Chapter 30

Rory

Ruth told us that mum and Phil were coming to us for Christmas so all the family were going to be present just like last year. I was quite pleased about this as I had really enjoyed the larger family gathering after it being just me and mum for as long as I could remember. There was the problem of Christmas presents though, I had not even started to think of that

and we were into the middle of October Last year it had been easy for me as mum had given me the locket to give to Rebecca and it was just a matter of small presents for the others.

When I said to my girl that I needed to do some Christmas shopping and I did not know what to get for any one, especially for her folks, my mum and Phil.

"You don't have to worry about that problem. It is taken care off. "I got a present for your mum and Uncle Phil," she told me. "It is quite an expensive set of wine glasses, matching whisky glasses and champagne flutes all beautifully boxed and it says it is from you and me. I have also got a present for my mum and dad, and I have done the same with their present and it is from both of us. You only have to worry about me." I meant to tell you, but I have been so busy studying I forgot to mention it last week when you got home from work. I got them when I was out shopping with mum. I have hidden them in the bottom of one of the wardrobes in one of the other bedrooms so don't you dare go peeking."

"I always have to worry about you," I told her with a grin. "You are very unpredictable and I never know what to expect. It is a good job I came to discuss my problem of what to get fot people with you or I might have duplicated things."

There wasn't much chance of that," she said, "You are a man. I am surprised you even thought of it this early. Men are really notorious for leaving these sort of things to the last minute and then having to rush to the shops. Anyway I would have told you when we started to discuss Christmas things or when I got one or two other things this weekend for Marjory, Jessie and Kenny, for I will be taking you with me."

I conceded that she was probably right for I had surprised myself by thinking about it this so soon. Then I realised I had only done so because Ruth had told us about my mum and Phil. I was pondering about what to get for my lady, when I realised that I had never worn the Highland outfit I had received for Christmas last year, not even to go to my mum's wedding at the end of September. I kicked myself for that. It would have been an excellent occasion for it. I decided I would have to do something about finding other occasions to use it.

Next day when I was working with George I talked to him about this and moaned about the lack of opportunity I had to use my kilt. He then told me that his wife was fiercely Scottish and she had made him join the local Caledonian Association with her when they moved back down south. He had been reluctant at first, but after a few Ceilidhs, a St Andrew's night and a Burns' supper he found that he really enjoyed it. So his wife had bought him a kilt and jacket and all the regalia he needed for those occasions. Since her Maiden name was Macintosh, it was in the dress MacIntosh tartan which was on red stripes on a green background with a green tweed Jacket. He suggested I should join and said he would get me and Rebecca tickets for the Ceilidh they were having on Halloween night. The hall would be decorated for the occasion but the dress would be Scottish as usual, though not everybody wore kilts, but he said that he always did.

"I will talk to Rebecca about it," I said, "I think it is time we got out and mixed more in the local community. She will probably agree to try it at least."

Over dinner that evening I told Rebecca that talking about Christmas had reminded me about the highland outfit that I got last year and had never worn since, not even to mother's wedding I told her I had been talking to George at work about it. He said that his wife was a Scot and she had made him join the local Caledonian Association. He had been reluctant but after a few Ceilidhs, a St Andrew's night and a Burn's supper he had really enjoyed it and he wore the kilt outfit she had bought him for those occasions. He has offered to get me tickets for their Halloween Ceilidh if you would like to go I had finished.

"Would you like to go?" she asked.

"Yes I would and I would like to do so for three reasons," told her. First because it would allow me to use my kilt for those occasions and remind me that I had it for things like my mum's wedding. I also think we should get more outside interests and meet the local people and lastly it would put us both in touch with our Scottish heritage."

"You Know Rory I had forgotten about it too and your mum's wedding would have been an ideal occasion to wear it," she said "You are probably right about us getting out more but we know nothing about Scottish dancing."

"George told me that would not be a problem because a lot of them are group dances and for them and all the other dances the leader of the band starts ever dance by calling out the steps and you soon get the hang of it." I replied.

"Well you get the tickets and we will give it a go," she told me. "Just so long as they don't speak either of those barbaric languages you told me about," she added with a giggle

George got us the tickets and we duly turned up on the night. As we entered the hall he spotted us and came over and led us to his table where he introduced us to his wife who was a school teacher and to another teacher who shared their table. She was also accompanied by her husband who was an IT man who worked for one of the MacFarlane companies. We learned later in the evening that she and her husband were from the Hebrides and she was the winner of a gold medal for singing at the Gaelic Mod and she played a mean fiddle.

