Chapter 10

Reunion

It made it hard to breathe, her crying. Salt tears dripping passed her lips, leaving a distinct taste of salt that reminded her of painful times. Rose pulled herself up from the bed as she felt Frank's hand on her arm. He tried to regain her attention towards him as he was perplexed by the sight of her distress.

"Have I done something wrong?" Frank asked as he walked up to her.

Taking a step back, Rose shook her head heavily. "No, Frank. You've done nothing wrong, but I simply can't. I am sorry." She collected her clothes off the floor; his presence still lingering closely behind her.

"I really don't understand this, Rose."

She turned around to face him. He was still naked and did not bother to cover himself up one inch. "There is nothing to understand, Frank. I told you I was sorry, and I am, but I never should have had dinner with you in the first place." taking one deep breath, Rose wiped away the tears from her face and walked out the door.

Rose's body was shivering as she laid inside of her own bed that night. It felt hard to concentrate on Cora's soft breathing beside her when all she could hear was the pounding of her own heart. She felt disgusting, disoriented from reality; but what she hated most was herself, for feeling this horrible over an act that she should have enjoyed. Pulling the pillow from under her head, she placed it on top of her face, pressing it slowly, yet firmly against her skin until she felt her breath turn hot. Twenty-two, twenty-three, Rose counted the seconds firmly inside of her head. Pushing harder, it became more difficult to inhale. It felt so easy to let herself slip away like this; to be embraced by eternal darkness. Suddenly, there was a vigor hovering above her, pulling the pillow away and dropping it onto the floor. As Rose gasped for air, she came face to face with a shadow standing beside her bed.

"I heard you cry." A soft voice spoke gently.

Comprehending what she was doing to herself, Rose was overwhelmed by a sense of guilt. "Oh my god." She sighed and sat up straight.

Cora kept standing still, her eyebrows frowned as she tried to understand what was happening in front of her. "Are you sad, Rose?"

"I am fine, darling. I believe I was having a bad dream," Rose pulled the covers up, "Do you want to sleep with me?"

Cora nodded her head and crawled underneath the sheets. The smell of her innocence and the warmth of her body felt comforting to Rose. The little girl rested her head against Rose's shoulders. "It's all right, Rose. Everyone has bad dreams sometimes."

"Yes." Rose whispered back. She let the remaining tears that were left inside of her run freely over her cheeks. She caressed Cora's soft curls. A sudden and impulsive idea popped up in her head, but as she was ready to share it out loud, Cora had already drifted back into her slumber.

To bring the idea into the office the other day was another challenge laying ahead of her. She came in early that morning, enjoying the ambiance of an empty office. Yet, even during the calmness of the waking hours, he was for from amused by her request.

"No way." He grunted as he blew the smoke of his cigar directly towards her.

"Mr. Mills, please."

"I said no, miss Cartmell and my answer is final. You may go now."

On the contrary. Rose pulled back one of his desk chairs and dropped her body into it. "It's family, Mr. Mills. Only one week."

"And who will schedule my appointments, take my calls during this one week?"

Rose tried her hardest not to laugh and roll her eyes. Her expression remained steady; almost emotionless. "You can ask miss Clark. I am sure she knows how to succeed in those tasks, Mr. Mills."

…

One aspect that Rose had missed after their departure was the beauty of the state's nature. The ongoing wilderness everywhere that she looked. Mountains with waterfalls that seemed to fall down faster than time itself. Cora leaned over the edge of the carriage, the soft October wind brushing gently through her hair. Rose could see a softness appear on the girl's face, which she hadn't seen in a very long time.

As they slowly drove onto the property, they were welcomed by the changing colors of the trees that surrounded the house. Horses neighed in the background and in the distance, a farmer was on a cattle drive together with his dog. They quickly stopped a few feet away from the barn and Cora jumped out. As her feet touched the ground, sand blew up in the air.

"Careful, Cora." Rose instructed her, but before she could say anything else, Cora had already spotted something behind one of the trees.

