Welcome To Quantum Holidays

CHAPTER 13 (PART I): LOVE DON'T COME FOR FREE, KID

Jack woke up in his capsule. The ceiling above him was paneled wood that had been varnished a dark brown. He clambered up and looked around his cabin. Laid out on his bed were a tweed three-piece suit and an ironed white shirt. At the foot of the bed was a pair of plain black shoes. He removed his toga and changed into the suit. It fitted surprisingly well and Jack admired himself in the dresser mirror. A key rattled in the door and in came Guardado.

“Afternoon, Mr. Sinclair. Welcome aboard the Titanic.”

Jack pulled on the cuffs of his shirt to straighten it out.

“If you would like to come with me, the guests are gathering on deck.”

Jack turned to Guardado and gestured for him to lead the way. Guardado led him down narrow corridors with paneled sideboards and thickly carpeted floors. Along the way, they passed maids with trolleys parked outside open doors, whilst the rooms inside were being serviced. Guardado had to squeeze to get by.

Jack came across other passengers. At first, the men were dressed in formal suits like his own, and the women in long patterned dresses. But as they made their way through the ship he came across the passengers from the other classes who were dressed more plainly. Guardado led Jack up a flight of stairs and through a large hatch door.

Jack stepped out onto the large open deck at the rear of the ship. It was light outside and a heavy fog surrounded the ship. At the stern of the ship, the guests had congregated. Like Jack, they had all changed out of their togas and into tailored suits and formal dresses. Lambert stood waiting in a peculiar purple three-piece suit, the company colors of Quantum Holidays. When all the guests had arrived, he addressed the group.

“Good afternoon and welcome aboard the largest passenger steamship in the world, the RMS Titanic, on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. We will be spending three days and three nights aboard the ship. During the days you will be able to take in the Titanic’s unique atmosphere and have full access to all its restaurants, cafes and facilities, and by night, you will be wined and dined in the first class dining lounge.

Anyway, we are already well into the afternoon so all we really have time for today is a quick tour before we take you for dinner this evening. So please, if you’d like to follow me.”

As Lambert set off to lead them on their tour of the ship, one of the guests, a middle-aged woman called out.

“What about the Asian man? How is he?”

Lambert was caught off guard by the question and it stopped him in his stride. He paused for a moment and then turned to address the group.

“I’ve been told that he has reached the facility and is receiving the very best treatment from Dr. Anichebe. Let’s not dwell on what happened to Mr. Wang and let’s try to enjoy our trip shall we?”

There were a few murmurs amongst the group but they followed Lambert compliantly. From the deck, they were shown through the first class dining room. It was long and surprisingly narrow, full of finely carved furniture and Victorian decorations. The staff was busy setting the tables for the evening. They were spreading out embroidered table clothes and setting the silverware down. From the dining saloon, they were taken through the reception room where a few old women were enjoying tea and biscuits. The guests passed through respectively and went into the smoking room and there a podgy rosy-faced man was being presented with a choice of cigars by a waiter.

As they continued their tour, Jack was surprised by some of the facilities there was aboard the ship. There was a gymnasium that had a rowing machine, cycles, an electric horse and an electric camel. They even had a squash court, which was available to first class passengers only. From the viewing gallery, Jack and the other guests briefly watched a game being played. From there they were taken to the Turkish baths were they found the squash players relaxing after the match. The baths had a steam room, a hot room, shampooing rooms and finally a cooling room. Afterward, Lambert showed them to the barbershop. It was small but fully equipped and when they arrived the barber was busy giving a man a wet shave.

Finally, they were shown to the grand staircase foyer where Lambert pointed out the Captain of the Titanic, Edward Smith. He was entertaining a group of affluent guests at the bottom of the staircase. He wore a spotless white naval uniform with epaulets on his shoulders and a matching hat. He had a full snowy beard but he had the statuesque frame of a much younger man. He appeared to be regaling his audience with an anecdote. The guests were impressed by the Captain, either by his bright white uniform or by the respect the others showed him, but Lambert hurried them along. With that, the tour was ended and the guests were shown back to their rooms to change for the evening.

Jack came down to dinner with the other guests. He had changed into a more formal suit that he had found in his room upon his return. They were seated together towards the rear of the dining room. As waiter took their drink orders, appetizers of hors-d'oeuvres and oysters were laid out. The guests nibbled on the starters but before they could finish, the main course was brought out. Beef sirloin with chateau potatoes. The meat was succulent and the guests tucked into it feverishly. After they had finished the waiters took their plates away.

But to the guests' surprise, the food just kept on coming and coming. There was lamb with mint sauce, roast duck with applesauce and there were peas, carrots, and rice. There was parmentier, squab, and asparagus. There was a sixth, a seventh and an eighth course. By the time the waiter had taken away the leftover Waldorf pudding and French ice cream, they had gone through ten courses.

