The Titanic: A New Life

Chapter 2

The first day on the ship was more fun than I could have imagined. We boarded at around 6:00 P.M., watching the sunset on he deck after playing shuffleboard. I beat Marilynn four times before we took a break to look.
"Did you win again, Laurie?" Michael asked me. He was never able to pronounce my name correctly, so he said it in a way that I didn't make it hard for him. He called me Laurie. And I loved it.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did, Michael. But your sister is very good at this game. I'm lucky," I laughed, knowing it was unfair to boast when Marilynn was better than me at so many things.
"You give me more credit than I deserve," Marilynn claimed modestly, walking over to the front of the boat. Her blonde curls bounced on her shoulders as I walked with her, Michael hurrying to catch up.
I let my head fall onto my crossed arms, which I had laid down on the rail surrounding the open deck of the boat.
I finally glanced upwards when my sister gasped. I did the same.
The setting sun cast brilliant hues of orange, red, yellow, and purple on the soft waves, creating one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen.
"All I need to be a winner is my family," I declared firmly, taking one hand from each of my siblings.
We went to bed that night after talking about what we would do on the Titanic tomorrow.
"You know," Marilynn spoke thoughtfully. "They say this ship is unsinkable."
"No ship is unsinkable, Marilynn," I argued matter of factly. "Don't be foolish."
"You're always so technical, Lauren!" Marilynn had laughed, although I knew she was exasperated with my smart Alec comments. "Just trust in the ship!"
We were sitting on our beds in our small, crowded room. We had a space on the second floor down from the deck, with a bed occupying each side of the room.
I was on the east next to the door (why, I still don't know), Marilynn had a bed on the south next to the table where we ate (if we weren't out eating on the ship), Michael had the bed to the west near the closet and the cupboards that held all our belongings, and our mother had the bed next to the window on the north. This was how it was going to be during our stay on the Titanic.
We all decided to go to sleep early that night.
I woke up to the sound of our mother crying, and I turned to pull on my glasses I had put on a shelf in the corner. Each of our corners held our own separate belongings.
Mother was drinking something. What was it?
I squinted in the dim light, the absent moon giving off no light, to see some yellow liquid I believed was alcohol.
I knew it! That was why she was withdrawing from her children! That was why she never seemed focused anymore! But when had she started this obsession?
I called it an obsession because of what I saw; there were three empty glass bottles that looked like they could hold a whole gallon of milk in total...and she was still drinking!
I decided it best not to say anything, and I went back to sleep, fearing for my mother.
Was she still grieving over the death of our father? I had never seen her drink, let alone that much.
I just hoped she would be alright.
I fell into an blissful sleep that night, happy memories I believed we would make on the Titanic flashing behind my closed eyelids.
But the idea of my mother over drinking kept nagging at me in the back of my mind...