Chapter 22 In the meantime, Rose had entertained Jack with old pictures and stories of her as a little girl…not to mention old toys, prize ribbons and various letters that she had received from her father while in boarding school. Jack had also then been formerly introduced to Rose's little sister Clara, who was more than thrilled to finally meet the mysterious and dashing Jack Dawson in person. After having a cold glass of lemonade with her and showing a few of his best magic tricks and riddles, Jack knew that much like her older sister whom he was hopelessly in love with, Clara had just won his heart as well. She was much like Rose but still had that childish innocence and crooked grin that Jack found completely adorable. But Clara would probably grow out of those simple things that we often relate to childhood. And when she did grow up, she would grow to be a fine young lady and would most likely steal a few hearts as a result of it. By the time it was nearly three in the afternoon, Rose began to get worried. It had been early that morning when her mother at fainted and not even ten in the morning before she had decided on resting. By four o'clock and no sign of Ruth, Rose had finally decided on going upstairs to check on her mother. Although the hallways were silent and the room showed no signs of movement, Rose had a feeling that Ruth was no longer asleep. "Mother?" Rose gently turned the brass handle and nudged the door to the master bedroom open. "Mother? Are you awake?" She scanned the room only to find Ruth quietly sitting on the edge of her bed, her back to the door. Rose entered slowly and just barely closed the door. Sitting on the edge of the bed next to her mother, Rose noticed a few stray stains of tears lining her face. Could her mother have actually been so devastated about her decision that she had been crying; something Ruth Dewitt-Bukator hadn't done since…well, since forever? It was hard to believe that this often insensitive and cold woman could ever be so emotionally down like this. "I tried so hard Rose…maybe too hard." Her voice was soft and regretful as she spoke, something so unfamiliar and strange to Rose that it sent shivers down her spine. "I only wanted the best for you, honest I did. I didn't want you to make the same mistakes that I had made when I was your age. I wanted you to be better…more successful…wealthier and better off. At the time, it seemed like such a sensible thing to do, even though I often heard this little voice in the back of my head telling me not to. Things were so hard for me when I was your age Rose. I just didn't want you to have to go through the same obstacles and hard decisions that I was put through. That's why I sent you away to all those boarding schools. That's why I wanted you to marry Caledon. That's why I didn't want you to see Jack anymore. I was trying so hard to prevent what had happened to me. But you know what? I think that's exactly where I went wrong as your mother. Instead of just letting life happen and take whatever it gave us, I was almost trying to twist fate. And for that I'm sorry Rose…I'm terribly sorry." Rose was shocked. She looked out in front of her, her hands shaking slightly. She didn't know what to say or do. This was such a surprise that she was for once absolutely speechless. "I…I don't…know what to say Mother. I just don't understand. Why? After all these years…why now?" Ruth turned to look her daughter in the eyes. Her voice was filled with emotion as she spoke and her eyes were brimming with tears. "Because Rose…if not now, I think I'd never be able to tell you. If I let this go any further, it'll only get worse and my conscious will only nag me more." "Tell me what? What do you mean?" Ruth took a deep breath and got up from the bed, pacing over to the fireplace at the end of the room. "About what my life was like when I was your age." She paused briefly before setting her clammy hand on the mantle. "Rose, I've never told anyone this before and I'm hoping that you won't either. You see, when I was just barely seventeen, I went to my first ball. While I was there, I danced with a young man only two years my senior. His name was Richard. What can I say? He was this tall, dark, handsome boy that I just immediately fell head over heals in love with him. Apparently, he had much the same feelings towards me. We courted shortly after that for close to a year." "Richard was from a modest family who's only thing going for him was the rich cousins that he had attended the gala with. He lived down in the suburbs of New Jersey in a small home with his parents and seven siblings. They were anything but rich. But I didn't care…I loved him and he loved me. He was as far from the type of established young man that my father wanted me to marry. So, not wanting to unsettle things at home, we kept our relationship a secret from my parents. For a year, my father thought I was still visiting my Aunt Ida in Atlantic City instead of rushing to spend the day with Richard." "But, as all parents do, they found out. Hell itself broke loose and the first thing my father did was take the first cab he could find to Richard's home. I remember it had been the middle of the night. It was awful. My father, who mind you was still in his pajamas, practically pounded their door down until someone answered. Things were settled right then and there. There was no uncertainty of the situation from there. Richard was to stay as far away from our home as possible and my father even threatened to chase him down if he even caught a glimpse of him in town. I, on the other hand, was never again allowed to leave my home without a chaperone. I was to be married as soon as possible to the next available and wealthy bachelor that my parents could find…and I was. Shortly after, I was introduced to a man much older than I who had just lost his father and had been handed down the entire family business. I didn't love him nor did he love me…but we were wed anyway because love was not an issue. We eventually began to hate each other and the predicament that we had been thrown in, but he so desperately wanted a boy to take over his business. But, we didn't have a boy…we had a little girl instead." Ruth turned around to face her daughter. "We named her Rose. Even though my husband loved Rose with all his heart, he still yearned for a boy. And soon afterwards, came yet another little girl…this one named Clara. It wasn't long afterwards before he fell ill. We both knew that there would be no little boys to take over the business. So he decided to take the money out of the business and spend it frivolously and gamble it away, not to mention make stupid investments in stocks. He lost it all eventually and died soon afterwards, leaving unpaid debts behind for his family to take care of. I took care of all the debts by secretly taking money out of my personal savings and slowly working the money off. But even still, the family had not a dime to spare and were no more than a name to keep them afloat in society." Ruth became silent and walked over towards Rose. She looked up at her mother with sorrowful eyes and immediately felt compassion for the woman who had experienced so many awful and painful things in the course of her lifetime. Jumping up and wrapping her arms around her mother, Rose let out a little cry as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Oh Mama…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" "There's nothing to be sorry about dear. For me, it was meant to be. I would have never had you or Clara if my father hadn't figured out what was going on. I wouldn't have changed anything even if I had the chance. But for you, things are different. You have the opportunity to change your fate. Your life is what you make of it Rose. You just make it into something really wonderful." Rose smiled and pulled away from her mother through shining tears. "Thank you Mother. I can't even begin to…" Ruth interrupted though before she could finish. "Rose, just tell me this one thing- Do you really love Jack? Do you truly love him more than anything else in the world that you would even go as far as to give your life for him? Because that's true love Rose. That's not puppy love. I just want to know that you're making the right decision…because it'll last a lifetime." Rose smiled. "I hope it does because this is what I want more than anything in the world. I love Jack more than anything and if it meant that I had to give my life to save his, believe me, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Jack's the most wonderful and loving human being that I've ever met. And trust me, I know he'd do the same for me." Ruth smiled and ran her hand across her daughter's head of curls. "It sounds like you know exactly what you want then. It's now my turn to give it to you. I'll sell the house and see to it that you and Jack are married as soon as possible…that's a promise." Chapter 23 | Story Index | Post Your Review | Email Author | Home |
