It was mid August when Rosie woke up one morning and she wasn’t sick. We thought it was a fluke but, when a week went by without the terrible feelings of nausea, she began to look forward to the future.
‘I can’t believe it, Ann – I feel super.’
I had to admit she looked it. Her skin had a youthful bloom and her hair, which had been so limp and lifeless, was now thick and shiny.
Even Lily noticed the difference. ‘Rosie’s looking beautiful, isn’t she, Ann?’
Indeed she was. She also regained some of her old energy which manifested itself in a burst of house cleaning which both surprised and delighted me.
Still, there was one blot on her new horizon – Dad. He was still incarcerated in a hospital in Orkney and, although the skull fracture had been diagnosed as a hairline fracture, he was still recuperating. Rosie was beside herself with worry. As the days passed, she became more fretful and I began to worry about her. I couldn’t believe we had finally got rid of one worry only to be confronted with another one.
She said, ‘I wish he could get home to recuperate. He’s miles away with no visitors.’
Maddie came to tea on the Sunday and, while I was setting the table, Rosie was telling her all the worry over her husband. ‘What a pity he couldn’t get transferred back here, Maddie. It would make such a difference to us all.’
Maddie nodded sympathetically and Rosie seemed to cheer up. ‘Still, I’m not as badly off as you, Maddie. At least Johnny isn’t in a prisoner of war camp in some foreign country. Mind you, as far as I’m concerned, with all the restrictions on travel, he might as well be in a foreign country – after all, Orkney is practically in Norway.’
That wasn’t true but Maddie hid her smile. She knew Rosie was unhappy about her husband’s health.
Later on, as Maddie and I walked back along the road, she said, ‘I think I’ll ask the Red Cross if they can help to get your dad home. Maybe if there’s another training group coming up then your dad could get a lift in their transport.’
I was overcome with gratitude. ‘That would be great, Maddie – especially for Rosie. She’s just got over one hurdle and now she’s faced with another one.’
Maddie said she would help all she could and she hurried towards the house to see to Daniel. Her mother was looking after him to give her a couple of hours off.
I didn’t mention Maddie’s suggestion when I got home. After all, it was only a thought and Maddie’s plan might not succeed. There was no sense in upsetting Rosie. I didn’t want her getting her hopes up only to be dashed at the last moment.
Rosie decided to buy a maternity smock. ‘Just something bright for when Johnny comes back,’ she said.
I went with her to Hunter’s department store in the Wellgate. It was a lovely hot summer afternoon at the end of August. We were glad to be out of the heat and inside the cool, dim interior of the store. Long wooden counters ran the full length of the walls and everything was hushed. It was like being in a cathedral.
I spotted Kathleen at the far end of the hosiery counter. She didn’t see us but I decided to try to see her before leaving.
There wasn’t a huge selection of smocks due to the wartime shortages but Rosie didn’t seem to mind. She had spotted the one she wanted right away. It was a lovely deep-blue cotton one, very plain but it suited her complexion and also made her seem slimmer.
The assistant put the money in a small tin canister and pulled a wire. The container then shot across the store to the cash desk before returning with Rosie’s change.
We made our way towards the front door but I still wanted to see Kathleen. I stopped. She was deep in conversation with an elderly man who looked very aristocratic with his well-cut and expensive clothes. He had a small, well-trimmed white beard and he looked like the late George V.
Rosie stood waiting for me but I didn’t want to interrupt Kathleen’s conversation so we left.
‘Who was that man talking to Kathleen?’ asked Rosie. ‘He’s really handsome in an old kind of way, if you know what I mean.’
I was thinking the same but at the back of my mind I felt I knew him. I just couldn’t think where or how I knew him.
We stopped at the grocer’s shop to get the weekly rations and were dismayed to see a large queue.
Rosie gave a huge sigh. ‘I wish we were back in the days before the war when there wasn’t all these queues. And this smock cost me some of my coupons which I’m trying to save up for when the baby comes. He or she will need baby things and I’ll have to start again from scratch. Quite a lot of the families in the street have other children which means they’ve lots of cast-offs but we don’t have anything like that.’
That was true. Lily was born in 1931, ten years ago, and all her baby clothes had long since vanished, cannibalised to make something else from the wool and material.
I kept thinking about Kathleen and the man. They had looked very intense in their conversation. The man’s identity still eluded me although the more I thought about it, the more I realised I knew him. It was just before falling asleep that night that I remembered where I had met him – Maddie and Danny’s wedding.