Tea and coffee were offered and the guests fell into discussions that Jack did not care about. He leaned on the table with his elbows and studied the rest of the room whilst the guests talked. The men leaned back in their chairs with the top buttons of their shirts undone. The women remained reserved, sat upright and straight, sipping on their tea.

A waitress passed and Jack caught her arm as she passed.

“Could I possibly get something a bit stronger to drink?”

“I’m sorry sir, we’ve stopped serving alcohol in the restaurant but the bar is still open if you would like a drink.”

The waitress pointed helpfully to the other side of the dining room, where behind a glass divide there was a bar that Jack had not noticed earlier. He tipped the rim of an imaginary hat to the waitress in gratitude and made his way across the room. He entered the bar but before he could take in his surroundings the bartender addressed him.

“Good evening sir, what can I get you?”

As the bartender spoke, Jack took a seat on a stool at the bar. He looked at the liquor on the shelves, but the labels were unfamiliar to him.

“What’s good?”

“We have a Pisco Sour and the Bees Knees.”

Jack had not heard of any of those before and so remained as dumbfounded as before.

“Try the Cosmopolitan.”

Jack looked down the bar to see who had spoken. Sat cross-legged in a stylish and long dark blue dress was a young brunette with the milkiest of white skin. She had spoken in a refined English accent.

“Isn’t that a women’s drink?” asked Jack.

The woman smiled playfully at Jack.

“Well, in that case, I’d better have one too.”

The bartender looked at Jack for permission and Jack nodded. He went to prepare the drinks.

“So, do you have a name?”

“Jack Sinclair.”

"Evelyn Carr, a pleasure to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Carr."

“Please, call me Evelyn. Carr is my husband’s name.”

The bartender returned. He laid down napkins carefully before placing their drinks. Jack was a bit unsure of the meaning of what Evelyn had said but he tried to hide it. Evelyn seemed amused by his politeness and went on to explain further.

“My husband and I are separated, but not divorced. He refuses to grant me that small mercy. So I’m off to America where I’ll never have to see his miserable face again.”

Evelyn held up her glass by the top of the neck, inviting Jack to drink with her. Their glasses clinked together and they drank. It tasted sweet. Evelyn replaced her drink on the bar top and looked at Jack intently.

“What brings you aboard the Titanic?”

“I don’t know. I bought the ticket and then I didn’t want to go. But I couldn’t get a refund and the ticket was too expensive to just let it go to waste.”

“I know, £870 for a one-way ticket."

Jack was confused until he realized that she was referring to the cost of the ticket for the Titanic rather than Quantum Holidays.

“Yes, very expensive,” he added.

They talked all evening. They did not say an awful lot, the conversation was languid and relaxed, but what was said felt pointed and worthwhile. She had come from an aristocrat family whose history intertwined with that of Lords and Princesses. But since the turn of the century, their name had faded and their wealth had diminished. Her mother had married into the family and had pushed her father into rebuilding the small dynasty. Whilst her parents traveled and socialized, the raising of Evelyn and her younger sisters had fallen to her Grandmother and the servants of the house.

She had married a young captain from the Royal Navy of fiery hair and temperament. What had first attracted her to him during their courtship soon turned her away once they married, as he drank, gambled and whored his way across the East End of London. They became estranged and she had pushed for a divorce, and when he stubbornly refused she had made plans to emigrate across the Atlantic.

When she asked Jack about himself she smiled in a way that suggested she already knew what he was going to say, or at the very least had an inkling. To start, Jack spoke slowly and paused regularly. He had to speak carefully but he felt an urge to be truthful with her. He tried to make his story as interchangeable with the truth as possible. He was still the privileged son working for his wealthy entrepreneur father in the Big Apple. He still felt underappreciated, and at the same time at a loss working in a job he was not passionate about. He was still broken hearted.

He had hesitated before mentioning Francesca, fearful that she would spoil whatever it was that was happening at that moment with Evelyn. But when he brought up his ex-fiancée, Evelyn nodded along understandably and in turn, Jack was surprised to find that he did not feel the sadness he once did when he spoke of Francesca.

He had not drunk much but he felt lightheaded from talking to Evelyn and he had to stop himself from breaking into a goofy smile. As he sat there, he soaked in her image. Her face was white and gentle, and her eyes were large and clear. Her jet black hair was tied back carefully exposing her slender neck. Her rich red lips parted revealing her perfect teeth as she spoke.

"It looks like your friends are leaving."

Jack turned to see the guests rising from the tables and make their way towards the door, ushered by Lambert and the other handlers.

“Will I see you again?”

“Well, none of us are leaving this boat anytime soon.”

“But it’s a big boat.”

I’m a strong believer in human magnetism.”

She smiled at Jack and he paused for a moment before catching up with the others. Lambert was stood with his arms crossed and he looked at Jack disapprovingly. As they shuffled back to their rooms the guests were sluggish and sleepy from the meal but Jack felt full of energy. He lay awake in bed thinking about his evening as the moonlight squeezed through his small circular cabin window and illuminated his face.