Status: Active
Dear Fate
Twenty Three
"Robert and Daniel."
Olivia looked up to see the older woman looking out at where the Titanic had been only minutes previously.
"Their names. My husband was Robert. My son was Daniel," the woman explained.
"What are they like?" Olivia asked, making sure to use present tense.
"Men, mostly. Robert is a carpenter. We were on our way to America because we heard there was work over there in the States. Daniel is just like and 15-year-old. Ornery. Mischievous. Constantly dirty," the woman laughed.
Olivia smiled at the thought of the boy. It was easy to drown out her pain when she was thinking of the other woman's life. So she listened to her talk more about her son and husband, concentrating very hard on the stories being told. She was so deep in thought, in fact, that she didn't even notice the dwindling number of screams until the woman stopped talking.
She couldn't get the eerie feeling out of the pit of her stomach that something wasn't right, though she wasn't exactly sure what it was. There was no moon out tonight, so it was rather hard to see anything past the edge of the boat. Not that there was anything, as they were quite a bit away from where the ship went down and just as far from the people in the ocean still. It was then when she realized what was so eerie, and the creepy feeling in her stomach turned to one of nausea.
"Why is it so quiet?" she breathed out, looking to the other people in her boat.
Everyone looked at her sadly, as though they knew something she did not. Deep down she knew exactly what was wrong, she just chose not to admit it to herself.
"They must have gotten used to the water, then? It's not so cold now?" she asked, reached over the side of the boat and sticking her hand down into the water.
She hissed in pain as she recoiled her hand from the freezing water, bringing it to her chest to try and bring some feeling back into it.
"Well, I suppose I would not be used to it then, as I have not been in it for so long," Olivia said simply, sitting back into the boat with her hand still clutched to her chest.
She ignored the pitying stares on her and tried to focus on the thought of Holly in her own lifeboat, snuggling up to James as they shared the warmth from his thick wool jacket. Once that image was burned into her head, she had no trouble believing that was what had actually happened. Next, she chose to focus on Tommy, knowing for sure that he was in his own boat, maybe even the same one as Holly, laughing and joking with that Italian boy and Jack Dawson.
She smiled to herself and settled back into her seat, off in her own little fantasy world while the other passengers stared at the young girl in pity, the silence engulfing them much more deafening than the screams from before.
The crippling silence was finally broken by the sounds of several lifeboats converging around the one Olivia was in. Not as if she was paying attention. She only looked up when she heard a familiar voice.
"Alright, I want all the women from this boat to go into these other boats. Tie them together with this and just wait until I get back. I want the men in my boat."
She looked over to see Harry Lowe directing the different passengers into different boats.
"What's going on?" she asked the woman beside her.
"They're loading the ladies into other boats and getting the men into that one so they can go and look for survivors," she replied, looking sadly over at Olivia.
"I want to go with them," Olivia said at once.
She stood up and made her way slowly over to the side of the boat where Harry was busy trying to fasten the boats together for the time being.
"I want to go with you," she said quickly.
Harry looked up, startled at first, then looked back down to his task at hand.
"No way. You need to stay here," he replied, not looking at her.
"I can help. And I need to find Holly. I need to make sure she's safe," Olivia tried to reason.
"You won't be any help. You're cold, you're tired, and you'll just get in the way, no offense. We need as much room as possible for survivors, and I only want to bring people that will for sure be of some use to me. As for Holly, if she's out there, I'll find her. Now I need you to please, sit back down and wait, okay?" he finally looked up at her, and she could see the truth in his eyes.
"Alright. I'll stay," she whispered, turning to walk back over to her seat.
At the last second, she turned around and walked back over to Harry. She pulled him against her so they were hugging over the side of both of their boats. He was surprised at the gesture, but wound his arms around her back eventually.
"Bring her back. Please," Olivia whispered into his collar.
"You have my word," Harry said, pulling back from her and smiling.
She gave him a watery smile and returned to her seat, confident that if anyone could find her, it would be him.