He had been the photographer and a high-class one at that. He had his studio in a posh-looking, stone building at the foot of the Perth Road. He didn’t have a window full of photographs extolling his wares. No, all he had was a well-polished plaque with his name and occupation. He didn’t quite say he was a photographer to the rich but he was very high-class and, whatever it was that he wanted with Kathleen, she was seemingly considering it – at least I thought so judging from the look of concentration on her face.
Now that Rosie was blooming with health, Lily and I were eager to get into our new abode – Maddie and Danny’s flat. Lily was forever speaking about it and I had to warn her, ‘You’re not to keep speaking about it, Lily – especially in front of Rosie as we can’t leave her till Dad gets back.’
The next morning in the shop, Joe was doing his usual commentary on the German Army’s trek into Russia. His face would beam every morning when he read the headlines. ‘Aye, they’ll have to retreat when the winter comes in,’ he said. ‘The Jerries will find it’s no picnic in Moscow.’
Personally, I was growing weary of the war and all the queuing for food and the never-ending problem of making meals with fewer and fewer ingredients. In fact, there had almost been another war at the butcher’s shop that afternoon when one customer had discovered her whole meat ration was used up for that week.
‘How am I supposed to feed my man and three hungry bairns if I’ve no meat coupons left?’ she hollered in front of a dozen women who all agreed with her.
The butcher looked embarrassed but said there was nothing he could do. ‘You’ll just have to make a big vegetable pie with loads of tatties,’ he said. His unhelpful suggestion was met with a dozen scornful remarks.
‘A vegetable pie with no carrots or onions – just neeps and tatties? What kind of a meal is that for a growing family?’
A wee woman at the back came up with a suggestion. ‘I always flavour my chunks of turnip with Bisto and it looks like chunks of steak.’
The butcher looked relieved. ‘There you go, then. What a great tip.’
The customer gave him a withering look and he retreated to the back shop before coming back a moment later with three slices of corned beef.
‘There you are, missus. I’ll let you have this from next week’s coupons and don’t say I’m not good to you.’
Of course everyone in the queue wanted some corned beef as well and, when I left the shop, the butcher looked shell-shocked.
I knew life was difficult for everyone – shopkeepers and customers alike. I was used to hearing snippets of conversation from the women who came into the shop.
‘It’s all right for some folk who get more than their fair share. It’s not coupons that counts but who you know.’
Well, we all knew that was true. A thriving black market existed but, like all illegal things, I often wondered if it suffered from myths and exaggeration. After all, we were always hearing about someone who got an extra bag of sugar or butter or sweeties but it was never anyone we knew. It was always this mythical person – the person who knew all the sources and had the money to buy these illegal items.
Then, at the end of the month, Maddie arrived at the house with great news. ‘Mum was asking at the Red Cross about your dad and the wonderful news is that a training group is going to Orkney next week. If your dad is allowed out of hospital, they’ll bring him back.’
Rosie was visiting her mother but, when she heard the news, she was overcome with excitement. So much so that I had to make her lie down to recover.
Maddie warned her, ‘Of course, it’s not fully settled yet, Rosie, but Mum thinks the group will go. Then you have to consider that the hospital may not let Mr Neill out. It all depends on how well his injury has healed.’
I was immediately brought back to earth. There were so many ifs and buts but Rosie refused to be deflated. In her mind, Dad was already home.
As it turned out, the training group was held up for another week but they eventually set off. Dad then told Rosie the hospital was reluctant to let him go but they would if the transport was suitable.
I confided in Connie. ‘I just hope Rosie’s not disappointed. Army convoys are usually bone-rattling trucks and the hospital won’t let Dad out in one of those.’
Connie said I should look on the bright side. ‘Och, well, even if he doesn’t get home straight away, at least Rosie is keeping fine now and her time is going in.’
It certainly was and I couldn’t believe how fast the year was flying by.
Dad arrived home on a misty Sunday in September. Much to his disgust, he was carried upstairs on a stretcher. As soon as the two stretcher-bearers left, he got up and walked through to the kitchen.
He looked at his wife in disbelief. ‘Rosie,’ he said, ‘you’re looking beautiful.’
Rosie blushed like some love-struck sixteen-year-old. ‘Och, away you go, Johnny!’
‘No, I mean it – you look radiant.’
