Chapter 36

June 12, 1912

Rose felt, once again, as if she was being held prisoner inside her own room. Though she was still "free" to roam her mansion as she chooses, but she decided her room was her only sanctuary from between Cal and her mother, and her energy levels had drained since their return from New York. It had been nearly two months since the disaster and she was in no better shape to be with Cal, or for that matter, her own mother. During these two months she spent in confinement of her room, she had been wondering if Jack was alive, or was she stuck in a cruel dream; she had boarded the Titanic, only to realize there was no Jack Dawson, or even Jesse Williams. If these people were indeed true and very much real, they would've come and rescued her from the life she so badly wanted out of. Also during this time she tried her best to stall the wedding plans with Cal for as long as possible, but she knew, that eventually, that time will come for her eventual marriage with that monster of a man. Meanwhile, Cal's father had made sure that they were to be married as soon as possible, and that Rose must provide a child for Cal, in order for an him to become the possible heir to his father's company, even if it were indeed being stuck in a loveless marriage. For those two months she kept looking out the window, hoping, for the right moment, that Jack or even Jesse would come. She quietly and slowly opened her room window to let in some fresh air, for she had been cooped up in her room.

...

As soon the Titanic had gone down into the dark depths, it had also taken with it their sweet maid Trudy. As soon as they got back to Philadelphia, they needed a new maid post haste. It was the job of Cal's new servant to look for one. It had been a tough two weeks at first, but they managed to find one. A young girl, maybe no older than Rose, but Rose seemed to know the girl was slightly younger than Jesse, had been hired by Cal's new servant, for she thought it was a much better move than to stay working at a dingy pub. The new maid seemed happy working by herself, and she seemed, by modern terms, "bubbly", for someone who was hired from a pub. One day, when she saw Rose for the first time, her mood changed, and for that first week or so, Rose and the new maid didn't seem to get along well, and to Rose's eyes, the girl appeared to come from a better background, despite her scandalously short hair for the period. Eventually, as time passed, the new maid and Rose became the best of friends.

The new maid tried her best to please her new masters, especially Ruth. She was no picnic herself; she would often chew out and scold the new maid just even for the tiniest details that had been missed. Even once her mother or Cal would nearly lose their patience with this new maid, as she tried her best to juggle many things at once; from washing the dishes, properly dusting the furniture, to even setting the right temperature on the stove.

Just the silliest things. thought Rose. Sometimes she would hear her mother scold her out that the oven wasn't clean enough, or the food remains were still in the dishes, even though they were scrubbed clean. Rose had felt sorry for her new maid, and did her best to help out as much as she can, for she wanted a much better life than the one she was in currently. She also did this to prepare herself once she planned her escape from the crazy house she likes to call the Dewitt Bukater home.

...

Rose did her best to please Cal and her mother when the time came to look for wedding dresses she would have to be married in, all without being annoyed. She would also try her best to try to win her mother's trust again, even if it was momentarily. She knew it would be torturous and boring, but she knew it would bring about the freedom that would be gained afterward. A few weeks back she remembered her mother and Cal took her to a most expensive boutique she had been in. There were a dozen or so wedding dresses, all hanging from racks, some of the mannequins even wore some of the dresses. She tried to imagine what Jack would buy her for wedding dresses. He'd like something that would be extravagant…

No. Jack wouldn't want to go through all the trouble just for a simple wedding dress. Besides, it will be worn one time, and stored away in storage for a long time, and hopefully, be passed down to our future children. She thought, then heard Jack's words echo in her head, as if he was just nearby.

You're going to make lots of babies…and you're going to watch them grow… as he shivered in that cold open North Atlantic.

You're going to die, an old woman, warm in her bed… she felt a tear roll down her cheek. She quickly wiped it. Her mother saw her shed a tear, as she had thought her daughter was proud of this moment. Rose was thinking about her flashbacks Jack had given to her the night of the sinking.

I'll never let go…

You jump, I jump…

"I'll never let go." she whispered, quiet enough no one will hopefully hear. She had made that her vow to Jack, whether he was alive or passed on, she made him a promise that would be needed to be fulfilled; to never quit and live life to its fullest, even if she was chained to Cal.

...

