Television is such a miraculous invention, I'm glad for it's existence. Although it is certainly not as rewarding as designing world class ships, watching t.v. still occupies most of my time here in the future. I, well I daresay I even have a favorite channel! Ironically enough, I discovered it the day after the french fry incident, The Food Network.
Oh I could watch this channel all day! It's the only channel that keeps me sane, some of the food they cook looks as good as the food I ate on the Titanic. But the thing about the future is, they can make the food in a mere 30 minutes or less! I've yet to try and make anything they show me, Helen always did all the cooking at home for a reason after all.
As I watch some people bake cupcakes competitively Jack comes into the apartment after taking Killian for a walk and leaps onto the couch beside me "Hey! Guess what?" he asks me. I worry about Jack, the longer we stay in the future the more childlike he becomes "Yes?" I ask him. He grins widely "Aw come on Mr. Andrews! Surely you can at least try to guess?" he asks. I shake my head, I haven't the slightest idea what he might be thinking, and I don't think I want to know "Just tell me what Phillips!" I tell him.
He frowns "Aren't you a little irritable? What happened to the optimistic shipbuilder I used to know?" he asks, I look back at the television where I can see the cupcake baker I'd been rooting for has been eliminated. I point it out to Jack and he rolls his eyes "Come off it man! Why don't you watch Spongebob instead?" he asks me. I could think of a million reasons why I don't ever want to see that yellow monstrosity again, but I merely reply that it's vulgar.
Suddenly the delinquent comes in, taking off her jacket "Boys, we're going out!" she calls. Jack squeals excitedly and races over to a pink suitcase that is on the floor, which he has basically been living out of. We went shopping for 'modern clothing' a few days ago, although I still managed to maintain my regular stye. In the future though, what I wear is considered 'dress clothes' and the ruffian made me get at least one outfit that was 'casual'. I hope she doesn't expect me to wear it out in public tonight though!
Jack was very excited for modern clothing though, but to a point. He wears a lot of polo shirts, he must have gotten a polo shirt in every color of the rainbow! I am grateful it is only that though, I've seen gentlemen wearing the most atrocious clothing I'd ever seen. I saw a man walking with his pants hanging below his buttocks! When did that become fashionable? It looks horrid!
The ruffian disappeared into her room right after her announcement, and she comes out now wearing a dress not unlike the one she wore when we went back in time together. I believe Nellie, bless her, burned the thing the minute she got it off the girl. I remember her vaguely telling me the pattern on the fabric hurt her eyes and she had to go lie down because she got a migraine from it. My poor darling, I told her that she'd never have to see anything so hideous again so long as I was around. It makes me wonder, since I died, did she ever come across something as horrid as that dress? I feel myself getting worked up slightly as I think about it so I shake my head and return to watching the cupcake war, just to get my mind off everything.
"I'm ready to go!" Jack announces excitedly as he steps out of the bathroom. He's wearing a red polo shirt and a pair of dark jeans, and converse, oh the horrible footwear in this time period! It practically makes my eyes bleed! And the red polo shirt, oh I'm not going think about this anymore, I'm just glad Nellie isn't here to see this, I'm really glad!
Gabby's dress is yellow, and falls about an inch above her knees. I still haven't gotten used to the skirts in this time period being so high. The delinquent told me that I'm lucky we didn't fall in during the summer, or I would have been seeing girls in shorts that were cut so high I would have fainted from sheer shock. From all the things I've seen so far, I believe her. I'm sure Jack wishes he landed here in the summer, the ruffian will have her hands full with him if she is to keep him in line.
Jack sits back next to me and prods me in the arm "Mr. Andrews, lighten up! Don't you want to go out in something less dressy than that?" he asks. I shake my head, I'm perfectly comfortable with what I'm wearing, and I don't care if modern society rejects me for having some 'old fashioned' class. I won't be caught dead in any of this 'casual' wear!