We had planned a welcome-home meal for Dad. I’d made a huge pot of soup and we had saved up our meat ration that week so that Dad could have a whole pork chop to himself.
Later, he told us about his accident. ‘We were climbing up this cliff when the rope broke and I fell on to a ledge – which was lucky for me because I would have fallen another hundred feet or so and probably been killed.’
Rosie went white. ‘Don’t speak like that, Johnny – don’t tempt fate.’
He laughed. ‘Well, I’m back home now and that’s all that matters. I expect I’ll be off work for some time but Mr Pringle has asked me back to the fruit warehouse a couple of days a week and he says it’s nothing strenuous.’
Rosie was unsure of this arrangement. ‘Should you not be resting, Johnny?’
‘Och, I’ve been resting since July, Rosie. I want to get back to work but I’ll have to leave the Caledon Shipyard. Still, John Pringle’s offer is great because I can do some paperwork for him and also give him a hand.’
Although Rosie was still unsure of this arrangement, she readily agreed. Anything to keep him happy and she also knew he would get restless being in the house all day.
John Pringle, who was Maddie’s uncle, was well known for being a good employer and Dad was glad to be going back there. Because of the war, fruit coming from all parts of the world had virtually stopped and John Pringle had had to let some of his staff go. He had promised to reinstate them when the war was over. Because of this, Dad had got a labouring job at the Caledon Shipyard. As for the Home Guard … well, it looked doubtful if he would ever be able to return there.
The following week, Lily and I moved to the flat at Roseangle. Maddie was quite happy for us to move in earlier than planned. It was a cold autumn evening when we moved in but we soon had a lovely fire in the grate and had put the kettle on for our tea.
Lily lay back on the hearthrug. ‘I love this house, Ann. When I grow up, I’m going to buy a house like this for you and me.’
I laughed. ‘What happens if you get married?’
She made a face. ‘I’m never going to get married. I’ll just stay with you forever and ever.’
I smiled and wondered what Greg would say to that arrangement. As soon as the war was over, I hoped we would get married – it was just a question of waiting.
We had our tea by the light of the fire, sitting by the window and gazing at the ever-darkening sky and the river which was tinged a grey gunmetal colour in the gathering dusk. Once again, I was struck by the peacefulness. Miles away people were being killed or captured and we were gazing at a river with its changing moods.
‘There’s one thing,’ I told Lily, ‘we’re not using Maddie and Danny’s room. I think we’ll keep that door shut as it’s their private room.’
Lily was puzzled. ‘Where are we going to sleep, Ann?’
I pointed to the sofa. ‘This is a bed settee. We can sleep on it.’
This pleased Lily. ‘Can I pull it out?’
‘Aye, you can and you can also put it away in the morning.’
Another thing I was going to do was put all the wedding presents away. Things like their crystal glasses and vases and their wedding china. I was so afraid these things would get broken, no matter how careful we were.
So I saved up all the newspapers that week and Lily and I carefully wrapped all the lovely ornaments and other wedding gifts. We placed them in a large trunk that we’d found in the lobby cupboard.
Another bonus was Hamish the stag. Lily had grown quite fond of him and she regularly hung her coat and schoolbag on his ample antlers.
I was beginning to worry about Greg who normally wrote faithfully every week but I hadn’t received my usual letter. I was beginning to think that he was ill or, even worse, that he was no longer interested in me. Still, life had to go on and I put it firmly from my mind. I was still writing to him and I gave him the new address plus all the news on the home front.
One day, we had a visit from Minnie and Peter. She was suitably impressed by the house – especially the view from the window. ‘Oh, I could gaze at that scene forever,’ she said.
Meanwhile Peter was more interested in Lily’s crayons and comics.
Minnie and I sat looking at the view and sipping tea. It was very soothing.
I asked her if she had any news of her husband but she shook her head. ‘What’s worrying me is that, if he does get some leave, he’ll not be able to find the house in Clydebank.’
‘Speaking of houses, Minnie, did you get that house next door to Bella?’
‘No I didn’t. Seemingly it was already taken when Bella mentioned it although she didn’t know that. But I have a chance of another house in the Hawkhill next month. The old woman has had to go into hospital and the rumour is she won’t be coming back to live in her house. Mum’s had a word with the factor and he says if it becomes vacant, I can have it.’ She sighed. ‘It’s not before time I can tell you, Ann. My mother is driving us up the wall with her constant nagging at wee Peter. He can’t pick up a pencil but she’s wiping the floor with a wet cloth. I spilt a cup of tea the other night and to hear her moan you would think I’d committed a murder. Mind you,’ she said darkly, ‘I might just murder her.’