Olivia looked up to see the older woman looking out at where the Titanic had been only minutes previously.
"Their names. My husband was Robert. My son was Daniel," the woman explained.
"What are they like?" Olivia asked, making sure to use present tense.
"Men, mostly. Robert is a carpenter. We were on our way to America because we heard there was work over there in the States. Daniel is just like and 15-year-old. Ornery. Mischievous. Constantly dirty," the woman laughed.
Olivia smiled at the thought of the boy. It was easy to drown out her pain when she was thinking of the other woman's life. So she listened to her talk more about her son and husband, concentrating very hard on the stories being told. She was so deep in thought, in fact, that she didn't even notice the dwindling number of screams until the woman stopped talking.
She couldn't get the eerie feeling out of the pit of her stomach that something wasn't right, though she wasn't exactly sure what it was. There was no moon out tonight, so it was rather hard to see anything past the edge of the boat. Not that there was anything, as they were quite a bit away from where the ship went down and just as far from the people in the ocean still. It was then when she realized what was so eerie, and the creepy feeling in her stomach turned to one of nausea.
"Why is it so quiet?" she breathed out, looking to the other people in her boat.
Everyone looked at her sadly, as though they knew something she did not. Deep down she knew exactly what was wrong, she just chose not to admit it to herself.
"They must have gotten used to the water, then? It's not so cold now?" she asked, reached over the side of the boat and sticking her hand down into the water.
She hissed in pain as she recoiled her hand from the freezing water, bringing it to her chest to try and bring some feeling back into it.
"Well, I suppose I would not be used to it then, as I have not been in it for so long," Olivia said simply, sitting back into the boat with her hand still clutched to her chest.
She ignored the pitying stares on her and tried to focus on the thought of Holly in her own lifeboat, snuggling up to James as they shared the warmth from his thick wool jacket. Once that image was burned into her head, she had no trouble believing that was what had actually happened. Next, she chose to focus on Tommy, knowing for sure that he was in his own boat, maybe even the same one as Holly, laughing and joking with that Italian boy and Jack Dawson.
She smiled to herself and settled back into her seat, off in her own little fantasy world while the other passengers stared at the young girl in pity, the silence engulfing them much more deafening than the screams from before.
The crippling silence was finally broken by the sounds of several lifeboats converging around the one Olivia was in. Not as if she was paying attention. She only looked up when she heard a familiar voice.
"Alright, I want all the women from this boat to go into these other boats. Tie them together with this and just wait until I get back. I want the men in my boat."
She looked over to see Harry Lowe directing the different passengers into different boats.
"What's going on?" she asked the woman beside her.
"They're loading the ladies into other boats and getting the men into that one so they can go and look for survivors," she replied, looking sadly over at Olivia.
"I want to go with them," Olivia said at once.
She stood up and made her way slowly over to the side of the boat where Harry was busy trying to fasten the boats together for the time being.
"I want to go with you," she said quickly.
Harry looked up, startled at first, then looked back down to his task at hand.
"No way. You need to stay here," he replied, not looking at her.
"I can help. And I need to find Holly. I need to make sure she's safe," Olivia tried to reason.
"You won't be any help. You're cold, you're tired, and you'll just get in the way, no offense. We need as much room as possible for survivors, and I only want to bring people that will for sure be of some use to me. As for Holly, if she's out there, I'll find her. Now I need you to please, sit back down and wait, okay?" he finally looked up at her, and she could see the truth in his eyes.
"Alright. I'll stay," she whispered, turning to walk back over to her seat.
At the last second, she turned around and walked back over to Harry. She pulled him against her so they were hugging over the side of both of their boats. He was surprised at the gesture, but wound his arms around her back eventually.
"Bring her back. Please," Olivia whispered into his collar.
"You have my word," Harry said, pulling back from her and smiling.
She gave him a watery smile and returned to her seat, confident that if anyone could find her, it would be him.