The delinquent picks up her purse from a chair "Alright boys let's go!" she calls to us. Jack eagerly jumps up to follow, but I take my time. I'm not sure where she's taking us, but I pray it's not another fast food place. Maybe it'll be another amusement park! As I walk out the door my leather notebook, which Gabby had pulled out and shown to me yesterday, catches my eye. Surely it wouldn't hurt to bring it with me, for old times sake! I grab it and a pencil off the coffee table and stuff it into my jacket pocket, right next to my pocket watch, which I finally managed to get back from the delinquent. I'm amazed that she was so attached to it still, even with all the modern ways of time keeping, she still depended on my gold pocket watch.
We pile into her car, Jack calling the passenger seat like he has every single time we've taken her car since the theme park. I think he was secretly embarrassed to have fallen asleep in the backseat, but sitting up front hasn't necessarily made any difference. I get in and sit behind Jack, wishing I could be back in the apartment so I could see who won the cupcake battle. I'm a little wary of her driving, she has never done anything that would make me worry for my safety but still, I don't think that she should drive. What if she takes us on some sort of wild road adventure out of the blue? What if that's what she's planning right now? I mean, another 4 hour drive this late at night?
As we drive Jack turns on the radio and blasts Katy Perry songs one after the other. He found a new favorite song, California Girls. I don't know if I like the way California Girls sound. Still, he sings along cheerfully "California girls we're unforgettable! Daisy Dukes Bikinis on top! Sun-kissed skin so hot will melt yer Popsicle! Oooooh Oh Oooooooh". I have to wonder if he even knows what half of what he's talking about means. What's a bikini? And more importantly, who's Daisy Duke? She must have some sort of serious fever if her skin is hot enough to melt popsicles, I hope she got some medical attention for that!
Suddenly the car comes to a stop and Gabby turns it off, cutting Jack's song off short much to his disappointment. He looks over at her and she smiles brightly at him "Don't worry Jack, we've come to a place of music" she tells him. I don't like the way this sounds, not a bit, not one little bit. We step out of the car and begin heading towards a building, that has a line going out the door and down the street! There's a bright and colorful sign over the front door that says 'Fabric'. She's taken us clothes shopping again? I thought this was a place of music?
The closer and closer we get to the building, the more knotted my stomach becomes. I'm actually, a bit afraid of what I might face in there. There is some sort of loud thumping and a lot of other noise coming from within the building, and it makes me uneasy. The park I could see what I was getting into long before I actually had to do it. Here I have no idea what could possibly be inside there! Gabby just stands next to me chewing gum and Jack's talking to some stranger waiting in line behind us with a hood pulled down over his eyes, he looks rather sketchy to me. The delinquent nudges me "Thomas? It's gonna be alright, you'll see" she assures me. I'll take her word for it, on Titanic nothing bad usually happened when I took her word for it, and in the modern day it still seems to hold true, but who knows!
A guard stops us as the door and asks us for identification, Gabby nonchalantly pulls her drivers license out of her bag and then hands him the identification she got for me and Jack while we were clothes shopping. The guard nods and waves us into the building, the ruffian links arms with Jack and I and escorts us into the chaos inside.
The first thing I notice is it's very dark in here, and loud! And there are bright colorful flashing lights everywhere! And there are multitudes of people, all cramped in this room jumping up and down in beat to the wild thumping of this, 'music'. It's causing me a great amount of distress, but I have to be brave! The ruffian said it'd be alright, and I sank on the Titanic for goodness sake! Honestly, what could be scarier than awaiting your own death? The girl hands Jack and I some money and smiles "This is for the bar!" she says over the crowd. I try to tell her I don't drink but suddenly she's gone, and Jack's gone too! They must have gone out into that crowd of people!
