Ch. 9: Preparing to Move On (Rose's POV)
After her arrival in Santa Monica, Rose found a job as a waitress at a small diner nearby the pier. She was able to find a small apartment nearby. The work was long and tiring, but she did make some great tips. She took on a happy and pleasant personality at work, which made her a hit among her co-workers and the customers.
Rose never thought that she could be so outgoing, and she suspected that it had to be because of Jack's influence on her. It also could do with the fact that she was free to be herself.
She gradually made friends with the majority of her co-workers. The other girls were amazed that a pretty girl like Rose was unmarried. They were even shocked when Rose replied she didn't plan on marrying anytime soon. Rose knew no matter what class she was from, women were expected to eventually settle down and marry. Some of her gentlemen customers would try to flirt with her, but she would rebuff their advances. In Rose's opinion, no man could hold a candle to Jack. Jack was now her standard to which she compared other men to. If she was to fall in love again, she wanted someone who was kind and somewhat adventurous. Most importantly she wanted a man who made her feel safe again. She had that sense of safety with Jack; Jack truly had cared about her wellbeing. He proved that during the sinking and paid dearly for it with his life. All she knew she did not want another Cal in her life again.
Rose had been so busy adjusting to her new life, that she really hadn't a chance to explore Santa Monica again. She did manage to ride the rollercoaster on one of her days off… she had a lot of fun, and was surprised she didn't throw up. She decided against drinking the cheap beer; at least until she had a friend accompany her. She found the stable where tourists could pay to ride the horses for a few hours. The horses were lovely, but she had no one to teach her how to ride. Again, she wished that Jack was here with her.
Rose had to admit to herself that she was beginning to feel lonely being out in the world. At least in New York, she had Maggie. But at least her life wasn't too bad…she had a job and a place to stay. Her mother would be shocked seeing her live like this, but Rose was glad to be out of her mother's rule. She may not be living in the lap of luxury, but she was free to make her own decisions.
There was a young man, who had been stopping by the diner regularly. His name was Robert Calvert, and was an aspiring photographer. He managed to befriend Rose, and Rose was surprised how much Robert reminded her of Jack.
Robert was almost as tall as Jack, and also had blue eyes. Not the same shade as Jack's, but they carried the same warmth. Robert had an easy-going personality, which made her like him enough to become friends.
It was pure chance that Rose and Robert met. Rose had been working, when one of the male customers had been harassing her. The burly man had pinched her backside, which made Rose extremely angry. Rose said, "Excuse me sir… that was uncalled for. I am trying to work here, so leave me alone or I will ask you to leave."
The man chuckled and said, "Oh, come on, doll face, I just meant it as a joke. You're such a pretty lass, that I couldn't resist."
Rose was about to say something, when a young man sitting at a nearby table spoke up. The young man said, "Sir that was highly uncalled for. The lady is simply trying to do her job; she doesn't need to be harassed by a pig like you. Now leave the lady alone, or I'll drag you out the door myself. Oh, and apologize to the lady." The older man said, "You must be joking!" The young man said, "No, I'm not. I'm being deadly serious." He gave the burly man a look that showed he was serious, leaving the older man in complete surprise. The burly man quickly murmured an apology, paid his tab, and quickly walked out of the door.
Robert was secretly happy that the burly man walked off… he really didn't want to get into a fight, but the poor waitress did not deserve that kind of treatment from a man. The young girl was indeed beautiful, and he was impressed that she had stood up for herself.
Rose was very surprised that this stranger intervened… it would be something that Jack would do. She quickly noticed that the man was preparing to leave, and knew she couldn't let that man leave without thanking him.
Rose said, "Wait… I want to thank you for what you did. Not many would have interfered." Robert smiled and said, "It's not a problem miss. It was my pleasure…I just didn't think it was right the way that man was treating you. You are trying to work; and in my opinion, you should be treated with respect. I was impressed that you tried to stand up to him."
Rose said, "Well, he was being very rude. I came from a world where women had to hold their tongues, and I no longer want to be treated as an object. I'm no longer afraid to stick up for myself."
Robert chuckled said, "Well, they do say that redheads do have tempers. Are you sure you're not Irish?" Rose laughed and said, "I'm originally from Philadelphia! There may be some on my mother's side of the family, though."
Robert said, "Ahh… so you're from back east. Forgive me for asking, but you sound awfully refined for a waitress. What's your name?"
Rose said, "I'm Rose Dawson. Now that I've told you my name, what's yours?" Robert smiled and said, "I'm Robert Calvert, but you can call me Bobby. So you're a Dawson? Are you related to the Boston Dawsons? They seem to be all over the society gossip lately."
Rose said, "Actually no. I was born and raised in Philadelphia to old money, but we lost it all." Robert said, "Oh… let me guess Dawson must be your husband's name?"
Rose slightly bristled, not sure of how she would refer to Jack. Jack was her soulmate, but they were never married. She only took his name to honor him, and she couldn't share that with a stranger.
Rose said, "Oh, I'm not married. I was previously engaged to a bastard of a man, and have no intention of marrying anytime soon."
Robert said, "Sorry Rose, I didn't mean to make assumptions. Usually a pretty girl like you is already married. But it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope to see you again."
