Philadelphia's society will be there. And all the while I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a crowded room, screaming at the top of my lungs and no one even looks up."

She turned to face him again, looking straight into his eyes.

Soft piano music was played.

Rose: You look at me and see the girl

Who lives inside the golden world

But don't believe

That's all there is to see

You'll never know the real me



She smiles through a thousand tears

And harbors adolescent fears

She dreams of all

That she can never be

She wades in insecurity



Don't say

She takes it all for granted

I'm well aware of all I have

Don't think that I am disenchanted

Please understand



It seems as though I've always been

Somebody outside looking in

Well here I am

For all of them to bleed

But they can't take my heart from me

And they can't bring me to my knees

They'll never know the real me

Jack looked at her for some time.

"Do you love him?" he suddenly asked her and Rose just stared at him, perplexed.

"Pardon me?" she gasped.

"Do you love him?" Jack casually repeated his question. Rose let out a slight laugh.

"You´re being very rude," she answered him, unable to believe the obvious impudence behind this question. "You shouldn't be asking me this."

"Well, it's a simple question. Do you love that guy or not?" Jack urged to know, making Rose gasp again. Jack's straightforwardness was way too much for her.

"This is absurd!" Rose simply replied, trying to avoid the question. "You don´t know me, I don´t know you and we are not having this conversation at all. You are rude, uncouth and presumptuous and I am leaving now. "She was now almost laughing hysterically and shook Jack's hand firmly in an attempt to say good-bye, but Jack just kept on smiling at her.

"Jack, Mister Dawson," she began again, "it's been a pleasure. I sought you out to thank you and now I have thanked you."

"And you've insulted me," Jack interrupted her, giggling and Rose held her breath. "Well…you deserved it," she stated.

"Right."

"Right."

When Rose still didn't leave, he reminded her, still smiling mischievously.

"I thought you were leaving," he grinned."

"I am," Rose laughed, turning around to leave, but suddenly stood still again. She turned to Jack.

"Wait! This is my part of the ship. You leave!" she exclaimed, but Jack just laughed loudly.

"Well, well, well…now who's being rude?"

Rose stared at him wide-eyed, not knowing what to say. Her gaze suddenly turned to Jack's sketchbook

"What's this stupid thing you're carrying around?" she hissed, grabbing the book and sitting down on one of the deck chairs.

"So, what are you, an artist or something?" She opened it and gasped when she glanced at the first drawing.

"Well…these are rather good," she said and Jack sat down next to her. He ran his hand through his hair while Rose was looking through the other sketches.

"These are very good, actually. Jack, this is exquisite work."

"Well, they didn't think too much of them in old Paree," he replied, looking down at his works.

"Paris?" Rose was perplexed and Jack simply nodded.

"Well, you do get around. For a poor…well…a guy of…limited means," she stuttered, trying to stay calm despite the nude drawings in front of her. And after all, she didn't mean to appear too forward, but Jack just kept up his enchanting smile (which could enchant and make every girl calm down, btw…-author's note. ;-)).

"Come on, a poor guy, you can say it," he casually replied.

Rose continued looking at the drawing, completely absorbed in their gorgeousness. "And these were drawn from life?" she wanted to know, indicating to some other nude-girls-drawings and jack just grinned again.

"Well, that's one of the great things about Paris. Lots of girls are willing to take their clothes of."

Rose let out a slight laugh again and looked back at Jack.

"You have a gift Jack," she told him, sighing lightly. "You do. You see people."

"I see you," he said, his eyes piercing her.

Rose smiled broadly and lifted her head proudly. "And?"

"You wouldn´t have jumped."

Rose´s smile broke down and she stared at him, being perplexed once again. She finally realized that he was right.

*********************************

Some time later. Jack and Rose were standing at the railing, surveying the ocean. Jack was telling her everything about his earlier life.

"…so I went down to Los Angeles to the pier in Santa Monica and sketched portraits there for ten cents a piece."

Rose let her eyes travel over the ocean, sighing lightly, almost seeming absentminded.

"Why can´t I be like you, Jack. Just head out for the horizon whenever I feel like it." She pointed to the horizon which seemed do far away and Jack glanced at her, his eyes sparkling.

"Alright, we're going," he simply stated, making Rose laugh lightly.

"We'll drink cheap beer and go on the rollercoaster until we throw up and we'll ride horses on the beach... right in the surf. But you have to ride like a cowboy, none of that side-saddle stuff."

Rose looked at him, quite uncertain. "You mean…one leg on each side? Can you show me?"

"Sure, if you like." He replied, his eyes sparkling even more.

"You'll teach how to ride like a man." Rose went on, barely controlling her amusement.

"And how to chew tobacco like a man," Jack added.

"And…how to spit like a man!" Rose laughed, receiving one of Jack's perplexed looks.

"They didn't show you that in finishing school?" He seemed to be seriously surprised and he just grabbed her hand dragging her towards the railing.

Jack and Rose (starting to sing):

We are taking it easy

Bright and breezy

We are living it up

Just fine and dandy


We are caught in a haze

On the lazy summer days

Spending all of our nights just

A-laughing and kissing, yeah


And it really doesn't matter if we don't eat

And it really doesn't matter if we never sleep

No it really doesn't matter, really doesn't matter at all


Cause we are so young now

We are so young, so young now

And when tomorrow comes

We'll just do it all again


We are chasing the moon

Just running wild and free

We are following through

Every dream and every need


And it really doesn't matter if we don't eat

And it really doesn't matter if we get no sleep

No it really doesn't matter, really doesn't matter at all


Cause we are so young now

We are so young, so young now

And when tomorrow comes

We'll just do it all again

We are so young now

We are so young, so young now

And when tomorrow comes

We'll just do it all again…

----------------

Songs:

1. *ME - from Beauty and the Beast musical

2. *Belle (reprise) - Beauty and the Beast

*words have been changed just a little to fit the situations

3. Mariah Carey – Looking In

4. The Corrs – So Young

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