Alright, don't panic, it'll all be alright. I just need to find somewhere to go and calm my nerves. I look around frantically, how do I navigate this crowd? I'm a gentlemen, I'm not going to just push and shove my way through the crowd! Someone shoves me from behind though and nearly causes me to fall on my face. I'm on some sort of weird floor, that pulses to the music that is pounding in my ears! As interesting as this floor may be, I wish very strongly that Mr. Hartley were here to play some real music. I miss the sweet sounds of his violin at first class dinner. I miss making small talk with Mr. Astor and Mrs. Brown! I even miss Mr. Ismay! Oh I would ride that 200 foot rollercoaster a hundred times just to be with him again! I need someone to get me out of here!
Finally I manage to stumble out of the crowd. I think a few people grabbed me in places that only Nellie has ever come close to, and it is rather upsetting. I want to go home! I'm never trusting that ruffian again! Never! My cheeks feel wet and I realize I'm so distraught and fearful that I'm crying! No, I'm an Irishmen! And Irishmen don't cry over silly things like this! I didn't cry on the Titanic, I didn't cry at the amusement park, and I'm not going to cry now! I'm going to have to cope, but maybe a stop in a washroom wouldn't hurt. I scan the room and spot a light that points in the direction of a bathroom. I must get there! I must!
I manage to make it there, and I push open the door and go to the sink. This room is sheltered slightly from the chaos outside, and I lean over the sink and try to catch my breath. I feel horrible, just horrible. I've never been so scared in all my life. All my senses were just, assaulted in so many ways! Some ways I don't even think I can explain! I've been touched where nobody is supposed to touch me, and, I let out a quiet sob, I just want to go home! I miss Nellie! I miss Elba! I miss Belfast and the shipyard! I don't like this society at all, there's no class here! They're all just like the ruffian, in fact the ruffian looks like a heaven sent angel compared to them!
Suddenly my thoughts are broken by a women poking my arm "Hey buddy, why the water works? Tough day?" she asks me. One glance at this women shows that she is not one of high class. She's wearing a purple dress that stops little less than halfway down her thigh and is cut low enough on the top to make me blush. And she's wearing stockings that look as though they're make of fishnets, with heels so high I can't comprehend how she walks in them. Her face, oh her eyes are outlined in layers of black eyeliner and mascara, with blue eyeshadow that is very unbecoming. She's wearing bright red lipstick as well, which she must have come in here to reapply.
Yet even though she's most definitely a, um, prostitute of some sort, I decide to talk with her "No, I've never been to a, whatever this place is before. And I'm a little..." she chuckles "Aw Honey, a bit shy? No need to be bashful. Here, lemme take you to the bar, a drink'll calm yer nerves a bit alright?". I nod and she takes my hand, shaking it "My name's Vixie. Who are you?" she asks, I swallow "Thomas" I reply. She once again laughs, and I can't decide if it's unnerving or reassuring. She takes my hands and leads me back out into the fray, across the thumping floor, where I think I catch a glimpse of the ruffian and Jack having the time of their lives, and to a bar.
The bar, though I've never actually drank or sat at one, is reassuring. It looks the same as any bar I've ever seen! Vixie orders us two, somethings, and the bartender pours two glasses and puts them in front of us. Before I can pull out the money the delinquent gave me Vixie has payed "Don't worry about it, it's on the house!" she tells me, smiling. I take the glass in my hand, wary of the liquid inside, I've seen what alcohol can do, it doesn't do good things! Vixie has already downed a few sips of hers though "Go on ahead buddy! It won't hurt ya!" she says. Alright, I take a sip and pull a face, it's horrid!
I must be quite entertaining, because she laughs for what seems like the hundredth time "You'll get used to the taste. It's acquired taste! Here, have some more!" she encourages. I take a few more sips, and she's right! It isn't so bad after all! Before I know it I've emptied my glass, and she was right, I feel a lot calmer than before! I quickly order another drink and she cheers "Thata boy Thomas!" she says. Suddenly a man appears behind her and whispers something in her ear. She empties her glass in one swig and looks over at me "Sorry buddy, I gotta take this. Business ya know. Anyway, hope to see ya again sometime Thomas" she slips me a piece of paper with a number on it "Call me sometime!" she calls as the other man leads her away. I stuff the paper in my pocket, just because.
