Chapter 2

The boys spent most of the afternoon standing on the front of the ship looking out into Open Ocean. The salty air filled out lungs and threw our hair back. Rose admitted it felt refreshing, but really being this close to the edge, this close to the front made her uneasy. Tommy and Fabrizio were no strangers to jumping right up on the railings overlooking the waters. Rose secretly envied their courage.

"C'mon Rose, at least come look," Tommy tried to prompt.

"No thank you," Rose said wrapping her parasol around her, "suppose I fall overboard."

"Well then we'll jump in after you," Fabrizio confided smiling and turned back to the water.

"Look! Look at that!" Tommy said pointing into the water.

Even from a few feet away Rose could see Fabrizio's smile from ear to ear even though she had no idea what they were talking about.

Tommy jumped off the rail and grabbed Rose's hand, "Rose you must come see, I'll hold onto you I promise. You must at least look."

"Oh alright," Rose grumbled but was secretly curious as to what the boys were talking about. She cautiously and slowly reached for the white railing with her opposite hand while the other had a death grip upon Tommy's. She stayed standing safely on the deck but casually peered over and saw large things skimming the waters.

"What are those?" Rose questioned.

"Dolphins! Look, watch them jump!" Tommy said leaving rose and hoping back up the railing, "watch them! Look at them all!"

The numerous dolphins expediently skimmed the surface of the water, racing with the ship, playing with it. They moved so freely jumping out of the water and diving back in again. They appeared joyous and carefree. For that one fleeting moment, Rose realized she may never see this sight again and had glimmer of excitement at seeing new things. She wondered what it would be like to be such a creature to move so gracefully and freely. The idea made her too smile from ear to ear only to have a gust of winded reality hit her. The gust made her stumble and her anxiety spiked as she grabbed the rail for support.

"I can see the statue of liberty already," Fabrizio toyed, "very small of course!"

Tommy and Fabrizio let their screams of joy and excitement ring out in the wind as they sped closer and closer to what they were sure would be a brighter future while Rose began imagining what it would be like to fall off the side of this ship.

"She is the largest moving man-made object in all of history," Mr. Ismay, a manager for White Star Line who funded titanic, boasted, "and our master ship builder Mr. Andrews designed her from the keel haul up."

"Well knotting may have been mine but the idea was Mr. Ismay's," Mr. Andrews said modestly, "he envisioned a steamer so grand and a living quarters so luxurious that it's supremacy would never be challenged and here she is, wielded into solid reality"

"Hear, hear," said another man who Jack was unfamiliar with.

Jack had spent most of lunch sketching out his tea cup in a plain beige book, a gift from his mother. There stored all his drawings of flowers, portraits of Sarah and Ruth, drawings of Jack's prized horses and automobiles all things that Ruth requested her talented son to create. His real artwork, his best drawings he kept hidden away from everyone in a brown old leather book that he had hidden with all the paintings he had purchased. He knew that no one would think to look there. He had bought that leather book all by himself. Once when jack was a boy an upper-class woman, possible a wife to a business man or a politician had gone on an expansive shopping trip in Paris. Jack offered to help her carry her bags out to her car. In reward the woman had given him a dollar. He was used to his parents always giving him money but this was the first time that he had ever actually earned money for himself. He held onto that precious dollar for years until her found this tattered brown leatheresketch book. He wasn't sure what Jack was attracted to this but he gave away that dollar just for it. It was the same book he had hidden in the pocket in his jacket. However for now, he had to stick with the pristine over expensive beige one from his mother. Drawing in this book was the only distraction from the mundane conversations. He only took a break to take out a cigarette that he had hidden in his breast pocket.

Of course, Ruth's disapproving look was customary, "you know I don't like that Jack."

Jack just gave her a patronizing look wondering how much longer was his mother going to treat him like a boy.

"He knows," Sarah replied taking it from him and began batting her pretty eyes, "you know it causes terrible breath darling."

Jack sighed irritated as the waiter approached us and of course chatty Sarah took command "We'll have the lamb, rare with very little mint sauce. You like lamb right darling?"

Molly gave Jack a sympathetic look, "You gonna cut his meat for you there too Sarah?"

"Well we are going to be husband and wife," Sarah said gleefully taking Jacks' hands, "it is my duty to honor my husband always."

Ruth gave Jack that glare, urging him to say something.

"Hear, hear," Jack said sarcastically with a small grin.

Several of the men chuckled at the shared insider joke symbolizing their dominance.

"Say, who thought of the name Titanic? Was it you Bruce?" Molly asked changing the subject.

"Well yes actually," Mr. Ismay explained in between bites, "I wanted to convey sheer size and size means, stability, luxury, and above all strength."

It was difficult to hold back a smirk on Jack's face with his thoughts and Mr. Ismay's words, "Do you know of Dr. Froyd Mr. Ismay? His ideas about the man's preoccupation with size may be of particular interest to you."

Even Molly and Mr. Andrew's shared the same smirk at the idea.

"What's gotten into you Jack?" Ruth whispered furiously to her son.

"Excuse me," Jack said standing and exiting out onto the deck.

"I do apologize," Ruth said to the group flustered.

"He's a pistol Sarah," Molly said turning to her, "all the best men are though. He'll fight for you till the very end."

"Well then I suppose I should admire him more," Sarah said dutifully.

"We must start minding what he reads from now on," Nathan muttered under his breath.

"Froyd who is he?" Sarah asked looking around, "is he a passenger?"

