"Jack, I don't understand. " Rose shook her head in confusion.
Jack squeezed her hand tighter. "It's gonna be alright. Rose, there's something I need you to understand. My mother died giving birth to me. My father remarried and I was convinced that was my real mother. I knew she wasn't however, it just didn't feel right."
Rose cut him off. "You don't understand-my mother was a nightmare. She found me after the sinking and tried with everything she had to convince me to go back to Cal."
"And she won." Jack finished. "You let her win, and I was never more disappointed in you in my entire life. I thought you knew better but you let her trick you."
"I don't know what I was thinking. I was desperate, I needed money, and shelter. I HAD to turn to my mother. I thought she had changed, and wouldn't take me for granted." Rose looked out into the front yard. There were soft rumbles of thunder in the distance followed by the sky darkening as it inched towards the residence. Recalling the biggest mistake she had made and her many attempts to escape, her most successful almost getting her killed.
"Ok, I'll go. Can't guarantee I'll come backā¦" Rose felt her heart sinking into her stomach. What would she say? Was this even mendable? She hugged Jack and kissed him several times before finally breaking away.
After what felt like an eternity, she sat in the park and waited. She watched small children swing as high as they could, while others chased each other on the playground equipment. Rose looked around anxiously until she finally saw her. After a deep breath, she got up and began to walk towards her.
Thoughts raced thru her head like raindrops on a windowpane during a downpour. It had been years since she saw her mother. What was Jack thinking? Why did he set this up? Is it a trap? Does he not want me? Did SHE set this up? "Rose?" Ruth looked at her and swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm so sorry."
Rose looked at her, wide-eyed and confused. "What?"
"I'm sorry. For everything. I should have never put you through what I did."
Rose stared at her blankly. "It's not polite to stare Rose!" Ruth snipped.
"I don't know what to say. What DO you say to the woman who put herself before me? I can't forgive you mother. I just can't. You where selfish, and used me. Forced me into a marriage that I had no interest in, ignoring me when I tried to talk to you about this, getting angry at me and reminding me how our lives depended on this marriage." Rose paused, thinking about what she had just said.
"I just wanted what was best for you. I thought you were happy, that you wanted to be with Cal. When you first met him you seemed so happy. I hadn't seen you that happy since before your father passed."
"Where is he?"
"I'm not sure. Rose, when you left me that night, a part of me died. You where the last piece I had of him, and when you ran off after him, someone you had known for three days-it reminded me of myself. I met your father and three weeks later I was pregnant with you. He took care of me, we ran away and started a new life together. He gambled profusely and that was our main income. When he died, so did the money. All we had left was bad debts."
"So you used me and you knew it. Then you wondered why I hated you." Rose looked away in discust.
"Yes. I talked Cal into proposing to you. He was hesitant at first because you two had only known each other for two months. But we needed his money to survive. Once I learned what it was like to have money, I never wanted to be penniless again."
Ruth attempted to swallow the lump in her throat again, hoping her daughter would understand. Rose continued to look away in disgust. "Rose?"
She shook her head and began to walk away. "Rose? Rose, come back here!" Ruth chased after her and walked in front of Rose, causing her to stop. When she tried to move, Ruth mimicked the movement. Rose looked up and inhaled. "I need time to think. I can't do this right now."
Rose moved suddenly and shuffled away, leaving her mother to stand there and stare at her. Rose felt her beady eyes glaring at her walking away but didn't turn to look. She just shook her head, trying to make sense of this. "Jack set me up. But why?"