After a few more glasses, I feel a lot better. I mean, I feel a LOT better! The music doesn't seem so hard on my head anymore, actually, I want to get up and join those young people! You know what? I'm going to! I hop off my bar stool, almost falling over myself. I use the bar to stable myself before making my way towards the crowds jumping up and down on the dance floor. As I make it there a man's voice comes on "Alright you ravers! Time to play an old favorite! Everybody get your rock on!". Suddenly a very familiar song begins playing and it's met by many cheers and hoots.
Maybe Jack and the Delinquent played this song for me once, the Party Rock Anthem. Why does it seem so familiar? Oh who cares? I begin jumping, higher than anyone else! Before I know what I'm doing I'm shouting that I'm king of the world, I feel like I'm king of the world! I'm king of this whole damn world! I don't remember how I did it, but suddenly people are carrying me across the floor over their heads, passing me around! Their hands are touching me in weird spots again but I don't care! This is fun! Yes, I'm having fun! My siblings would be so jealous of the good time I'm having! So would all my mates back in Harland and Wolff! Ha Mr. Harland! Who's the better man now?
Suddenly I fall on the floor, underneath the people's feet. It didn't hurt, but it takes me a minute to get back on my feet, mostly because the room feels as though it's spinning. Maybe it's part of the dance floor, maybe it moves, who knows with the future anymore. I laugh and stumble around, I wish the room would stop moving! Suddenly I bump into Jack and I hiccup "HI JACK!" I shout happily! I'm so happy to see him, I missed him!
He looks at me funny before tugging on the delinquent's arm "Gabby, Gabby someone broke Mr. Andrews!" he says. She turns and looks at me, before rolling her eyes "Oh Tommie, I didn't think I gave you enough money to do that!" she tells me. I chuckle "I met a lovely lady named Dixie, no, um, Pixie, NO! It was, um" before I can get her name out Gabby slaps her palm to her face "VIXIE!" she says. Oh, so she knows Vixie? I'm glad!
She takes my arm and begins tugging me "Alright Thomas, we're going to go home now" she tells me. I shake my head, I don't want to go home! We just got here! She drags me across the dance floor "It's gonna close in like half an hour anyway, might as well beat the traffic" I hear her grumble. Jack pats my back as she escorts me outside and towards her car. Suddenly I don't feel very well "Um, Can we stop for a minute?" I ask her. The whole street looks funny, and I am finding it increasingly difficult to walk. She looks at me sympathetically, but doesn't stop walking.
We get into her car and she begins driving. She and Jack are talking about something, but I can't really understand what they're talking about. Why can't I? I sure wish I had another drink right now! When we get back to her apartment my stomach begins hurting worse "Gabby, I don't feel good!" I tell her. She shoves me towards her front door. The moment the door is open I suddenly run in and rush to the bathroom, collapsing by the toilet and vomiting. I really don't feel good right now, and my head is starting to pound again, like it did back in that place, but times ten!
The delinquent is by my side in an instant, rubbing my back "What did you drink?" she asks me. Her voice is soothing, but I have to vomit once more before I tell her, honestly "I don't know". She prods me "Was it wine?" she asks me, I shake my head, that much I know. I know what wine tastes like, from the times I had it at dinner, but what I had tonight, was not wine. Suddenly she's digging in my pockets "Where's Vixie's number?" she asks me. I vomit again "How, how do you know I have it?" I ask her. She rolls her eyes "She gives all the boys she meets her number! She's the richest prostitute around!".
When she finds the number she quickly dials it into her cell phone and calls it. I hear Vixie's familiar voice on the other end "Vixie? It's Gabby!" the ruffian says. "Oh hi Gabby! Sorry honey I can't talk right now, with a client and all" she tells her, Gabby huffs impatiently "Yes well you bought some drinks for a man named Thomas today. Can you please tell me what you got him?" she asks, Vixie quickly answers and Gabby nods "Thank you Vixie".
