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Gabriel had quick reflexes and rushed to her side when she fainted, he caught her right before she hit the floor. “Oh shit…Lomi?”he asked her as he held her in his arms and rocked her back and forth. “Lomi?....wake up…..Im shocked too but Im not becoming a narcoleptic”he said with a laugh as he gently tapped her face. She started to stir,”There you are. Im here, Lomi. Come back to me, Lomi. Its alright”he said. Then she opened her eyes,”Hey”he said softly as he stroked her face, hair. He figured that she was dead and he cried for days. He cried so much that he didn’t know who he was crying for- his grandmother, Adam or Salomi. He was so grateful that one made it. And he was glad it was her.
“You’re alive?”she asked him as tears came to her eyes. She couldn’t believe it. She must be dreaming. But he was holding her, he felt so warm and smelled so good.
“I am, and thankfully you are too”he said as he held her close and they both cried in each others arms. When they finally got a hold of themselves, the questions started.
“What are you doing here?”they both asked at the same time and laughed. New York City was a dream for both of them but a far cry from California and Tennessee.
“My father and Uncle Vernon died on the ship….I somehow made it”Salomi answered him. “Dorothy’s been taking care of me ever since. I don’t know if you met her on the ship…she and my father….they were like us, fell in love…she found me on the Olympique and said I could live with her. I agreed. California has too many memories of Uncle Vernon and my father”she said
“Wait, the Dorothy I just auditioned for?....shes your guardian?”he asked,”I knew that I knew her from somewhere”he said trying to digest all the information and then hugged her close,”Im sorry about your father and Uncle. I know how close you all were”he said as he wiped the tears away that were starting to fall from her eyes. Then he paused,”Wait…you two were on the Olympique too? I somehow got there….I didn’t see you….but I wasn’t all there….if you know what I mean….”
“Yes, I don’t ever want to get on a boat again. Staying in America is just fine with me”she said,”I remember the Olympique being packed with people. Im surprised that Dorothy found me. I bet people are still looking for each other…..”she said,”How’s Adam?”she asked, but something made her afraid to ask but did anyway.
“He died on the ship. Fell off. He was too weak…and I couldn’t….I tried my best but I couldn’t hold him anymore….I was weak too I guess”he said sadly
“No you weren’t. You tried your best”Salomi said,”Everything happened so fast…”she said as she held onto his hand. “What happened after? You decided to stay here?”
“No I stowed away on the first train back to Tennessee. Got to Memphis and then hitchhiked and walked the rest of the way”he said with a sigh, remembering the long trip. “I was making it back home to my grandmother…I got home…and she wasn’t there. She died a couple months before I got back. I didn’t know. No one could get in touch with me when I was traveling…”he said as he started to cry and Salomi held him. “Strangers answered the door saying the house was sold and it was theirs. A neighbor told me. I visited her grave and then left. Tennessee has nothing for me either, not without Adam and my grandmother”
“Im so sorry”Salomi said. “You’ve been here ever since?”she asked
He nodded,”Ive been shining shoes….Ive been a waiter….a cook….been trying to survive ever since”
“What about Broadway?”she asked him
“Tried it. Failed. This is the first audition where I didn’t get rejected….are you performing here too?”he asked her
“No no no”Salomi said,”I work here with Dorothy. Im her accountant and assistant. That’s what Ive been doing for 2 years”she said and smiled,”You’re 17 now. A grown man”
He chuckled,”I’d say that Ive grown a lot since…everything happened”he said. “And your 14?”he asked her and smiled,”Still too young for me”
“I don’t think so. Ive got a job, I go to a club every night”she said as she indicated the stage,”I may graduate early. Im pretty grown up”she said
“I know. Im just teasing”he said. “You’re perfect for me”he said and she smiled. “You know, now that I found you, I cant let you go. Now if you are married or seeing another man then you are just going to have to file for divorce or run away. Im not losing you, Im not letting you go”
“Im not married. Im not seeing anyone. No one….no one compared to you”she said
“Good. I still love you, Salomi. I always have. I fell in love with you when you kicked me in my groin on the ship”
She laughed at the memory,”Ive loved you since you stole from me….since we danced and drank moonshine….since you kissed me….”she said
“Can I kiss you?”he asked her. She nodded adamantly and he leaned forward and kissed her. Tears fell down her face as they did so. The kiss was so magnetic, so right, and surely missed. The both of them dreamed and wished that this would happen again and both thought it was a thing of the past. Something that was just a memory and would never happen again. Now they had a second chance and they were going to be careful and not let the other go away again.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Dorothy walked out into the front lobby of her gallery. She was anxious to see David, she hadn’t seen him since she left for London 3 years ago. But she was also dreading it, she knew that he probably had a script ready for her and even though she made an announcement to reporters at a press conference that she was quitting her acting career to indulge in other endeavors, many directors sought her out hoping that their ideas or scripts would make her fall in love with acting again. But she just didn’t have the strength anymore. And she didn’t have the strength to tell David no. She couldn’t really say no to anyone, it was hard for her since she was always aiming to please. But she learned that life was too short to be living her life for someone else. Even David. She would do anything for him. They used to be quite an item but her depression and their conflicting work schedules pushed them apart. Yes, it was going to be hard to say no to him.
