Among Chose Waiting

Lake County Mail, Issue 12, 13 August 1947, Page 5

Among Chose Waiting

Concluding ... <" Vi •

It wasn’t fair of Alistair to say that if she loved him she would go—it wasn’t as simple as that. Yet she knew that she was disappointing him, that she was making him unhappy —and never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that she would ever make Alistair unhappy.

Caroline forced herself back to the present. The baby was still sleeping peacefully in the basket, and the girl called Frances was gazing dreamily out

> of the window

Outside, the North Sea was an ominous grey mass, curdling white on the rocks below. This part of- the journey usually fascinated Caroline, but to-day she paid little attention to it. Her gaxe wandered back -to the girl opposite, and this time she found that the grey-blue eyes were looking directly at her.

“ I hope the basket’s not in - the way.” She had an attractive smile and beautiful teeth.

“ Of course not.” She could not help returning the smile. “Is it a boy or

a girl ? ”

- “A girl. Her name’s Ruth—after my mother. I just- wish she could see the baby. It’s her first grandchild, and I know that she’s just bursting with pride.”

As a rule Caroline AA’as shy Avith strangers, but this bright-faced girl seemed to radiate friendliness, and con-

versation Avas easy,

“Are you travelling right to GlasgOAV on this train?” she asked.

“ Yea, iiiy hnshand’s meeting me. I’ve been having a holiday Avith his aunt in Aberdeen. She’s such a kind soul—and I was rather ill after the baby came. It was fine being able to sit back and let somebody look after me! But I’ll be glad to be home. I suppose it’s always like that —no matter lioav wonderful a holiday is! ”

“Do you have a house?” It seemed to Caroline that this girl had everything—even to the home she had longed for in vain.

“Of sorts!’’ she replied with her frank smile. “ It’s a sub-let —two rooms. With lan—and the baby—and myself in it there’s not even room for a mouse! But it’s home and we’re all together, and that’s the main thing! ” There was silence between them for a few minutes. Yes, reflected Caroline, this girl had everything. It seemed hardly fair. “I suppose they don’t bring tea round the train —or is that too much to hope for?” “It certainly is.” Caroline noticed that in spite of the brightness of her companion's face she looked rather pale and tired. Almost without thinking, she went on impulsively: “There’s a dining tear, though. If you go along you’ll probably be able to have tea. Don’t worry atiout the baby. I’ll look after her.” “That’s very kind of you! ” Her wide smile flashed out. “But I didn’t mean to trouble you. Don’t you w r aut to go yourself? ” “ Not now. I’ll probably go and have luacb later.” “ f*l) leave out a bottle of boiled water in case she wakes up. She shouldn’t —only babies have a habit of doing what they shouldn't —so I’ve discovered since I had one of my own! But are you really sure you don’t mind? ” Caroline reassured her, and was presently left alone with her thoughts. The baby slumbered peacefully. Caroline pooped in at her once. She had a' rOpnd, > pink face and incredibly long lasher, that lay in dark crescents on her cheeks.

Stoaehaven had slipped away behind

them when Frances returned. , Caroline called her Frances in her mind.

“No Squalls?” She touched the basket. “ The tea was marvellous, apd I certainly felt that I needed it. I was up early this morning.” She settled in her seat. “Look at the rainl What weather you keep in this country! Still that’s what makes everything so fresh and green—or that’s what lan tells me

anyway.” “Where do you come from?” asked Caroline. “ I’m an Australian. I met my husband when he was stationed there.”

“An Australian! ” Caroline’s eyes opened wide. “ You’re a long way from home! ”

“ That’s what I thought at first—hut somehow I feel differently now. At first I felt lost. ' I was homesick, of course —hut now I’m beginning to put out a few roots for myself. The baby’s one—and then we’ve got a home, even although it is only two rooms —and lan and I are together at last, and that’s the most important thing of all! ”

Caroline sat forward in her seat. “ Ho you really feel like that?” Her voice was eager. “You see—- —” And her own story came tumbling out.

Yesterday it would have seemed impossible that the shy, reserved Caroline could have poured it all out to a perfect stranger—but somehow this girl did not seem like a stranger at all. She. too, had faced the very same problem in her own way—and seemed to have emerged victorious over it. They sat there with the sleeping baby lying between them, and the grey dyes Averc full of understanding as they looked across into the troubled blue ones. “ It’s not easy,” she said finally. “ It certainly Avasn’t for me—even although I did have lan. My mother didn’t want me to come—naturally. She’s an Australian by birth, and she hoped that I’d marry there, too. She liked lan, of course —but she wished that he’d been an Australian. My father Avas different about it. He is a Scot, you see —he Avent out Avhen he aa-us young, and he knoAVS AA-hat it is like to start a übav life in a strange country. He said I avouUl be aIF right. I think he felt I’d feel safe because I Avas marrying a Scot, too! ”

She stopped for a moment and smiled over the recollection.

“ But it was an awful wrench coming away. Coining over in the boat alone, I felt so cut off. It all seemed so final, and home was very far away. I knew that I would be back some day—but I knew that things would never be the same again. I would always be just a visitor.”

“That’s exactly the way I feel, too! ”

“ But the strange thing is that I don’t feel nearly so far away from rny family now. It’s difficult to explain. It’s as if because I know that they are always thinking about me that it brings them so close —and then they know that I’m happy, and they’re not nearly so worried—especially my mother. She knows now that lan and I belong to each other —and where lan is 'I must be. I love him, and if he wanted to go to—to China to-morrow 7 , I’d just pack my bags and go with him! ” She said it simply, and Caroline knew that she meant every word of it.

“ You must love your husband —very much! ”•

“It I didn’t love him that much —it wouldn’t be enough, would it? ”

Caroline did not say anything more for some time. She was thinking about Alistair, about the long years they had been apart, when her one wish was that they might be together—anywhere! All the rest 'of the precious dream of security and a home of their own had depended on that one tiling. Without Alistair she had nothing. Life would be empty.

But she did have him—safe and well —and the future was theirs to mould together! Tf this girl could settle uncomplainingly to build a home out of two tiny rooms in a strange land — could make these two rooms a place of happiness for her husband and her baby—then so could she! She had Alistair, and he had her. They were young., and able to fight for the security they would find in the future.

It would not be easy to drag out the old roots —but it might be easier to plant the new ones than she had feared. Thai’s what the women of her race had always done —gone out to the farthest corners of the earth and there built a home for their husbands and families. She might lie homesick, like all these thousands of women must have been at some time—but the ties of home can stretch and stretch, and never break.

The baby wakened and whimpered. Two heads bent over the basket, “ I thought it was too good to last,” said Frances.

The train was on time. At two-thirty-live precisely it ran through the tmnel and into Buchanan street station.

Among the crowd at the barrier were two young men. One was tall and dark, and the other was stocky and fair. They were strangers, but they moved forward eagerly together at the sight of two girls walking along the platform carrying a Moses basket between them.

“Caroline! ” said the dark one,

“Frances!” That was the fair one,

The other travellers surged round them. two girls smiled and parted. “ Good old Glasgow! ” said Alistair.

“The usual pouring wet Saturday after-

noon! ”

Caroline slipped her arm into his. “Never mind! We’ll have plenty'of sun in South Africa, won’t we ? M

i Heedless of the crowds Alistair dropped the case and swung round to face her.

“ You mean —oh, Carol! ”

i He felt that no sun that would ever shine on them in South Africa would he as golden as the one that was shining

on them now