Lily looked at her with alarm but, when we laughed, she looked relieved.
Meanwhile, back in the shop, Joe was still harping on about the Russian front and I think that Connie was becoming tired by all the talk of war.
‘Have you nothing cheerful to tell us, Joe?’ she asked. ‘It’ll soon be Hogmanay and we can say cheerio to another dismal year.’
Joe looked sceptical. ‘Hogmanay? That’s another five weeks away.’
Connie was unrepentant. ‘Well, I’m looking forward to it.’
Then Greg’s letter arrived and its contents filled me with delight.
I told Lily, ‘Listen to this. Greg’s managed to get a forty-eight-hour pass for the sixth and seventh of December. He’ll get the train and I’ve to meet him at the station on Saturday evening. We’ll not have very long together but it’s better than nothing. Isn’t that wonderful?’
Lily’s eyes were glowing. ‘Oh, that’s great, Ann. Will you be getting married then?’
I laughed. ‘I don’t think so, Lily – there won’t be enough time.’
I spent the following week in a frenzy of excitement. I went through my meagre wardrobe, wondering what to wear at the station. I was determined to look my best as I wanted to knock Greg over with my beauty. On the other hand, while studying my reflection in the mirror, I decided that a smart outfit would have to do the trick as beauty was out of the question.
Connie noticed the spring in my step and she was pleased for me. I knew I was fortunate to have Greg coming home, even if it was for such a short time – unlike the thousands of men in the army, navy and air force.
Connie said one morning, ‘If you don’t mind wearing something of mine, Ann, I’ve got this lovely suit I bought before the war and you’re about the same size I was then. You can borrow it if you want.’
I didn’t think I would want to do that – it was probably something frumpy. However, I also didn’t want to hurt her feelings so I said I would go to see her that evening.
Connie’s flat was in Stirling Street. The close was clean and well maintained and Connie lived on the top floor. In spite of all the wartime shortages, she had a good going fire and she made a pot of tea and a plate of toast. A small pot of marmalade stood beside this plate and I was impressed.
‘Marmalade, Connie? You must have saved up lots of coupons for that.’
She smiled and shook her head. ‘No, I didn’t buy it. I used to make lots of jam and marmalade before the war and as a result I had a cupboard full of jars. Mind you, I’m down to my last couple of jars now.’
While I was savouring the tangy taste of the marmalade, Connie disappeared into her bedroom to get the suit. I tried to compose my face so it didn’t register deep disappointment at what I thought must be a musty old costume. That’s what made my delight all the more noticeable. The suit was lovely. The deep-blue jacket and dress had a quality that wartime clothes lacked. The ‘Utility’ label was on everything now and this meant the garment was cut to the bare minimum and there were no trimmings or nice buttons – just the bare bones of the garment.
‘Go into the room and try it on – I think it’ll fit you a treat.’
It did. I fastened the large chunky buttons of the jacket and I felt so comfortable in it. And the colour was marvellous. I stood in front of the large mirror on the front of the wardrobe and surveyed myself. I was suddenly transported back to Mrs Barrie’s bedroom in the Ferry, to the day she gave me a gorgeous russet cashmere coat with the fox-trimmed cuffs and collar – the lovely coat that Hattie coveted and Miss Hood so callously burned.
I said to Connie, ‘What can I say? If you don’t mind me borrowing it for the weekend, I’d love to have it.’
Connie beamed. ‘It looks lovely on you, Ann. Greg will be bowled over when he sees you – you mark my words!’
I lived the next few days in a frenzy of anticipation, barely able to sleep at night for the thought of seeing Greg again – it had been so long.
Saturday, 6 December duly dawned and I took Lily to the Overgate as I wanted to meet Greg on my own. His train was due in at five o’clock and it would be a very short reunion because he had to catch the three o’clock train the next day. Still, it was better than no meeting at all.
I was dressed early so I decided to pay a quick visit to the Hilltown to show Rosie my new suit. I had barely reached the stairs when Dad appeared. His face was red and he was agitated.
‘Ann, thank goodness you’re here. I was going to ask Connie to get you. Rosie’s pains have started and she thinks the bairn’s coming.’
