The Journey

         “When we get to America I am going to marry a cowboy,” Lucy declared.

         “A cowboy!”  Mia scoffed.  “I’m going to marry the president.”

         “The president is already married,” Lucy said.

         “Is he, Mama?”

         “I’m afraid so.  But you two are too young to be thinking about getting married anyway.”

         The girls fell silent.  It was a hard journey, Tilda thought, but at the end lay a country where her daughters would have a chance.  Down here near the bottom of the ship it was hard to tell night from day.  They called this ship ‘a palace afloat.’  Well, not down here.  Tilda explained to the girls that the reason some passengers had better quarters was that they had paid a great deal more for their tickets. 

         “That is why you two must go to school when we get to America.  In America you can go to school and make something of yourselves.”

         “I can read already,” Lucy said. 

         “Well you will need a great deal more than that in America.”

         It was unusually quiet and Lucy thought she could hear faint strains of music coming from overhead.  “The next time I go on a voyage I am going to be up on top where the music is.”

         Tilda thought, they would soon reach New York.  Her pulse quickened as she thought of being reunited with Claude after all these months.  She had missed her husband but he said it was best if he went first and made a place for them to come home to.  Soon, she thought, soon.

         There was a loud grinding sound and the ship lurched.  The girls looked up in alarm.  “What was that?”

         Tilda soothed, “It was nothing.  Go back to sleep.  This is the Titanic, we are safe.”
         
         298 words