The World Over

Large Ships and Large Rocks

Chapter Two - Large Ships & Large Rocks

          1910 – Belfast, Northern Ireland

Picture of the overly hot William on the side :)

William’s POV

I glanced at myself in the mirror of our country house; my blazer was of a navy blue colour, my waistcoat a lighter blue with trousers matching my blazer. We were meeting with a Captain Edward John Smith and some other high up people to discuss how the rooms inside a new ship named the Titanic would look. My father had been involved since the beginning but he sent a letter and rang and asked for me to come up and join him, calling it a ‘momentous moment’ in history that was not to be missed, so I agreed.

I walked out of the room and joined my father and the Captain downstairs. “William, my son. This is Captain Edward John Smith, he captained the Baltic, that your cousin Irene joined.” My father greeted me.

“The Baltic? That’s quite a large ship.” I responded and they both nodded their heads.

“Indeed it is I spent three years with her.” He informed me and I gave a smile in response.

“Is anybody else joining us?” I wondered as I wandered over to the table where a glass container of whiskey stood with three glasses. “Whiskey?” I asked politely as I poured myself one.

They both nodded their heads so I poured them both one as well before passing it to them. “A Mister Bruce Ismay will be meeting us on the docks.” The captain replied.

“And he is-“ I replied.

“He is the Chairman of White Star Lines.” My father replied. “He and the chairman of Harland and Wolff came up with the grand idea of the Titanic and her sister ships.”

“So what will I and father be doing?” I asked as I took a sip of my whiskey.

“With your father being famous and earning his money from selling furnished items, we want the best, for the best, and so we want you and your father to design and furnish the rooms for the higher class.” The captain answered and I nodded my head in response. “More of the details are going to be discussed when Ismay joins us later.”

“What time will we be joining Ismay?”

“At half past one this afternoon.” My father informed me. “I and the Captain were discussing the football match between Ireland and England today, at ten this morning and the Captain has obtained three tickets for us to attend.”

“Thank you, I enjoy a good game of football, when I’m not busy.” I told them both smiling.

**************

The final whistle blew and I felt slightly defeated at it being a one-one draw. “At least we did not lose.” I commented being optimistic.

“That is how we want you to think.” The captain replied. “Optimistic.”

I grinned at the compliment. “Are we to meet this Ismay now?”

“Yes.”

We shuffled out of the football game with the rest of the spectators and climbed into a car that had been waiting for us. The people around were looking at us in awe as they saw it start to move. The people around here had probably never seen a car before, so I’m not surprised if they’re in shock.

We were driven down the street, away from the match and towards the Docks, where this Mr Ismay was.

The driver pulled in, but even from a far we could see the building of the huge ships, they were magnificent. Their height made me feel small and insignificant as I made my way to the office with the Captain and father.

There were two men that were in the office. They both stood up when we wandered in. “Ahh, Mr Andrews, I did not know you would be here.” The Captain said immediately.

“Yes, me neither. Bruce told me about it this morning on the telephone.” He admitted. “How was your journey?”

“It was good, thank you.” I replied. “Should we get down to business now?”

“Yes, definitely,” Ismay said, clapping his hands together once and rubbing them. Ismay was a tall man, with short black hair and a distinctive moustache that curled naturally at the end. He had a sense of authority about him that told you straight away that he was a man of important business.

 We all sat around this dark oak wooden table that had a plan view of the Titanic. Mr Andrews started to discuss with us where each class was going and where the dining hall was and each and other important room. The one that fascinated me the most though, was the staircase, the way he described it made it seem flawless and beautiful, like nothing could look more perfect.

My father started talking about his latest designs and what would look best in what room. The conversation was kept going for hours. With Andrews being Chief Designer he knew exactly what he wanted straight away, which was great because it made the design of each room move much faster in converse.

“Is that it then?” Captain Smith asked and Andrews nodded his head.

“Yes, we have all the rooms designed from the wallpaper to the chairs.” He smiled. “I’ll have it all added up for you Lord Cunningham and we shall send a check.” He added.

We all stood up. “It’s been nice doing business with you, especially for such an extravagant liner. I cannot wait to see Cunningham and Son furnishings on the largest liner to grace the Atlantic.” My father exclaimed happily, whilst he was shaking Ismay and Andrew’ hands.

We all stepped out of the office to the dark night and all wandered down the pier to the end. I glanced up towards the sky where a huge shooting star passed by. “Father, look at the sky!” I cried in astonishment.

My father obeyed and his eyes widened. “Is that Haley’s Comet?” My father wondered.

“It seems; what a beautiful sight.” Andrews gave his input and stared at it like the men and women were at the car after the football match.

“Why don’t we make a wish?” Captain Smith chuckled.

Whether he was being serious or not, I closed my eyes and wished secretly that I would one day meet the love of my life and spend the rest of my days with her.

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This is the second chapter, hope you enjoy!

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