Chapter 33

Jon unlocked the door to the house, as Jack ran to his room to get his toys, more joyous than ever before. Jon led the senior Dawson inside their humble abode, who was taken aback by the simple yet comfy interior. To him, the house was indeed large, but not first-class large. He assumed the family was of second-class, but nonetheless, he was with a happy, beautiful couple and their kid. The house had a nice smell to it, sort of like spring linens after a spring rain, and the carpet felt good and soft. A lump soon formed in his throat, as the house reminded him of simpler times with his mother and father, back at Chippewa Falls, before the fire claimed it all.

Jack toured the house, taking in its simple, cozy atmosphere, the small kitchen with all its contents neatly packed away, the adjoining dining room containing a table with four chairs. He soon walked back into the living room, where he turned towards the back door of the house, as it whistled even to a gentle breeze because the door couldn't close properly. With every step Jack took, Jessica followed, as she didn't want Jack to venture off too far, and to accidentally walk into Jesse's empty room. He made his way up the stairs, where he was greeted by five doors in the slightly darkened hallway. This time Fabrizio led the way, as he opened the first door on their left, greeted by a linen closet, and across from that, a bathroom. Fabrizio turned on the light, and heard a loud POP! Jack flinched at the sound, while Fabrizio quickly cleaned the mess from the smoldering bulb. Karl came upstairs, with a new bulb in hand, where Fabrizio inserted it into its socket in the ceiling. With the light back on, Jack saw its high-tank toilet, a claw-foot bathtub near the wall, complete with shower and enclosure, while a small sink greeted them near the entrance, that gave the bathroom a nice Victorian feel.

Near the end of the small tour Fabrizio pointed to the couples' master bedroom straight ahead, and little Jack's bedroom next to the closet. Both Karl and Fabrizio were instructed that Jesse's room was merely a storage room, and that they were too embarrassed to show it off to anyone. Luckily, Jessica's father didn't stop by the house; instead, he boarded the train the same day after he arrived and headed straight for Pittsburgh, as Fabrizio tried to remember what Jon had read from the telegram.

They came back downstairs, to a wonderful smells of chicken and rice soup, and homemade bread. Only this bread was made in a tortilla fashion, unlike the bread Jack's own mother used to make, which she used to bake in loaves. To Fabrizio, this bread was a close mix between focaccia and piada flatbread, only with raised textures. Somewhere a lone dog barked in the distance as Jack wandered around the house once more, admiring the cooking of Jesse's older sister. Soon, they heard a car putter in the drive, as Jessica got up from her chair. She walked into the living room, and at the same time little Jack ran downstairs from his room, the sounds of little feet pounded down the stairs, excited his father returned home.

"Something smells wonderful tonight," Jon says, holding his wife and kissing her from behind. Jack began to feel slightly saddened, as he now wanted Rose by his side more than ever, as he watched the happily married couple kiss in the entrance to the dining room. Fabrizio also felt a pang of sadness, for he lost his Norwegian love Helga to the disaster. They soon snapped out, after hearing a loud commotion coming from one of the rooms upstairs.

"JACK!" Jessica called to her son, then bolted upstairs, followed by Jon and tagging behind him, Jack, Fabrizio and Karl. They entered his room, where luckily, he wasn't hurt in any way, but to their horror, the entire dresser had fallen, and Jack was slowly getting back to his feet. He smiled in triumph as he held his uncle's pirate patch in his hand. Jessica quickly hugged her child, and sobbed quietly, while Jack and Fabrizio righted the dresser, and Jon and Karl quickly straightened the room.

Soon, everyone were seated in the living waiting for their dinners to be finished, the aroma fills the house, making the guests even more hungry. Jack once more admired the cozy house. Someday, he would have a house like this, to comfortably raise a family. Jessica comes in, with her cooking, as Jon gets up from his seat, to help her. There wasn't enough room to comfortably seat everyone in the dining room, but Jessica trusts that no one make a mess in the living room, with the exception of her mischievous son. They ate in silence, as the sun finally set, and it grew dark, while a lone dog howled in the distance. A car passed, as Jack flinched at the sound. Jon looked up at him, with an eyebrow raised. Jack collected himself, then finally finishing his simple meal of stew.

Soon, it was time to call it a night, as Fabrizio got some blankets from Jack's room, then gave them to his friend, who will be bunking with them for the night. Karl neatly laid out his sleeping place near the closet, and Fabrizio and Jack laid out theirs at the foot of young Jack's new bed, as his father had stored the crib into the downstairs storage room. Jon tried the best he could at telling his son bedtime stories of the old West, but all he wanted to hear was Jesse's pirate stories. Jon wished he was like Jesse; telling pirate stories as he made stuff up, with slight inconsistencies. Instead, he gave up, then ruffled his son's hair before leaving the men and Jack in the room.

