The Nickum

by Doris Davidson

  After eating an apple each for pudding, the young man washed the dirty dishes, flagon and pot, and then said, ‘I want to go to see Mr Fyfe, the minister at home, you know, so I’d better go soon, or else he’ll be busy with the Young Communicants, maybe, or a Bible Class – and then it’ll be time for his evening service.’

  ‘Aye, they’re gey hard worked on the Sabbath,’ she grinned, ‘but some o’ them dinna dae muckle for the rest o’ the week.’

  ‘Oh, I wouldn’t say that. There’s weddings and christenings …’

  ‘An’ frunials, but that doesna tak’ six days, does it?’ She giggled to show she wasn’t serious.

  ‘You’re an awful woman, Gramma.’

  ‘It’s either that or gi’e up an’ let the undertaker get anither frunial to dae.’

  ‘No, no, don’t say that. You’ve been the backbone of my life, Gramma, so don’t even joke about something like that.’

  ‘You’re richt, laddie. I’m makin’ fun o’ men that are dedicated to God. They do a lot o’ good work, giving folk comfort in a time of need, just bein’ there for them is a blessin’ sometimes.’

  ‘I’d better be off, but remember, I need you to be here when I come back next time.’

  ‘I’ll dae my best, but you ken, Willie, naebody has the power to escape the Grim Reaper. When your time comes, you have to go, and the trouble is, you never ken when your time is comin’. An’ maybe that’s a good thing.’

  Very emotional now, he bent his head to kiss her cheek when he shook hands with her, and, his eyes blurred with tears, he narrowly avoided walking into the door on his way out.

  The Reverend Fyfe greeted his visitor warmly. ‘Sit down, my boy. I half expected to see you in church this morning with your parents, but …’

  ‘I went to say cheerio to my grandmother.’

  ‘Yes, so your dear mother said. Well, that was a charitable thing to do. Many of the younger people today have no time for their grandparents, or indeed for anyone over the age of forty. Now, tell me about your training. You know, I would have quite liked to volunteer as a chaplain again, but my age is against me.’

  They chatted companionably for the next hour and a half – the older man wanting to know if Willie’s education had helped him in his present situation, to which he gave a fictional affirmative reply, and then Mr Fyfe said, ‘I know a white lie when I hear one, but rest assured. Your time at University will not be wasted when you come out of the army. It will stand you in good stead to find a decent job, a good career. Have you been to see Millie Meldrum yet?’

  The abrupt change of topic disconcerted the young man. He wasn’t prepared to discuss this side of his life, but the other man had noticed. ‘I am sorry, my boy. I didn’t mean to pry. Now, I’m afraid we will have to stop there. I take a Young Communicants’ Class at half past three; not that many attend, but even adding two or three new members to our congregation is a worthwhile cause. Thank you for coming to see me, William, and I wish you luck in your career in the Gordon Highlanders. A really fine regiment, with a long history of gallantry. God bless you.’

  They shook hands and Willie went down the path on to the road, wondering if he should chance going to the schoolhouse, or if it was too early and Millie would still be there. He decided against going and made for home, deciding at the last moment to spend a little more time with Tibby.

  As always, she welcomed him warmly, but cannily avoided even the slightest reference to the tragedy, confining herself to giving him little tidbits of gossip regarding mutual friends and acquaintances. ‘Beenie says Malcie’ll be hame some time the morn, so you’ll just miss him. She says he’s settlin’ doon now, an’ nae afore time. He’s aye been a big bairn, nae happy unless things is gan his way, but the army was the best place for him. They’ll nae tak’ ony o’ his nonsense. It’ll be the makin’ o’ him – you wait an’ see.’

  He smiled a little wryly. ‘I bet you say the same about me.’

  ‘Na, na, laddie, you’ve aye been a different type. You never expected things to be handed to you on a plate. I ken you werena happy at the dominie sub … eh, subsiding – is that the richt word? – your education.’

  Stifling a grin, he said solemnly, ‘It’s sub-sid-ising, but you’re right. I wasn’t happy. I like to work things out for myself, then I’ve only myself to blame if anything goes wrong.’

