Fabrizio frowned as the train rolled to a stop with a shuddering groan. He glanced out the window and fought back the nervous butterflies battling it out in the pit of his stomach as he saw the Chippewa Falls train station, already crowded with passengers coming and going to and from their destinations. Not for the first time, he wondered if this was a good idea after all. He and Tommy were not only strangers to what Jack had described as a small farming village, but they were foreigners who only knew one person from the town, that person being dead.
"Chippewa Falls!" The train conductor announced a task he did at every stop.
"We're here, mate! Boy-o's hometown," Tommy sighed, his voice grim and heavy with a weariness that days on a train had brought on. "This is where we finally get off, yeah?"
Fabrizio silently nodded, not knowing what else he could say right now. His chest felt heavy with some kind of emotion, probably regret. Jack should be with him right now, chatting his ear off about life as a boy here in this small town, his voice full of excitement at showing his friend where he grew up and how similar their lives had probably been, despite living on different sides of the world.
The two men only had a duffel bag each to their name, provided to them by the white star line since everything they owned had gone down with the great ship. Despite the death of their friends, the world still turned.
"Where to next?" Tommy frowned, not sure what to do now that they had reached their destination. "We find a bridge to sleep under?"
Fabrizio shrugged and began to walk, not knowing where he was going. He wished that he knew of Jack's childhood home. He didn't even know if the house still existed. Jack said there was a fire, but he never said how bad. Just that his parents had died and that he had left town soon after, not able to stand the town's pity.
"I say we try to find a room for rent. This town must have one, yeah? Lord knows we had plenty in Dublin," Tommy kept talking, not really caring if his companion was listening or not. Talking helped his already frayed nerves. Tommy always believed that as long as he had a voice, everything would work out.
As they walked, both men kept their eyes open, scanning for any signs that advertised a room for rent. It was another block when they finally came across one. A big victorian house with a sign in the yard titled: Tilson's Boarding House. Tommy was the first to spot it and grabbed Fabrizio's arm and nodded at the place.
"I think we've found what we're looking for, mate."
Fabrizio frowned at the house, not really sure about it. "How we pay?"
"I guess we'll just have to get us a job somewhere. Didn't Jack say this was a farming town? We can be farmhands or something."
"I wonder if they know Jack," Fabrizio frowned, eyeing the building curiously. Would the people inside be the first to know of Jack's fate? Would they mourn him? Would they blame the strangers that bore the news? Would they even remember Jack at all?
"We'll find out. Come on, mate. Let's get us a room and worry about the rest of it later," Tommy patted his shoulder before walking through the opened gate and up the porch steps. Fabrizio silently followed Tommy inside and up to a counter, where an elderly lady stood, writing in a notebook.
Tommy cleared his throat, gaining the woman's attention.
The woman smiled and set down her pen. "Welcome dear friends. You look to be new to our town. May I be of service to you?"
"My mate and I are new to town and are in need of a room and perhaps a job," Tommy was the one to speak, more fluent in English than Fabrizio, who just stood to the side, and allowed the Irishman to take charge, something he used to do with Jack, who Tommy reminded him of. Like Jack, Tommy seemed to know his way around, even though he had never been to this town...this country before. He just seemed to know what to do.
The woman arched her brow at Tommy's accent, her voice was full of curiosity. "You're an Irishman!"
Tommy chuckled. "Yes and my friend here is Italian. We're new to this country and are looking for a place to settle. We knew someone from here and thought this town would be a nice place to stay for a bit."
"Oh. Well, welcome to Chippewa Falls! We're not a terribly big city like say New York, but we're a nice size. Hopefully, you'll find what you're looking for here. This is my boarding house and we do have a room available that sleeps two. It's five dollars a month. You are expected to keep your room tidy and there are to be no members of the opposite sex inside the room. That is if you're interested in making my little place here your home."
"What do you say, Fabri? I like it here."
Fabrizio just nodded. Really, he didn't see that there was a choice.
"We'll take it, ma'am. Um...do you know where we may find some work around here?"
"There is the brewery and the grocers. You may also find some work with some of the farmers. Someone is always needing a farmhand."
"That would be great, we'll check them out," Tommy grinned, turning to Fabrizio. "Isn't that good, mate? Only a few weeks in America and we'll be working boys."
Fabrizio made himself smile, wishing that he could share Tommy's good mood, but all he could think about that it should be Jack here with them, introducing them to the people here and showing them around. Right now, they were depending on the kindness of strangers instead of the kindness of a good friend that was gone all too soon.
"I'll have my son compile a list of farmers looking for help if you like. Save you the trouble of wandering around town looking for help wanted signs."
"That's rather kind of you, ma'am. Thank you," Tommy nodded, happy for the help.
"Let me show you, fine young men, to the room and let you get settled. The list should be ready for you in the morning. Just stop back here at my desk and we'll have it ready for you."