One evening while Rose sat at her bed, mending her red curls in front of her dresser when the maid entered her room, after acknowledging. She brought in her clothes from the day's wash. The maid slowly shuffles her way to the closet, only to accidently spill them on the floor after nearly tripping on an uneven piece of floor board. The maid looked up, who was clearly embarrassed, her face was red, but Rose gave her a gentle smile.

"I don't really like these dresses that much." she says gently, then slowly gathers them before putting them on the bed. The maid had tears in her eyes, as Rose returned to aid the girl back to her feet. She guided her new friend over to the bed, who began to cry softly after she was seated. Rose gave her a gentle pat on her shoulders to calm her a little. The maid looked upward, sniffed, then took a deep breath, before she began to wipe her face with the sleeves of her uniform.

"What it was like to be on the grandest ship." The maid says, after sitting down on the bed, and pushes her hair aside. Rose finally noticed the girl grew out her hair, and that she resembled Jesse a little bit...she shook her head, trying to get the image of Jesse out. The maid looked at Rose, as she cocked her head to one side. Rose swallowed, for she didn't want to tell her the experiences of being in first-class. The stuffy atmosphere...mindless chatter...and the people in that class didn't seem to know what having fun was. Then she came to meeting Jack at the stern, after she was tired of the first-class. They got to know each other as time progressed, despite being only at sea for nearly two days. Soon, they took that up a step further, by making love in the back seat of a car.

"But before all that, I met this wonderful man back on the R.M.S. Mauretania, and I thought, what a truly amazing person he really is," Rose says. "He's someone I'd never seen before." The maid leaned closer, wanting all she can to learn of this man. Rose told her the man's name was Jesse, he had hair that looked soft as silk, that always hung in his eyes, and he had intense but kind eyes. The maid got a mental image, and tried her best to imitate Jesse's hair covering her eyes. Rose laughed, then felt a lump grow in her throat. She managed to swallow it down, before going on to describing, to her best knowledge, how tall the man was, what he looked like, and how he was different from the people he was surrounded in. But now, he was lost amongst the souls who also perished with the Titanic, while she knew Jack was somewhere, alive, and possibly looking for her, after she rescued him from the freezing Atlantic. Her eyes burned with the tears that were now coming.

"You would've fallen for him, like I did if you seen him." Rose sniffed. The maid handed her a handkerchief, then gave her another consoling embrace.

"I'm sure he's looking down, and he's happy for all of you. Especially for your baby." The maid points to her slight bulge. Rose blushed slightly, trying to cover the slight bulge with her dress, but she gently rubbed her baby bulge. Rose sniffed, then gripped her handkerchief tightly in her hands.

"There's something I wanted to ask...but I don't know how to go about it..." Rose began, but the maid knew a little, since she felt some tensions rising between her, her mother, and Cal.

"Is this about your future, and you want me to be part of it?" she asked. Rose nodded. The maid ran her hand through her hair, then exhaled. She knew what she would be putting herself into, especially with Rose. Instead, she agreed, and at the same time, she would be better herself once she was free.

"You see, I want to be a wife someday," Rose says, her cheeks blushing.

"I'm Marion, by the way," the girl says, smiling, offering her hand.

"I know. Mother always scream your name." Rose laughs, then the two joined hands.

...

The next day, the two girls were very lucky, as they had the mansion to themselves for a few days, for Cal and Ruth had to go to Harrisburg for an important meeting with the Society, with Cal's bodyguard doing the driving. Cal entrusted Marion to keep watch over Rose, but when they left, Rose stuck out a tongue as the car drove away from the mansion, and Marion laughed. They were in the kitchen, cooking some stew as it over-boiled over a flaming stove. Rose screamed, while Marion, trying to keep her cool, tried to cover it with a cloth. The cloth nearly caught fire, but they managed to get everything under control.

"Be careful Rose, that's hot," Marion says, offering Rose two mitts to use for carrying the pot to the table. She then guided Rose to carefully place the pot on the coaster, so that it didn't burn the delicate table cloth, not that Rose cared for the thing. Marion was overjoyed, as Rose was already burning out.

"Very good. Now you can serve your husband delicious meals. Next, I show you how to clean. This way." Marion led Rose to a storage room next to the toilet room. Once inside, Marion began to rummage for a broom, mop and a bucket. "These are the tools you need to clean the floors with." she says, then led Rose to the bathtub, where she filled the bucket with warm water and soap. Once it's filled, Marion grabbed the bucket with two hands, then offered Rose to lift the bucket herself. Rose began straining as she tried to lift the heavy bucket, her back being bent at a right angle.

