Chapter 60

November 30, 1912

The next morning Jon and Ruth boarded the train, and was relieved the train was going through the Oklahoma City route. Jon sits back, as he looks out at the winter wonderland of the Midwest. He knew this route would be short, if there were no layovers in Wichita, Kansas.

"So, are you a married man?" Ruth asks. Jon was surprised. But he answers without hesitation or stammering.

"Yes I am, ma'am. To a beautiful woman I love and cherish. She's originally from here, well not from this state, but a little bit further, to where we're going."

Ruth was surprised, but she sat back once more in her seat, and got ready for another silent treatment until they arrived in Albuquerque the same evening.

Caledon was still fuming over the sudden departure of Ruth and her maid, as he was left wondering what to do, since that Dawson rat and Jesse were still alive from the Titanic. He had a feeling Ruth knew where Rose would be, but she wouldn't tell him. He had let his emotions get the best of him, especially during this tough situation he was being put in, when he let out his anger on the frail woman, and scared off his maid.

He returned back to Philadelphia, after he had trashed his apartment back in New York, and didn't want to face the brutal cold. The Philadelphia society was starting to bite him hard, as to why the search for Rose was dragging its feet. A reporter recognized him as he disembarked the train, and had tried to pester him why he hadn't found his fiancé. There were scandalous reports being surfaced that his fiancé may have became a prostitute, from New York to Pittsburgh, even as far south as Texas, and as far west as California and Arizona. Cal knew these frivolous reports would eventually be reported on, if he didn't find his fiancé soon. He didn't want to do jail time as well, or his father would disown him. He knew Mr. Williams would hold the answer, but he too was gone. But he had an idea, but knew it would be a slim chance. He would check his former associate's office, even though it was cleaned thoroughly. Maybe he left something, even a location, then he would use it to track Rose, and eventually lead to Jesse and that gutter rat. He found a bottle of scotch, in a cabinet he remembered when the marriage would be over, that he would open with his fiancé afterward. He uncorks the scotch, and takes a large swig from the large bottle, spilling some as he took a gulp. He takes the bottle from his mouth, as it continually foams from there. He thought about it. He had really hoped there was something in that man's old office, a sliver of hope, that he will find his fiancé. He bangs the bottle down on the counter, cracking the glass, and some of the liquid begins to leak from the crack. He makes his way back to the plant, among the unruly crowds of the plant, demanding better wages, and one nearly jumps Cal. A person pushes him out of the way, then ushers in Cal to the plant.

He pokes around the former associate's office, finding nothing but a slip of paper. A piece of telegram that had been supposedly sent to some small city called Albuquerque, New Mexico, and was dated sometime in 1911, and was sent from the Hockley office, there in Philadelphia.

Of course! Maybe Rose is hiding out there. He had heard of this small city called 'Albuquerque' before, but couldn't place it. But now his attention was finding his fiancé. Cal didn't want to go to a lower social economic status, but he didn't have any choice at this point. His father berated him when he set foot back at the plant, and his meetings had gone horribly wrong, when an irate employee threw a chair at the executives, demanding they stop stalling and get better pay. He knew God must be mocking him at this point, as employees threatened to walk off, and his fiancé was further away from him, in some 'foreign' sounding state. He knew both bastards were alive as well, and that was a kick to his pants.

He swallowed hard, and takes a deep breath, before he decides to take the train, and heads for a new frontier, a frontier he has never been to, in a desperate search for Rose.

Back at the small farm house Rose was running her hands through her thick red curls. She sighed as she leafs through some wedding boutique magazine and other papers Eric had supposedly sent to Jesse and Marion.

"Good morning, Rose." Jessica says, as little Jack runs around the hardwood floors, making explosion sounds as he plays with his toy soldiers. The men had left for work earlier in the morning, and the house was a cozy warmth as the embers in the potbellied stove crackled.

