Molly's heart skipped a beat and her eyes opened wide. She could not believe that she was seeing Jack and Rose entering Stauch's. The table that she and Ruth were seated at was in the large dining room to the left of the entrance. Ruth had her back to the open archway, but Molly had a full view of what was going on in the entrance.

"Good Lord," thought Molly. "There's gonna fireworks now. And I don't think there's anything I can do about it."

Molly held her breath as one of the uniformed waiters led Rose and Jack off to the dining room on the opposite side of the building.

Ruth had not even opened her menu. She seemed slightly agitated.

"What's the matter Ruth?" asked Molly.

"I find it rather close in here, so many people. So much noise. Maybe I shouldn't have come."

"That's for sure," thought Molly.

But to Ruth she said, "Why don't you look at the menu, maybe that will calm you down."

"Oh, I don't know Molly. But perhaps you are right, maybe I should eat something," conceded Ruth.

The two of them studied the menu, though Molly had her eyes on that doorway to be sure there was no sign of Jack or Rose. Finally they placed their order. They had both decided on the roast beef, with boiled potatoes and sliced tomatoes. Ruth had little to say and Molly was preoccupied with worries of a confrontation with Ruth, Rose and Jack. Fortunately they were served shortly and they both concentrated on their food.

When they were done, Ruth spoke, "How long are we going to stay here?"

Clearly Ruth was not comfortable in this informal atmosphere.

"Just another few minutes Ruth. Come on enjoy the music and lookin' at the people dancing."

"I don't know Molly. I have a headache. I'm not used to this noise. I think I need to go and take something for it. It sounds like an athletic field in here."

"You sure Ruth?" asked Molly cautiously.

She was afraid that as Ruth made her way to the ladies room, she might encounter Rose. But on the other hand she could not really prevent Ruth from leaving the table. Maybe Rose and Jack were seated out of Ruth's way.

"Alright Ruth, if that will make you feel better. Have you got an aspirin with you?"

"Yes, I get these wretched headaches and I always carry something with me."

Ruth stood up and took her handbag. She looked around the room to see if she could spot the ladies room. She always hated to ask where such places were. Maybe she could find it on her own.

Molly was thoughtful as she watched Ruth head across the room.

"I sure hope she doesn't see them. They don't need that on their wedding day. I need to work on Ruth a little more first."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Jack and Rose had been seated in the opposite dining room near one of the windows. A warm May breeze blew though the lace curtains at the window. Jack had hung his jacket on the back of the chair. Now he and Rose sat holding hands across the table. A bottle of champagne rested in an ice bucket next to him. They too had little to say. They were too busy admiring each other and thinking of the night that lay ahead of them.

Their waiter had come to take their order, but Jack had told him not to bring the food right away. The orchestra was playing cakewalks, waltzes and some other standard music hall tunes.

"Jack, when we're done eating, can we dance?"

Jack rubbed her hand with his thumb.

"Of course, Rose, anything you want."

"Jack, my hair is a mess from the wind. It's half up and half down. I think I'll just go to the ladies room for a minute and take it all down."

"Alright Rose, just don't stay away too long."

As she stood up, he held onto her hand and kissed it.

"Hurry back, Rose."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Ruth stood at the sink with a glass in her hand. She had just swallowed the small aspirin tablet. As she looked in the mirror, she automatically raised her other hand and tucked in a few loose strands of hair. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the door open. A young woman entered who went to stand in front of a mirror on the other side of the room and began taking hairpins from her hair. Ruth emptied her glass in the sink and then glanced at the young woman again. It was Rose!

"Rose," gasped Ruth in a strangled voice.

Rose whirled around. Her insides began churning.

"Mother?"

It was a statement and a question at the same time.

"Oh God, why now, why here?" she thought.

Rose stood numbly while Ruth moved forward in what seemed to her like slow motion. Ruth reached up and held Rose's head in her hands.

"Oh Rose, why did you let me think you were dead? I suffered so thinking how you must have died."

