The next morning when Kitty woke, she found John was gone, and she had to wonder where he went off to. Laying on the bed was a note. "Off to see Harold. Be back soon. - Love, John" It read. She didn't see any sign of him until that evening. She was downstairs in the living room listening to the evening news while she worked on a cross stitch design when she heard music coming from upstairs. It was a very familiar tune.
"The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamt I held you in my arms. But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken. And I hung my head and cried."
Putting her stuff down, Kitty gets up off the couch and heads for the stairs. In the bedroom, on the small bookshelf by the rocking chair, sat a record player. The door was just open a small bit for Kitty to see into the room with an eye. Sitting in the rocking chair was, once again, John Phillips. He rocked back and forth as he hummed and sang along with the music, his back facing the door.
"You are my sunshine. My only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away."
With a gentle hand, she pushes on the door ever so slightly. The rocking stopped for a short moment and Kitty held her breath. Only when the rocking chair started moving a moment later did she breathe again. Finally entering the room, she walks up to her beloved who still sat in the chair. When she was beside the chair, and John noticed her, he patted his lap, signaling for Kitty to sit down on his lap. She does so and wraps her arms around him. John looks up at her, and his lips meet hers for a kiss. The kiss lasted for a good long while, both taking in the moment. "Here." John said, signaling that he wanted to stand up. Once standing up, he held his hand towards her. Taking John's hand, the two start to slow dance with the music guiding them. "One moment, darling." John said. Kitty watched as he changed the record to Elvis Presley's Can't Help Falling In Love With You. For the entire song, they danced slowly with sweet smiles.
"Take my hand. Take my whole life, too. For I can't help falling in love with you."
To Kitty, this all seemed like a dream. Too good to be true as one would say. When her eyes focused on the face of her beloved, and her mind focused on the music, it was a whole moment where everything else seemed to fade away from existence. Kitty rested her head on John's shoulder as they danced. She took in everything about him: his touch, his warmth, his scent. She felt as if she could fall asleep against his warm and comforting figure as she listened to his heartbeat and breathing. She felt a whole circle of comfort. The next thing she remembered is laying on the bed, seeming as if she had just awoken from sleep, with John sleeping next to her. His arms around her. The music was off. She guessed she must have fallen asleep. She curled back up in his warm embrace, nuzzling into him. It was so odd… he was dead, yet… he was here with her… and he felt so real. For a few moments, Kitty closed her eyes. When she opened them back up, she found John had woken up. "You fell asleep while we were dancing." Once again, she nuzzled up against him, wrapping her arms around him. "I don't wanna get up. I don't wanna move." She said. "You don't have to." He replied. "I don't want you to have to get up either." She then added. "Then I won't." He said back. Kitty hugged John closer to her, sighing in comfort and eventually falling back asleep, with her lover's hand gently brushing through her hair.
"Kitty, Kitty, wake up, dear!"
It was John's voice.
"Kathleen!"
Her eyes snapped open in surprise. John Phillips was sitting on the side of the bed facing her. While he was dressed in his uniform, she was in her pajamas. Was she always in her pajamas? "Good morning, sleepyhead. I've made you breakfast. It's waiting for you downstairs. I gotta leave soon, unfortunately." "Leave where?" "To the boat docks, silly!" Kathleen was confused. What was he talking about? She wasn't still dreaming was she? "What day is it today?.." she asked. Before he would say anything, she scrambled to the nearby calendar. In big, bold letters, the calendar said, "March 1912". March?! Wasn't it near the end of April?! "It's March. Why? What's wrong?" "Titanic… you're going to Titanic." "Yeah. Is there something wrong, Kitty? What's bothering you?" "You can't go to Titanic; she'll sink and you'll die! I had a dream about it!" She rushed over to him, her hands squeezing his arms. "Kitty, that's just a dream. And the Titanic is unsinkable, I'll be fine! Look," he said, taking her hands in his. "I know you don't want me to leave, and frankly, I don't really want to leave you either, but I have to. But I won't forget you, I promise." He kisses her forehead. "Now, let's have breakfast and then afterwards I want you to rest. You don't seem very well this morning." With an arm wrapped around her, he leads her downstairs. During breakfast, she mainly just listened to him talk; listened to his voice. After breakfast, John couldn't get up from his chair before Kitty, who was standing up, wraps her arms around his head, which is brought to rest against her. She kisses his head. "I love you." She whispered. He wrapped his arm around her. "I love you, too." He replied. With her cheek resting on his head, she looks up at the clock. "I don't want you to leave." She muttered. John chuckled a small bit. "I know, but it will be alright. Speaking of which," he stood up, grabbing his coat before he continued. "I unfortunately must be off to the shipyard, darling." That was so similar to what he said in her dream… but still, was it a dream? Whatever the case, she knew what to say. "Today's the day, isn't it?" With her dream still on her mind, she knew what to say next. "The Titanic doesn't leave on her maiden voyage until April 10. You sure you can't stay a little longer? And what about your birthday?" It was as if she could predict what John would say before he even opened his mouth to say it. "I wish I could, darling, but Titanic is due to leave from Belfast on the third of April. Believe me, I wish I didn't have to leave so soon. And as for my 25th, we'll be sure to celebrate it together when I return." Kitty sighed before replying. "Well, in that case, promise me you'll write?" She already knew what he would say in return. "Cross my heart." He replied, giving her a kiss. Kitty made sure the kiss lasted. She didn't want him to go; she didn't want to lose him. "I don't want to lose you." She said when the kiss finally broke. "You won't." He said, giving her a kiss on her cheek. "I love you." He said. "I love you, too." She replied, bringing him into a hug, to which he returned. They were like that for a long while, just silent in a hug, until finally John had to leave. He didn't want to break up the hug, but he had to. He gave her one last parting kiss and one last parting 'I love you'. "Until we meet again, my love." When he finally closed the door behind him, he breathed out a sigh. All he wanted to do was to open the door and bring her into his arms once again; but he couldn't. He had to carry on to Belfast, to Titanic. Kathleen sat up against the door, tears streaming down her cheeks. John had left for Titanic now, and Kitty knew he would never return. She knew she would never see him again, or at least, not in this life.
"…But this is not a goodbye. I find that too cleiché. This is just an extension of the saying "until we meet again".
"Until we meet again, my love."