"Don't lift like that. Try to lift with your legs." Marion looked at Rose with worry. But she knew she had to learn, in order to become the provider for her family. Rose tried her best to mop the floors, while her posture was giving Marion some worry.

"Don't mop like that. Here, keep your back straight. Not only will it make it easier for your child, but you need your back strength as well." Marion says, straightening Rose, and soon, the two girls were laughing, as Marion helped Rose the best she can with her newfound maid skills.

...

For the last two weeks or so, Rose has been silently making her way downstairs to learn all she can from Marion. During the last two weeks she had learned enough to cook, clean, and to even mend her own clothes. Today, for the first time she was learning how to prepare and cook a simple stew, while this time the maid just watched her, arms crossed as she offered no help this time, while she stood at the entrance to the kitchen. As the days passed Rose was very hopeful one day she would be preparing meals for her man, even if he wasn't around to enjoy. With Rose under constant watch by her mother, Cal and his servant, she can't leave the house; even the gardener outside keeps a watchful eye, even for something small, and if she dared to escape, he would notify Cal in a hurry. So Rose has been doing something she had despised; pleasing everyone around her, but her maid knew better.

After her cooking/cleaning lesson Rose began going through what's left of her belongings in her room to see what she can get some money from, in case the time came for her escape. She pokes around in her jewelry box, which contained jewels and diamonds. Rose then returned back to her closet to rummage once more, where she retrieved two gold bars, hidden under some tightly packed clothes, that she took from Cal's room during that time she was learning how to clean. She knew these were worth something, and that it would allow her to save some of the money for herself in return. She would use one gold bar for the remaining money, and decided to keep the other, in case the need arises. Rose then looked at her paintings Cal had bought for her prior to Titanic that could be sold to museums, and which would also indicate to her mother she has moved on and would be becoming the daughter her mother would come to expect. She looks in her closet and dresser once more, hoping there would be anything in there would be of considerate value. Her clothes and shoes would either be sold off or given to charity, for those less fortunate than her. She knew she needed to carry less and what is practical as well. The plan, now, was to have a cover.

She snapped her fingers. Of course! She would think she has gone on to her honeymoon with the monster that almost killed her man and his friend. That would be her cover, for now, until the wedding. She tried her best to shudder, but manages a little shake. She remembered Jesse's shudder when they were down in his room, and made a little chuckle about it. If Jack did came to rescue her, she had also hoped he would bring Jesse as well, and she missed both of them dearly, especially Jesse. Rose also knew she must spend a few more months with this mongrel, just until the wedding day, then she would leave Cal hanging at the altar, and the humiliation that would ensue from the Philadelphia society. That would give him the ultimate payback he deserved for what he has done as well.

She looks at herself in the mirror as she has done many times since the sinking. Instead of the horrible creature she was, in front of her was a much livelier person, full of hope even though she had been held a prisoner of sorts. Rose let her curls fall over her shoulder, then grabs a handful of red curls as she brushed back, then holding it behind her, making a little ponytail. Rose then looked back at the mirror, as she would soon become the Rose Jack intended her to be, a woman who is free and passionate, and isn't afraid to overcome her obstacles. Someone who enjoyed her freedom, independence, but mostly to spread her wings and fly from it all. Jack may not be with her physically, but more with her in spirit, and the decisions she would make will come from Jack, including his influence on her.

...

Tonight she decided to head out on the town with her maid and a couple other girls she despised at the finishing school she went to. She only carried small amounts of jewelry so she can get them exchanged for money, then puts it away before going back to her little group. They laugh amiably at one another as they told off hand jokes about their society. Rose only feigned interest, even faking a laugh at time, hoping just even a slight hope, that Jack would show up. She was anxious and tingly as she walked around the town with her little girl group, hoping to get her chance to run away, but then she thought about her maid. She didn't want to leave her behind, as she is invaluable and had helped her prepare for the life she would be entering soon. It was getting dark, and the girls decided to head back to their neighborhoods again. As they were walking near a tavern, Rose got a glimpse of someone, looking out the window, as if seeing them from a distance. She got a second look.

The hair, the face. She knew the person that was looking at them looked familiar. She suddenly felt a ray of hope; it could only be one person. She knew then.

Jesse had survived the Titanic.

But what about Jack?