She walked into the room and saw him standing there and she couldn’t help but smile. He looked a little older, his hair was starting to gray but he looked very much the same. She was surprised to see tears in his eyes and he held her close without saying a word. He started to cry, and she did too.
“I thought you went under. I thought you were gone….”he said as he cried. “I got your letter saying you were going to get on the Titanic and I got it the day I heard that it sank….”he said and then finally composed himself and looked at her, wiping his eyes,”Then the papers had pictures of you getting off the Olympique. Then you said you were retiring from film….I respected that decision. You have been going through so much and I hope that you are on your way to being happy or have found happiness”he said and then smiled,”Im rambling…Im so sorry….”
“No…your fine”she said as she wiped her tears,”You always ramble. Im used to it”she said with a laugh. “I survived. Im not doing film. I came to terms with Mummy’s death….I opened up this place and Ive been happy since….”she said. Almost. She missed Abraham everyday but it was easier dealing with it than it did 2 years before. She and Salomi would cry and hold each other in the middle of the night for him. Not anymore.
“Ive been really busy writing scripts and doing the Hollywood thing. Ive had some time off….I promised myself that when I had enough time to come back to New York, the first person I would see is you. Are you busy tonight?”he asked her
“I’ll be working tonight”she said sadly. He hadn’t mentioned a script yet, maybe she shouldn’t be worried.
“You have a 24 hour art gallery?”he asked her as he looked at the paintings on the wall. He knew how much she loved to paint and she was very good at it, he didn’t know that she would make a career out of it. He thought it was just a hobby.
“No, this building is bigger than it looks. I have a nightclub in this building too. Its open every night”she said.
“A nightclub?”he asked her. “What made you want to do that?”
“Ive always been interested in being behind the scenes. I wanted to let people in this area have an opportunity to perform in a performance hall every night. Like when I had my start. I get to see a show every night”she said
“Well Im happy you didn’t stray too far from the performing arts”he said, then he had to ask,”Do you miss it?”
She shook her head,”It’s a distant memory. I miss my mother”she said.
He nodded. He knew how hard it was for her, especially when her mother passed while she was in another country no less. “Its been tough, hasn’t it?”he asked her. “Im glad you are moving on with your life”he said. She used to scare him when she would talk about suicide. They had a heated argument one night. He didn’t want her to say things like that to him. He couldn’t take it. Then it got the best of both of them and they went their separate ways. “Well is it possible that someone can take your place? Or come by before your club opens. Im staying at the Waldorf”
“Well the nightclub opens at 10, show starts at 10:30. I open up at 9…I have enough time to see you before then. How about 7?”she asked him
He kissed her cheek,”I’ll have room service order us some dinner”he said. “Im in room 12”he said.”Im so glad I did this. Im so glad your doing well”he said to her as he squeezed her hand tightly.
“I’ll see you later David”she said with a smile and showed him to the door. Then he stopped,”Yes?”she asked him
“I want you to read a script. I wrote the part just for you. Now before you say no, I just want you to read it. Ive always loved your advice”he said. “Please?”
She sighed,”Fine. But no sneaky business. Im done with film. Im serious”she said. He nodded, kissed her cheek again and left. Her face turned red when he did so. She wondered if they could make it work again, but not with Abraham still on her brain. She went back into the performance hall to get Salomi and saw her kissing Gabriel Brewster! “LOMI! What on earth do you think you’re doing?!”she asked, not making the connection.
Salomi and Gabriel jumped back when they heard Dorothy. “I know what this may look like”Salomi calmly explained as she took his hand and held it. “You two have already met obviously, but we have met before. We met on the Titanic. We fell in love with each other and now hes back in my life. My father didn’t like the thought of me being with a boy when we first met, since I was only 12. But now….that we have this second chance Im not going to let him go Dorothy. We are going to start over…or pick up where we left off….I love him Dorothy. Theres nothing you can say-“
“No Lomi, I understand”Dorothy said. This was just too sweet and coincidental and a miracle basically. “I remember you Gabriel. I remember you now”she gave them both a hug,”Im happy for the two of you. I didn’t realize at the time….”she stopped. Still shocked at the situation. “Well, I will give you both sometime to catch up”she said as she gave Salomi some money. “Go out have some food, get something to eat. Be back here at 9 alright?”she said to Salomi. “Gabriel, all the performers are to arrive no later than 10. You’ll be second on the program, so you’ll go on shortly after 10:30. I have some errands to run before I get here. If Im late, you know how to open up, right sweetie?”
Salomi nodded, she expected a fight. She was shocked that she was taking this so well. “Yes I do. Are you alright Dorothy?”
