CHAPTER 16 Interrupted Honeymoon

 

Mary couldn’t sleep, even the comfort of her business class seat and the steady drone of the airline’s engines failed to induce her into the world of slumber. She looked over at Jock who was lying stretched out next to her, his steady breathing indicating he was fast asleep. She was envious of his ability to drop off into deep sleep at the first opportunity, something he had learned from his army service.

As they flew over the Pacific, Mary enjoyed thinking about the three blissful days that they had spent in Dubai. The romantic evening meal on the Arab Dhow, the safari in the desert with the barbeque under the stars and the sheer luxury of their hotel. Now she was looking forward to flying into Auckland where they would collect a campervan and travel down the North Island for the next stage of their honeymoon. For the first time in her life, she was going to meet Jock’s family and it would be her family as well. This thought pleased and excited her. It was not like being a part of a large group, as when she had been growing up in Quarrier’s Homes, no matter how hard Mr and Mrs Black had tried to create a family atmosphere, or being godparents to Barry and Laura’s children, this was different.

Another thing that was worrying her was how their money would last out. There was no money in the bank account after paying for the wedding. All they had was what Jock had earned at the Moy Games Show. Jock just laughed when she spoke of her concerns, saying he would get temporary work if they were broke. Being an accountant, she was appalled at his laissez-faire attitude to finance, thinking she would rectify that when they returned to Scotland.

Eventually, the plane touched down at Auckland Airport and the transition to the campervan went smoothly. They toured the North Island visiting the ninety-mile beach, the huge kauri tree called “Tane Mahuta,” the kauri kingdom workshops and went swimming with dolphins in the Bay of Islands. This carefree existence was new to Mary and she was surprised at how much she enjoyed it, especially swimming alongside deserted beaches and long walks on forest trails. All too soon they arrived in Wellington where they would take the ferry to Picton on the South Island. Jock’s family lived about twenty miles from Nelson in the north of the island. Both Jock and Mary were looking forward to meeting them, especially his nephew and recently-born niece.

While they were booking to go on the ferry, they were informed that there was a very urgent message from Campbell Holdings in Glasgow. They were requested to contact them at the office or at Mr McLean’s home number. This was unusual as he never gave his home number to anyone. As they were just about to board the late-night ferry, Mary decided to phone in the morning from the sawmill in Picton.

Arriving in Picton at midnight, they parked outside the sawmill and settled down in their campervan for the night. Up early the next morning they entered the sawmill as the first workers were arriving. Mary introduced herself to the foreman who showed her into the office and also agreed to give them a quick tour of the sawmill.

Mary phoned Mr McLean at his home and discovered that the London office was to be sold off and that all business was to be transferred to the Glasgow office. He was supervising the closure and transfer, and although he didn’t say so to Mary, it was something he was enjoying immensely as the London office staff had always seemed to consider themselves superior, treating Glasgow as just a branch office. He was going to stay on until Easter as he expected all negotiations would be completed by then. Afterwards, he and Mrs McLean were going on a fifteen-week world cruise, paid for by the expected bonus from Campbell Holdings.

The next piece of information really angered Mary. According to the head office in America, Mary was to do a similar job in New Zealand, to be completed by Easter. Mary was furious and immediately phoned Doug Campbell at his home, with no regard for the time difference. She took vindictive delight in waking him up in the middle of the night.

“Mr Campbell, did you not know that I am on my honeymoon? I’m extremely upset that you have imposed this closure on me without consultation and that you have taken me for granted, assuming that I will jump immediately at your beck and call.”

“Calm down Mary, honey,” came the soothing voice of Doug Campbell, “Just hear what I have to say. If Campbell Holdings don’t sell off several assets we will go under as we have a serious cash flow problem. Selling off New Zealand and Australia, and closing the London office, will put money in reserve and increase our shares on the stock market. I’m relying on you to have everything finalised before Easter. That gives you almost four months. Is that understood?”

Mary’s anger was unabated and she snarled at the phone, “Mr Campbell did anyone ever tell you that you’re just a bloody tyrant, dictating other people’s lives?”

“Calm down Mrs Stewart. Let me finish please,” came the reply. “Deposited in your account is forty thousand pounds sterling for expenses, accommodation, vehicle hire and flights. I suggest you hire Jock as your assistant, driver and minder.”

Mary’s anger turned to amazement at this unexpected turn of events and she was lost for words. “I’ll speak to Jock and then phone you back,” was all she could say as she put the phone down, her mind in turmoil. She crossed the yard as Jock and the foreman were coming out of one of the workshops. Mary took Jock aside and explained the situation to him. He stood still, running his thumb and forefinger across his chin before answering with a big smile on his face, “If Jean and Nan look after my dog and the croft, that will be fine. Tell Doug Campbell that I’m not too keen on my new boss though,” and gave her a small kiss on the forehead.