Silently, the boys followed the owner of the boarding house up two flights of stairs to the first door on the right. She opened the door to reveal a medium-sized room with two twin beds, two chests of drawers, a desk, and a window that looked out onto the sidewalk outside.
"It's not much, I'm afraid," the woman, Mrs. Tilson sounded apologetic.
"It's perfect for us," Tommy smiled, dropping his duffel bag on the bed closest to the window.
Mrs. Tilson smiled kindly and gave a small nod. "Well, I'll leave you to it then. There is a small diner across the street for your meals. Tell them you're boarding here and you'll most likely get a discount. Don't forget to stop by my desk tomorrow for that list of farms."
"Thank you, Ma'am. My friend and I will be no trouble, I promise you."
Mrs. Tilson just smiled and quietly left the room, leaving Tommy and Fabrizio to themselves.
"That was a nice lady, mate. She seemed charmed by the accent, don't you think?"
Fabrizio shrugged. "This small town. I doubt they have many Irishmen and Italians here."
"I suppose you're right," Tommy sighed, his eyes not leaving his friend for a minute. Ever since they had disembarked the Carpathia, Fabrizio's mood had been grim and he knew why. When you have a travel companion for as long as Fabrizio and Jack were together...they were probably as good as brothers. Tommy didn't know Jack that well, but he missed the artist as well. His absence was a glaring hole in this start of a new life. He could only imagine the ache that Fabrizio felt. "I know you miss him. I do too."
"He should be here with us now. That was the plan when we won those tickets. Come to America. Come here and become a millionaire while Jack finally settled down."
"I'm sorry, mate."
"It's just...doesn't feel right to be here without Jack," Fabrizio collapsed onto his bed, his shoulders slumped and his head bowed, feeling the tears once again threaten to spill. Still, Fabrizio fought them, not wanting to seem weak in front of his new friend.
"He would want us to be here, though. He would want us to tell someone that he's passed...I just don't know who we would tell. It just...feels wrong. All of it does, I guess."
Fabrizio sighed and looked up from his hands, wishing that this heavy feeling of grief would somehow lift. That Jack would return and he could go back to being the hopeful young man he had once been just a month ago. "So what do we do now?"
"The only thing we can do I guess. We live. For ourselves...for him. We'll make Jack proud."
...
Jack Dawson rested his head against the window of the train compartment and watched the scenery go by as his train left New York City, leaving Titanic and all the news and speculation about the wreck behind.
After disembarking the Carpathia, Jack had decided not to take advantage of the hotel voucher, not wanting to risk running into Rose's mother and Caledon Hockley. In his weakened condition, the last thing he needed was a confrontation with those two. Besides, such opulence was just a reminder of Rose. Every time he thinks of her, which was all the time, there was a deep ache in his chest and all he wanted to do was cry, wondering what had happened. Why had she broken her promise? Why didn't she go on? It confused and saddened him. He was utterly heartbroken over her loss. He had truly loved Rose. He had never felt so strongly for any other girl and he doubt he ever would again. Rose was an one of a kind girl. There was no one else like her and there never would be, not for him.
He did find an inexpensive room, whose landlord allowed him to stay in exchange for the hotel voucher and he had found a job on the docks for a few weeks. He had hoped to heal and gather the motivation to lift out of his depression and move on with his life. Put Titanic and the people he had lost behind him, but that never happened. Each day seemed to grow worse with the heavy knowledge that he was now alone in the world. That the people who should be there wasn't. They were gone. Fabrizio. Tommy...Rose. Most of all, his beautiful wild Rose. She was forever beyond his reach now.
It was a week of a boring routine of work, home, then an evening of brooding when Jack realized that he couldn't carry on like this. He couldn't stay out here in a world of strangers, amongst people that didn't know or care about him. It had been different when his parents died when he just couldn't accept the love and care of the people around him. Now, after the loss of his friends and the woman he loved...now he couldn't take the coldness of strangers. He needed to go somewhere where people knew him, where people cared about him, whether he was family or not. He needed somewhere familiar. He needed to go home. Back to Chippewa Falls.
So he saved his money for a one-way train ticket, knowing that he would probably never return to New York City. That his days of wandering the world was most likely over. He didn't want to meet anyone new or experience some new adventure. Not without Rose. So he decided to just pick up his now underused portfolio and return to the place he had come from. Luckily the fire hadn't destroyed the house. It was probably still standing and if not, he'll find somewhere to stay. He always landed on his feet. Now was no different. The only difference was, this was going to be the last place he'll land. Back home where people knew him. Where he wasn't just some wandering street rat. Where he had a past...a legacy, maybe even some kind of future.
He was going home to Chippewa Falls, wanting to forget the harsh world outside. But as the train continued on away from the east coast, Jack knew one thing he'll never forget. He'll never forget Rose Dewitt Bukater. That fiery redhead will always own his heart. There was no denying that.