  ‘Aye well, that’s a good enough reason, I suppose, but you’d mak’ things easier for yoursel’ if you sat back an’ let somebody else tak’ the responsibility.’ She uttered a screech of laughter here. ‘Oh, would you listen to me? Fowk would think I’d swallied a dictionary. Me that’s never picked up a book in my life.’ She looked at him askance. ‘I suppose you think I’m a richt dunce. You see, I canna read. I was the auldest an’ I was kept aff the school every time my mither had a bairn, and my faither was a randy auld bugger …’ Another howl of laughter.

  Understanding, Willie laughed along with her. It had long been a common occurrence amongst the farm labourers’ families – the first-born female child was expected to be a sort of second mother to the younger siblings, and was thus deprived of a decent schooling. There was only one thing he could think of to say. ‘At least you were well prepared when it came your turn to run a house and a family of your own.’

  ‘You think like an auld ane, d’you ken that? Govey Dick, you’ll mak’ a damn good man to some lucky lassie some day, be she Millie Meldrum or somebody you havena met yet.’

  He gave a hearty laugh at this. ‘Tibby, you’re fishing now, but I’m not rising to the bait. I’m making no commitments until the war’s over, but I promise you, when I do, you’ll be among the first to know.’

  After another half-hour or so of banter, he took his leave, kissing her cheek as he shook her hand, something he never did as a rule, not even to Emily.

  Coming to the Middletons’ house, he decided that he had better say goodbye there, too. Although Beenie and Tibby were the best of friends, there still existed a shred of one-upmanship between them, and it would probably cause trouble if he spent so much more time with one than with the other. ‘I jist wondered if you’d have time to come an’ see me again,’ she beamed, plainly pleased that he had bothered. ‘It’s a pity you’ll nae be here to see Malcie, though.’

  ‘I know, but that’s life, isn’t it? Anyway, tell him I was asking for him.’

  ‘I’ll dae that, and he seems to ha’e settled in, noo. I’m sure he’ll be a different loon efter the war. Mair content and nae forever grumpin’ aboot things. He was aye a moaner, my Malcie.’

  ‘I got on all right with him. He never moaned to me.’

  ‘He ken’t you was cleverer nor him, and you’ll end up a lot better aff than him. He’d aye keep far in wi’ onybody like that. An eye oot for number one, you could say.’

  ‘There’s nothing wrong in that,’ Willie laughed. ‘If we don’t look after number one, nobody else will.’

  ‘Aye, but you’ve got the brain for it. He hasna.’

  ‘Malcie’ll get on all right. You don’t need to worry about that.’

  ‘You ken this, Willie? Every time I see you, you mak’ me feel a lot better. You’ve got something aboot you, I canna describe it, but you’ll go far, loon. I’m sure o’ that.’

  ‘That’s good of you, Beenie, but I’ll have to go now, or Mam’ll fly off the handle at me for bein’ late for my supper.’

  ‘Your Mam doesna ken when she’s weel aff. Bye bye, then, an’ haste ye back, as they say.’

  ‘Bye, Beenie, and I’ll see you next time I’m home.’

  Contrary to his expectations, Emily asked no questions, but he told her anyway about his various ports of call. It was Jake who said, ‘So you didn’t go to the schoolhouse?’

  ‘No.’

  The matter was left there, the parents rather disappointed that their son hadn’t bothered to visit the man who had done so much for him, the boy himself doubting if he had done the right thing. Whatever, it was too late now to do any
thing about it.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Although most of their day was occupied in going over and over what they had been taught during their basic training, the young men did have some time to relax. The majority made straight for the nearest dance hall, with the intention of finding a girl friend for the evening, or, with the same end in view, to the nearest public house. At least two of the relatively new recruits, however, were not interested in girls. Willie Fowlie and Pat Michie had their own way of filling the time – exploring the local area, enjoying a chat whilst having a bracing walk and rounding things off with a quiet drink in the pub.

  The problem with the last option was, of course, coming in contact with the opposite sex. Each of them found it hard to cope with this. As Pat confessed after their first awkward visit, he had never had anything to do with girls. Willie, on the other hand, was so involved with one girl in particular that he had no wish to take up with another; he had, however, a longing to find the right girl for Pat. Once that mission had been accomplished, he could discuss his own romance with his pal without feeling at all embarrassed.