“Tell him yourself,” laughed Mary, “and come with me into the office. I’ll phone Nan Cameron at Glen Feshie after you have spoken to Doug Campbell.”

As they walked across the yard they met the timber-harvesting manager, the big Maori, with the rest of his squad. “Hello Scottish boss-lady,” was his greeting. “Are you back here to see if we are doing a proper job?” He held out his hand in a token of friendship and welcome.

Mary shook his hand and commented, “You are still as good looking as ever, but I must apologise I’ve forgotten your name.”

Everyone laughed at the banter between them and he said, “Everyone calls me Slade.”

“Well, Slade,” continued Mary, “I am only here to sort out some problems for Campbell Holdings.”

“Well, I have a big problem that even you cannot solve boss-lady,” Slade replied, “I am in here this morning to see if someone can come with us to fell trees as both my tree-fellers were injured last night playing rugby. I’ve phoned several numbers this morning with no success, so we are shorthanded.”

Mary turned to Jock and spoke in a very dignified manner, “Mr Stewart, could you help these gentlemen out while I make necessary arrangements in America and Scotland.”

Jock replied in a similar tone, “I would love to ma’am, but I have no tools or safety clothing.”

“Don’t let that worry you,” exclaimed Slade. “If you can fell trees, come with us to our store and we will provide everything that you need.”

As Jock turned to go with them he asked Mary, again in a refined voice, “Could you bring me a big bottle of water, some fruit and a bar of chocolate for my sustenance for the rest of the day please?”

Mary went over to the campervan and sorted out a rough and ready packed lunch for Jock. As she was taking it to him at the wood-harvesting store, Jock appeared, all kitted-out and carrying a power saw, fuel tank and a helmet.

“Thanks for that, I’ll see you this evening. Give my love to Nan and Jean and my regards to Mr Campbell. Any chance of a T-bone steak for the evening meal?” were Jock’s parting remarks as he followed the rest of the harvesting squad down to the boat which would take them down to the site where they were working. There were no roads suitable to drive there.

Mary went back into the office and phoned Nan in Glen Feshie who was just getting ready for bed. She explained the circumstances and the reason for the phone call. Nan was delighted to hear from her and agreed to look after the croft and Rambo. She mentioned that Jean and Rambo were inseparable, even sharing the same bed. Mary told her to empty the freezer, help herself to all the garden produce and all the firewood if it was required and to use Jock’s pickup every so often.

Mary’s next phone call was to Doug Campbell, telling him his orders would be carried out to the best of her ability. When she told him about Jock, he laughed. He also told her that if any of the businesses were willing to buy themselves out, she was to give them as much help as she could as a corporation from Singapore were interested. He would send a telex message to the Wellington office telling them to expect a visit from Mary next day.

When the manager of the sawmills arrived for work and met Mary, he invited her for morning coffee. She relayed all the circumstances and assured him that both sawmills would be sold as a going concern and that no redundancies were anticipated.

Mary spent the rest of the day in Picton at the small airport, arranging flights, hiring a rental car, and booking accommodation at a small self-catering chalet adjacent to the airfield. She drove back to the sawmill and was preparing the evening meal in the campervan when she saw the harvesting squad approaching. She waited until they emerged from the shower block before going out to meet them.

Slade praised Jock’s prowess and skill at felling timber and asked if he could be made available for the rest of the week, to which Jock and Mary agreed. There was a bit of banter with the rest of the squad and it appeared that Jock was proving himself to be a popular member of the group.

During the meal, Mary and Jock talked about their day. Jock said that his job was easy, just felling trees for the Trans Alp high wire, which then took the whole tree down the steep hillside to be processed. He was impressed with the tonnage that was being obtained and by his colleagues’ work. Mary told him about the expense budget which Jock thought was incredible.

Later in the evening, they spoke to the security guard, moved the campervan into the car park and went up to the office to use the phone. Jock phoned his mother and sister and arranged their first visit for that weekend. He then phoned Doug Campbell and a good bit of banter took place. Their main topic however was about Campbell Holdings’ AGM in Kingussie in June and how afterwards, Doug would fly Mary and Jock out to his home in America, all-expenses paid. Last but not least, he phoned Nan and Jean who told him all the news in the glen, how Rambo was behaving and what mischief he had been up to.

As they shared a nightcap in the campervan before retiring to bed, Mary suggested and Jock agreed to send a cheque for two thousand pounds to Jean and Nan for their trouble as it gave them peace of mind that all was well in respect of the croft and Rambo.