Free (Titanic)

Part III

Once our luggage had been taken to our cabins, my mother and I began our journey down to B-deck. We went about it quite leisurely, because we wanted to take in every part of the ship that we could. The top deck, or the “boat deck” as it was known officially, didn’t offer much to look at. There were simple lounge chairs by certain areas of the railing, as well as some set together in a large rectangle. There were lifeboats tied to the smokestacks with long, durable rope. I didn’t want to think about the kind of effort it would take to unleash them in the event an evacuation would become necessary. This side of the deck was reserved for first class passengers and important people on the ship, such as the engineers and people working for the captain.

From the top deck, we made our way to the interior of the ship and were met with the grandest staircase I had ever seen. It was accessible by two different balconies, and was split down the middle to make two smaller staircases. Above me was a glass dome decorated with several different black designs. The entire staircase was made of oak, my favorite type of wood. The steps themselves were lined with what appeared to be gold leaf paint, and were made of a white material that I assumed was marble. But when I bent down to feel it, I realized that while this material and marble shared the same color, the one beneath me was just a bit rougher. (I would find out later that the steps were made of linoleum).

Before heading down to our cabin on B-deck, we made our way to the outer part of A-deck, also known as the first class promenade. It was covered by the boat deck up above, and there were tall white pillars on one side with openings so passengers could have a look at the ocean. The wood on the floor was a very light brown, and the steamer chairs were made from a darker wood. It was rather empty because most first class passengers had either not yet boarded or were already relaxing in their cabins.

We finally made it down to B-deck, and my mother and I separated so we could go into our own separate cabins. Once inside, I found the cabin to be the epitome of luxury. The carpet was the softest I had ever touched and was a luscious dark red color. All the decorations matched each other, from the white moulding trim on the walls to the white lace curtains that hung gracefully on every window. The bed was far too big for one person, but I didn’t think much of it because I liked extra room when I slept. Passengers could even request an additional, smaller bed if they were traveling with a young child. I took advantage of this because Raymond was old enough to have his own bed, and it was time for him to start getting used to sleeping without me.

Every possible amenity one could imagine was provided to the passengers. Or, more specifically, the first class passengers. The one that surprised me most was that those traveling in first class could hire someone to dress them every morning and night. That helped my mother out a great deal because she suffered from arthritis, and simple tasks were becoming harder for her all the time. It also was nice for me because I could have a crew member dress Raymond while I got myself ready, which saved a great deal of time and made my whole morning routine much easier.

The first night at dinner certainly didn’t go as I expected it would. Yes, the dining room was lavish. The long, rectangular tables were made out of the finest luxury wood. The tablecloth on each one was blue and contained the White Star Line logo in the very center.  The chairs were made out of the same wood as the tables, and over each table sparkled a chandelier, with the largest one hanging in the middle of the room. Young and old were talking, laughing, and enjoying their meals. I, however, spent most of the night worrying about Raymond. He had started coughing after the third course and I had to take him back to our cabin so one of our servants could look after him. I didn’t eat much because he was on my mind every second, and I knew I would become ill if I tried to shovel dinner on top of my worry.

“Sweetheart, you really should try to eat something. I don’t want you to be hungry.” My mother grabbed my hand, but instead of focusing on her attempt to comfort me, all I could focus on was her hand. The joints were swelled, and a couple of her fingers had taken on a swan-neck like curvature. This only made me feel worse, and made my worry about her arthritis resurface. So I was now worried about my mother in addition to Raymond, which certainly didn’t do anything to help me forget his cough.

“I know Mom, I just can’t. I know that I will fall ill if I try to force things too quickly.” I stroked her fingers lightly, careful not to press down and cause additional pain.

A small smile formed on her face. “Oh Hazel, sometimes I swear you’re too sweet for your own good."

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When I returned to my cabin later that evening, I found Raymond sleeping soundly in his bed. The servant informed me that he had coughed for about an hour before tiring himself out and finally falling asleep. This did absolutely nothing to settle me, but I thanked the man anyway and dismissed him.

The next morning, as the Sun poked its light through the slightly rectangular window in my bedroom, I panicked. Raymond was not in his bed. I jumped out of my own, nearly toppling over as I began my search for him. I searched every conceivable nook and cranny of the entire cabin, which took about twenty minutes. His favorite game was hide-and-seek, so I figured that’s what he had to be doing. I quickly abandoned that notion when I found no trace of him. I hurried out of the cabin, too anxious to put anything on over my lace nightgown, and went straight to my mother’s cabin. I banged on her door with a lot of force until she answered.

“Good Lord Hazel, what’s wrong?”

“Mom, Raymond got out of the cabin! Is he with you?” I asked the question as I bit my fingernails and ran my hands through my hair.

Her eyes widened quickly. “Oh my goodness. Are you sure he isn’t hiding, sweetheart? You know how much he loves to play like that.”

“I know, that’s what I thought at first. But I searched the entire cabin and looked every possible place. He’s not in there, Mom.”

She stayed silent for a moment. “Why don’t you go see the captain? I’m sure he or one of his officers will be able to help you.”

“Alright, I’ll come see you when I know anything.”

I quickly returned to my cabin and slipped on one of my day dresses. I didn’t want to elicit any inappropriate looks on my way to the Captain’s office. When I arrived, I found that he was busy with other affairs, and that he wouldn’t be able to help me. In fact, the only officer available was the Second Officer, the fourth most prestigious member of the staff including the Captain. I informed him of my situation and he told the master-at-arms to gather some of his men and start a search for Raymond. I thanked him too many times to be considered normal as I left.

Once I was back in my cabin again, I sat on the bed and tried to calm myself down. He has to be on the ship, I thought. There’s no way he could have gotten off. There were strict orders not to open the windows on first class, and second and third class could not open them unless they wanted to flood their room and potentially the ship. But where could he be? The ship was so big that it could take hours to find him. Maybe even a whole day. I bit my fingernails and quickly ran through every rational possibility. Perhaps he’s in the kitchen, I thought. Maybe he tried to get into another room. He had always been rather friendly with most people.

“Miss Brown?” The Second Officer banged on my door what seemed like years later.

I stood up and opened the door for him. “Any news yet, sir?”

He nodded. “Somehow, your boy managed to get down to E-deck and took passage in one of the third class rooms. He was wandering around and a concerned couple took him in. He’s sleeping right now, or I would have brought him up myself. I think he would take better to you waking him up than someone he doesn’t know.”

I could hardly contain myself. I clapped my hands together and literally squealed. “Oh thank you, sir. Thank you so much. What room is he in?”

“E-11. Charlotte and John Williams took him in, and the two other couples in the cabin have been looking after him as well.”

My mouth dropped open as he spoke the names. I couldn’t believe the coincidence. “Well, I’ll make sure to lock the doors for the rest of the voyage. I can’t believe I didn’t. I must have been awfully tired.” The Second Officer smiled at me as I walked past him out into the hallway. I went to my mother’s cabin to inform her of the news.

“Mom, they’ve found Raymond! He got down to E-deck somehow during the night. I’m going to get him now, and I’ll bring him to see you later.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful, sweetheart!” She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a tight hug. “You stay safe now.”

“I will, Mom. Don’t worry.”