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Authors: Marlene Dotterer
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~~~
It was Sam who reminded her of the problems that came with this stroke of good luck. He was still in bed, but he said the medicine had helped the coughing, and he'd slept some. Casey thought he looked pale and weak, but she didn't harp on it. He listened while she heated up the soup and prattled on about tomorrow. Then he sat at the table and between sips, discussed a few issues.
"You're out there looking like a boy. Does he know you're a girl?"
Casey rolled her eyes. "Of course not! I'd never be hired for anything if people thought I was a girl."
Sam looked morose. "I know it's discriminatory, Casey, but in this time, there just are not that many jobs a girl is allowed to do. You'll be the only girl there; the shipyards hire thousands of men. You realize there will not be any women's lavatories?"
Casey sighed in frustration. "Geez, Sam. What am I supposed to do? You're sick! We need the money. I'll work around all this. I have to try anyway. If it doesn't work, then fine, I'll leave."
"But you could get into serious trouble. I don't know if it's illegal to impersonate a boy, but you are obtaining a job under false pretenses. They may not be willing to just slap your hand if you get caught."
"I'll be careful! Mr. Andrews seems like a nice person. I don't think he'll throw me in jail."
Sam stopped eating and stared at her blankly. Casey stared back, worried. "Sam? Are you all right? You look like you're having a stroke."
He blinked and focused on her again. "Who hired you?"
"Thomas Andrews. I don't know what he does exactly, but he wants me to help his secretary." Casey shook her head in disbelief. "I always swore I'd never be a secretary, because it seemed like such a dead-end job to stick women in. But here, it's like an honored position, and as a woman, I don't qualify for it! Too weird."
Sam brushed her comments off and leaned forward urgently. "Thomas Andrews? At Harland & Wolff? That's who hired you?"
Her eyebrows rose in bafflement. "Yes. Why? Who is he?"
Sam shook his head at her ignorance. "You Americans don't know anything! Thomas Andrews is the builder of the Titanic ! You do know about the Titanic , don't you?"
Casey sat back in her chair and stared at him, an ache of despair beginning to build deep in her stomach. "I saw the movie." Sam rubbed his forehead, unimpressed, but she ignored that and grabbed his hand. "Sam, he dies! In the movie, Thomas Andrews dies! Is that true in real life? He doesn't wear his life belt or get into a boat?" Her heart clenched, as she thought of that smile and those hands...
Sam jerked his hand back, irritated, and began to cough. He wearily got up and moved to the bed. Casey poured some hot water into a cup with the herbs and brought it to him, her thoughts jumbled.
"Tell me, Sam. Is that what happens?"
Sam nodded, sipping the tea and looking very sad. "He was one of my childhood heroes. I studied him a lot when I was twelve or so. I can't believe you went to school in Belfast for two years and never knew about this. The Titanic is a big deal to this city."
Casey shrugged, miserable. "So are the pubs. Where do you think I spent most of my time? Sam…" she hesitated, then went on, "I've never met anyone like this guy. He was so kind… if he's the same person, I..." She looked away, biting her lip in misery, "I can't let him die. I have to warn him."
Sam's short bark of laughter degenerated into a coughing fit. Casey rescued the cup and waited for him to recover, worry eating at her. Sam was in bad shape and now she had to worry about Thomas Andrews as well. She didn't trust the doctors in this time, but what was she supposed to do to help Sam? They needed money, whether for medicine, or a doctor, or both. That job would come in handy at a time they really needed it. It also gave her the opportunity to work with Andrews and maybe figure out a way to warn him about his future.
Sam tried to speak and finally was able to rasp out a few sentences. "You can't
~~~
It was Sam who reminded her of the problems that came with this stroke of good luck. He was still in bed, but he said the medicine had helped the coughing, and he'd slept some. Casey thought he looked pale and weak, but she didn't harp on it. He listened while she heated up the soup and prattled on about tomorrow. Then he sat at the table and between sips, discussed a few issues.
"You're out there looking like a boy. Does he know you're a girl?"
Casey rolled her eyes. "Of course not! I'd never be hired for anything if people thought I was a girl."
Sam looked morose. "I know it's discriminatory, Casey, but in this time, there just are not that many jobs a girl is allowed to do. You'll be the only girl there; the shipyards hire thousands of men. You realize there will not be any women's lavatories?"
Casey sighed in frustration. "Geez, Sam. What am I supposed to do? You're sick! We need the money. I'll work around all this. I have to try anyway. If it doesn't work, then fine, I'll leave."
"But you could get into serious trouble. I don't know if it's illegal to impersonate a boy, but you are obtaining a job under false pretenses. They may not be willing to just slap your hand if you get caught."
"I'll be careful! Mr. Andrews seems like a nice person. I don't think he'll throw me in jail."
Sam stopped eating and stared at her blankly. Casey stared back, worried. "Sam? Are you all right? You look like you're having a stroke."
He blinked and focused on her again. "Who hired you?"
"Thomas Andrews. I don't know what he does exactly, but he wants me to help his secretary." Casey shook her head in disbelief. "I always swore I'd never be a secretary, because it seemed like such a dead-end job to stick women in. But here, it's like an honored position, and as a woman, I don't qualify for it! Too weird."
Sam brushed her comments off and leaned forward urgently. "Thomas Andrews? At Harland & Wolff? That's who hired you?"
Her eyebrows rose in bafflement. "Yes. Why? Who is he?"
Sam shook his head at her ignorance. "You Americans don't know anything! Thomas Andrews is the builder of the Titanic ! You do know about the Titanic , don't you?"
Casey sat back in her chair and stared at him, an ache of despair beginning to build deep in her stomach. "I saw the movie." Sam rubbed his forehead, unimpressed, but she ignored that and grabbed his hand. "Sam, he dies! In the movie, Thomas Andrews dies! Is that true in real life? He doesn't wear his life belt or get into a boat?" Her heart clenched, as she thought of that smile and those hands...
Sam jerked his hand back, irritated, and began to cough. He wearily got up and moved to the bed. Casey poured some hot water into a cup with the herbs and brought it to him, her thoughts jumbled.
"Tell me, Sam. Is that what happens?"
Sam nodded, sipping the tea and looking very sad. "He was one of my childhood heroes. I studied him a lot when I was twelve or so. I can't believe you went to school in Belfast for two years and never knew about this. The Titanic is a big deal to this city."
Casey shrugged, miserable. "So are the pubs. Where do you think I spent most of my time? Sam…" she hesitated, then went on, "I've never met anyone like this guy. He was so kind… if he's the same person, I..." She looked away, biting her lip in misery, "I can't let him die. I have to warn him."
Sam's short bark of laughter degenerated into a coughing fit. Casey rescued the cup and waited for him to recover, worry eating at her. Sam was in bad shape and now she had to worry about Thomas Andrews as well. She didn't trust the doctors in this time, but what was she supposed to do to help Sam? They needed money, whether for medicine, or a doctor, or both. That job would come in handy at a time they really needed it. It also gave her the opportunity to work with Andrews and maybe figure out a way to warn him about his future.
Sam tried to speak and finally was able to rasp out a few sentences. "You can't
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