A Little Help

Jack Dawson gazed at the woman he had spent the entire late morning and afternoon with Rose. Her mother was pulling her away to get ready for dinner that evening. He couldn't help but stare. Her vibrancy was undiminished by the late afternoon sun. He had felt giddy with her, like a young boy with a school crush.

He hadn't noticed the woman introduced as 'Molly Brown' standing next to him, for Rose was all he saw in his line of sight.

''Son, son!'' She waved her hand in front of his face to catch his attention. He couldn't help but smirk.

''You don't have the slightest idea what you're doing, do you?''

He shook his head. ''Not really.''

She eyed him suspiciously. ''Well, you're about to walk into a difficult situation. I hope you're ready.'' She glanced at his attire, raising an eyebrow. ''What are you planning to wear?''

He glanced down at his clothes and then back up at Molly. He had yet to think that far ahead. At first, he had assumed the invite to be a joke until this morning when Rose had sought him out. She had asked him again to attend the dinner, to which her fiancé had invited him.

Molly shook her head in disbelief.

''I figured. Come on.''

She grasped his wrist, leading him away from the deck like a child.

''If you turn up to dinner dressed like that, you'd be the talk of the town for weeks.''

Jack frowned. ''I didn't think anything was wrong with it.''

Molly let go of his wrist. ''Well, I hope you have a thick skin going in there,''

Jack smirked. ''I am sure I can handle it.''

Molly watched him and had to admit he had spunk; there was a specific something about him that she quite liked.

''So, Dawson, huh? Where are you from?''

''Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. You know it?''

''Uh-uh. I have never been, although I do hear it is cold in the winter.''

Molly led him across the promenade deck into the First Class entrance, which led onto the B deck, where her stateroom was.

''Yeah, it can be.''

''No parents or siblings?'' Molly asked.

''No, none. My parents died almost five years ago, and I left that part of the country. I travelled across the West Coast. I never looked back.''

''I'm sorry about your parents; fifteen is too young to lose someone with that level of significance to a boy.'' She patted his back as a sign of her sympathy. ''If I went, my husband couldn't even look after himself!'' She laughed.

They walked into the First Class entrance. Of course, people stared, and in a way, he couldn't help but feel self-conscious. He could see what Molly meant just by looking at these looks alone. "Just ignore them, Jack. Self-centred busybodies are all they are."

They turned down a corridor. The opulence of the hallways alone was enough to make Jack feel much smaller than he was. He hadn't even imagined what First Class looked like - it was something that never entered his mind until now.

"I can't help but notice you don't quite fit in amongst them."

"Oh, I don't. I wasn't born with wealth, son. My husband struck gold just after we married. I am not ashamed of my start in life, nor will I be made to feel it by these people."

Jack raised his eyebrows. He had yet to learn of Molly's background. She collected a key from her pocket as they stopped at suite B-4. Jack glanced about, trying to get a feel of first class. Just walking around, he felt no different.