"Mabel!" Cora squealed in excitement and dropped her suitcase and ran up to the woman she had laid her eyes on. Confused, Mabel looked over her shoulder to see a whirlwind come closer. Squinting her eyes, she quickly realized the silhouettes were none other of those who she believed were phantoms of the past.

"No way!" she screamed extatically, "No way this can't be true." Cora flew herself into Mabel's big and strong arms, "Let me look at you, my gorgeous, sweet girl."

"We came all the way from San Francisco, Mabel. All the way with the train." Cora smiled and twisted a grey strand of Mabel's hair. Rose quickly caught up with the two and felt nothing but relieved by the scene that was playing out in front of her. She had imagined this moment many times. A sense of nostalgia that warmed the entirety of her soul.

"Hello, Mabel."

Mabel looked up. As if her smile couldn't get any bigger, she now took Rose between her arms. "Oh, my beautiful Rose. I am shaking with so much excitement that I can barely feel my body."

"You have no idea how good it is to see you." Rose placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, "Both Cora and I have missed you very much."

"And I you." Mabel took one of each girl's hands and dragged them towards the house, "Miss Elizabeth is upstairs feeding the baby."

"It's already born?"

"Yes. A month ago. You didn't know?"

She hadn't heard anything from her friend other than a letter she received during the summer. It was a short one where she mostly complained about how being pregnant in such heat was nothing but torture. But she had missed her and longed for a reunion. Mabel took Cora towards the sitting room whilst Rose carefully headed up the stairs. There was a soft singing sound coming from one of the rooms. Rose followed it and softly knocked on the door.

"I'll be down in a minute, Mabel." Elizabeth's voice sounded dull behind the walls. Rose held her breath as she slowly opened the door.

"Mabel is downstairs."

As soon as Elizabeth heard a familiar voice she looked up, her body stiffening. "Oh my goodness, Rose!" She wanted to stand up and hug the visitor, but her baby made it impossible to move. Rose quickly noticed her dilemma and signed that she needed to remain seated. She stepped closer and kneeled next to the mother and her child.

"If I had only known sooner, Lizzy." Rose whispered. She kept her eyes on the baby who was comfortably devouring its meal.

"I'm sorry, Rose."

"Don't apologize. I'm glad I'm here to meet this bundle of joy."

"George Benjamin Tripleton."

"What a pleasure to meet you, George." Rose smiled as she touched his foot. They remained silent for a while whilst watching the new member of the family. Their shared presence was all they needed. After having put her son back to bed, the two friends finally allowed themselves to melt in each other's embrace before heading down to meet the others. Mabel had already settled Cora in the kitchen where she was being fed a variety of different types of sandwiches and other delicacies.

"You need to feed her better, Rose," Mabel said, "she be too thin."

Rose ignored her comment and watched the loving interaction between Elizabeth and Cora.

"Thin or not, Mabel," Elizabeth cut in, "missy is looking like a fine young lady."

"Rose says we'll be staying here." Cora said in between her big gulps of milk.

"Only for a week," she then faced Elizabeth, "If you're all right with that, of course."

"More than all right. You can even stay longer if you'd like."

"I wish we could, but Cora has to go back to school and I to work."

"I see. Let's get your rooms settled then."

It was for the first time in almost two years that Rose had a whole room to herself. Waking up in the brisk autumnal air, she spread her arms out to not feel a brick wall next to her; the sheets had kept her warm through the night. Hearing voices coming from downstairs, Rose quickly jumped out of bed and got herself ready for the day. Mabel and Elizabeth were sitting at the table, enjoying a hearty breakfast.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." Mabel pulled out a chair and poured Rose a cup of coffee.

"Where is Cora?" Rose asked as she sat down.

"Still in bed. We we're talking to each other about how we believed we were dreaming you had come to visit. Until we heard your footsteps, of course."

