Sally's Destiny - A short story of Love and Romance in the Scottish Highlands (3 page)

Robert lifted
his head to reveal
sad wretched eyes, filled with the memories of the past
.

“Yes your right mum – as usual.”
He said
with a grimace.

In fact I think I’ll open that bottle of bubbly that’s been
languishing in the cupboard for long enough
!” He got up from the table and went to get the wine.

“Don’t worry my dear – everything will be fine; in fact this is a good thing for he has to come to terms with his loss,
you both do
and now’s as good a time as any.”

Robert
returned  with
the promised bubbly and popped the cork, as Agnes brought out the champagne glasses.

“
My apologies it’s not properly chilled – though that cupboard is certainly cold enough in this weather.
Right, lets raise our glasses and drink to….Sally and her narrow escape from the blazing wreck!”

“I think that’s maybe exaggerating just a little Robert! However I’m very happy you came along when you did; and even happier to drink a toast to my Snowy
Kn
ight – or is it the Abominable Snowman perhaps! Ha
ha
Cheers!”

The mood took a decidedly cheerier turn as they all made an effort to blow away the blues, and concentrate on happier things.

“Ok, Sally you first!”
Announced Agnes.
“Who are you and what are you doing in
‘
Bonnie
Scotland’
I have of course guessed you are not from this fair country – American if I’m not mistaken?”

“Well, there’s not much to tell really. My Name is Sally McInnis from Wisconsin
, of Scottish descent – as you can tell from the name -
up near the Great Lakes in Northern USA. Let m
e see
now
..
I
work as an investigative
reporter
for the Milwaukee Journal
, I’m 32 years old, life is passing me by at a rapid rate, and I’m still single, stuck in a dead end job and bored silly!”

“Ha
ha
, what do you mean bored silly – was that not drama enough for you tonight!” Robert chipped in.

“Hmm, fair enough
..
Anyway I’m here for
three
weeks to visit my friend Elizabeth, and just chill over the holidays.

“How did you get to know Elizabeth my dear, seeing that you stay In Wisconsin?” Agnes asked.

“Well I met Elizabeth when I was doing a year in Scotland as part of my university course. We stayed in Dalkeith Palace,
which is rented out to our university.
Elizabeth and
Tom were my ‘host parents’ while we were here.
This basically meant that they would have me over to their house for lunch; or perhaps take me on a sightseeing trip around Scotland.
”

“That sounds grand.” Agnes said, taking a sip from her wine glass.

“Yes it was, we got along famously and have kept in touch over the years with cards and t
he odd visit when time and circumstance
allow!” She paused and turned a winning smile on her rescuer.

“So what about yourself Robert – what is your story…the happy part I mean!”
He grimaced
slightly.

“Nothing exciting there I’m afraid, I work as a forester alongside your friend Elizabeth’s husband Tom
. Single as well now I suppose.” He said with a painful grimace. “However, I can’t complain too much; I have good health, a job that I love and my mother to look after my every need!” He laughingly raised a glance to Agnes, who looked a little flustered at the attention from them both.

“Well I think that’s really sweet.”

“
Aarrggg
, spoken like a true American!”
Said Robert with a rue grin.

They set to work finishing their meal of chicken broth washed down with cheap bubbly and garnished with frivolous conversation. Sally enjoying herself immensely at the banter between Robert and Agnes, who she thought had the healthiest mother-son relationship she had ever come across.

“Isn’t it
strange.
I’ve never thought of home since I got here
. I’ve been in a car wreck, bashed my head and almost frozen to death; yet here I am in the company of two perfect
strangers and I’ve never felt more at peace for a long, long time.”

“A penny for your thoughts my dear?”

She jumped involuntary as Agnes broke into her thoughts.

“Oh…Sorry I think this Bubbly has gone straight to my head already. I’m so relaxed I feel like I’ve just come out the spa!”

“Ha
ha
that’s quite ok, in fact if you’ve finished perhaps we could retire to a comfy seat by the fire – then you can have a wee nap if you wish!”

“That sounds delightful to me – please give me a kick if I start snoring! Oh, but first, let me help you with these dishes”

“Nonsense – I wouldn’t hear of it!
Anyway they can all go into the
dishwasher,
it’ll only take me a minute.
Robert
go
and get Sally comfy and put a couple of logs on the fire will you?
While I clear this up.”
She gave Robert a sly look as if to say ‘what are you waiting for.’

“Ok, Sally. I think we’d better get out of her way – or else she’ll just think of another excuse to leave us alone together!”

Agnes flushed red and blurted out. “You wee besom, it’s about time you stopped your cheek – you’re just embarrassing the wee lass!”

******

They all had a good laugh at the banter, and Sally followed Robert through to the opposite end of the large room, where the log fire crackled and threw sparks on to a hearth made f
rom heavy black
slate.

Agnes snuggled up into the old settee,
kicking
off the
slippers she’d
borrowed
earlier
and
curling her long legs under her
.
She glanced up to see Robert quickly shifting his eyes away from her
over-exposed thighs
.