‘But she isn’t due till the end of the month, Dad,’ I said. ‘Maybe it’s just a false alarm but you better take her to the hospital as a precaution.’
He looked as if he was going to burst into tears. He wiped his face with a huge red handkerchief. ‘I don’t think I can take her to the hospital, Ann. I can’t face the place after that unhappy time when your mum died there.’ He was referring to the awful time when Mum had been taken there after haemorrhaging after Lily’s birth – that terrible night of her death.
Dad was distressed. ‘I can’t go back there. What if the same thing happens to Rosie?’
‘Can Alice go with her?’
He shook his head. ‘Rosie wonders if you’ll go with her.’
‘But I’m on my way to meet Greg at the railway station, Dad. He’s got this weekend pass and I was looking forward to seeing him again so much.’
Although outwardly calm, I was a mass of conflicting emotions. Please don’t let me miss seeing Greg, I prayed to an unknown god. Of all the days to be born, I thought – on my big day, Master or Miss Neill had decided to enter this world. Perhaps this God was taking revenge on my earlier intention of taking Lily to the Sunday School – an intention that never materialised.
Then I felt contrite. Here was I being selfish while Rosie was sitting at home alone. What were her feelings? I wondered. A lot worse than mine no doubt – having her first baby at her age.
‘All right, Dad, I’ll go to the hospital with Rosie but what about Greg?’
Dad’s face was a picture of relief. ‘I’ll meet him off the train and I’ll tell him where you are.’
We hurried upstairs where Rosie was sitting on the edge of the chair, clutching her stomach. Her face was red and covered with perspiration in spite of the cold December day. She looked so pleased to see me that I felt I’d been really selfish.
‘The pains are coming every ten minutes, Ann,’ she said as a spasm of pain showed on her face.
Every ten minutes? Did we have time to get to the hospital? I wondered?
I helped her up from the chair and managed to get her coat and scarf on.
‘Better wrap up well, Rosie. It’s a nice day outside but it’s a cold wind.’
Dad had obviously talked about his reluctance to go to the infirmary with her because she merely said cheerio.
Dad came down the stairs with us. ‘You’ll be fine, Rosie – I just know it.’
He gave her a quick hug and we set off along the road to the infirmary while Dad would be heading for the railway station.
Before he left us, he asked me, ‘Can you stay with her, Ann? That is if you’re allowed to. I know she’ll appreciate it if she knows you’re near at hand.’
Oh, great, I thought. How long did a labour last? A few hours, a few days, a week?
Rosie gripped my hand tightly and I said I would stay with her as long as she needed me.
I said, ‘Tell Greg where I am and ask if he’ll come and see me at the infirmary.’
He promised he would.
It was a journey I will never forget. Rosie had to keep stopping every few minutes to let a spasm of pain pass and I was frightened out of my wits. What if the baby should arrive here on this cold and windy winter street? I was never so glad to see the entrance to the infirmary and we made our way inside. The nurse on duty took all her particulars and led her away.
Before she left to walk along the corridor, Rosie turned to me. ‘You will wait, won’t you, Ann?’
I nodded. ‘I’ll stay in the waiting room, Rosie. Now just you think about yourself and the baby and I’ll be here.’
The nurse looked quite nonplussed. ‘Is your husband not with you, Mrs Neill?’
‘No, Nurse, he wasn’t at home but my stepdaughter kindly agreed to bring me in.’
It was a lie but I understood the reason for it. Rosie wouldn’t want the infirmary or this cool-faced nurse to think her husband was some sort of moral coward. We all knew the reason for his phobia but maybe the nurses wouldn’t understand. After all, they must be quite used to dealing with death. Maybe not every day but they couldn’t use this excuse to stay away from their duties – even if they wanted too. No, I didn’t think they would understand Dad and his fears.
I sat in the waiting room. It was beginning to fill up with visitors and, in my smart blue suit, I felt like an alien. I looked as if I got lost on my way to a wedding. I got some curious looks but on the whole most people were so absorbed or worried about their loved ones who were patients in the wards that they hardly gave me a passing glance – this smart stranger who looked like she had lost a ten bob note and found a sixpence.
What would Greg say? Every time in the past when we made our plans, something cropped up to change them. It seemed as if nothing had changed. There may have been a war on but I was still being pulled in different directions by my family.
Visiting time came and went and once again I was the sole occupant of the waiting room.