Rose looked at her mother. She was tempted to ask her mother why she had made her suffer as Cal's fiancée, but she decided not to bring that up.

Instead she said, "Mother, Rose Dewitt-Bukater is dead. That person no longer exists."

"Yes, I know," said Ruth. " I heard from Molly that you married HIM today."

Rose could tell by the way her mother had said HIM, that her feelings for Jack were still the same. That he was less than nothing in her eyes.

"Molly?" questioned Rose. "What were you doing with Molly?"

Ruth let go of Rose and stepped back.

"You see Rose, after the Hockley's decided that you would not be found alive, they did not want me around either. To make a long story short, they sold everything of mine that was left to pay the rest of the debts and sent me away."

Ruth had a sad and pathetic look on her face. Somewhere in the back of Rose's mind, she heard the words over and over, "she is still your mother after all." Weren't those the words that Rev. Johnson had spoken to her yesterday, when she and Jack had gone to see him.

"I'm sorry Mother, I really am," Rose said stiffly, without emotion.

Ruth continued her story.

"When we got to New York after the sinking, Molly told me that if anything ever happened and I needed help, I could count on her and so I came."

"I thought you didn't like Molly. That she was not good enough for you."

"Rose," said Ruth hesitatingly, " I've made so many mistakes, so many misjudgments. I have things to talk to you about. Yes, I felt that way about her. She is very different and can be difficult."

"So can you Mother," said Rose and to herself, "so can I."

Ruth nodded her head almost imperceptibly.

"Rose, this is not what I wanted for you. To have your wedding dinner in a New York dance hall."

She moved closer to Rose again and brushed Rose's hair away from her face.

"I just wanted the best for you dear, you understand that don't you?"

"Mother, today is a special day for me, for Jack. I'm just not ready to talk about some things yet. I've been through so much these past few weeks. I really nearly did die."

She paused and looked at Ruth to gauge her reaction to what she was saying. Ruth's eyes were sad and she was quietly listening.

"Jack and I are leaving tomorrow on a little wedding trip. And then we are going to try living in Denver and maybe settle there. Maybe when we come back, we can sort all this out. Maybe then," Rose finished softly.

"Rose," said Ruth with some of the hardness back in her voice, "I just don't know about Jack. He hardly seems a responsible sort, just a kind of glorified vagabond. Oh, I heard all about him from Molly, all his stories. I just hope you've made the right decision and didn't throw you life away."

"Mother, please stop before we get angry at one another. I love Jack, he loves me. And I think if nothing else, we proved that love the night Titanic sank and in the days after. I've been nothing but a burden to him for the last two weeks and he has only become more devoted to me. Try and look at him in a positive light."

Ruth looked down at the floor for several moments before answering.

"I'll try Rose. I can't promise, but I'll try."

Then she stunned Rose by saying, "Molly has asked me to come to Denver with her and work for her."

"What?" Rose was not expecting this.

"Rose," continued Ruth, " I can't expect to change everything in one night, but PLEASE Rose, please look at me and say that maybe we can try and work things out between us. Please."

Ruth's eyes were glittering with tears. Rose looked at he mother. She did not understand the person standing before her. She had expected her mother to explode into one of her cynical tirades about Cal and the money and Rose being ungrateful. Whatever had happened to Ruth since she had last seen her had changed her dramatically. Of course she had been cast out by the Hockleys' and had thought she had lost her daughter. But somehow the old Ruth would have risen above all that and maintained her cold exterior. Now her mother wanted to be her friend. It was too much, too fast.

"Mother," said Rose and she laid her hand on Ruth's wrist, "if that's what you want then I promise I'll try, we'll try"

"Oh Rose, thank you."

Ruth wanted to reach out and embrace Rose, but the restraint of the past relationship held and they stood apart.

"It's getting quite warm in here Mother. Jack will be wondering what became of me. We should go back and let him and Molly know where we have been."

" Yes, you're right Rose," said Ruth.

Just then there was a rush of air and the door opened ...