My Story: R.M.S Titanic [Completed]

3: The Captain's Drawing

The next morning, I organised my drawing equipment and made sure I had blank pieces of paper to draw on. I left my room and went straight to the boiler room. The men were preparing for voyage.

"Miss, may I help you?" a boy asked.

"I'm lookin' for my father, William Morgan," I told him.

"So your Will's kid? Shoulda known. Ya' are a beaut," he told me. I smiled.

"Now, do ya' know where my father is or not?" I asked. He pointed with his thumb to the other side and I walked towards the direction.

"Mae, darlin', meet the guys," my father said as I walked towards him.

"You didn't come for supper last night," I whispered. All the "guys" were eyeing me like a piece of meat.

"Ah, you ain't suppose to be worryin' your pretty lil' head 'bout it," he said as he fixed my shawl over my head.

"You told me that-" I started.

"Mae, enough. You have to go meet the captain and you oughta not be late," Father said. I bit back my tears and nodded as I walked back to the ladder.

"Excuse me, miss, but you dropped this," the boy said as I climbed out of the boiler room. He came up and placed my pencils in my hands.

"Thank you, Mr....," I trailed off.

"Sire," he said. I nodded and turned to go to Captain Smith's bridge.

"Miss Morgan," Mr. Ismay said as I walked across the deck to the bridge.

"Mr. Ismay, how are you?" I asked, stopping. He approached me.

"May I ask where you are going?" he asked. I swallowed.

"To see the captain. He asked me to draw him yesterday and I told him that I would this morning in order to have the most time," I said as he looked down at me with his wiry frame trying to look intimidating but I had dealt with scarier men than him.

"Enjoy your time with the captain. But please visit Mr. Andrews and myself in my office when you are finished," he stated and started to walk away.

"Mr. Ismay, what exactly is the need for my visit to your office?" I asked, watching him stop to look at me.

"You will know once you join us in the office," he said. I nodded and continued walking to the bridge.

"Miss Morgan, it is a pleasure to see you once more," Captain Smith said as I opened the door to the bridge. I smiled at the captain that was dawned in his white uniform that made him look like a god of the sea and shore.

"Captain Smith, the pleasure is all mine. Your uniform is absolutely stunnin', sir," I said. I caught my slip of tongue and corrected myself, "Stunning."

"Don't worry about your language, darling. I understand," he said. I nodded and looked at the wheel.

"Can you stand behind the wheel? I believe that it's the best place for the drawing," I said, careful of my language. If my mother taught me anything was to always act above your class so people will respect you like that class. Granted my mother died and my father and I were lazy at home and work so I had to focus on everything a little harder.

"Just like this?" he asked as he took a position on the side of the wheel with his hand over one of the pegs of the wheel.

"Perfect," I whispered as I leaned against the window to draw. I started with the shaping of his face and upper body that would be the only part of his body that I wished to use in my drawing of the honourable captain.

"Miss Morgan, tell me more about yourself," he said as I drew. I started on his facial features.

"I'm eighteen and I'll be turning nineteen this summer," I told him as I focused on my drawing. He nodded slightly and I worked on my drawing to avoid conversation with the captain that would involve my personal life.

***

About forty five minutes later, I was just adding the finishing touches on the drawing that I felt the drawing needed. I dated the drawing 3 April 1912 and my initials MM. I blew off any pencil dust that would have lingered on the drawing and offered it to the captain. He took it with gentleness and studied it.

"Your work will never falter. I can see that now even with a drawing such as this one," he said as he laid it on the nearby counter.

"I dare to say that drawing is the best London style drawing that I ever done," I whispered as I put my pencils back in their case. I heard change and Captain Smith placed a pence in my face.

"For an artist. Artists are the pulse of the world," he said. I took the pence and studied it in my hand. I had never been paid for my art before.

"I can't accept this," I said trying to give him back the pence. He shook his head as he pushed my hand away.

"You can and you will. Think of it as a future bidding to the future of wherever you are going," he said. I wrapped my fingers around the pence and smiled at the captain that was picking up his drawing.

"Thank you Captain Smith," I said as I tucked the pence into my pocket and hugged my drawing equipment.

"No thank you Miss Morgan," he said. I walked to the door and he cleared his throat. "Please visit me at anytime Miss Morgan." I looked at him.

"I will do that for you," I told him as I walked out of the bridge. I leaned against the door and touched the pence in my pocket with a smile. The coin is one that was touched by the famous Captain Edward J. Smith. I felt my heart soar and I skipped to the rail so I can look at the water that was lapping the side of the docked ship. Maybe the Titanic was the ship of dreams.