The lodge porter appeared. ‘You can go home, Miss, and come back when the bairn’s born.’
I shook my head. ‘No, I promised I would wait.’
The sky outside was now dark and I stood in the infirmary grounds and gazed at the black expanse of Dudhope Park. The stars glittered in the black night sky and a bitterly cold wind was blowing from the east.
I wondered where Greg was. Surely Dad had managed to pass on my message. But, if he had, then surely Greg would be here by now and both of us would be sitting waiting for a new life to emerge.
At ten o’clock, I was still waiting when the lodge porter appeared. ‘I’ll have to close the doors soon. I don’t think you can wait much longer, Miss.’
Then I’ll just wait outside, I thought. Then Greg appeared and I ran towards him.
‘Greg, I’m waiting for Rosie to have her baby.’
He looked quite grim but maybe he was just cold and miserable like me. ‘So I’ve been told, Ann – just half an hour ago at my lodgings in Victoria Road.’
I was stunned by this blow. ‘Half an hour ago?’ I repeated, like a backward parrot. ‘I sent Dad to meet you at the station to tell you.’
Greg’s face looked grey. ‘Your father went to the station but he forgot what time you told him the train was due in so he arrived late and I was long gone by the time I assume he appeared.’
Poor Greg. ‘I don’t know what to say. What a stupid thing to do!’
Greg seemed to cheer up. Perhaps it was my contrite apology. ‘Oh, well, I’m here now.’
I tucked his arm in mine and we sat on the low wall at the edge of the park. ‘I’m really sorry about this Greg but Dad was in such a panic about Rosie. You do remember I told you that my mum died in this infirmary – just a few hours after Lily’s birth?’ I felt choked up and was surprised that, even after all these years, I could still be reduced to tears by the memory of that terrible night.
Greg leaned towards me and wiped my face with his handkerchief. ‘I remember it, Ann, and it is good of you to come with Rosie.’
‘But I’m not with Rosie, am I? She’s inside the infirmary and we’re standing in the dark like a couple of idiots. Still, I did make a promise.’
Greg laughed. ‘You’re a stickler for keeping promises, aren’t you, Ann?’
I tried to read his expression when he said this but it was too dark. I said, ‘Is that a complaint, Greg?’
He squeezed my hand. ‘Of course not! It’s a compliment and it’s one of the things I like about you.’
A warm glow swept over me and I felt so lucky to have such an understanding fiancé. I was on the point of saying so when suddenly two figures appeared out of the darkness, startling me with their presence. To my surprise, it was Dad and Lily.
‘I couldn’t wait in the house any longer and Lily was driving me crazy with all her questions so I thought we were just as well coming here. Has there been any news?’
‘No, Dad, although the porter did say he would come out and tell me when the baby arrived.’
We made a strange little party, all standing in the darkness of a winter’s night.
‘I’m really sorry, Greg, for getting your train time mixed up,’ said Dad. ‘It was just all this worry with Rosie and the bad memories this place holds for me …’
‘That’s all right – I do understand so don’t give it another thought.’
I mentally thanked Greg for being so kind to Dad.
We all gazed over at the infirmary but it was also in darkness, every window covered with the blackout blinds.
Dad said, ‘I think you should all go home and I’ll wait here.’
It was midnight and I was thinking of Lily being out in the cold night air so I agreed. We had just stood up, our legs stiff with cold, when suddenly a figure appeared from the courtyard. It was the kindly little porter.
‘I can only stay a moment,’ he said, ‘but the maternity ward has just phoned down to say Mrs Neill has had a boy. She was anxious to let you know because she knew your daughter was waiting.’
Quite honestly, I could have kissed him and Dad shook his hand. ‘Thanks for letting us know – it was really good of you to come over.’ He turned to us. ‘A boy! Did you hear that Ann and Lily? You’ve got a baby brother.’
Lily was excited. ‘What are you going to call him, Dad?’
‘He’s to be called after me – John Neill.’ His voice was full of pride and, although I couldn’t see his face, I could just imagine his expression.
‘Congratulations, Mr Neill!’ said Greg.
‘Thanks, son! It’s visiting time tomorrow afternoon so will we see you both here?’
Before I could answer, Greg said, ‘My train is at four o’clock so of course we’ll manage a quick visit to Rosie and John.’ He turned to me and smiled.