“
Oops, sorry – I suppose a short skirt is not ideal for this weather is it? Then again I didn’t expect to be needing rescued from a snow storm; which
is my own stupid fault
, seeing as it is December!
”
She struggled half-heartedly to pull down her skirt a little.

“
Yes
..
I
mean No…Well what I mean is that anyone can be caught out by the weather up here. Just yesterday I was out clearing forest under a beautiful clear sky
.” He said, just a little flustered at being caught-out staring.

“Ha
ha
, thank you for trying to spare my feelings anyway! Your mum really is a gem you know, I just love the way you are both so natural together
.

“Hmm, I know I’m a real mummy’s boy I suppose! Truth is though she really saved my life after Mhairi passed away. I was a total wreck, finding oblivion at the bottom of a bottle most of the time. I lost my job, then my house, then my self-respect. Agnes finally caught up with me one night lying in the gutter, out of my head with booze. She took me in – she had tried before of course but I wouldn’t have it – and gave me a healthy dose of ‘tough love.’ I decided - with her help - that life could be worth living again.”

Sally looked deeply into his eyes, and saw a man now over the worst and once again in control of his own destiny. And she was shocked to find that she was falling for this
rugged looking stranger, from the highlands of Scotland.

“Robert, I’m really glad that you made that decision, otherwise I might never have met you – and you might never have saved my life in the middle of a snow storm!”

“Ha, now who’s exaggerating!
I’ve no doubt that you would have managed just fine if I hadn’t been there at all
”

“Well yes, you’re probably right enough, after all there was a whole line of people out there to help wasn’t there!” She said playfully as Robert shoved another log into the fire.

Agnes appeared from the direction of the kitchen, holding a tray with three mugs of hot chocolate for them all.

“Here we are now, I’ve made us all a hot drink as I’ll be off to bed in a wee while and leave you youngsters to chat. I’m not as young as I used to be you know and ten o’clock is late enough for me now!”

“Don’t get me started mum,
your
still more active than women half your age!”

“Aye, but running after you, and putting up with all your back-chat is wearing me down a little I must confess! It’s about time you found yourself an attractive young woman like Sally here, to put up with all your nonsense!”

“MUM!”

“Ha ha, I’m sorry Sally – I just love to wind him up a bit – look how he blushes like a wee laddie!”

Sure enough Robert was bright red from the neck up, but took it all in good humour as Sally and Agnes shared the moment together.

After Agnes had finished her hot chocolate, she said her good night’s and headed dutifully off to bed.

“Now don’t stay up to late kids!” She said jokingly. “You will have to go rescue the car in the morning Robert, or else the snow ploughs liable to wreck it!”

“Thank mum, I’m sure I’ll manage. Maybe you will want to get up early and see I’ve washed behind my ears before I go!” He said with a grin.

“
Humph
, yes it would probably be for the best!”

With that
,
Agnes finally went off to bed, leaving a
n a
mused Robert and Sally behind her.

“Honestly, she really is a hoot – I can see why you are so close to her Robert.
It’s
times like this I really feel that I have missed out not having a mother to grow up with. Dad always did a fine job, in fact he probably spoiled me to try and make up for it. It certainly could not have been easy for him, bringing up a precocious young girl on his own.”
“Ah so you were a bit of a handful then?

“No…I was a REAL handful – especially in my early teens. It actually fills me with remorse when I think of the hard times I gave him. I suppose I partially blamed him for my mother leaving in the first place.”

“Yes, I can imagine it must have been tough for you both. However I’m sure he took it all in his stride – you certainly seemed to have turned out all right in the end…though a bit rough round the edges maybe!”

He gave her his by-now-familiar cheeky grin, as she leaned across and playfully cuffed him on the side of the head.

“What am I doing?”
She thought to herself.
“I’m flirting like a silly teenager with a guy I hardly know!”

Robert for his
part,
was finding himself more and more interested in this petite American girl,
with the auburn hair and green eyes;
who seemed to make the very air around him buzz with the carefree anticipation of unspoken passion.

Immediately however he felt guilt overcome him and threaten to spoil the mood.
“
How can I possibly think like this, with Mhairi only gone a few
years!
”
It was
a kind of guilt
that many recently – or not so recently – bereaved feel; the feeling of betrayal that chokes many new found relationships at birth.

Sally also noticed that something was troubling him.

“Is there something wrong Robert
?”

“No Sally, there’s nothing wrong; it’s just a long time since I spoke to anyone about Mhairi. I suppose a fair time has passed, but the pain still returns when I think about her.”

“I’m sorry Robert I ….”

“No, don’t be! I loved her dearly, and miss her still; but I cannot grieve forever. It’s maybe time to remember her and the times we shared with happiness rather than with crippling sadness.”

“Well, if you’re sure
your
ok?”

“Definitely!
Lets
finish off this bubbly and get to bed…I mean our separate
beds. In
different rooms…
em”

He struggled with embarrassment, much to the amusement of Sally – who found
herself
wishing he was right the first time round!

“Ha
ha
, well as long as you’re not plying me with wine in order to take advantage….are you?”
She gave him her most mischievous look with eyebrow raised.

“No, oh no – it was a slip of the tongue
..honest
!” He stammered.