Chapter 5

Shortly after she had sent her letter, Jo received a reply from her mother, which she read eagerly, before handing it to John:

Dear Jo, We was so glad to get your letter. I am glad that you are safe and happy. You probably won't be surprised to hear that our Billie has got himself locked up in Strangeways. He's not a bad lad, but he's easily led, and was trying to be the big man in front of his mates. Your dad is well and is still working, and our Julie is now married to a lad from Crumpsall and they now live near Stockport and there's a baby on the way. Her and our Sheilagh took it hard when you left, Jo, but they are both settled now. Sheilagh is working in the shop at Old Trafford.

We are all looking forward to seeing you again, Love, and hope that you have a nice Christmas and can make it home soon.

Love you. Mum and Dad, Billy, Eddie, Brian, Sean, Julie and Pete, Sheilagh X

Once again Jo was very moved, and snuggled up against John for comfort.

"It's funny," she said to him, "while I was living on the streets I hardly ever thought about them and was glad that I got away: but now I really want to see them all again!"

"That's understandable. We can stop in Salford on the way home from Scotland, if you like. It's a long journey to Lossiemouth, so I planned to stop overnight somewhere, anyway. If it wasn't for Sam we could have flown or taken the train, but he needs to be able to get out and stretch his legs, so I'll drive up."

The following Monday, Jo got her first essay back. When they got home she handed it to John, like a schoolgirl handing her report to her parent, while she made a drink.

"I would say that that's a good result, for a first essay," he said, "I agree with all the comments, which are constructive and helpful. What do you think?"

"Well, to be honest, I was a bit disappointed when I first saw it, but like you say, when you read the remarks you understand it. And I know that I've still got a lot to learn and a long way to go!"

"I agree," John said, "I felt exactly the same when I did my A-levels ... they are hard, and rightly so, in my opinion!"

"But now that I know what the standard is," Jo said to him, "I think that I'll be a bit more realistic!"

As Jo expected, her first History assignment was marked equally as critically, but fairly. She was of course still a little disappointed by the grade, but she was philosophical and determined to improve. The next few months passed and she continued to work hard. It was perhaps easier for her, as she didn't have the distraction and handicap of having to work, as some of her fellow students had. Her work steadily improved, however: and perhaps more importantly, she began to believe in herself, and her confidence increased as a result. And before she knew it, it was the last week of term, and she and John would soon be heading north to spend the holiday with his parents.

"So how far is it from here?" Jo asked him.

"It's over 500 miles by road to Lossiemouth, and it would take about ten hours if I tried to do it in one go; but I'd rather stop for the night about half way ... that's somewhere around Newcastle, and I'll have to stop several times for Sam, anyway. On the way back it's a good six or seven hours drive to Salford, then from there about three hours back here."

"That's a long way!" Jo said, "But I couldn't leave Sam behind, in kennels!"

"And I don't want to leave him, either! We have plenty of time, so it's not going to be a problem."

All the preparations were made: they had pre-booked a motel near Newcastle that welcomed dogs; then they loaded up the car with Sam and their luggage and set off.

When Jo had left Salford, nearly three years previously, she had not really known where she was going. She knew that she didn't want to go to London, so she looked at where she could get to with the money she had, and that was nowhere near or nothing like where she was coming from, and she had ended up in East Anglia. She had started off living in cheap accommodation while she looked for a job, but there was no work for her, and when her money had run out she found herself living rough. She had managed to stay well clear of the drunks and druggies, then she had befriended an elderly woman and they had stuck together for company. The woman was Sam's original owner, but one day she had been taken ill and she had asked Jo to look after Sam. She never saw the woman again, but she somehow found out that she had passed away. Since then, even though times were hard, she had tried to look after Sam as best she could, and now she couldn't bear the thought of being parted from him.

Sam was getting old, but he was now probably better looked after than at any other time during his life. When he wasn't asleep on his blankets in the kitchen, he was usually somewhere near Jo when she was home; and when she was at college he would lay in a corner of John's office if he was working, or by his feet if he was sitting on the sofa. He was now lying on the back seat of John's car as they travelled north. About every two hours they would stop somewhere, so that Sam could do whatever he had to do, and John could top up his caffeine level.

By mid-afternoon they had reached their stopover point. Jo waited with Sam while John checked in and collected the key. The room was on the ground floor, with direct access from the car park, so it was a simple matter to take the cases and Sam's accessories straight in. They had a small overnight bag, so there was no need to unpack the large cases. Once settled in, they bought some takeaway food, which they took back to their room, then, after a short rest, they took Sam for a nice walk. For Jo it was another new experience: she had never really stayed in a decent hotel or motel before, and she was surprised by just how comfortable it was. In fact, despite her relationship with John, she had only just come to terms with calling his house 'home'.

The evening passed uneventfully and early the next morning they were back on the road to Scotland. They stayed on the A1 until they got to Edinburgh. Once past the city, they crossed the Forth Bridge, and then followed the route almost directly north until they came to John's parents home. It wasn't really a farm, but it was a detached house with several acres of land, where they kept poultry and grew lots of vegetables. Even with all the new sights, sounds and smells around him, Sam stayed close to Jo and John. His parents greeted them at the door, and they all went into the cosy kitchen of the house. John's mother kissed Jo on the cheek.

"Hello, Dear!" she said to Jo, "Did you have a good journey?"

"Yes, thank you, Mrs Neill ... but it's a long way, isn't it!"

"Aye, Dear, that it is ... and please call me Barbara!"

"And my name's Callum," said her husband.

"Hello! It's lovely to meet you both ... and that's a lovely name, Callum!"

"And what's your wee dogs name?" said Mrs Neill.

"That's Sam!"

John brought Sam's blankets in from the car and placed them near the wood burning stove in the kitchen. Sam automatically lay down and John stroked his head:

"You stay here, Boy, we won't be long!"

Jo followed him as he carried their cases up to the bedroom. On the walls of John's room were hung his Cambridge University Master's Degree certificate and his graduation photographs, together with various literary awards that he had won.

"Why don't you keep these at home?" Jo asked him.

"Well, to be honest, I think they mean more to my parents than they do to me!"

"Can we hang mine up when I get them?" she asked.

"Of course ... I shall get them framed, then hang them on the wall in my office, where I can see them every day!" Jo put her arms around his waist, then kissed him tenderly.

The senior Neill's were content to stay at home, but the next day, at lunchtime, John took Jo to the local pub. It was small and lively, and even though John was now an infrequent visitor, he was well known to the locals. As they were walking to the pub, John asked her:

"How do you want to be introduced, Jo: as my girlfriend, or my fiancée?"

Jo stopped dead in her tracks.

"Is that your way of asking me to marry you?"

"I suppose it is ... I'm sorry ... I just took it for granted! Do you want me to do it properly ... down on one knee, and all that!" Jo giggled.

"Of course!"

John smiled, then took her hands in his and knelt on the snow covered ground in front of her:

"Siobhan Ailish McGrealey, I love you very much. Will you marry me?"