Dinner with the Astors | Teen Ink

Dinner with the Astors

May 19, 2023
By Anonymous

Dinner with the Astors

I picked up the newspaper that the staff delivered off the table. 1912 Titanic, first unsinkable ship I smiled and looked up from the paper in my room. I was one of the first people ever to travel on this wonder ship.

 “We're having dinner with the Astor’s tonight.” Maddie, my older sister said, pushing a strand of black hair out of her face. 

  “Okay!” I said, excited to finally eat.  

I walked past the green floral couch in our room to the bathroom. The room me and Maddie shared had one bed and a couch. It wasn't as big as the first class rooms but it wasn't as small as the third class. Also we don't have to share it with anyone.  

After I was done getting ready I looked in the mirror. My hair was sticking out in blonde swirls and you could barely see my face under my velvet lavender hat. The hat was the kind that stretched out really far and all the upper class people wore them. I only had two. The one I'm wearing and a blue one. Maddie and I only wear them on special occasions, just like our dresses. This dinner is definitely a special occasion. 

The Astor’s were the wealthiest people on the ship. I have seen them a couple of times walking around. I heard they have more than $150,000,000 and Mr. Astor has even written a book.  They are always dressed up in clothes that look like they are worth more than my house.

Maddie said our parents are old friends with them but neither of us have met them. Before we left for the ship our mother said we need to make a good impression of our family. I've never talked to anyone let alone eaten dinner with someone that is this high first class.  If one thing goes wrong it could ruin my family's reputation. 

When I came out of the bathroom Maddie was wearing her light green dress and hat. 

“Finally, let's go.”, she said, annoyed and relieved I was ready. 

Once we finally got down to the deck D dining saloon, me and Maddie sat down at a white clothed table. It was in the middle of the room surrounded by 3 tables in every direction. I looked up and saw the point of a huge chandelier staring back at me. It only took about 5 minutes until the Astors showed up. 

Mr. Astor was tall and had a brown mustache that covered half of his face. He was wearing a black suit and a gray hat. His wife, Mrs. Astor, looked young. Like closer to my age than Mr. Astors age. She also had brown hair and had a flowery red hat on. 

When they first got here, after making introductions, Mr. Astor would not stop talking about his business. Maddie was good at paying attention to what he was saying but whenever they asked me anything I just smiled and shook my head.  

After an hour passed I excused myself and got up to use the restroom. I only made it three feet when someone yelled.

“Thief!” I spun around and a man came up to me from a table next to ours. He was tall and had blonde hair. 

“You stole my watch! It was right on my table,” I blinked to make sure he was talking to me. He was. 

“No I didn’t?,” I replied shocked looking at Maddie for help. 

She gave me an annoyed look, walked over to me, and then smiled at the man. 

“I'm sure this is a misunderstanding,” she said calmly. 

I looked around and saw an officer walking over. Great, this is just what my parents meant by giving a good impression. 

“Is there something going on here?” He said, looking between me, Maddie, and the man. I hesitated. Maddie smiled and nudged me in the arm, hinting at me to do the same. 

¨No I think it's just a miscommunication,¨ I said politely hoping the man would just drop it. The officer eyed me down with dark brown eyes.

¨Are you okay sir?¨ He said, turning towards the man who looked like he was about to kill me. 

¨No, she took my watch.¨ He talked in a calm flat tone but his emerald eyes and pointed eyebrows betrayed him.  The officer was about to say something when I heard the scraping sound of a wooden chair on marble. Mr. Astor stood up and then walked over. 
¨I would be happy to pay for the missing watch if you will leave my new friends alone.¨, He said sternly, standing up giving the officer and the man a threatening look. The man silently took the money from Mr. Astors hand. After that the officer left and we went back to the table. The man went back to his seat reluctantly but I kept seeing him steal glances and glaring at me. I managed to change the conversation at the table but we all joked about it an hour later. 

On the way back to our room Maddie's hat fell off and she leaned down to pick it up.  That's when I saw something silver slip out of the pocket in her dress. A watch fell to the floor next to her hat. 

“Oh my god it was you?” My eyebrows shot up and I stared at her. 

She quickly scooped up the watch and threw her hat back on. We made eye contact and then both broke out laughing. 


The author's comments:

When I was writing this piece I made sure to use real things from that time period. Like for example the Astors were a real couple who was known for being the richest on the ship. 


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