The Trunk

…Only a few more steps, was the thought of Rose Calvert as she made her slow ascent up the narrow staircase. The wooden steps creaked and moaned beneath her feet as she made her way up to the narrow little door that led to the small attic room.

She glanced up towards it and felt her heart speed up a bit. It had been years since she had been up here. Not since her beloved Andrew had passed. But what lay behind those doors was a part of Rose that no one even knew existed, not even Andrew. They had been married for fifty-two years and each day was a blessing and a gift. She had done her best to make him happy and he had done the same for her.

Finally, she reached the top and paused for a moment to catch her breath. Age had its restrictions, restrictions that Rose hated. Trapped inside of this old body was a young woman who still yearned for adventure. Not that she didn't have her fill of them back in the day because she certainly had lived her life on her own terms. But, no matter that she had lived to see a hundred, she could always think of things she wished she could have done, seen or accomplished before time passed her by.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she focused on the doorknob and gave it a twist. It gave a low creak as she pushed it open. Peering inside the dim room, she felt around for the light switch next to the door facing and clicked it on. Suddenly a muted yellowish glow appeared over everything exposing the confines of the shadowy room. Adjusting her eyes, Rose gripped her cane and went in further doing a quick scan of the contents.

That's when she saw it. The trunk… her trunk. Smiling to herself, she came over it and stopped in front of it. It was still as huge as she remembered. It was cumbersome, but it held everything dear to her. It was a mixture of leather and mahogany and on a brass plate secured to the top was the inscription, Rose Dawson.

She and this trunk had seen many a wonderful trip together. She had purchased it while she was working as an actress and it's scarred sides and worn appearance told of it's usefulness to her.

On the outside it didn't look like much, but what was on the inside was priceless. She bent forward, holding her cane tightly and ran her withered hand across the brass plating. Such a long time ago, but still so fresh in her mind. She bent down further and felt her bones protest at the movement. It didn't matter now, she wanted to open it, to see inside.

Once she was on the floor, she unlocked the trunk and lifted the lid. A multitude of memories came spilling out as she looked upon each item. Everything had a meaning and everything had a memory attached to it. There were mementos from every aspect of her life in this worn trunk, from her actress days to her marriage and the birth of her children and beyond. But, deep down inside of it hidden and locked away for years was who and what Rose Dawson Calvert really was.

She set aside each item with care, sometimes stopping to ponder over the size of a baby bootie that belonged to her daughter, Lilly or the drawing of a purple elephant from her son, Seth. They were precious and wonderful and meant everything to her. Still, she went deeper inside the trunk, setting things out until she reached the bottom. A small silver hoop attached to the bottom was the only thing that hinted there was more. With a tug, it lifted a bit.

Rose pulled the panel up and looked over it down into the lower belly of the trunk. With a catch in her throat, her weary eyes rested upon the object of her quest. She closed them and immediately her mind wandered back…

It had been cold down in the bowels of the ship, but inside of the Renault it was warm. They lay together, his head upon her chest. She stroked his hair and he kissed her again. Then he lifted her discarded dress and held it up to her. "I believe this is yours," he grinned.

"I believe you may be right," she answered taking it from him. He held on to it and came forward, kissing her sweetly.

Rose touched her lips, which were no longer full and supple, but lips that Jack had once kissed with passion and love. She set the panel aside and reached for what she had come up here for. Her dress…

It was still beautiful, the soft pastel colors still visible in spite of the years. She had kept it all this time. The dress represented her promise to Jack, her promise to live a full life. She had worn it on their last night together, the night the Titanic had sunk from beneath them, the night her world had changed forever… the night Jack died. She held it to face and felt the cool, smooth material against her aged and withered cheek. As they always did, the memories came easily to her. They were never too far from her heart.

Rose smiled as she placed the dress carefully back in the trunk for she knew this was the last time she would see it again. She was going back to Jack now. She knew it and she wanted it more than anything. She and Lizzie were leaving in the morning to fly out to the Keldysh and she wouldn't be coming back. She had kept her promise all of these years and now it was time.

She was finally going home to Jack… forever.