CHAPTER 18 Homecoming to Scotland

 

Mary looked at her watch which told her that it would be two hours before they arrived in Glasgow, about noon in that time zone. She looked over at Jock who was fast asleep in the comfort and luxury of business class travel.

A train of thoughts coursed through her mind, making the possibility of sleep impossible. The joy and comfort of being part of a family was a welcome experience. At Singapore airport she checked her bank account and found that there was just under one thousand pounds, which would last her until the end of the month in two weeks’ time. Jock had very little, only what Slade had paid him for felling timber. Mary hadn’t paid him while they worked together. She would submit her expense account to the main office on Monday morning but it wouldn’t be a huge amount. What if she became pregnant, would they manage financially? The thought of being a mother appealed to her. The responsibility of the Glasgow and London offices would be a challenge although she was looking forward to it. How would being married to Jock and living between Glasgow and Achlean affect their relationship? She did not wish to lose him a second time.

When they arrived at Glasgow Airport, Jock remarked on the extra luggage they had accrued on their lengthy stay in New Zealand. They managed to load it all onto an airport trolley and went out to hail a taxi. On arriving at Mary’s flat, they struggled to carry it all to the door in one attempt.

Once inside, Mary began to look through the huge pile of mail, sorting the junk from the essential. She was amazed that Jock had already changed and was going for a run, to rid his body of lactic acid which had built up during the long flight. She declined his offer to join him, saying that she was going to have a shower, read the mail and have a lie down.

While she was reading the mail, a wave of fatigue swept over her and so she decided to go to bed. She woke to the sound of the washing machine and tumble dryer in the kitchen and discovered that it was nine o’clock the next morning. She could not believe that she had slept for that length of time.

Just then Jock came in, bringing fresh morning rolls and milk. He told her that he’d washed, dried and folded all his clothes and that her laundry was in the process of being done. “Make yourself comfortable,” commanded Jock, “and I’ll make bacon rolls for breakfast.”

The morning was spent talking about plans and preparation for work. They also phoned Nan and Jean to ask them if they could meet Jock at Kingussie railway station next morning. That afternoon they went to the sports club for a hard session in the pool and gym, so much so that after an evening meal they were in bed by eight o’clock.

Next morning, Mary dropped Jock off at Buchanan Street railway station at seven o’clock, a little perturbed as Jock had just enough money for his fare and a breakfast on the train. When she asked how he would survive for the rest of the week, he replied, “I’ll manage.”

Jock got off the train at Kingussie and he smelt the fresh Highland air with approval.  All the high mountain tops had a good covering of snow. There was no sign of Nan with transport so he decided to walk in the direction she would come from. He enjoyed the walk past the Dell and the shinty park and, as he was nearing Ruthven Barracks, he saw his pickup truck coming towards him. It went straight past him and then came to a sudden stop. The passenger door opened and out came Jean, followed by Rambo who was sniffing the grass verge, finding it more interesting than a man on the road carrying a big rucksack.

Jean ran towards him and gave him a big hug, “Welcome back home Jock. I’ve missed you a lot,” she said. Jock returned the hug and gave his usual whistle to Rambo who cocked his ears, as in disbelief. Then, on the second whistle he ran, wagging his tail and arching his body in a gesture of welcome. When he reached Jock, he was whimpering with sheer joy at being with his master again. By this time, Nan was reversing the pickup truck and got out as Jock was making a fuss of Rambo.

“You’re looking very fit for a man that’s had a four-month honeymoon,” remarked Nan and then gave him a kiss and a big hug. “What was the meaning of all that money you gave to Jean?” she continued, unabated. “Wait till I see that wife of yours. I’ll tell her that although we’re grateful for it, it was far too much! Anyhow, now that you’re back safe and sound, the Duke of Gordon Hotel wants you to phone them, and the estate keeps asking that you phone them as soon as you get back home.”

Jock picked up Rambo and put his rucksack in the pickup. Nan drove him back to Achlean, telling him all the local gossip, how the shinty team was doing, that her son Ewan was back from forestry college and how he hoped to graduate in the summer. Jock remarked how Jean had lost a lot of weight and was informed that she had done a lot of walking, running and playing with Rambo to keep him in good condition for Jock’s return.

The croft looked good and the smoke from the log-burning stoves in the house and workshop indicated to Jock that Nan had everything under control.

