The Ship of Dreams

Chapter 6: Real Party and a Wish

When I approached the staircase with the clock, as Jack had requested, I saw him. "Ready to go to a real party?" he asked, turning to face me. He said it in a boyish tone with an excited edge. I simply nodded, knowing that I needed to rebel and try something new. It was the only way I could be happy and with Jack at the same time. He led me down the ship's winding passages until we arrived at the room beneath the deck in the third class area where I had discovered him, the day I was going to thank him for saving my life and lying about his intentions. But the room was different on this night; it was darker because there was no sunlight shining through and only dim lights hung throughout. It smelled strongly of beer, and there was smoke everywhere, not to mention the loud Irish music played by the instruments.

After ten minutes, I was sitting in a wooden chair with Tommy and a Swedish guy, drinking cheap beer that tasted nothing like the fine wine I had been drinking every night. I was watching Jack dance with a little girl named Clara, she was English and her parents were friends with Jack so she called him 'Uncle Jack'. It was very cute. He had undone his bowtie and ruffled up his hair, causing it to sit haphazardly on his brow; he had also undone his top button, causing the collar to hang lazily around his neck. The Swedish man kept trying to talk to me, but I couldn't hear him and couldn't understand him.

"I don't understand what you're saying!" I made a loud motion to my ear to indicate that it was too loud.

"I'm going to dance with her now," Jack said, and I spun around to see him gesturing to me. Uh Oh.

"I don't know the steps," I said as Jack grabbed my waist and pulled me closer to him.

"Neither do I, so just go with it!" With a laugh, he said. That's when we started moving insanely fast and spinning while our bodies were touching. His arm was around my waist, mine was around his neck, and our other hands were clasped together. I burst out laughing as I felt myself gliding. That's exactly what we were doing. Glide across the dance floor. I had to lift the train of my first-class gown off the ground so that neither I nor Jack slipped on it. There was singing and laughing all around, and both Jack and I were laughing and whooping. I believe I heard Tommy let out a directed laugh at us.

Suddenly, Jack stopped dancing and pulled me up to this large gazebo-like structure (I'm not sure what to call it; if you've seen the movie, you'd know what I mean) and let go of my hand. Aw. My disappointment at him letting go of my hand quickly faded when I saw him tap dance; he was fantastic. I picked up my dress train and tossed my shoes to a third-class woman who was watching. I also saw Fabrizio and another woman there. I began doing my own tap dance, which I had learned when I was about thirteen, and I can't believe I still remember it. This went on for about two more dances before I became thirsty from being so hot. We went and took two beers from some arm wrestling men, one of whom happened to be Tommy. I enjoy beer because it is more bitter than wine or champagne. I despise champagne because it is so sweet.

I laughed because I could just picture all the first-class men sitting in their quiet room with their fancy furniture, talking about money, and all the first-class ladies sitting either at dinner, talking about their husbands and their dresses, or sleeping in their beds. I felt so happy, and all I wanted to do was be with Jack. I started gulping down beer but stopped when I noticed Jack looking at me in surprise, "What?" I asked, lightly smiling.

"Do you believe a first-class girl can't drink?" He began to laugh, and so did I, but our conversation was cut short when a drunken man stumbled into Jack, spilling his beer all over me.

"Leave right now!" I was laughing as Jack yelled and pushed the man away.

"Are you okay?" he inquired, his voice trembling. I couldn't stop laughing at how worried he was. "I'm fine," I finally said.

I removed a cigarette from Tommy's mouth after he had lost an arm wrestle.

"So you think you're big tough men?" I remarked loudly. Let's see how you handle this "While handing Jack the train of my gown, I said,

"Hold this up, Jack, hold it up high," I instructed. I raised my leg higher and higher, and when my leg was almost straight, I raised my on-the-ground foot onto a point. This is something I learned when I was doing ballet a few years ago. After I got my leg up, I appeared to be quite professional, but after about two seconds, my toes and leg began to ache.

"I haven't done that in years," we both laughed, but that's when I noticed Lovejoy on the steps. Caledon had dispatched someone to spy on me?! What a low!

"Ow!" I exclaimed loudly as I toppled onto Jack, who, of course, caught me.

"Are you okay?" he questioned genuinely.

"I should probably go now," I said to Jack, my gaze averted from the stairs.

"OK," he said, a small frown on his face. As we returned to the steps, I noticed that Lovejoy had vanished.

Jack attempted to teach me to sing 'Come Josephine' as he walked me back to the first class area. As we walked, we sang the song together and started laughing; did I mention I'm wearing his jacket, which smells like him? As we approached the door with the sign '1st Class' above it, our horrible singing subsided. I sighed and felt very disappointed; I turned to Jack and returned his coat; I could hear classical music coming from inside the lounge.

"Here we are," I announced awkwardly.

He only said "right," but I could tell he wasn't happy.

"I don't want to go back," I said with a small smile, and he giggled slightly. I looked up at the vast night sky above us; the night sky has always fascinated me; I adore it.

"Look," I said, still looking up at the sky, "it's beautiful."

"Yeah," Jack agreed, tilting his head up to look at the stars with me.

I swung around on one of the thick wire things that was obviously attached to something important.

"They're so small in such a vast and endless world! My audience thinks they're giants! There isn't even dust in God's eye "I said, shaking my head and staring at Jack. He simply smiled as he looked at me.

"You know there was a mistake," he said matter-of-factly, "you were mailed to the wrong address." I laughed and threw my head back, "you're not one of them," he added at the end.

"You know what my Pops used to say, every time you saw one, it was a soul going to heaven," Jack said brightly.

"Wow, that was a long one," Jack remarked as he watched the star fade into the night sky.

"You know what my Pops used to say, every time you saw one, it was a soul going to heaven," Jack said brightly.

"Aren't you supposed to make a wish?" I asked, looking at him, because I had just realized how close we were and was embarrassed.

"Why? What would you like to have?" He said this while looking down at me, and I just stared at him, trying to figure out how to tell him in the least awkward way possible that I wished for him.

"Something I can't have," I finally said after a minute of internal debate.

"I like that," I said, dreamily.

"Goodnight, Jack," I said as I walked past him and rested my hand on his shoulder. I dashed inside before he could say anything else to me. When I returned to my room, I changed into my nightgown and climbed into bed. That's when it struck me.

I was deeply in love.

With Jack Dawson.

CHAPTER 7 COMING SOON