Hello everyone! It's been a while, but I have a new chapter for you! It still isn't very exciting, but more exciting things for this story are on the way! Enjoy xoxoxo

Chapter 12

New Opportunities Bring New People

The curtain dropped, followed by a second of silence. For Rose that one singular second was the moment she allowed to come to her senses before the room filled itself again with sound of clapping hands. She could feel her heart pound loudly and her stomach filled itself with an ecstatic feeling as she listened the applause and cheers of the audience. other cast members positioned themselves back onto the stage before the curtain was raised up again. Rose took her final bow as she locked eyes with Cora who was sitting in the front row. In that moment, Rose realized she was no longer looking at a child, but rather at a young woman. She had noticed the changes before, yet they were so subtle. Her growing body, differences in speech, her independence. In many ways Cora did not seem to need to rely on her guardian and at times it was Rose who had to rely on her.

The play at Cora's school three years prior had sparked Rose's deepest passion: To perform and to be involved with anything that had to do with the creative art. Only, for women to be on the stage was seen by many as an act of indecency. When colleagues had found out about her shenanigans after working hours, they started tormenting her with belittling comments which ultimately led to her resignation. Within a day, Winifred had taken the spot behind her desk and now walks through life as Mrs. Mills.

"Do not let this discourage you, Rose." Cora told her as they sat in their living room whilst she was crying her eyes out.

"How can it not? I lost my job, Cora. How on earth am I going to put food on the table when I have no income."

Cora shrugged her shoulders for she didn't have an answer to that desperate question. "I just know that you'll figure it out. You always figure everything out, Rose."

In the end, she did. After weeks of searching and asking around, Rose found herself a position at the local library. The silence during work was surprisingly calming for the mind and her colleagues had the decency to treat her with respect. Therefore, Cora was right; she had figured it out once again.

Rose looked at her reflection one more time and put on her lipstick before heading down to the reception room where people had already gathered to celebrate the big success. She looked around the crowd until her eyes spotted the dark and voluptuous curls that were styled into the newest fashion. As Cora turned around, she smiled and hugged Rose tightly.

"You were amazing, Rose."

"Thank you, darling." Rose let out a deep breath and took hold of the first glass of alcohol she could get her hands on. Cora quickly followed the movements of her guardian, letting the sweet taste of champagne roam around her mouth. She could sense the slight judgement in Rose's eyes when she took another sip.

"What?" Cora shrugged her shoulders.

"Only one glass, all right?"

"You once told me you started drinking when you were fourteen years old."

"Those were very different times, and I am not proud of it."

"Yes, ma'am." Cora tapped Rose's head as if she was child. She was a tall girl, almost hovering above everyone she came across. It was useful at times as it often made people believe she was older than she was. But all pros have its cons. It often made Cora insecure for it was far from useful in the boy department. It made her jealous of her classmates and friends. It even made her jealous of Rose at times. When Cora was little, she saw Rose as a woman to look up to, admiring her every step. But as years passed by and Cora grew older, she found herself comparing her to her more and more. Rose was a beautiful woman with many talents and there was no one who seemed to despise her. Jealousy was a rotten characteristic that Cora silently fought against. Taking one more sip of her alcoholic beverage, she watched how the night proceeded further. Luckily, the feeling of pride for Rose was thus great that it suppressed any other emotion.

The feeling of exhilaration the opening night had brought Rose, the start of the new week left her with a sensation of dullness. Work appeared to be more boring than it had ever been, hours wasting away with such a slow pace that it almost felt she was working two days in one. Therefore, it seemed as if took forever until the sun rose on Wednesday; the day of rehearsal. The evening had already fallen as Rose left her work. Her heart was beating fast until she reached the building where she felt most at ease. To her surprise, it looked seemingly quiet.

"Hello?" Rose called out into the darkness as she walked through the door. There was no response. She could only see a dim light shining in the back of the room. Calling out for anyone's presence, Rose slightly started by a presence coming out of the shadows. As it came close and appeared into the light, she noticed it was a young man wearing a long coat and hat.

"Good day." He said.

"Where is everyone?" Rose responded as she watched how he made his way over to her.

"I don't know what you mean, ma'am." The man then said as he stopped right in front of her. He was taller than she had first anticipated.

"We are supposed to have rehearsal. And who are you?"

The man took off his hat and put out his hand. "Henry Calvert. I hope I am not disturbing you."