Rose sat on the lounge chair with a young girl names Cora. Rose's fingers worked meticulously pulling the her hair back into a braid.

"Will I be as beautiful as you one day?" Cora asked smiling her small toothy grin.

"Of course not, you will be even more beautiful," Rose promised to her tying her hair into place with a small velvet ribbon.

Rose couldn't imagine anyone really considering her beautiful. He dresses always seemed to be covered in dirt or beer stains. Courtesy of all the pubs she worked in over the last few years. Her mother was a seamstress and had taught her how to make her own clothes however on a small waitresses salary she never quiet had money to buy any nice material. Therefore all of her dresses were faded or in ugly colors because those material were cheap. Aside from that her face was slender, with deep blue eyes and fiery red hair which she usually just wore up in a plain bun.

Next to Rose and Cora were Rose's best friends Tommy and Fabrizio. The three had made an unlikely friendship over the years as they became regulars at one of the bars she worked at. However it never went past a friendship. They both tried to press their advantage with Rose but kindly respected her when she assured them they were to only remain friends.

"This ship is nice no?" Fabrizio asked through his thick accent.

"Yeah it's an Irish ship," Tommy explained smoking a cigarette leaning against the railing.

"Is English no?" Fabrizio questioned him.

"No, it was built in Ireland; fifteen thousand Irishmen built this ship, big Irish hands. Solid as a rock she is," Tommy assured.

At that moment a man dressed in a fine tailored suit came back with multiple mutts on leashes. He was clearly out of place.

"Well that's typical," Tommy said giving him a disapproving look, "first class dogs coming down here to take a shoit."

"It lets us know where we rank in the scheme of things," Rose replied as Cora ran off to play with other children.

"Like we could forget," Tommy laughed shaking his head.

Rose's eyes wandered from Tommy's the man behind him, a man starring right back at her. He was standing up on first class deck and was obviously one of them. Rose tried to advert her gaze but found it difficult. He was incredibly handsome, with eyes that seemed to burn right through Rose as if trying to find a deeper truth. No matter how many times Rose tried to avoid is stare he just kept watching her, as if they were being drawn together through some invisible magnetic force. She suddenly became curious of him. What was his name? Where was he from? Rose wanted to know him.

"Ah forget it Rose," Tommy said seeing her gaze, "that guys not worthy to shine my boots. You can find a man ten times him right here."

Perhaps so, Rose thought but not quiet. A man like that could find a much better woman, more to offer him. It wasn't that he was unworthy it was she who was. She had no money, no name, no fine things to even make herself be noticed. Not like the woman who approached him a few moments later. She was beautiful, like a doll that Rose had always desired as a child. Her hair was the color of the sun and had a dress so extravagant that not even the Rose's mother's dress shop was worth what that one dress was worth.

The beautiful woman beckoned for the man to come back inside, trying to be affectionate as she pulled him back in. Still even with the angel next to him, he still looked over his should back at Rose and smiled.

Later that evening we were all due for dinner and the same mindless chatter of the night. As Jack stood in his suit waving his hair back and adjusting his jacket into place his kept traveling back to the mysterious woman out on the third class deck he saw earlier today. Her deep red hair shone like rubies and her delicate face showed sorrow and yet a longing, a longing to be held and cherished, as Jack observed. He had an over whelming desire to learn her name to learn anything about her really. He somehow felt as if there was something drawing him to her and it was the only thing that had consumed his thoughts since he had seen her. A small knock came onto his door Sarah let herself in.

"So," Sarah said twirling in front of him coming closer, "what do you think."

She was beautiful; her hair fell down elegantly into curls that contrasted her deep red dress with black rhinestone decorating the low cut collar. Her face was soft and young; she was only seventeen and lived like a princess. To Jack, she still looked to young and naïve for him and Jack knew from first-hand experience that he head was as empty as a flower pot. She was just as superficial and self-absorbed as the rest of them.

"You look splendid," Jack said trying to sound authentic.

"As do you," Sarah said as she pulled off a red rose from a nearby arrangement and pinned it to his lapel, "I am quite a lucky girl to have someone as handsome as you."

"I would think the luck would be entirely mine," Jack said rehearsing a line overused by his mother.

"We both are," Sarah replied placing her hands on his chest and slowly snaking them around his neck.

Jack responded by placing his hands on her hips softly but showed no emotion upon his face.

"We live like royalty Jack. I know you've been distant I don't pretend to know why," Sarah said with her ruby red lips and bright blue eyes shining, looking for a response, "what is it that you want?"

Jack bowed his head, "It's not that simple Sarah."

"Then tell me," Sarah invited holding him close, "you know there's nothing I wouldn't do for you. Just think of the life we could have. A wedding, a home, children, my father taking care of us for all our lives."

Jack again said nothing not even entirely sure how to respond as Sarah inched closer to him placing her painted lips on his. Jack felt nothing from the kiss it was stale and boring and tasted so typical. Was it such a crime to want something more? To want something different for once?

Sarah deepened this kiss pulling him closer and broke off momentarily to say, "Is this what you want?"

"Sarah," Jack said trying to think up an excuse, "we're not married yet."

"But we will be soon enough," Sarah said pleadingly.

"Come, we'll be late for dinner," Jack said stepping away from her as he exited the room.

In the sitting room Ruth was slipping on her evening gloves as Nathan took her arm.

"Well, shell we then?" Nathan said smiling as they all left for dinner.