Jack wet his lips with his tongue and then ran his fingers through his hair. "I never thought it would be happening like this," he thought to himself. "I can't believe I am doing this. How can I be marrying this woman I've known now, for let's see, 21 days? This is crazy!" He looked at Rose, who was distracted for the moment by Molly, who was fussing with her hair and dress. "But she is so special, so amazing. How could I let her go?" Jack had been wrestling with his thoughts for days. He knew he loved Rose and would not be able to go on without her. But was he asking too much in taking her so far out of her element that she might not survive without him if something were to happen? "What if I fail in taking care of her, what if this marriage does not work?" Jack felt Rev. Johnson's sleeve brush against his. Even in the presence of his quiet demeanor, Jack was not at all calm. He rubbed his sweating palms together. "This is almost worse than going down with the Titanic," he thought. "I just reacted then, there was no time to think." He looked at Rose again. She was whispering something to Molly. As his mind continued whirling with thoughts of confusion, one thing kept coming to the forefront. It was the picture in his mind of Rose raising that axe to save his life. "She never would have risked her own life like that unless she loved me." Then he remembered again what she said about wanting to get off the ship with him. "Jack," he told himself, " get a grip on yourself. Do what you always tell everyone else to do, just get on with it. It'll be all right." Now Rose had her head down. "Is she as nervous as I am?" He could see that she was struggling. He did not believe that she would change her mind at the last minute. But clearly, something was troubling her. "Oh, if I could only get inside her head and help her." He thought once more about the last couple of days. They were a blur of shopping, the trip to get the marriage license and getting his few clothes ready for their wedding trip. "I didn't even have time to get the railway tickets. I guess this will be another one of my, our adventures." This morning he'd had barely enough time to pack, and pick up the ring and bouquet before arriving just in time at the church. Then he thought for a moment of his parents. For the last few days, he had felt that somehow, they knew what was going on, and could sense his happiness. Suddenly, as if someone had laid an invisible hand on his shoulder, his mind stopped wandering and his body stopped fidgeting. All of his thoughts focused now on one thing. "I want Rose, want her alone with me, forever. I can do this." He studied Rose's beautiful face one more time hoping to send his own positive thought waves to her. He wanted only to see her smile and to come to him.

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

Reverend Johnson watched this young man next to him. Jack didn't seem to be able to stay still. "I guess I must have been that nervous when I married my Eleanor." He gazed fondly over at the open doorway where his wife sat at an upright piano. They had been married for 45 years. "I wonder if this marriage will be as good as ours?" He had a few misgivings about even performing this ceremony. Under normal circumstances, he probably wouldn't have. But Rose and Jack were different. The ordeal that they had been through had matured them. "I'm the one who learned from them, about love, devotion, survival and bravery." He was saddened to know that neither of them would have a parent present. Jack's of course were dead. And he understood the problems that Rose had experienced with her mother. As a minister, he felt it was his duty to remind Rose that in the event they should ever meet, they must try and make amends. "She is still your mother and her motives, no matter who misconstrued, probably came from fear. Maybe if you see her again, she will have changed. You must promise me that you will try." He looked at Rose while she digested all of this; and he was heartened when in the end she agreed. While he still wished that Rose and Jack had known one another a bit longer, he had reluctantly agreed to go ahead with the ceremony.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Molly stepped back and took a good look at Rose. "My, my, in a few minutes she will be a married woman. She is so young, and has been through so much. Too bad her father isn't here to see this." Rose had spoken briefly to Molly about her father. It still seemed to cause her a great deal of pain to recall the details of his death. Apparently Edwin Dewitt-Bukater had been a loving father, a happy and good-natured man, even though some very unwise decisions, had cost him his inheritance and his life. Molly was still curious to know how he had hooked up with Ruth, the icicle. "Well wherever Ruth is today, it better be far from here. She would have a fit if she knew what was going on." Molly smiled as she watched Jack fiddling with his unaccustomed finery. "I wonder what Jack's folks would have made of all this?" She was sure that eventually they would have come to love Rose, but their initial reaction would probably have been reluctance and concern. After all, how often did a farm boy, a wanderer like Jack, marry a society girl like Rose? But in Molly's mind, Jack and Rose did belong together. Cut from the same cloth, they were both adventuresome, free spirits. Together they should have extraordinary children. Molly dabbed her eyes as she looked from bride to groom. She was quite proud of the fact that she has helped this relationship along, even signing the consent yesterday for the underage bride. "Look at those two, I love them like my own. Why didn't things work out like this with my own children?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Rose was vaguely aware of piano music coming from the corner of the courtyard. Molly had been checking over her hair and flowers, wanting her to look perfect. Now she stood alone with a thousand thoughts colliding in her head. "I know him, I don't know him. Can I make him happy? What do I know about keeping house?" Rose thought back to this morning. She had been so tired, that she had almost overslept. It was a good thing that Molly had promised Jack that she would look after her today. It was Molly who had helped her move her things into the room she would share with Jack tonight, and also sent someone to pick up her gift for him. "Thank heavens she was here to help me. I couldn't have done this without her." But aside from being tired, she was concerned about the fleeting episode of queasiness that she had experienced this morning. That and the fact that she was 3 days late with her monthly calendar probably meant nothing, considering her recent ordeal. But what if it did? "It has to be nerves. I can't be pregnant, could I?" Rose's heart was pounding, her hands were like ice. "What if I am? How could I have been so naïve to think that nothing would have happened from that night. My God, what would Jack think about this?" Rose put her head down. She shut everything out except her own private thoughts. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Jack, please help me, give me a sign that this is going to be all right. Please Jack?" Rose looked up and opened her eyes. Her heart was now beating the same rhythm over and over, "you love him, you love him." She saw Jack looking at her with a puzzled expression on his face. Could he guess what he was thinking? And then as if her had heard her thoughts, she saw his lips move silently, "Trust me," they said. That was it, that was all she needed.

She smiled and looked into his eyes. He nodded slightly, then grinned back at her. She started to move forward and suddenly there was Jack meeting her halfway. He took her arm and led her to the place where Rev. Johnson stood. Molly watched from the back of the garden, tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. Reverend Johnson glanced at his wife, who was nodding her approval. He knew now that he was doing the right thing. Uniting Rose and Jack in marriage was a very proper thing to do.