Robert gave her a grin, one that was damn close to one of Jack's, and left the diner. Leaving Rose awfully curious about the man that she just met.
Emily, the other waitress working the shift and one of Rose's new friends, quickly walked up to her. Emily grinned and said, "So I see that you met Bobby Calvert?" Rose said, "Yeah, I take it that you know him?"
Emily said, "Bobby happens to be a really good friend of mine. He's a photographer…does some pictures for the local newspaper. But he loves to take photos of the tourists at the docks. He really would like to work in the movie industry one day… some of his pictures have caught the attention of some movie producers. He's a real nice guy…he's a little adventurous, but he's real protective of his friends."
Rose smiled and said, "Sounds awfully like someone I used to know. Bobby helped me deal with a rather rude customer."
Emily said, "I saw that. I had half a mind of slapping that awful man when I saw him pinch you. I'm glad that Bobby said something. Not many men would have interfered."
Rose said teasingly, "You seem to admire him… you sure he's not a potential love interest?" Emily laughed and said, "Bobby's good looking, but he's like a big brother to me. He did seem to take a liking to you, Rose."
Rose let out a small laugh and said, "We barely just met! And now you're trying to fix me up with him. As I said before, I'm not looking to fall in love anytime soon."
Emily said, "Rose, I know that you said that you went through an engagement from hell. But not every man is going to be like that jerk. You deserve to give your heart another try to fall in love."
Rose wished it could be that easy… she hoped that one day she could open up her heart again. Jack sure left his mark on her heart, and it would not be easy for her to fall in love again so soon. She wondered if she could fall in love again after losing her soulmate. She knew that Jack would want her to be happy again, but for now the best thing she could offer another man was her friendship.
The following week, Rose decided to enjoy her day off by the pier. She gathered up her courage and decided to head to the stable. The stable hand was very nice, and quickly showed her how to mount the horse "like a man". They had a laugh when Rose mentioned that she had previously learned how to ride sidesaddle, and the stable hand insisted that she'll be more comfortable and able to handle the horse a lot better than she would riding sidesaddle.
The stable hand had chosen a beautiful dark-brown horse that was great for beginners. Rose was thrilled as she rode the horse down the beach. She had little trouble with the huge animal, and she couldn't stop the huge smile that was forming on her face. She couldn't believe that she was riding a horse the way that her and Jack had talked about doing…the only thing that would have made this moment perfect if Jack had been by her side.
Bobby Calvert was taking pictures on the beach, when he saw the lovely waitress that he had helped at the diner. Bobby couldn't believe that Rose was riding a horse, but he loved how happy and relaxed she looked. She had stopped the horse for a moment to relax, and Bobby saw the perfect opportunity to take a photograph of her in the moment.
After Bobby had taken the photograph, Rose had seen him and gave him a friendly smile and wave. Bobby smiled and waved back…he couldn't wait to develop his pictures and hoped that the picture of Rose was a great one.
After developing the pictures, Bobby was astonished. The picture of Rose was one of his best pictures, and he decided to make a copy of the picture to give to Rose.
A few days later Bobby headed to the diner, and to his luck, Rose was working. He sat down at a table, and quickly put his gift down. He was happy that Rose was the waitress that walked up to him.
Rose saw Bobby come in with what looked like a small package. She was happy to see her new friend though. Rose walked up, with a menu in her hand, and said "Hello Bobby. It's nice to see you again. How may I help you?"
Bobby said, "Well, could I please have a cup of coffee? I'm not planning to stay very long. I got to head to the newspaper in a while."
Rose smiled and said, "Sure, I'll be right back." Rose went to the waitress station, poured the cup of coffee, and returned to hand Bobby his coffee.
Rose replied, "Here's your coffee Bobby. Would you like anything else?" Bobby said, "Oh, this is perfect. Actually I stopped by to give you this." Bobby quickly handed her his gift, and he was amused seeing the surprised expression on Rose's face.
Rose said, "Bobby, what is this?" Bobby said, "It's just a little something that I thought that you would like. Well, go on. Open it."
Rose opened the package and was surprised seeing the picture. The picture showed a young woman riding a horse…to her amazement it was her! Rose was amazed seeing herself in the picture; she looked beautiful, happy, and relaxed. The picture was so much better than the past portraits of her looking like a porcelain doll. Tears threatened to well up in her eyes… it brought back memories of the drawing that Jack did of her. She was touched by the thoughtful gift, and knew that she had to thank Bobby.
Rose said, "Bobby, thank you. I didn't even notice that you had taken my picture." Bobby said, "I saw how happy you looked riding that horse, that I figured it would make a lovely photograph. I'm glad you like it."
Rose smiled, "I more than like it…I love it. You are really talented. Thank you for such a lovely gift…this is one I'll treasure."
Bobby gave a wide grin and said, "Well, Rose, thank you for the compliment. I better go." Bobby quickly paid for his coffee, and headed for the door.
Rose couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day. But now her thoughts were confused….what was she going to do about Bobby? She really liked the young man, and he had a personality that was awfully similar to Jack. Bobby had obviously taken an interest in her, but she decided to just start out being friends with him. She decided that would be the best course of action; maybe one day she could fall in love with Bobby or someone like him, but for now a friendship would work.