Chapter 6

198 23 3

by smilinglrh

by smilinglrh

| Calum | 1912 |

I am currently sitting in front of my mirror in our bedroom, letting out a soft sigh as I start to undress myself to get ready for bed. Suddenly, I see Isabella standing in the doorway. Then she slowly comes towards me."I know you've been melancholy, and I don't pretend to know why", she suddenly says to me.From behind her back, she hands me a large black velvet jewel case. I slowly take it from her.

"I intended to save this till the engagement gals next week, since I did not expect you to get me anything. So I thought tonight, you should see what you will give to me, at our engagement gals", she says.I mentally roll my eyes. Of course she got something for herself.I slowly open the box. Inside is the necklace... "HEART OF THE OCEAN" in all its glory. It is huge... a malevolent blue stone glittering with an infinity of scalpel-like inner reflections. I widen my eyes slightly as soon as I see it. This must have cost her a lot. A very lot.

"My God... Bella. Is it a—", I say."Diamond. Yes it is. 56 carats", she replies then continues to speak,"...it was once worn by Louis the Sixteenth. They call it Le Coeur de la Mer, the-""The Heart of the Ocean. Bella, it's... it's overwhelming", I respond as I stare at the necklace."It's for royalty. And we are royalty", she says.Her fingers caress my neck and my throat."There's nothing I couldn't give you. There's nothing I'd deny you if you would deny me. Open your heart to me, Calum", she tells me.

On the next day, it is Saturday April 13, 1912. I am slowly making my way to the gate to go down into third class. I can feel the steerage men on the deck stop what they are doing and staring at me. Of course, it is not usual for someone from the first class to come here. As soon as I get there, I look around a bit.

So this is the social center of steerage life. It is stark by comparison to the opulence of first class, but is a loud, boisterous place. There are mothers with babies, kids running between the benches yelling in several languages and being scolded in several more. There are old women yelling, men playing chess, girls doing needlepoint and reading dime novels. There is even an upright piano. I then look around some more, finally spotting who I am looking for.

Luke is sitting somewhere along with two other men. I slowly make my way up to them and god, I can feel even more people staring at me. As soon as Luke sees me as well, I give him a little smile.

"Hello Luke", I say."Hello again", he says as he gives me a smile back."Could I speak to you in private?", I ask him."Uh, yes. Of course. After you", he says as he motions me to walk ahead, which I do then he follows me.We are walking on the boat deck of the first class now, side by side.

We pass people reading and talking in steamer chairs, some of whom glance curiously at us. We are both awkward, for different reasons."Mr. Hemmings, I-", I start to speak but he interrupts me."Luke", he says."Luke... I feel like such an idiot. It took me all morning to get up the nerve to face you", I honestly tell him as I look down."Well, here you are", he says as he looks at me."Here I am. I... I want to thank you for what you did. Not just for... for pulling me back. But for your discretion", I say."You're welcome. Calum", he responds."Look, I know what you must be thinking! Poor little rich guy. What does he know about misery?", I say as I look back up, shaking my head slightly."That's not what I was thinking. What I was thinking was... what could have happened to hurt this guy so much he thought he had no way out", he tells me.I don't know why, but I feel like I can tell him how I have been feeling about my life lately."I don't... it wasn't just one thing. It was everything. It was them, it was their whole world. And I was trapped in it, like an insect in amber. I just had to get away... just run and run and run... and then I was at the back rail and there was no more ship... even the Titanic wasn't big enough. Not enough to get away from them. And before I'd really thought about it, I was over the rail. I was so furious. I'll show them. They'll be sorry!", I say quickly.

"Uh huh. They'll be sorry. 'Course you'll be dead", he says."Oh God, I am such an utter fool", I say as I lower my head again."That penguin last night, is she one of them?", he asks me."Penguin? Oh, Isabella! She is them", I say as I frown hardly."Is she your girlfriend?", he says curiously."Worse I'm afraid", I respond as I point to my finger, where I am wearing a huge diamond ring. Yes, I proposed to her but she insisted on me wearing a ring as well.

"Gawd look at that thing! You would have gone straight to the bottom", Luke says to me as he looks at the ring with big eyes.As he says that, we start to laugh. Since we are on the first class now, people are staring at Luke. But I just glare them away."So you feel like you're stuck on a train you can't get off 'cause you're marryin' this woman", Luke says."Yes, exactly!", I reply, feeling like someone finally seems to understand how miserable my situation is."So don't marry her", he simply says.I sigh softly as I shake my head slowly."If only it were that simple", I say as I look around a bit."It is that simple", he says.

Oh of course he thinks so...I do not want to talk more about this now, so I look for another topic to talk about. I notice the sketchbook he is holding in one hand."What's this?", I ask him as I grab the sketchbook from him."Just some sketches", he says as he shrugs, biting down his lower lip slowly."May I?", I ask him as I sit down on a deck chair and without waiting for his response, I just open it and start to look through his sketches.

Each one is an expressive little bit of humanity: an old woman's hands, a sleeping man, a father and daughter at the rail. The faces are luminous and alive. His book is a celebration of the human condition."Luke, these are quite good! Really, they are", I tell him.A smile starts to appear on his lips."Well, they didn't think too much of 'em in Paree", he tells me as he looks up at me.

"Well, well...", I say as I come upon a series of nudes.I am transfixed by the languid beauty Luke has created. His nudes are soulful, real, with expressive hands and eyes. They feel more like portraits than studies of the human form... almost uncomfortably intimate.

"And these were drawn from life?", I ask him as I turn my head to look up into his clear blue eyes."Yup. That's one of the great things about Paris. Lots of girls and boys willing take their clothes off", he tells me, which causes me to chuckle softly.I study one drawing in particular, the girl posed half in sunlight, half in shadow. Her hands lie at her chin, one furled and one open like a flower, languid and graceful. The drawing is like an Alfred Steiglitz print of Georgia O'Keefe.

"You liked this woman. You used her several times", I state."She had beautiful hands", Luke tells me smiling."I think you must have had a love affair with her...", I say as I raise my eyebrows slightly, looking at him."No, no! Just with her hands", he says as he starts laughing.His laugh is... nice, delightful and just beautiful. His laugh is real, not one of those fake laughs of people who are usually around me.

"You have a gift, Luke. You do. You see people, I tell him as I smile even more."I see you", he suddenly says, looking at me with a piercing gaze."And...?", I say as I look right back at him."You wouldn't have jumped", he suddenly says.