Rose laughed and munched on a piece of toast. "I also believed I was dreaming about coming here. Until I woke up in this amazing warm bed." She then looked up and turned her attention to the window. She was expecting for the young boy to walk past, perhaps even enter the house and regale her with his silly stories. "But how is Benjamin doing? I'm really hoping to see him this week."

A secrecy seemed to fill up the room. Both Mabel and Elizabeth caught one another's gaze, contemplating who were to speak up first.

"Benjamin is dead, Rose." Elizabeth broke the ice by speaking the plain truth, "He fell off a horse and broke is neck."

In a shock, Rose dropped her cutlery and covered her mouth with her hands. "What? When?"

"About three months ago."

"And you didn't contemplate on letting me know anything?"

Elizabeth sighed and shrugged her shoulders. Then she pulled her chair away. "I'm going to put George in the stroller so we can go outside. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Rose marched forward whilst Elizabeth closed the door behind them.

"Can you wait for us please?" Elizabeth hobbled behind her, "I am obviously not as fast as I used to be."

Rose did not respond to her remark and turned around quite angrily. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me Benjamin had died? For a matter of fact why didn't you tell me you had a baby? I suddenly get a letter from you that you are pregnant with a stranger and are about to marry him. I don't even know his name? I don't know what he looks like. And why on earth wouldn't you let me help you?" Her breathing was heavy, as if she had run for miles on end. Elizabeth could only look at her, her expression calm and collected. She simply nodded her head.

"You're allowed to be angry, Rose."

"I'm not angry. Just confused and frustrated. You're my friend, I want to be there for you. Even now I live on the other side of the country."

"I—" Elizabeth stuttered as she pushed her stroller forward. They were now far away enough for no one to hear them, "It has all been pretty hectic."

"Tell me, Elizabeth. Please."

"It all started with Violet." Elizabeth eventually admitted, "After she told me she was engaged I simply lost it. That was all around Christmas time of last year. I went to New York to get my mind off the situation and that is where I met Bruce Tripleton. I already knew who the man was. To make it short; I had too much to drink during this New Year's Eve party and we shared the night together. Next thing I realize is that I am pregnant from a man I don't know and who basically forced me to marry him."

Rose took hold of her hand. "Is he treating you well? This Bruce Tripleton."

"He was his moments, but I don't think I can really complain. At least he let me keep my home. Also, he's away for business a lot so I barely see him. Which is a good thing for you know I like my alone time."

"I understand," Rose answered softly, "But can I ask you something else?"

"Anything."

"I've always had this feeling about you and Violet. When I looked at the two of you together, I could always sense this tension. This passion, this love. Were you and Violet…?"

"Yes," Elizabeth admitted, "Violet and I were lovers."

Hence why she was so upset about her engagement, Rose thought to herself. It all became clear to her in a matter of seconds. Her friend could not be with the one she loved, locking herself up in a situation she was being able to escape from.

"But enough about me," Elizabeth then brushed off, "How are you doing?"

Being overwhelmed by the sudden switch in the subject, it was now Rose who shrugged her shoulders. "I'm fine."

"You look like you aren't, Rose."

"There has just been a lot going on. With the new job and trying to find a new house and all."

"Are you sure that is everything?"

Rose stopped in her tracks and her eyes widened. Defensively, she cried out a big yes. "Why are you even asking me this?"

"Because your mind looks like it has someone on it."

It took a moment for Rose to have the guts to say it out loud. "His name is Frank."

"Oh my." Elizabeth chuckled. Rose sighed loudly as she could not engage with her friend's humor.

"I am going to give you a summary only once," she snapped back, "His son is in Cora's class. I've met him once; we stayed in contact, and he asked me out for dinner. Yes, Elizabeth, I slept with him. It was a moment of weakness."

"Why would that be a moment of weakness, Rose? You are a young woman for heaven's sake!"