  Willie found great difficulty in writing to Millie. His remorse for not once going to see her was so deep that he didn’t know where to begin. How could he tell her that he loved her too much? It would really be a pathetic excuse without explaining what he meant. How could she possibly understand what happened to him when he was close to her? She would despise him for not being able to control his lust. But the thing was, it wasn’t just straightforward lust; it was a truly wonderful love for her that sparked off a desire that wouldn’t be denied. Even that, though, was pathetic. She would be disgusted at his cowardly attitude, and wouldn’t want to have anything more to do with him. The only thing to do was to keep away from her, but to let her know in his letters – not as frequent as before – that he still loved her with all his heart.

  He did contemplate discussing his problem with Pat Michie, but although his pal was a little over a year older, he had never, by his own admission, been attracted to any girls and would thus never have been anywhere near this situation. But it might be a good idea to get him interested in the feminine sex. If they started going to places where they would meet some decent females, there was always a chance and once Pat experienced the temptations, he’d be better able to give advice on how to avoid them.

  Edinburgh being fairly near, this was their new stamping ground. Instead of going for walks to admire the countryside, as they had been doing until now, they frequented dance halls and tearooms on the hunt for feminine company. Willie had ruled out pubs. Really decent girls didn’t go drinking.

  The two young men, both inclined to be too shy to make inconsequential conversation, had no luck on their first two visits to the capital – one to a small tearoom in the Grassmarket, one to an even smaller café in Rose Street – but when, as a last resort, they tried a quiet little pub in a side street, they had only been sitting in a corner for a few minutes when two WAAFs came in. While one disappeared, probably to the Ladies, the other had a quick look round and then came over and addressed Pat shyly. ‘Excuse me, are these two seats taken?’

  A red wave running over his cheeks, he mumbled, ‘No, they’re not.’

  She plumped down next to him. ‘Thank goodness! We’ve been trailing round for ages looking for a decent place. All the rest seemed to be full of Yanks, loud mouthed, gum-chewing Yanks that think they’re God’s gift to women.’

  ‘I take it you don’t like them,’ Pat ventured.

  ‘Can’t stand them. They think a pair of nylons is their password to heaven.’ She laughed at his puzzled expression. ‘They think they can exchange nylons for a girl’s virginity.’

  ‘Oh.’ His face was now a deep shade of puce. Never having had any dealings with girls, he had no idea what nylons were, but he did not dare to ask. ‘We don’t have nylons to give away.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear it.’ She waved to the other WAAF who had been held up by a raucous crowd of sailors. ‘Over here. This is Josie,’ she went on by way of introduction, ‘and I’m Dot.’

  Pat did the needful. ‘He’s Willie and I’m Pat.’

  Dot, the tallest one, raven-haired and rosy-cheeked, with dancing brown eyes and a happy smile, went to the bar for their drinks, leaving Josie, mousey-haired, pale complexion, serious eyes, looking like a scared rabbit at being alone with the two men. Surprisingly, it was the older lad who tried to soothe her fears, smilingly informing her, ‘Willie and I are stationed in Redford. We haven’t been there for very long, but we’ve discovered a few nice walks already. If you’re interested, we could show you, some time.’

  Both his face and hers were flushed now, but she nodded. ‘That would be great. Dot and I love walking, but we’ve been a bit scared of going on our own, with so many Yanks about.’

  Pat grinned, seemingly finding it easier to make conversation now that he had started. ‘Thank goodness at least some girls don’t fall over themselves to make up to them.’

  Grinning too, Josie shook her head. ‘They think far too much of themselves for me. Even Dot doesn’t like them, and she’s more a one for boys than I am.’

  ‘Have you and Dot been friends long?’ Pat asked now.

  ‘We went to school together, and joined up together, so we’re pretty close.’ She turned as her friend came back with two glasses of tomato juice. ‘I was saying we’ve been pals a long time.’

  Josie kept on talking to Pat, to whom she was clearly attracted, Willie was glad to see. ‘You two are Scotch, aren’t you?’