May 25, 1912

Jack was the first to wake up the next morning, to the gentle sounds of rain pattering against the window and roof. He quietly stretches, then slowly gets up from the floor. He walks over one of the loose boards, and it squeaked. He stopped, heart racing, then turned back. Everyone was still sleeping, while young Jack stirred in his bed. Jon woke up, followed by coughing as he made his way to the master bathroom, and Jessica also stirred. Jack slowly made his way down the stairs to the living room. He notices a picture sitting on the bookshelf, between the two melted candle wax. He carefully took the picture, and a lump formed in his throat. A tear ran down his cheek, as he studied the picture. Through his tears he saw something that was barely visible under the frame, then tried to read it. Jack carefully turned the frame over, to remove the backing. A hand touched his shoulder, making Jack jump, who accidentally dropped the picture. It landed with a soft thud, face down, on the carpet.

"I know how you feel, Jack. We all miss Jesse dearly..." Jon says, as he bent to pick up the picture. The front wasn't cracked, luckily. Jon carefully placed the picture back onto the shelf, between the remains of the candles.

"He was never the one to having his pictures taken. That's the only one we have of him, of his graduation from the boarding school. He was the top of his class, even though he was picked on by other kids his age. You seemed to have taken quite a shine to him."

Jack looked back at Jon, then turned red slightly as he nervously scratched the back of his head.

"I have only seen him back at Southampton, walking with his friend through the crowded docks." Jack couldn't help but describe Jesse, with one word that came to his mind; beautiful. He had seen him with Karl, as they disembarked a ship that was behind the Titanic. At the time he didn't know Jesse, just that he was tall, and was very different from the people around him. When he saw Jesse in the dining room after they boarded, people wanted to sit at the table where he was, especially the women, as if he was some sort of a famous person. He saw Jesse more like a work of art, from God, even though he wasn't religious since his parents perished in that terrible fire. He also told of meeting Rose, after rescuing her from her suicide attempt at the stern. They got to know each other for the first three days, even making love in a back seat of a car where he helped Jesse work on days earlier. He also drew her portrait, only that was now lost in the deep with the ship, including the one Jesse had sketched of them. With slight difficulty, Jack told of how Rose wanted to get off the ship with him once they docked in New York, moments before the ship ran into the berg. He was framed for stealing a jewel that belonged to a man named Cal, whom Rose was engaged to, but she looked unhappy in that situation. Eventually, he was rescued, by Rose and Jesse, and wished he kicked himself more, pulling Jesse so that he stayed on the ship for as long as possible, and that he would've been still alive now.

With Fabrizio sitting by his side, Jack continued with his story, of how he became friends with Fabrizio. Jack had been working at Fabrizio's uncle's harbor, pulling in fishing boats and unloading them in Italy. He even learned how to operate the boat a few times, but mostly he helped pull in fishing nets back into the boats. They became fast friends, and even one of Fabrizio's sisters had an infatuation with Jack during his stay in Italy. It was hard work, but they managed to pull enough for Jack to return back to France, where he drew the woman at the bar, whom she was waiting for her lost love to return back to her. Jack put his head in his hands and silently wept, for he will never see Rose, if ever.

Karl sat down across from Jack and Jon. He also exchanged his side of the story of how he met Jesse. His father was at London, when he saw Jesse in a garage there, working on a car, along with an older man. His father asked if Jesse wanted to help out in his shop back home, and he agreed. When he arrived to the house, Karl was afraid to admit Jesse was 'nätti', and was intimidated by him at first, but nonetheless, he became fast friends with him. However, his brothers and sisters didn't think he was fit to work in a dirty place as his father's shop, for he was too 'nainen', as described by his older brothers, but Jesse pulled in more than his fair share of his weight around his father's business as well, despite the cold temperatures. Eventually, his younger sister also had an infatuation with Jesse, and his older brothers couldn't help themselves as they stared intently at his new American friend. As the days went on, he learned English from Jesse, and in return he taught his language to Jesse. Soon it was time for Jesse to return home. Karl looked sadly at Jesse, until finally, his father agreed. He gingerly packed for his American immigration, and his father gave them a car, that looked like it was not going to make the journey, and he was right. They endured the journey in breakdowns, with Jesse making repairs as best he could. The worst was breaking down in a country of the German Empire, when the motor finally died on them. A farmer gave them dirty looks at first, but kindly gave them a helping hand later on, as Jesse paid the man. Both the farmer and Jesse pulled the motor from the car, while Jesse rebuilt the thing with the parts they had. They finally got it running again, but it had so much problems, that they finally got rid of it in France, where they got some money for a train for their remaining trip to Cherbourg, where they boarded a ship at the last moment, to England, and into Titanic's maiden voyage the next day.

...

For the next few days of Jack staying at the house, he played with young Jack, even teaching him new card games his uncle might have never taught him. Jack was often reminded how the young tot almost reminded him of little Cora; who was so full of life, energy, and was questioning everything around him. Jack saw the young kid grew out his hair, and looked like a miniature version of Jesse, while he had on his uncle's pirate patch. His mother wanted to give him a haircut, but he wanted his uncle to do it for him. Jack offered, but the young tot refused at first, before being reluctant to having a stranger cut his hair, and before long, they became fast friends, until he developed a habit of calling Jack his uncle as well, just like Cora did back on the ship. Someday, when he finds Rose, he too, would have a child like Jack, or Cora, and a beautiful house like this one, to raise his family in.

But for now, his mind was on finding Rose.