"She has a hard time deciding what to do for the wedding. Much less plan one." Marion says, as she helps Rose leafing through the pages. She had recovered from a simple cold days prior, much to Jesse's delight. He had been worrying that it was something bigger, but the doctor told them simply she came down with a cold, and not the flu.

"Why can't my wedding plans be simple and spontaneous, like yours?" Rose whimpers, burying her face in her hands again.

"Well, I had help from Jesse's beautiful grandmother, and of course, his family in general." Rose wished she had asked Jesse's grandmother to make her a dress, since she knew she wanted a dress she now likes. She had also seen Jesse's wedding suit, which was cut to made for his slender yet muscular frame. That part of the wedding was done for them; just the invitations and church was needed, and they were set.

"When it was my wedding it was mostly Cal, who would organize and work out all the details, but now I'm doing all the work…" Rose groans. "It's a little bit overwhelming."

Jessica leans in, as she takes a break from the eggs sizzling on the stove. When she was done she had to switch pans now to fry the bacon, unlike being back in New York.

"I don't want Jack to spend any more money from his employment, either. We need it for bigger things, like a house or other things." Rose bit her lip, as she glances over at the bridal magazines. Not one of the dresses in those magazines were of her taste. They were either too big, too small, too frilly, bulgy, expensive, lacey, too long. The main issue was none of these will do, as they will not fit over her baby bump. She loved Marion's dress; simple yet elegant, and Rose wallowed a bit, wishing she had asked Jesse's grandmother after their small Thanksgiving dinner to make her a dress, and Jack a suit. That way, it was one little thing out of the way, and they could focus more on the other things; church, receptions, etc.

...

Jon and Ruth arrived back at the Albuquerque train depot. Ruth carefully stepped off the train, with Jon holding her hand, and their luggage. Tom comes over, carrying the rest of the luggage to the car. Suddenly there was a loud, booming voice Ruth recognized back on the Titanic.

"Well, hello Ruthie." Margaret Brown greets her old friend once more, a long time since the disaster.

"Hello, Mrs. Brown." Ruth wasn't in any mood to talk to the woman, but she tried to be enthusiastic about the surprised, but unannounced visit from the heiress.

"So, what brings you to Albuquerque?" Margaret asks. "Are you taking a vacation from Cal and the wedding plans?" and she chuckles.

Ruth swallowed hard. She didn't want to tell her of Rose running away with that Dawson boy, much less that Hockley with his short fuse tempers.

"Me, I just got done with the auctions and fundraisers for the survivors and families' victims of the Titanic disaster. We even had some few Indians perform beautifully at the fundraiser event." Margaret beams happily, knowing the proceeds are going to benefit the victims and their families of the terrible tragedy. "And now I'm heading on up back to Denver, but the trains will not leave until tomorrow. Mind if I stay with you?"

Jon didn't know what to think. The house was already filling up again, and he looked towards Ruth's way. She was getting a bit agitated by the woman, like she did when they were back on the ship. Jon knew Tom was waiting outside, and here he was, listening to two women he had never met in his life, as one was a millionairess, and the other distraught her daughter was missing, when in fact, she was staying in Albuquerque since early summer with Jack and Jesse. Jon knew Jesse had met influential people back on the ship, and strangely enough they had all converged here in Albuquerque, and was to be taking them back to the farm house.

"This way, ladies." Jon clears his throat, then guides the women to a waiting car, with Tom surprised he wasn't expecting a third passenger. Ruth got in the passenger seat, while Margaret got in the back, sitting next to Jon.

"What's gotten into you, Sonny?" Margaret asks Tom, then playfully pats the man on his shoulder. He didn't respond, though he smiled and acknowledged the woman, as he drove the three people to the farm house.

The men had gotten home early from their jobs, as the cold began to bite them. They sat outside, drinking warm tea as they talked about their day, among the laughter and jokes. They looked over at the Sandia Mountains, as it took on an orange hue as the sun was going down. There was snow only on the highest peaks of the mountain, while the surrounding valleys were once again dry. It was a cloudless day, with cold breezes coming down from the mountains.

