1Chapter 9
As Delia approached her cabin, she could hear someone sobbing uncontrollably. When she reached the door she realized it was coming from within her room. It was Rose. Delia entered and found her sitting on the bed huddled in the corner, her face buried between her knees. Delia's sisters sat on the opposite bunk, watching her helplessly.
"She's been this way for nearly an hour now. I don't know what to do," said Cathleen, the elder of the three sisters. Her green eyes pleaded Delia for help.
Delia climbed onto the bed beside Rose and stroked her hair gently as she cried. "I think it's all just hitting her now Cait. Best thing to do is just let her cry". Cathleen, or Cait as she liked to be called, nodded in agreement. Delia continued, "Maybe it would be best if we just let her be for a while. Perhaps you and Elizabeth should start heading out for dinner. I'll stay with Rose."
"Alright," Cathleen agreed and the two sisters left Delia and Rose in private.
As soon as her sisters left the room, Delia felt it was safe to talk. She had to warn Rose of this stranger who was pursuing her. He had said Rose was his fiancé, yet Rose claimed to be married to a man named Jack. Delia doubted that this man who had accosted her could be the Jack whom Rose was so desperately seeking, but she also believed that Rose was in fact this man's fiancé. Rose hadn't been telling Delia the whole truth, that she knew for certain.
Delia grabbed Rose with both arms and shook her gently. "Rose...Rose! Listen to me. I know you're terribly upset right now but we need to talk. Rose!" She continued to shake her until Rose finally looked up and acknowledged her. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. "Rose," Delia continued, "Why did you run from me up on deck?"
Rose sighed deeply and rubbed at her eyes, trying to regain her composure. "It was nothing Delia. I just felt...overwhelmed".
"Rose, on my way back to the cabin, someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me into a closet. I tried to get away from him but he restrained me. He called me Rose. He was looking for you. Who is he Rose?"
"Oh Delia! He didn't hurt you, did he?" Delia shook her head. Rose closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath before beginning her story. "I'm sure it was my fiancé you met". Delia nodded. "Oh Delia, I don't know where to begin. It's a long story".
"At the beginning Rose. You can talk to me. I promise you your secrets are safe with me, ok?" Rose nodded and managed a slight smile.
"Alright, from the beginning then. I boarded Titanic with my mother and fiancé, Cal Hockley. You might have heard of his father? Nathan Hockley? Pittsburgh steel tycoon?"
Delia's eyes widened with surprise. "Of course, who hasn't? Hmmmm, I would have expected more from a member of high society".
"You'd be surprised Delia. That kind of life is not what it appears to be. I know all too well. It was different though before my father passed away, just a little over a year ago. He died suddenly of a heart attack. When he died it turned my whole world upside-down. Suddenly certain things didn't seem so important anymore. My mother and I had been left flat broke and we didn't even know it. It seems my father had gambled all of the money away but we had gotten by because of our family name and the fact that he was so well-liked. He was a charmer and people trusted him so they let him get by and all the while, the debt just kept growing and growing. Needless to say, when he passed away they all came knocking. Mother was frantic. She silently sold off pieces of jewelry, family heirlooms, to keep us on our feet until she could marry me off to the wealthiest eligible bachelor she could find".
"So, this is where Cal comes in?", Delia inquired.
"Yes. Mother was grieving her fortune more than her husband. I was so disgusted. I was devastated by the loss of my father, yet all my mother could worry about was that she might have to sell her beloved jewels. She would rather sell her daughter's soul than a diamond ring. It made me open my eyes Delia, about what's really important in life. Family, and love, not wealth and social status. I would have given up everything to have just one more day with my father. Just to even be able to say goodbye, and I love you. Anyway, it wasn't long before Cal came into the picture. My mother didn't have to look very hard. Cal had approached my mother, asking her permission to see me. Mother was overjoyed of course. Honestly, I had always thought he was very handsome and for a moment I thought that maybe I had lucked out. It turns out that I discovered good looks are not important either. I knew I didn't like him after only five minutes. Mother didn't care about what I thought of him. Within a year we were engaged."
Delia looked bewildered. "Why didn't you just refuse to marry him Rose?"
"As much as I disapprove of my mother's behavior I still love her. Before my father passed she was different. I think beyond my anger I pitied her. She was a lost soul. I was willing to go along with it until it just became unbearable. I couldn't see myself living the rest of my life with Cal. I would rather be poor and happy than wealthy and miserable. I always thought as long as I had my mother that was all that mattered, but unfortunately I could never convince mother to see things my way. She didn't understand how there could be happiness without money. So, I continued to go along with it. After Cal proposed, they began planning the engagement gala which was to be held after we returned from Europe, via the Titanic."
"And this is where Jack comes into the picture?", Delia prodded.
"Yes," she replied, with a new wave of tears threatening but she maintained her composure. "Now that we were on our way back home, things became so much more real. I felt as if the Titanic were a slave ship, taking me back to America in chains and as much as I protested, those holding me captive refused to loosen them. My mother kept laying on the guilt. Cal seized every opportunity to embarrass and belittle me. I loathed him more and more each day. My head was swimming the entire time. At dinner one night, I began to see my entire life as if I had already lived it. The same narrow people and their mindless chatter. I thought that if this was they way I had to live my life well, I would rather have not lived at all. I excused myself from dinner and began running towards the stern of the ship. I climbed over the railing, turning to face the water. I held onto the railing with my arms, inching my body closer and closer to the water, daring myself to let go. That's when Jack saved me." Rose smiled at the mention of his name. "I wasn't really going to jump of course. He saved my soul Delia. I was so touched that this stranger who knew nothing about me would risk his own life to save me because he appreciated how precious a life was, and that the way that you live your life was not something that was predetermined by others. It's what you decide to make of it. He was inspiring. I fell in love with him Delia. I know it sounds crazy, but he was magnetic. Before we struck the iceberg, I had decided to leave it all behind and go with him and live the life I had always dreamed of, but now he's gone Delia. He's gone and I can only dream of what life might have been like with him. One thing I know for certain is that I'm not going back to my old life. Jack opened my eyes to a world of potential and I intend to take advantage of my new found freedom. I made him a promise that no matter what happens, no matter how hopeless things may seem, that I would survive. I hope now you understand why I did what I did."
Delia smiled and nodded, fighting back tears of her own. She and her family had also left behind an unsatisfying life to pursue happiness in America where there was a world of opportunity only to find that the struggle to make ends meet would take a major toll on their morale. She had spent many nights lying in bed dreaming of heading out for the horizon whenever she felt like it. To see the world. For the first time in her life, after hearing Rose's inspiring story, her dream no longer seemed so unrealistic. If Rose could do it, so could she and perhaps they would just do it together.