"Because afterwards, I started to cry. All I could think about was Jack and it simply felt like I betrayed him," She could feel the tears burning behind her eyes, "It has been almost two years, Lizzy. I truly believed I was finally at peace with it. I've built a life for myself. I am taking care of Cora as best as I can. And still, I am being tormented by his ghost. I've known Frank for much longer than I've known Jack."

"You cannot put a time limit on healing this wound, Rose. Isn't it beautiful to have loved someone this much that he has a forever home in your heart?"

"No," Rose whispered as tears rolled down her cheek, "not like this. I don't want this."

Elizabeth now knew that there was no good answer other than silence. She saw the pain that still lived within her companion. All that she could do was reach out her hand and trace Rose's soft skin in a calming matter. Love was painful; she recognized that feeling. Not to be able to be with the one your whole body longed for. Elizabeth sighed and closed her eyes. Her mind wandered off to Vivian and the wonderful moments they had spent together. She could feel her lover's hands roam over her naked body as she whispered loving words in her hear.

Looking down at the stroller, her eyes glued onto her baby; the product of what was a moment of weakness for her. Elizabeth could feel a wave of guilt slowly roam through her body. How could such innocence be created out of an act that, in her case, had nothing to do with love. But his full lips, rosy cheeks and dark brown eyes that drew her in every time she looked at him, made her realize that nothing could take away the burning love she felt for her son.

"Do not think I am trying to underestimate your pain, Rose. All I am trying to say is that you are allowed to feel this way, but please, do grant yourself to let in love into your life."

Love did not come as one form, Rose realized. She still knew how to love and felt it whenever she was with Cora. She felt it the moment she arrived back at the farm. Even now, Rose felt it in the company of her dear friend. A friend that she, a few years back, could never have imagined to one day have in her life.

With kind eyes she looked back at Elizabeth. "Thank you. For everything."

"I would have loved to meet him."

"Frank?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Jack."

Rose could finally bring herself up to smile genuinely. "He would have loved to meet you too."

Ease and lightheartedness echoed through the house for the remainder of the week, filling everyone's hearts with joy, which they all desperately seemed to need. Within the span of two years, all their lived has changed drastically. Mabel had significantly turned older and felt the substance of it in every part of her body. Elizabeth was now married to a man she did not love and struggling with the challenges of motherhood. But in their ever-changing lives, their bond had not changed for it remained in lasting harmony.

Their journey home felt long and tiresome with Rose dreading the fact she couldn't escape the interaction with the person who had been ignoring her for weeks.

Winifred looked calm and collected behind her typewriter as Rose peeked her head around the corner of the office. Once Winifred became aware of her presence, she stopped her tracks and let out a deep sigh.

"You've come back to take your place again, am I right?"

Rose thinned her lips and crossed her arms. "I think we need to talk, Winifred. Can I invite you for tea down the street?"

"Now?"

"Yes. Now."

Winifred stayed silent for a moment before she stood up and grabbed her coat and purse. The walk up to the café felt awkward; almost as if they were complete strangers.

"Can we stop this nonsense now, please?" Rose said the minute they sat down at their table, "I simply couldn't understand why were so angry at me until I found out what happened between you and Mr. Mills. I am not judging you, Winifred, for it is none of my business and I can now see why you turned so cold and distant towards me. But I simply didn't know anything when he asked me for the job."

"He promised me the first week I started to work here."

"Did Mr. Mills force you to do anything, Winifred?"

She shook her head. "I was fully aware of what I was doing. Do you know how embarrassed I feel about this whole situation, Rose? I even made sure you got work as a typist in the first place. I even let you live with us." There were tears starting to form in her eyes.

"I know, and I am forever grateful for that."

"And then you get that promotion and suddenly left for a week, making me nothing but a substitution for you."

"Listen," Rose straightened her back, "I really feel sorry for you Winifred, please believe me when I say I do. I would have gladly given you the job if things had been different, but I have Cora to take care of. Therefore, I will take every opportunity I get to build a good life for her. I will choose her over everyone, every single day for as long as I need to do so."