"I'm sorry," Rose sighed, "I didn't mean to be rude. My name is Rose Cartmell."

"Pleasure to meet you Rose Cartmell. Now, how can I help you."

"I'm supposed to have rehearsal with my theater group. Have you seen anyone?"

The man shook his head. "I'm only here to check on things before heading back home."

Rose sighed loudly before closing the buttons of her coat again. She looked back at him and noticed the heartfelt gaze in his dark brown eyes. "I am sorry to have disturbed you, Mr. Calvert. I wish you a good day."

"Well," he laughed nervously, "I was just to make myself a cup of tea. Can I offer you one too?"

Hesitating for a moment, Rose shook her head. "It's quite inappropriate to have a drink alone with a man. Especially one you don't even know."

"Let's get to know each other then." He smiled and headed towards the kitchen. A few moments later, as Rose was still contemplating whether to trust the stranger or not, his voice echoed through the room: "I promise you I won't bite!"

Rose couldn't help but chuckle at his remark and finally stepped into the kitchen. Henry had already put the teapot onto the table.

"I have never seen you here before Mr. Calvert." Rose sat down at the table and poured them both a cup.

"It's because I actually don't work here. My father is out of town for the week, and I promised to keep an eye on this place for him."

Then it clicked for her. "Now I see! You must be Mr. Calvert's son."

"The one and only." Again, that spark of kindness radiated not only in his eyes but his entire face. "This theater is my father's lifework; thus, I must be very careful with everything I do in here."

"What is it that you normally do, Mr. Calvert?"

"First of all, please call me Henry. Secondly, I work at the bank. Very exciting and all."

Rose laughed, "Not as exciting as my job at the public library. It is so extremely thrilling that I like to play theater to cool down from all the excitement."

"As you should. But to be honest, I haven't seen or heard from anyone today. It's been completely silent until you came."

"I have no idea what happened," Rose sighed, "I must have mixed up the rehearsal dates or something." She took a last sip and stood up. "Well, I must head back now. See if my cousin hasn't burned down the house," she shook his hand once more, "It was nice to meet you, Henry."

As Rose returned home, she entered a room in complete darkness and silence. After calling Cora's name multiple times, she could hear her footsteps descending the stairs.

"Why are you in complete darkness, Cora?"

"I was up doing homework. You're home early."

"No one showed up." Rose tossed her keys onto the table next to the door, "Have you eaten dinner already?"

Cora shook her head. "Not yet. I haven't even cooked anything."

"Good." Rose nodded as she grabbed her keys once again, "Let's have dinner somewhere else."

"You mean go out for dinner? Why?"

"Because I have this feeling that we haven't been spending that much time together and I want to treat you tonight. So, grab your coat and let's catch the bus!"

The winter cold cut against the women's skin as they marched through the dark towards the restaurant. It was their favorite place to come and enjoy a proper meal. Rose had spoiled Cora often with sweet treats and hearty dishes ever since they moved to the city.

As they sat down, they quickly ordered their usual dishes and a bottle of red wine. Cora looked relaxed; Rose still felt restless. Yet, the two soon faded into a state of deep conversation. They laughed a lot and shared memories both didn't realize the other still beheld.

"I do miss Elizabeth's silly stories at times." Cora chuckled.

"You won't be missing them for very long. She's coming over for Christmas."

Cora's eyes lightened up, "Really?'

Rose nodded her head.

"Is she going to bring George with her?"

"I hope so." A sudden movement in the corner of Rose's eye caught her attention. She excused herself to Cora and started to wave at the woman who was about to leave the restaurant. "Johanna!"

Johanna looked at where the voice was coming from and waved back as soon as she saw Rose's familiar face. "Rose. How good it is to see you." She smiled as she walked over to them.

"Where was everyone tonight?"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that I didn't see anybody at the rehearsal. There was not a single soul to be found." There was a tone of annoyance in Rose's voice.

"Haven't you heard?" Johanna whispered as she kneeled next to their table, "Alexandra is pregnant."

"Really? Isn't that good news then?"

"Not when she is too sick to get out of bed. She has been having too many complications. The doctor has been to her every single day since Monday."

"Goodness gracious." Rose gasped.

"I am sorry no one informed you, Rose. The sad thing is that we can't do anything until Alexandra feels better."

Rose placed a hand on her shoulder. "I understand."