"Non è bello oggi? (Isn't it beautiful out today)" Fabrizio asks, as he slowly tips his chair backwards, his back leaning against the house, looking over at the orange-colored mountain, as if someone brushed it over. They hear a car putter in the slowly drying dirt drive, still muddy from the melting snow. The three men look in the direction the car was coming from. Jesse recognized it was Tom's car, and he assumed he was bringing back Jon and Ruth. He knew Ruth wanted to humiliate him and Jack back on the ship, if it weren't for Mrs. Brown, who had stepped in to defuse the situation, then Ruth would have had her way.

Margaret was the first to get out of the car. The heiress is dressed in a large feathered hat and a large fur coat that was buttoned because of the cold New Mexico winter. She turned her attention to the farm house, until she had an utter shock on her face. She didn't believe her eyes at first, but she saw there were two men standing at the porch. The last time she had seen them was during the dinner back on the ship.

"Jack?! Jesse?! I thought you both perished in the sea!" she exclaims.

Both Jack and Jesse looked at each other, as Jesse nervously ran a hand through his hair, while Marion and Jesse's father looks on in confusion, and Rose laughs, while saying, "Yes, they are very much alive, and we're living here." After she had run outside and heard the familiar voice. She was glad Margaret had arrived, even if it was on such short notice. Margaret then focuses her attention to Rose for a moment.

"Rose, my darlin'! I missed you a lot! I haven't seen you since the disaster." Margaret greet Rose with big brown eyes, and a warm smile. They both embraced, as it was indeed a long time since the disaster, and Rose missed Margaret a lot. She then turned back to the boys.

"I-I can't believe you both are alive! As I couldn't find your names on that survivors' list!"

She hugs Jack first, then Jesse, squeezing the boys until they were both blue in the face. She also didn't forget about Fabrizio, and she gave him a big, warm long hug. Ruth clears her throat in the background.

"The Lord really does perform miracles." Margaret says, as if she's preaching to a choir. "Hallelujah! God is truly working His miracles." Then she takes in the serene New Mexico scenery, as the mountain now turned into a purple hue, with the sky now ranging from oranges to purples as the sun continued to go down.

"Wow, you truly got yourselves a million-dollar view here. It's like as if though you're truly are in heaven." Margaret says, admiring the Sandia Mountains in the distance, and the Rio Grande river that was right in front of the house. She could see the train steaming east, towards the mountains, and her eyes takes her to the small city of Albuquerque.

"This your house, Jack?"

"No, ma'am." Jack responds, then jams his hands in his pockets, like he did back on the ship. "This is all Jesse's."

"Actually, it was my grandfather's." Jesse says, a bit nervously, then brushes his hair from his eyes.

"And it's going to be yours," Mr. Williams says proudly, then pats his son's shoulders.

"And how are you, Mr. Williams? Haven't seen you for a while, since you last worked on my husband's car and repaired the roof on our house." the heiress looks at Jesse's father.

"Couldn't be better, Mrs. Brown. Work has been picking up since he arrived." Mr. Williams says, while Margaret nods. "Mr. Williams here and my husband go back. They were planning on working together, but turns out Williams here had other plans, and moved out east."

"And that plan turned bad." Mr. Williams said. "But I'm glad to be back home once more."

"Let's all head inside." Margaret says, and everyone agrees. Jessica stands over the potbellied stove, as she prepares to make tea for everyone in the house. Ruth, Jon and Jesse were the last ones in, as they got the luggage out of Tom's car, then said goodnight before he left back to his own home across the river.

The women were gathered around the table Karl had built many weeks prior, as they discussed the plans for both Rose's future with Jack and Ruth's former maid's wedding to Jesse. Rose quickly removed the magazines from the table, as she knew her and her mother will be in total disagreement about the wedding dresses she will be in, and Marion's was out of the question, as hers was already complete, but with Jesse now in the house, he was not allowed to see it, until the actual wedding day, which was coming up faster now.