  ‘Scots, yes we are. Willie’s from a wee place in Aberdeenshire called Tillyburnie, and I’m from Elgin, a bit farther north.’

  ‘Dot and I are both from a wee place …’ she imitated his accent, ‘… in Wiltshire called Mere. Not far from Stonehenge. I suppose you’ve heard of that?’

  ‘Never been there, but I have heard of it.’

  Dot suddenly lifted her glass and went round to sit next to Willie. ‘We may as well get to know each other. That two look as if they’ve forgotten we’re here.’

  He smiled, but felt at a loss. It was all right for him to plan for Pat to meet a nice girl, but he hadn’t taken into account that the nice girl may have an equally nice friend. He did not want to cause any more problems in his life, but he could hardly ignore her. ‘Before we go any further,’ he began, hesitantly, ‘I’d better tell you I have a girlfriend at home. I’m going to marry her once the war’s finished.’

  She beamed happily. ‘That’s good. I’ve got a boyfriend, Brylcreem boy, who, like you, wants to wait until after the war to get married. I thought he wanted to be free to have a good time with the girls, so I hope he’s as honest as you. I admire you for it, and as long as we know it’s all above board, we’ll get along fine.’

  It was an ideal arrangement, as far was Willie was concerned, even when a niggle of conscience warned him that even a platonic friendship could go badly wrong if one of the pair got serious about the other. Still, there was little likelihood of that, since both of them had a true love waiting in the wings, so to speak.

  ‘Some people think Josie and me are an odd pair – one shy and quiet, and one, me, who speaks far too much.’

  ‘Josie’s been managing fine on her own up to now,’ Willie observed, ‘and so has Pat. He’s usually tongue-tied if a girl as much as looks at him.’

  ‘So you’re usually the one with more to say?’

  ‘Not really.’ Casting a quick glance round, he was pleased to see that Pat and Josie were still carrying on a quiet conversation on their own. ‘They’re getting on, anyway.’

  ‘Thank goodness. Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth to get a word out of her, but she seems to like Pat. Have you two known each other as long as Dot and me?’

  ‘No, we just met when we were doing our basic training.’

  They had split naturally into two couples, and while the other two were finding out about each other, Dot and Willie discussed their romantic partners. He
gave her a brief account of how Millie and he had met, had liked each other from the very start, how liking had grown into love. He did not mention that she was still at University as far as he knew, nor give the reason for his voluntary enlistment.

  Dot gave him an equally brief account of how she and Paul had met – both had worked with the same firm since they left school – and how their liking had also become deep love. ‘So that’s everything out in the open,’ she grinned, at last. ‘We can enjoy ourselves without anything silly happening. Yes?’

  ‘Yes.’ He shook the hand she held out. He liked her, could maybe have more than liked her, but it was better this way. Far better.

  When the barman shouted ‘Last orders’ they quickly emptied their glasses and stood up to leave, Dot turning to Josie and saying, ‘We’ll catch the quarter to ten bus if we put a step in.’

  It was Pat who said, sounding quite disappointed, ‘Can’t we walk you back to your billet? We won’t mind how far it is, eh, Willie?’

  Willie gave an exaggerated bow. ‘We’d be delighted, ladies.’

  ‘It’s too far,’ Dot said, firmly. ‘In the opposite direction from where you’ve to go.’

  On their way outside, Pat and Josie tried to arrange a date, but were having great difficulty because their times off duty did not coincide. At last, however, they came to an agreement. ‘Half past seven next Saturday, here?’ Pat’s eyebrows were raised in hope.

  Willie felt obliged to issue a note of warning. ‘There’s rumours of us being posted, remember? We might not manage to get word to them in time.’

  ‘Good thinking,’ Dot agreed. ‘Well, we’ll leave it at that. Next Saturday, but if you don’t turn up, we’ll know you’ve been posted.’

  Willie was saddened suddenly by the fraught look that passed between Pat and Josie. They were obviously attracted to each other, but service personnel had really no right to be planning ahead – not during a war. He did yield a little, though, by allowing the pair to fall behind as they walked towards the bus stop, to allow them a little privacy.