George in his usual style warned Flora and Alex to be on their best behaviour because I was a budding plutocrat who might one day run that capitalistic organisation called MacFarlane Enterprises and that along with his girl friend here who was the bosses daughter they might be running the whole show. I saw the surprise on Rebecca's face as he said this but before she had recovered I jumped in."

"Don't pay any attention to my left wing friend," I told them. "When I was introduced to the inspector group with which I am gaining work experience before going off to University, he told the others that they would have to be like him and learn to bow and scrape to the mighty capitalist that I was going to turn out to be if they wanted to keep their jobs. I just told him that he need not bother with the bowing and scraping, because if he kept up that kind of behaviour it would not save him and that he would be at the top of my list for the first Redundancy notice that came along when I took over. Then I looked at his age and realised he would probably be retired by that time and I would be reduced to looking for ways by which I might sabotage his pension."

Everybody including his wife Flora laughed at my explanation of that encounter.

I am glad to see that he has met his match in the repartee department," Kirsty said, "But as one highlander to another, can I plead for clemency for this ignorant Sassenach, for I would have to keep him out of my pension if you did that,"

I smiled at her and said, "My fair Kinswoman you have burdens enough having to put up with him, rest assured your plea has been granted, for I would not want to add to be the one who added to burden you already carry, on a daily basis."

George turned to Ian and Flora, looking really aggrieved, "And to think I persuaded him to come and got him the tickets for tonight," he said, "see how I suffer at the hands of your barbaric race."

"Not as much as you are going to when I get you home if you keep this up," Kirsty warned him.

And if you need any help, you can count me in," Flora said, "With a name like MacFarlane, maybe Rebecca would like to join us after the reception she has just received at his hands."

Realising that this was a common form of banter between me and George at work, Rebecca decided to join in and hit back at George at the same time.

"I am a third generation English girl," she told them. And I feel more Sassenach than Scottish, yet as a Lancastrian of the Red Rose county, I think I detected a hint of the white rose in what I guess is his Yorkshire accent, so if you really need help dealing with bounder, I think I could be persuaded."

George raised his eyes to the heavens, "A horse," he cried, "A horse, I am surrounded on all sides by foes, my county for a horse!"

We all laughed at his parody of Richard of York,

Rebecca was now at ease in this company and we danced every dance and formed the biggest part of an eight in the eightsome reel and in the dance strip the willow. Then the six of us made up the threesomes for the dashing white sergeant. We danced together a lot but also with the others in the group and by the interval my lady was looking quite hot in the literal as well as the figurative sense. As we helped ourselves to the buffet fare that was laid out on a line of trestle table quickly brought out for the purpose Flora excused herself and said to Kirsty

"Grab me something for when I get back."

When we were seated with our food and drinks I asked Kirsty where Flora had gone but she just smiled and told me to wait and see. Shortly four women carrying fiddles took the stage the band had vacated and began to play a beautiful plaintiff Gaelic melody and one of them was Flora. Then she lowered her instrument and began to sing the words to the song in Gaelic. Her beautiful soprano voice sent shivers down my spine and though I could not understand the words, the grief that lay behind the words and the tune touched my heart. I looked over and saw that Rebecca was equally moved by the beauty of the singing and when she stopped the group received a great ovation. The played several other tunes and Flora sang again this time without music for it was a Scottish Psalm sung in the Scottish Free Church tradition.

When she got back to her seat, Rebecca and I enthused over her performance and she was obviously pleased that we had enjoyed her playing and singing. As the night drew to a close George asked if we had enjoyed ourselves. Rebecca said that she had really enjoyed the dancing and the company and she hoped we would come again. The others said they hoped so too and said with names like ours we should think of joining the association for they really need more young members. To my surprise Rebecca told them that she would think seriously about doing so.

Rebecca

We went shopping on Saturday morning with my mum. By eleven am, we decided it was time for a coffee. As we entered the cafe I spotted Flora and Kirsty. They saw us and waved us over and invited us to join them. I introduced them to my mother and explained we had me them at the Ceilidh. Once we had been served Flora told us that their church had a Scottish Fiddle Society coming to give a concert on Wednesday night in the church itself. They always had this concert in the church because knew from past experience that the place would be pretty full as there was a huge demand for tickets. She told us that the four who played at the ceilidh would be joining them and that Kirsty had two solo spots, and asked if we would like to go. I said that we would love to get tickets for we wanted to hear Kirsty sing again. I had told my mother about her wonderful voice so she asked if she could have two tickets also. We paid for the tickets and Flora said she would give then to George and he would deliver them to Rory on Monday. When we left the cafe we said goodbye to them and finished our shopping before heading home for lunch at my mum's house.