shook his head, making Alec quickly add, ‘You know what she’s like.’
‘Yeah, yeah.’
‘Are you coming then?’
‘Well, if you’re sure …’
‘Definitely. I’m depending on you mentioning the walk.’
‘The Quaker walk?’
‘Well, this year’s Orange Walk’s past. Thank goodness we were on holiday. Doon the watter. All crushed together in a wee room and kitchen. Mad, isn’t it?’
‘It’s a hill walk. Are you fit for it?’
‘Bloody cheek!’ Alec stuck out his chest and threw back his shoulders. ‘I’m as fit as you, mate. I wasn’t in the navy for nothing.’
‘Yes, I know. It was to get away from Madge.’
Alec grinned. ‘You’re right there.’
‘Do you think she’ll believe you?’
‘Well, it’s true, isn’t it? I am going.’
‘You’d better. You’re not on if you’re hoping to use me as a cover for anything else.’
‘Don’t worry, Sammy.’
‘You did that once before, remember?’
‘OK. OK. But this time it’s either a hill climb or an afternoon with the Stoddarts down the stair. It’s Big Aggie’s birthday. They’ve probably invited half the Orange Lodge as well. Have you seen inside their place?’
Sammy shook his head.
It’s like a shrine to Rangers. Jimmy’s got pictures of players lining every wall in his front room and a big picture of Ibrox Park hanging over the mantelpiece. I support Rangers myself, as you know, but he’s a bloody fanatic.’
‘Oh, I don’t know. I’ve got pictures of Partick Thistle all over my house.’
Alec laughed. ‘Aye, that’ll be right. Anyway, no way am I going to be stuck for hours with Jimmy and his cronies talking about football. He can make the most torrid matches sound a bore. I’ve said I promised ages ago to go to this Quaker thing, booked in and all that. Swore on the Bible that I’d be there.’
‘Alec!’
‘I won’t be at the thing beforehand, though. I’ll meet you outside. It just isn’t me.’
‘Why not?’
‘Och, come on, Sammy. You know me.’
‘OK, OK, I’ll meet you outside.’
They were passing the Wellfield Cinema and beginning the walk up the steep incline of Wellfield Street. Alec jerked his head in the direction of the ‘Wellie’, as it was often called, especially by the local children. ‘I used to get in there for the price of a few jam jars. Did you?’
‘No. After school and at weekends, we had to do various army drills and manoeuvres.’ Sammy’s mouth tightened. ‘Or I’d be on some sort of punishment. Standing outside the mortuary for hours in the dark was a favourite one. Not with me, needless to say.’
‘My God, Sammy, every time I think of your father, I don’t know how you put up with him. Even to this day.’
‘What choice did I have? Especially as a child.’
Now there was his mother, Alec thought.
As if reading his mind, Sammy said, ‘I’ve asked my mother to leave him and come and stay with me, but I think she’s been frightened of him for too long. At first, she made the excuse that he was an old man and she hadn’t the heart to leave him now. But eventually she admitted that she was afraid he’d come after her when I was out at work, and she’s probably right. It sounds ridiculous in a way, but I gave her a puppy and that seems to have comforted and helped her. She loves that dog, and it loves her.’
‘Och, well, you’ve done your best, Sammy.’
At the top of the Wellfield hill, they turned left, crossed over to the Co-op, then went round the corner to the right and along past the line of shops to Broomknowes Road. They crossed the road again at the grassy patch called the triangle and went up Alec’s close. The Jacksons lived one up, so both men clattered up the stone stairs past the Stoddarts’ and the McKechnies’ doors. John and Vera McKechnie had a son and daughter and all were devout members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They would take a dim view of the Stoddarts’ birthday celebrations. They seemed to take a dim view of
‘Yeah, yeah.’
‘Are you coming then?’
‘Well, if you’re sure …’
‘Definitely. I’m depending on you mentioning the walk.’
‘The Quaker walk?’
‘Well, this year’s Orange Walk’s past. Thank goodness we were on holiday. Doon the watter. All crushed together in a wee room and kitchen. Mad, isn’t it?’
‘It’s a hill walk. Are you fit for it?’
‘Bloody cheek!’ Alec stuck out his chest and threw back his shoulders. ‘I’m as fit as you, mate. I wasn’t in the navy for nothing.’
‘Yes, I know. It was to get away from Madge.’
Alec grinned. ‘You’re right there.’
‘Do you think she’ll believe you?’
‘Well, it’s true, isn’t it? I am going.’
‘You’d better. You’re not on if you’re hoping to use me as a cover for anything else.’
‘Don’t worry, Sammy.’
‘You did that once before, remember?’
‘OK. OK. But this time it’s either a hill climb or an afternoon with the Stoddarts down the stair. It’s Big Aggie’s birthday. They’ve probably invited half the Orange Lodge as well. Have you seen inside their place?’
Sammy shook his head.
It’s like a shrine to Rangers. Jimmy’s got pictures of players lining every wall in his front room and a big picture of Ibrox Park hanging over the mantelpiece. I support Rangers myself, as you know, but he’s a bloody fanatic.’
‘Oh, I don’t know. I’ve got pictures of Partick Thistle all over my house.’
Alec laughed. ‘Aye, that’ll be right. Anyway, no way am I going to be stuck for hours with Jimmy and his cronies talking about football. He can make the most torrid matches sound a bore. I’ve said I promised ages ago to go to this Quaker thing, booked in and all that. Swore on the Bible that I’d be there.’
‘Alec!’
‘I won’t be at the thing beforehand, though. I’ll meet you outside. It just isn’t me.’
‘Why not?’
‘Och, come on, Sammy. You know me.’
‘OK, OK, I’ll meet you outside.’
They were passing the Wellfield Cinema and beginning the walk up the steep incline of Wellfield Street. Alec jerked his head in the direction of the ‘Wellie’, as it was often called, especially by the local children. ‘I used to get in there for the price of a few jam jars. Did you?’
‘No. After school and at weekends, we had to do various army drills and manoeuvres.’ Sammy’s mouth tightened. ‘Or I’d be on some sort of punishment. Standing outside the mortuary for hours in the dark was a favourite one. Not with me, needless to say.’
‘My God, Sammy, every time I think of your father, I don’t know how you put up with him. Even to this day.’
‘What choice did I have? Especially as a child.’
Now there was his mother, Alec thought.
As if reading his mind, Sammy said, ‘I’ve asked my mother to leave him and come and stay with me, but I think she’s been frightened of him for too long. At first, she made the excuse that he was an old man and she hadn’t the heart to leave him now. But eventually she admitted that she was afraid he’d come after her when I was out at work, and she’s probably right. It sounds ridiculous in a way, but I gave her a puppy and that seems to have comforted and helped her. She loves that dog, and it loves her.’
‘Och, well, you’ve done your best, Sammy.’
At the top of the Wellfield hill, they turned left, crossed over to the Co-op, then went round the corner to the right and along past the line of shops to Broomknowes Road. They crossed the road again at the grassy patch called the triangle and went up Alec’s close. The Jacksons lived one up, so both men clattered up the stone stairs past the Stoddarts’ and the McKechnies’ doors. John and Vera McKechnie had a son and daughter and all were devout members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They would take a dim view of the Stoddarts’ birthday celebrations. They seemed to take a dim view of
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