"What?" Jack asked, rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms. He opened his eyes tiredly but looked adorable. He put his arms around me gently.
I gently put his arms down. "We're here, honey." I said, pecking his cheek.
"Texas? Already? We can't be."
"You slept awhile. Seventeen hours."
"How long was I awake?"
"I'm not sure, but it's been almost a couple days."
He yawned. "These seats are comfortable." He joked.
Molly stood up and gathered our bags quickly.
"Alright, ready to go, lovebirds? I've got our bags."
"That was quick."
She smiled. "Well, I'm glad to be home."
We followed Molly out of the train through the crowd of people to the station. Jack took his hand in mine as we walked and Molly seemed to be in a rush.
When we left the train, Molly stood out in the middle of the limestone and sniffed the air. "Home." She exclaimed. Jack laughed and held her shoulder. She smiled bigger. "Ready to see your new home?" Molly asked as Jack and I nearly ran to the cab stop.
When we got in the cab, I put my head on Jack's chest as he put his arms around me. Molly came in the other door. "Downtown Austin, West 34th Street, please." Molly said, handing him the money. "Yes, Ma'am." He replied.
Molly suddenly gasped out of nowhere when he heard his voice and saw his reflection in the rearview mirror. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably and sat daintily.
"Hello, Mrs. Brown." He said with a sly smile.
"Um, hello..Mr. uh, Winburn." She said awkwardly.
Jack and I looked at her curiously, and she closed her eyes and moved her hand in a quick motion, telling us not to worry. I saw his eyes in the reflection, and somehow I recognized him. He seemed so familiar, but I had no idea how. I looked at Jack knowingly, and he was uncomfortably confused. I gave him a small kiss on the cheek. I saw Mr. Winburn's eyes widen a little bit and put his foot on the gas.
We sat in silence, and Molly sat in the same position, looking out the window. Jack and I exchanged glances that set of a worrisome tone for Molly.
When we arrived at Molly's road, we got out of the cab and Molly timidly said bid the driver goodbye.
"Tell Cal I say hey, okay?" He asked.
I gasped.
Molly slyly smiled. "He's dead, Arthur." She said.
With a scared look on his face, he drove off slowly.
Jack squeezed my hand as tight as he could.
"M-molly, how does that dr-driver know.." I winced before I could say his name.
"Arthur is an-old colleague of Cal's, Rose dear." She smiled. "There's nothing to be afraid of."
I smiled, convinced, but Molly didn't believe it.
"It'll be okay, Rose. He's a cab driver, he doesn't memorize people's addresses."
"Okay."
"Seriously, Rose. Believe me…"
"I do."
"If you're sure…"
"Molly." I smiled calmly. "I'm fine." I looked up at Jack who smiled.
Jack stared in awe as we walked by all the huge and expensive houses, each secured by a metal fence and gate, all with a terrace and big beautiful gardens. They were incredibly tall and wide…
"Did everyone in first class have houses like this?" Jack asked, interrupting me from my thoughts.
I laughed. "Probably not EXACTLY. I certainly did." I smiled.
His eyes widened. "I never thought I'd live to see such gorgeous houses! I definitely wouldn't mind sitting in front of one of these babies and grab out a pencil and paper…"
"Of course, Jack!" I said. "I'd love to watch you draw." I kissed him on the cheek again. He beamed, excited.
Molly looked back at us and smiled. I always loved seeing as she was happy with Jack and my affection toward each other.
"Ready to see your new house I picked out?" She beamed, and put a quicker pace in her step.
"Of course!" We practically rushed to where we were headed.
"Close your eyes." She said, and I knew we were close. We stopped and closed our eyes, squeezing each other's hands. She gently put a hand on both of our backs and pushed slowly, leading to the gate. "Open."
We gasped. The house was beautiful. It reached nearly past the treetops and it was a great porcelain white. On the great window, there was a gold patio that overlooked the whole street. It was a glorious view. There was window after window, and I'd probably have to take my whole day to count them all.
"Molly, this is way too much for us…"
She laughed. "You're not going to be the only ones living here."
With our confused looks, she directed us to the formal mailbox that said 'BROWN'. Jack quickly looked at her, astonished.
"This is your house?" I looked at her, equally astonished.
"No."
We gave her another confused look.
"It's ours."