Dad said, ‘I’ll have to spend the entire morning going round everybody with the news. Starting with Alice and Granny and Grandad. They’ll be pleased it’s all over.’
They weren’t the only ones, I thought, and I said a silent prayer, hoping Rosie and the baby were both well.
Greg came to Roseangle in the morning and we went for a walk along the Esplanade. The river was choppy with white-tipped waves and a strong easterly wind blowing from the North Sea.
‘I’d forgotten how cold it is up here, Ann,’ said Greg. ‘It’s been a lovely warm summer down in England.’
‘Do you like it down there, Greg?’ My heart was thumping.
He nodded. ‘Yes, I do. It’s a bit like Trinafour with the hills – all lovely green countryside in spite of not being far from London. I also enjoy my work.’
‘I see.’
He pulled me close. ‘I don’t want to stay down there, Ann. If you’re not with me, that is. I want to be where you are.’
I was suddenly happy again as that cold finger of fear slowly dissolved in my mind. It was just my imagination that I was losing him – at least I hoped so.
The afternoon found us heading once more up the infirmary brae to join the long queue of visitors.
Because the visiting rules stated that only two visitors were allowed per bed, Dad and Lily set off for the maternity ward first. Lily was carrying a huge bunch of flowers that Connie had managed to get in her usual way. Greg and I sat in the now familiar waiting room.
‘What kind of work do you do, Greg?’
He gave it some thought. ‘It’s all a bit hush-hush. It’s just like working in an office but it’s with the government. I sometimes curse this gammy leg of mine – I could have been in the army or air force by now.’
Greg’s bad leg was due to a fall from a horse when he was a child. In fact, I’d first met him in this infirmary. Maddie had been doing her nursing training and she asked me to visit this lonely patient who lived far from home and didn’t get many visitors.
‘But you’re still doing a good job, Greg. It’s just as important as being on the battlefield.’
‘Yes, well … maybe …’ He sounded doubtful. ‘Has there been any more word about Danny?’
I shook my head sadly. ‘Nothing except for the letter from the Red Cross but at least Maddie knows he’s alive and that’s a blessing.’
Then Dad and Lily arrived back from the ward and handed us the two visiting tickets.
Rosie was sitting up in bed and she looked tired and pleased at the same time. She smiled when she saw us.
‘How’s the baby, Rosie? How’s John?’
Her face lit up. ‘He’s a braw wee lad, Ann! He was nine pounds and one ounce and he’s gorgeous.’
Even this simple statement seemed to take its toll and she lay back on the pillows. Still, her colouring was all right and it was only to be expected that she would be tired.
She managed to say a few words to Greg, apologising for taking me away his visit. ‘And I hear that silly man of mine got the wrong train time.’
Greg laughed. ‘Well, he did have a lot on his mind, Rosie.’
I gave her hand a squeeze. ‘Well done, Rosie. Now we’ll get away to let Dad have the rest of the visiting hour with you and I’ll see you later in the week.’
We took Lily with us to let Dad stay with his wife and new son. We set off for the station, picking up Greg’s small suitcase from Victoria Road on the way.
As usual, the station was full of people and we didn’t have much time to speak. Lily went and sat in the buffet with a glass of lemonade while we said our goodbyes.
As the train drew into the station, Greg whispered, ‘The next leave I get will be with a special licence to get married.’ He laughed. ‘Now mind and keep it free!’
The train pulled out of the station and I shouted after him, ‘I promise, Greg – cross my heart!’
He called back, ‘I’ll hold you to that promise!’
Once again, I watched as he departed from my life. A few hours together, a lot of goodbyes then a parting – what a life!
Lily was still in the buffet and I sat down beside her with a cup of tea.
‘Are you excited about Rosie’s baby?’ I asked her.
Her face lit up. ‘Oh, I am, Ann, and his full name is John Alexander Young Neill. The Alexander Young is from Rosie’s side of the family,’ she informed me.
Welcome to the world, little John Alexander Young Neill, I thought. With a name that long, he had to be a success.
Alice and Granny were going to visit him the following day.
But the next day brought shattering news. I was in the shop when the news broke. The papers were full of it and Joe was almost apoplectic. Pearl Harbour in Hawaii had been brutally bombed by a devious Japanese Air Force and most of the ships of the American Navy now lay wrecked and useless. Sailors and civilians had also been killed in this unprovoked attack. America had finally entered the war, hot on the heels of John Alexander Young Neill entering the world.