"Well, what do we offer for this honorable visit?" Rose asks, as she tries to change the subject and to keep the mood positive, as the sound of metallic hinges were made. Fabrizio stirs the ashes in the stove before adding another wood to the embers.

"I was in the area, supporting a fundraiser for the victims of the terrible disaster, when I saw Ruthie here, getting off the train. Then I thought, why not see her, as I haven't seen her since the disaster." Margaret then breaks out her hearty laugh, and soon everyone was joining in the laughs. Then she sees the potbellied stove behind Rose.

"That stove reminds me of the time Mr. Brown had come home one night, as he was drunk as a pig. I had hidden the money in there, thinking he wouldn't find it, so he won't run off to the taverns drinking himself stupid. He came home one night, celebrating, and he lights a fire in that stove, burning up his money." She laughs once more, and everyone laughs as well. Jack and Rose remembered that story, as she told a group of millionaires during their dinner with Cal, before the men had gone off for the brandy, long after Jesse had gone back below decks to help set up the party among the third class.

Soon, it was time to call it a night. The women took Jesse's room, forcing Marion to once more sleep on the hardwood. She only dragged out a blanket and pillow from the bed. Rose and Jack both slept in Mr. Williams' room again, and Jessica slept in the room with Jon and their young son, while both Fabrizio and Mr. Williams slept in with Jessica and Jon, leaving Jesse and Marion sleeping in the main room of the house.

But tonight, the men decided to stay up a little longer to play their hand at poker, while Marion laid on her belly, then propped her head on her hands as she watched her fiancé, and Rose sat in a chair. Jon hoped he had some of his little brother's charm at the game, as Fabrizio turns down the kerosene lamp, dimming the room a bit. Tonight it was Jesse's turn to shuffle and deal out the cards. Henry peeks above his hand, as Jack furrows over his. Jesse shakes his head, then puts down a card before getting a new one from the deck. Fabrizio was having bad luck once more, and both Jon and Jack were chewing on their lips.

"Niente?" Jack asks, almost snickering.

"Niente." Fabrizio sighs disappointingly. "Jack, you are pazzo!"

Jesse shakes his head, then reveals his hand. It was a straight.

"Nothing?" Jack asks. Jesse exhales, then shakes his head again before crossing his arms, then tipping his chair.

"If I had known I was coming out here, I would've brought my old set of backgammon and chess boards." Jon says, scratching his head, then puts down a card before reaching for another.

"What about draughts?" Henry asks, looking deeply at his cards.

"Jesse beats me too many times." Jon turns to his younger brother-in-law. "but I have the upper hand at chess."

"Except that one time you lost your pawns, a knight, and you accidentally 'killed' your king." Jesse uncrosses his arms, then points at Jon. "That was a bad move."

"Yeah, that was a bad one, because I accidentally picked the wrong queen. Though I thought it was a smart move to take out your bishop."

"That's still a very bad move." Jesse tipped his chair slightly, then crosses his arms over his head. Jack looked at his hand. He could listen to Jesse's beautiful voice all day, and that it had a slight hint of British accent to it.

"Uh-oh. Someone's life's about to change tonight." Jack exhales. Henry and Jon were the only ones still in the game, while Jesse and Fabrizio watched. Henry puts down his hand.

"I'm out." he says, revealing he only had two pair.

Jon looks over at Jack. Jack puts down his hand. Just like back at Southampton, he had a full house. Jack celebrates himself, until Jon lays down his hand. Jack stares at the cards in utter shock.

"Royal flush. Read em and weep, boys." Jon says, as he gets up and stretches. "Be glad this was a non-stakes poker." Jon says, chuckling. He was glad he had some of his brother's poker charm. Now it was time to call it a night. Jon, Fabrizio and Henry went in the room Jessica was sleeping in, and Jack with Rose. Jesse slept next to Marion, after he turned out the lamp.

...

Meanwhile, Cal was making his way to the southwest to start his search for Rose.