"Now I must head home. Enjoy your dinner and hopefully we will see each other soon.

After the two girls waved Johanna goodbye, Cora turned back to face Rose again. "Why can't you all continue?" she asked as she not quite understood the whole situation.

"Alexandra is the head of the theatre group. She rearranges everything and has the key to the building. Basically, she is in charge of everything."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Rose."

Rose shrugged her shoulders. "It is what it is."

About a week passed until Rose had completely come to her senses again. She sat behind her desk and watched how two young girls hung over one book and wrote things down as if their lives depended on it. In the left corner, an old woman had been standing in front of the shelves with philosophy books for more than fifteen minutes. Rose started to wonder is she hadn't fallen asleep before even reading a single one of them. She sighed, tapped her pencil onto her notepad. Her stomach started to make a loud noise when it clicked that she hadn't had anything to eat yet. Another sigh fell from her lips. A shadow appeared in front of her, and she was startled when she heard a voice she somewhat recognized.

"Henry? What are you doing here?" Rose looked up at his face.

"I hope I am not disturbing you."

"Well, I am working, and I can't really talk right now. It's a library." She mockingly whispered.

Henry scratched the back of his neck and laughed nervously. "You're right. This isn't exactly the right moment."

"Can you wait half an hour? I'll be on my break then." Rose chuckled as she watched him nod his head and walk away. He took a seat at a nearby table and started reading the book that was lying next to him. Feeling his presence behind her, it made it almost impossible for Rose to concentrate on her tasks. She would have never thought to see him again after their short but comfortable conversation the other day. Minutes passed by slowly until Rose was finally able to escape the quietness that was her job. Standing in front of him, Rose cleared her throat. Henry looked up, put the book aside and followed her towards the entrance.

It was rather quiet on the streets of San Francisco despite the city preparing itself for the festive season. People were getting ready to prepare their homes with lights, presents and food to cook delicious meals for their loved ones. But not today. Today looked like the city had fallen asleep, waiting for the warmer and longer days that were still far out of reach.

"You were probably the last person I expected to show up at my work." Rose then said as they walked down the stairs of the building.

"It's because I wanted to tell you something. And since I don't know anything about you other than the place you work, I thought the best option would be to come here and give you this." Henry grabbed a key out of his pocket and held it up in the air.

Confused, Rose raised her eyebrow. "You bought a house?"

"No," he laughed nervously, "It's from the theater and I am about to give you this so I was kind of hoping you would be a bit excited."

"I want to be excited, Henry. If I know what I can be excited about." She stopped her pace and focused her eyes on his every move.

"Of course. To make this all clear, I spoke to my father on the phone when he told me I wouldn't have to look after the theater anymore because your production has been canceled. Right?"

"Yes." Rose sighed, still muddled by the situation.

"He explained the whole situation and that's when I mention you to him."

"Me?"

"Yes, Rose. You. My father so happens to find you a very charming young woman. He trusts you enough to become the head of your theater group for as long as necessary."

As his words traveled through the crisp December air, Rose's eyes lightened up; almost as bright as the lighting on the streets. Henry could only smile at her joyous reaction and waved the key in her face once again. This time she took it, her cold hands wrapping around his leather glove.

"I seriously don't know what to say, Henry."

"You don't have to say anything. Take it and keep a very good eye on it because my father won't be pleased if you lose it."

Rose opened her purse and slipped the silver item inside one of her inner pockets. "Thank you," she simply said, "and thank your father as well, for I don't know when I will see him again."

"I will. You must know that I am now extremely curious to see that play of yours. I might stop by one time."

"You're welcome to stop by every Friday and Saturday night at eight o'clock."

"Good to know, Rose." He held out his hand for her to shake it before mentioning his departure. Rose remained standing as she gazed at his figure walking towards the other side of the street. Her lips started to chip as she bit them, the cold making the feeling worse. She could only look at him when a sudden feeling of restlessness started to fill her body. Then her feet started to move towards him, her mind completely blank. It was now Henry that looked confused as he heard her call his name from afar.

"I was wondering if you had any plans for Christmas." Rose breathed.

"There are some plans in the making. Why?"

"I'm having some friends over for dinner on Christmas Eve. You're welcome to join if you'd like," She opened her purse again and took out a pen and piece of paper, "This is my address."

"Thank you, Rose."

"Don't feel obliged to come. Only if you want to." She stated one last time before heading back to her reality.