“I am”she nodded,”Im glad one of us got to be reunited with a loved one”she said,”Im going to run some errands and then go and meet my friend David-“
“Are you going to do films again?”Salomi asked her
“No, we are just catching up. He hasn’t seen me in 3 years”she said. She hugged them again,”Have fun you two. Get here on time, you hear me?”she asked them. They nodded and they all walked out together and went their separate ways.
“Im glad she didn’t get upset. I didn’t want the fight you had with your father to happen again”Gabriel said as they walked down the streets of New York.
“She understands. We are both mature women”she replied with a smile.”Besides, if it was the other way around, she wouldn’t want anyone to get in the way of her being with my father. She loved him very much”
“Really? How did that happen?”
“I don’t know. Like us, we spent time together and fell in love. I think ships have that affect on people”she said. “My father apologized”
“To you?”he asked her. Gabriel held her close. “Im glad you two got to talk about it”he said
She nodded,”Me too”she said. “I wish you two could have talked to each other. He would have liked you”she said
“Me too”he said
She shook it off,”Ok, we are going to go to my favorite pub. You hungry?”she asked him
“I haven’t changed, Lomi. Im always hungry. And whats so great about it is that I wont have to steal it”he said. They laughed and walked toward the pub. Oblivious to the world around them but it still was brighter than ever.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Dorothy knocked on the door. Here it is, Room 12. She wondered what kind of script he would have for her now. But she tried not to think about that as the door opened and she was greeted with another hug and a kiss on the cheeks. She was soon ushered in. “Wow, lots of razzle dazzle in here”she said. The room was enormous and had expensive furniture in it.
“I have to be very comfortable if Im going to be 3000 miles from home you know. And you know me, Dorothy, you know I have a weakness for nice things”he said. Which he did. He would shop more than she did. He would always shower her with gifts as well as get something for himself. He liked looking nice and living in a nice looking house and driving a fancy car. That was just how he was. He took off her light coat and put her purse on the table,”Stay awhile. Ive ordered the food and it should be here any min-“then he was interrupted by a knock on the door,”And here it is. Perfect timing”he said as he went to the door. A very elaborate cart was wheeled in with two silver platters of food, wine, a vase with two roses and two lit candles.
“You went all out”she said with a smile. “But that doesn’t surprise me”
“Good”he said as he took the top off of her platter and smiled at her. She laughed. “What?”
“You ordered my favorite”she said,”Im surprised you still remembered”she said and squealed like a little girl when she saw the cheesecake. “Oh bless you David”she said
“Your welcome, you know New York does have the best cheesecake”he said. They then settled down to eat and they both caught up. He mostly talked about what he was up to but she didn’t mind. He knew her story, she hasn’t been up to much since she arrived in New York and decided to stay here and quit acting.
“Charlie Chaplin huh? Hes supposed to be the next big thing”Dorothy said. “Im impressed and you have worked with him twice already?”
David nodded,”Yes. Hes very great at what he does. Never seen anyone move like him. He can make any part of his body comedic. It’s a joy to watch”he said,”But he has a very scandalous personal life”
“Really?”
“Yes, he seems to enjoy younger women. And I don’t mean young like 20, 21. He likes them young like 15, 16”
Dorothy gasped,”You are fibbing!”
“Nope. He’s been sneaking around with a 15 year old girl. Parents caught her. They were so surprised. They didn’t know whether to call the police on him or ask for his autograph”he said as they both laughed. He shook his head,”Hollywood’s crazy as ever”he said and then turned serious and sighed,”Its different without you”he said
“Im happier here”she explained as she took a sip of her wine
“I understand”he said, they sat in silence for a few moments. “Like I said earlier, I wrote a script about you. I wrote many about you. Have you seen ‘The Thunder’?”he asked her
“Yes, it was wonderful”
“Remember Bessie? That’s you”
Dorothy smiled remembering the character in the film,”We have similar qualities, yes-“
“’The Ticket’?”he asked her. “The lead female was based on you as well”he said as he walked into his bedroom and brought out a stack of papers. “I didn’t bother you then because you were very clear about quitting. But I had to share this one with you”he said as he handed it to her. She looked at the title page and saw that it was called “Saved From The Titanic”. She gasped and looked at him,”It’s a love story”he said,”Please, go on….read….”
She saw the list of characters. The lead female was named Dorothy, a troubled actress from London that was traveling to New York on the Titanic for a better life. Then tears came to her eyes when she saw that her love interest that she meets on the ship was named Abraham. This was too coincidental. “How…..how did you know? About Abraham?”she said as she started to cry.
“Abraham?”he asked her,”I made him up Dorothy. I don’t know anyone named Abraham. Whats wrong? Why are you crying?”he asked her, deeply concerned. “Maybe I shouldn’t let you read this? Its too soon isn’t it?”
“I knew someone named Abraham. I met him on the Titanic. We fell in love, we were….we were going to come back to America and be together. But he died. He didn’t make it”she said,”Im sorry this script is so close to the truth-“
“Then don’t read it, you don’t have to”
“No. I want to”she said
*___________________________________*