Titanic Bound by Destiny

Chapter 2: First Encounter

April 10th, 1912.

The Room Smelt of fresh paint; that was the first thought Nicholas had in his mind as he looked around. Titanic was, of course, brand new, but he did not expect the cabin to smell this new as well. Nevertheless, the cabin was quite nice. It had Four beds, and he believed he would have cabin mates, a sink and a wardrobe. There was no bathroom; they were elsewhere, though this did not bother him as the family did not have indoor plumbing back in Yorkshire. The room and the ship were much grander than he was used to, and it was his home for the next couple of days. "Wow," he exclaimed to himself. He looked at the bunk and wondered what cabinmates he would get. Would they be friendly? Would they be annoying? Would they even speek English? He sat there pondering it for a while before snapping back to reality. He realised he had been seated in the cabin for some time; the ship would be leaving port soon, and he was so bored of just sitting in the room and wanting to push himself to explore the ship. Nicholas decided to head to the boat deck to watch the ship leave Southampton. He knew the ship was packed to the brim full of people, more than he had ever seen, despite feeling remarkably nervous. He took three deep breaths and then headed for the cabin door. It was now or never.

He arrived on the boat deck just in time as people flocked to the railings to wave to that bellow. Titanic had already moved away from the port, and all the gangways that had once connected her to land were gone. Nicholas found an empty spot along the starboard rail, his eyes locked on the shrinking figures waving from the dockside. They all looked so small now, a reverse from earlier when he looked up at the ship. He could feel the gentle rumble of the ship's engines as they vibrated through the deck; she would sail on her power across the seas for the first time. His stomach filled with excitement and nervous anticipation for the journey ahead. He removed his hat and waved it at the crowd below as others did around him. There was some part of this that gave Nicholas a thrill. It was all so new to him. He wondered how his brothers and sisters felt the same when they embarked on their voyage on Lusitania. He wondered how that ship compared to the Titanic. Maybe one day he would find out, but for now, he got to marvel at the glory of this giant ship.

The festive atmosphere that had filled the air abruptly dissolved into a chorus of alarmed voices, a surge of panic sweeping across the deck. Nicholas, his attention piqued, turned his head and saw passengers pointing and murmuring in hushed, anxious tones. Intrigued, he craned his neck to see what had seized everyone's attention. His eyes widened in sheer panic. What he saw was a sight that sent his heart racing. The much smaller SS New York was nestled next to the Titanic in the port, and now she was drifting towards her. The massive displacement triggered by the Titanic's departure had set a perilous chain reaction in motion. The smaller SS New York's mooring ropes had snapped one by one, the sound echoing across the port like cannon fire. Now, she was adrift and appeared intent on bringing this maiden voyage to a disastrous end. His hands trembling, Nicholas clutched the railing in sheer panic, his mind a whirlwind of uncertainty. The ship was inching perilously close to the Titanic.

Nicholas watched in horror, unable to turn away, his heart in his throat as he gripped the rail so tight his knuckles went white. He did not know much about New York, but he could see she was, in fact, a grand ship in her own way. However, now she was a plaything to a much larger ship—a toy in a grand ocean. The distance between the two vessels narrowed at an alarming rate, and shouts could be heard from the crew on both ships, frantically working to avert a collision. Nicholas uttered a prayer under his breath, for it was the only thing he could do in a situation like this. It's what his father had taught him. In hard times, pray to the lord for salvation. He hoped the lord was watching right now. If these ships did indeed hit each other, then it was almost certain he would not make it to New York any time soon and would, in fact, not get to see his family for some time. Tugboats sprang into action as they struggled to correct the New York's course and push it away from the Titanic's imposing hull.