I think I puked three more times during that conversation, I can't remember. But I just want to go to sleep! Gabby rubs my back "Thomas you're just going to have to stay up and get all that stuff out of your system alright? Don't worry though, I'll be with you all night" she tells me. I nod, and she runs a hand through my hair "I'm sorry I brought you to the club tonight, I thought maybe since you reacted so well to the amusement park it wouldn't be such a big deal. I thought maybe if I brought you to the craziest place in the 21st century, you'd find that it wasn't so bad and you'd like the future. But I thought wrong" she tells me.
Suddenly I feel the urge to cry, and she hushes me "Don't you cry none, I didn't cry the first time I got drunk! And I'm not going to be having my big tough shipbuilder crying either!". I sniffle "But..." I vomit into the toilet again before I can finish and she coos to me "I'm going to get you a blanket and I'm gonna tell Jack to go to bed, ok?" she asks.
No! Don't leave! But I can't bring myself to say the words before I'm vomiting and she's gone. Now I want to cry even more! She left me all alone in this cold unforgiving bathroom with a demon inside me! I want another drink! I want Nellie! Suddenly the ruffian is back, wrapping a blanket around my shoulders "You're just gonna have to wait it out. Tomorrow you're going to sleep all day so you don't have to suffer from your hangover too much, like I did" she tells me. I can only cry into her as she tells me this, I want Vixie! Actually, my mind is so jumbled and fuzzy, I don't know what I want right now! I suppose the delinquent will do, she's soft. She pats my back "We're leaving for Southampton the day after tomorrow" she tells me softly "Everything will be just fine". I hope so!
Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up! A bit of writers block, and then a camping trip that inspired this chapter! Also, I'm getting a new puppy tomorrow. A little Scottish Terrier, whom we've decided to call Cosette. I pushed for Titanic names to much! I was incredibly close to getting Mollie! And I would have pushed for Maggie but my friend's golden retriever is already called Maggie. And of course I tried for Nellie and Elba too, but to no avail. Cosette is fine to though, she's named after a character in Les Miserables, one of my most favorite musicals of all time =)
So, 'Thomas Andrews' the Ouija Board ghost said a LOT more things, but I'm not going to put them all here. I'll just tell you what he said about Titanic, if you want to know what he said about all the other stuff we asked him, then PM me or something. Honestly, I don't quite know if I 'believe' in the board really, I just find it incredibly entertaining! I mean sometimes the answers were like the funniest things ever!
Alright, so what did he say about Titanic. Well, we asked him if he used anything on Titanic (like the pool) and he said he used the dishes. We told him that didn't count but he said it did. We also asked him about the gates in 3rd class and why he put them there, and he said it was a law. We didn't know if that was right or not so we looked it up and sure enough the Titanic was required by law to have the gates separating 3rd class from 1st and 2nd (We thought this was kinda creepy because we didn't know that, so it couldn't have been us moving the pointer). We asked him what he was thinking in his final moments on the ship, and he said 'Water'. Then we asked him if he wanted to go swimming (Because we wanted to) and he said he didn't want to because he hates water. Poor Guy =/
Today in the Review Gift Shop, we're giving away Coffee Mugs in an assortment of styles. Of course we got a mug with the Titanic, but then we also got a mug that has all the officers on it, and another mug that has Thomas Andrews beating Mr. Ismay over the head with his blueprints. And we also have a mug of Molly Brown beating the snot out of Hitchens, because we all know that if we saw that mug for real, we would buy it! But anyway, if you want one of those mugs, you gotta review! SO REVIEW NOW!
Thanks for Reading!
Added A/N: Hey everybody. Gonna put the backstory for Vixie down here in case anyone's curious how Gabby knows her so well. Essentially, the first year of college Gabby and Vixie were roommates. Then 2nd year Gabby obviously moved out into her own apartment, while Vixie dropped out of school and became a well, prostitute. Even though they parted ways though they are still on relatively friendly terms. So there you have it!