 

Meanwhile, not wishing to return to the flat after dropping Jock off at Buchanan railway station, and anxious to start work, Mary arrived at the Glasgow office just as the two cleaners were about to start work. By the time the staff arrived at nine o’clock, she had sent her expense account to head office and was halfway through the correspondence file. She was most interested in an enquiry from the Norwegian army about the purchase of aluminium sledges for carrying humans and which could be drawn over the snow by a horse. The army stated that they had had favourable reports from their Swedish counterparts about the work in Kinlochleven and Fort William.

Mr McLean arrived and they spent the whole morning in deep conversation about everything that had taken place in London, Glasgow and New Zealand.

After lunch, Mary had just finished addressing her new staff when Doug Campbell phoned from America to congratulate her on a job well done in New Zealand. He also informed her that both the corporations in Singapore and Hong Kong had sent large gratuities to her and Jock and were full of praise for the manner in which the tours of the premises had been conducted. A bonus from head office was also being forwarded as no-one had expected such a huge return from the sale in New Zealand.

After a personal interview with every member of staff, Mary requested that their newest recruit go to the Mitchell Library to find out all they could about the Norwegian Army.

Later that evening, she phoned Jock to check that he had got home safely and to find out what he knew about sledges for the Norwegian Army. She was amazed by how much he knew, especially about their sledges which were called “pulks.”

Next morning, Mary received a telex message stating that four members of the Norwegian military would be arriving in eight days’ time to see the smelters at Kinlochleven and Fort William. She immediately phoned Ken Dow at Kinlochleven to relay the news and told him that she would be arriving about lunchtime next day with all the necessary details. Mary was pleasantly surprised when the new member of staff handed her all the information she’d asked for, including photographs of the Norwegian army. She worked late into the evening, pulling the day-to-day workload into order for the next few days, preparing the speech for Mr McLean’s retirement dinner and preparing for the arrival of the Norwegian party.

Mary left early the following morning and as she drove through Glencoe she was struck by the beauty of the countryside. She wondered if the room that she had booked at Fern Villa in Ballachulish was Jock’s old room and made a mental note to ask him the next time they met.

It was lunchtime when she arrived in Kinlochleven. When she entered the canteen she was greeted with a round of applause from the workers, causing her to blush a little. She was made welcome by Ken Dow and dined with him and a group of workers. The conversation was all about production and how happy the workforce had been, working under the conditions she had set out months ago. As she was finishing her meal, a young lad and a young girl, obviously new recruits to the workforce, came forward carrying a painting of a Highlander in a cave. The man in the painting, who looked like Jock, was about to draw his claymore to defend a woman against approaching Redcoats. The woman looked like Mary and was carrying an infant.

Mary was overcome with emotion when the young girl told her that this was a wedding present from the staff. She spoke to the children, asking their names and their jobs. When she gave the lad a kiss on the cheek, the roar of approval from the canteen could be heard all over the town, especially when his face went beetroot-red. When she turned to address the workforce, there was instant silence. She thanked them for the painting which, she said, would be hung with pride at their house in Achlean. She then explained about the forthcoming visit from the Norwegians and that if a contract with the Norwegian army could be secured, then a wage rise would be in the offing. Again, there was clapping and cheering.

Lunch break over, she and Ken Dow retired to the office and were joined by two of the workers who were also members of the Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team. Later they were joined by two members of staff from Fort William who were members of the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team. The six of them sat and discussed the Norwegian project until a consensus of opinion and some prototypes were produced on paper.

It was late when Mary retired to the room she had booked in Fern Villa. She tried to phone Jock but there was no answer. He’s very likely in bed fast asleep she thought.

Up early next morning, she went for a run up Glenachullish which stirred a few memories. Arriving at the smelter mid-morning, she found that work was already in progress. In an unused building, a small team were assembling several prototypes of the sledge. She suggested donating one of these to each of the respective mountain rescue teams. This was met with approval by all concerned. They agreed to work over the weekend and do overtime if necessary to have several items ready for inspection by the Norwegians for next week.

Mary returned to Glasgow that day and in the evening attended Mr McLean’s retirement party at a top-class hotel. It was a very pleasant evening but she wished Jock could have been with her as she was missing him. It was her intention to go to Achlean on Friday night, but the office was so busy she had to work late and, after a gym and swim at her leisure club, she decided to go first thing on Saturday morning.

Mary tried to ring Jock but again, there was no answer from his phone. Before setting off to Achlean, she did a big shop at the local supermarket as she wondered if Jock had enough money to buy food.