Hymn To My Soul

~ CHAPTER 9 ~

   
"So, how was your day?" Lydia asked playfully as she helped Rose put up her hair and pin it.  

Rose giggled as she fixed up her makeup with blush. "It was fine." Lydia leaned over to give her a knowing look. Rose laughed and turned her face away with a blush. "It was good, I swear."

"Did you talk to Jack all afternoon?" Lydia inquired, predicting the answer already. Rose nodded, and a silly smile played across her lips. Lydia squealed. "How did that go? He seemed very approving when I met him. What is he like?"

"He's very nice, just like you said, but he's also rather direct. He doesn't shy away from reading you like a book and pointing out what is most difficult. Do you know what he asked me? He asked if I loved Cal. If I truly loved him. I was baffled. No one has ever asked me what I think about anything. It stunned me and even offended me in a way. I don't even know why, but I became defensive. He persisted, of course. Yet somehow he really made me think about life. What it means to me and what my purpose is in this world. I hadn't really thought about love before. All it is simply is to find a suitable husband to provide for you and your family. It's the same as it's been for centuries. Yet he challenged that. He made me truly think about love." Rose expressed, her expression smoothing, becoming thoughtful; her eyes glittered through the mirror of the vanity.

"He seems very bold," Lydia noted with a laugh. "That could be both a blessing and a curse. He seems smarter than that though. His eyes are keen and intelligent."

"He is. He has an artistic eye too. He showed me his sketchbook. Did you know that he traveled all over Europe? He's from Wisconsin, but when he traveled to Europe he went to London and Paris. He's been everywhere. He's met so many interesting people and created masterpieces of sketches. I was shocked to find out that he had such a talent." Rose expressed, standing to grab her dress from her bed. It was pink with black lace wrapped over the fabric and sparkly beads. Lydia smiled and took her spot at the vanity, lightly brushing out her hair into delicate waves.

"It seems as though you're quite fond of him." Lydia giggled. Rose threw a pillow at her with a playful scoff, startling her friend.

"He's just a nice person." Rose persisted.

"A person who is real with you. Who has ever been real with you?" Lydia pushed, her lips puckered as she applied a rosy lipstick.

"You," Rose admitted earnestly.

Lydia smiled sentimentally but shook her head. "Besides me."

Rose rolled her head. "Perhaps."

"Exactly!" Lydia exclaimed, slapping the container of powdered blush shut. "He's a good man. Better than Cal could ever measure up to. Think about it, Rose."

She rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter what I think. My mother couldn't care less what I wanted anyway. She wouldn't let it pass. All she wants is to live comfortably. You know our situation. My father left us nothing to go off of. I'm burdened with the duty to uphold the wealth and the name of the family."

Lydia stood and took hold of her shoulders. "You're unhappy. I'm unhappy. What drove us to the edge? What could possibly bring us to the point of sacrificing ourselves to the water? We're trapped, Rose. We have nothing else but our souls that are kept behind the bars of society. We can't live like this forever, Rose. We will destroy ourselves if we do." Rose looked at her as her eyes darted across her face. She could only find the desperate determination that laced her eyes. Lydia was not going to back down trying to find liberty and freedom. She would not be kept away.

"Perhaps you can talk to Jack. Ask him how to survive out in the world. He could be your ticket out of here." Rose said, her voice becoming thick as she turned away to fix her dress and slip on her gloves.