Harkness – MacGillivray Stories

This is a semi-fictionalized recreation of one of the important moments in the life and love story of my parents, Alex and Rhoda. Read the rest here.

ALEX 

My trip from Holy Loch to Port Glasgow (roughly thirteen miles), and from Port Glasgow to the city itself (roughly twenty-three miles), is not something that a sub-lieutenant like me will want to do for the rest of my life. The war has uprooted me from my hometown of Leith in Edinburgh, and deposited me in a place where I don’t want to be. I am now twenty-four, and I am quite unfortunate that I didn’t have a lover before this war started.

As such, I envy my fellow officers who spend much of their time writing letters to their loved ones back home. And whenever they receive a reply, they spend their time tearful and gleeful, like lovesick fools! They kiss the perfumed letters over and over again. Watching them makes me feel more and more lonely, like I don’t belong anywhere, or to anyone. I have this greatest fear of dying because of this war, without ever having loved anyone or experiencing the joy of having children. I am so lonely and alone.

RHODA

I have the best of both worlds. I have found work at the Highlanders’ Institute in Elmland Street, Glasgow, near where I live at 29 Scotia Street. The pay is lower than average, but I don’t mind a bit. Why? You might ask. I miss living with my family in Scotia Street, and I miss the holiday trips to the Isle of Eigg, the island where my mother grew up. But I have a little piece of Eigg here at the Highlanders’ Institute, so I don’t miss it so much now.

Billeted here are soldiers coming from the highlands and islands. I eagerly listen to their stories, hoping that someone will talk about Eigg. There are also soldiers from other regions. It has been a long time since I travelled to Eigg, and any piece of news about the island makes me so excited that I almost always shed a tear or two.

I miss Eigg; the smoke and dust in Glasgow make me wish I was on my summer holidays in Eigg, where I travelled every year, before the commencement of the horrible war. I miss the pristine shores of Eigg, its Singing Sands, and my beloved An Sgùrr – that ghostly volcanic rock that watches over the island. 

ALEX 

I have finally arrived at the Highlanders’ Institute. After an exhausting trip, all I want to do right now is go to my room and sleep. I approach the hotel register, but suddenly stop in my tracks. The receptionist for today is a woman named Rhoda (as stated on her nameplate). I am quite sure she’s new to the place, or else I would have remembered her.

She is not your traditional beauty. In fact, her teeth are kind of ‘gawky.’ But for the life of me, I find her teeth appealing. And she has wondrous deep black hair wound up around her head in pigtails, with a large wave at the front. She is certainly unique, with her piercing grey-blue eyes! She is very slim – 7 stone I would say, but with all the bumps in the right places! Jesus! I find everything about her appealing. She starts to hand me the key to my room, but I take a hold of her hand. And for the very first time, my heart and my mind are in tandem. Both whisper to me, “She’s the one.”

RHODA

I become startled when he suddenly grabs my hand. Our eyes meet, and his speaks volumes.

“How old are you?” He whispers. 

“I’m nineteen,” Rhoda whispers back. With that, he lets go of her hand and smiles. 

“Perfect.” He says. She doesn’t know what he means by “perfect,” but then she blushes furiously at his choice of word.

“Can you guide me to my room?“ He asks her. 

“I’m sorry, but it is against the Institute’s policy to accompany soldiers to their rooms.” She replies, “Captain Campbell, the superintendent is very strict on this matter.”  

“But I have a slight limp and may fall down the stairs.” Alex replies, managing a lop-sided stance and a sigh, while staring languidly into her blue-grey eyes.

Rhoda has no choice but to guide Alex up the stairs, despite old Captain Campbell’s regulations. He puts his left arm on her right shoulder, so she has no choice but to wrap her right arm around his waist. They slowly climb up the stairs, Alex making a good imitation of an invalid; their bodies brush together occasionally. Alex leans heavily against her, almost crushing her diminutive body with his weight.

They reach his room. Alex pulls her towards him and plants a gentle kiss on her forehead, saying, “Thank you, my sweet, for helping me.” He then opens the door and goes inside alone.

I am at a loss for words. He just kissed me on the forehead, and I don’t even know his name! Captain Campbell will be furious if he finds out!

ALEX 

I hurriedly left the Institute the next day without even catching a glimpse of Rhoda. My work schedule is so unpredictable. I am engaged in counter espionage operations. My headquarters are at HMS Spartiate based at the St. Enoch Hotel, which is the hub of the Clyde intelligence system. It’s impossible to know when the scrambler telephone at the headquarters with a direct line to the Admiralty in London is going to ring and give new orders.

My superior, Lieutenant-Commander Edward Seagar, the Staff Officer Intelligence, is unpredictable and can suddenly give you orders, sending you God knows where, to do God knows what! In other words, I am at the mercy of my superior’s beck and call. But now, I have finally found a direction: RHODA!

RHODA

I am ashamed to admit that I immediately searched for the ‘stranger’ as soon as I started my duty. But he is nowhere to be seen, so I consult the register. “Alexander Whitecross Harkness has checked out,” was written in the register. I felt sad that he had checked out without saying goodbye. But then I chastise myself for thinking about a man I had met only once in my life.

ALEX 

Two days later, I am once again assigned to go to Glasgow. I firmly insisted that I wanted to stay at the Institute and nowhere else, as this was not far from my headquarters at St. Enoch’s Hotel. In other words, this was a matter of national security! Now, the journey from Holy Loch to Glasgow seemed much longer. I wish I had wings and had arrived in Glasgow more quickly. Upon reaching the Institute, I stop at the reception desk, where Rhoda happened to be on duty that day.

RHODA

Days pass and I feel listless, like something important was taken away from me. And now I’ve finally come to accept that it is the stranger whom I met a couple of days ago who is causing all these emotions. I look down at the register but can’t read what is written on it because a shadow blocks the light from the door. I squint my eyes, then open them wide when I see a familiar figure standing on the threshold. Even after just two days of meeting him, I already have the shape of his manly uniformed frame etched deeply into my thoughts. He smiles at me, and I smile back.

He approaches me and says, “My name’s Alex.”

ALEX 

My stay at the Institute is longer this time. I use all of my free time to get to know Rhoda. Oftentimes, I give her flowers when she is assigned as a receptionist. I sometimes invite her to dinner. On her day off, I bring her to Kelvin Park, where we usually have picnics. I am now resolute in my conviction that Rhoda is the one destined for me.

RHODA

I am confused with regards to my feelings. Is Alex courting me? And if so, he is a sub-lieutenant, compared to Robert, who has a rank higher than him. Robert has made it clear that he wants me to be his wife. My mother will definitely raise hell when she learns that I am in a dilemma as to who to choose. She will definitely argue that I should marry ‘high-class’ Robert, and think of the welfare of my future children. But then, being a sub-lieutenant is not a small thing either.

I am a working-class girl from Govan, Glasgow, and I would definitely improve my situation if I married Alex. I am thinking ahead here, as Alex has not yet courted me properly. People might call me a gold-digger, but I can definitely say that I am not. If given the choice, I will choose Alex—not because he is a sub-lieutenant, but simply because of the fact that I feel that I love him.

There! I have admitted it to myself. I love Alex.

ALEX 

“I love her! I love her! I love her! But I am afraid I might lose her if I don’t act now. I am sure that man Robert, one of my fellow higher-ranked officers at the Institute, also likes her.”

RHODA

I go to the back door of the Institute where Alex is waiting for me. I don’t understand what it is all about, and it seems that he is in a hurry. I see him with a suitcase. I feel a tinge of sadness because I know that he will be going back to Holy Loch, and it will be weeks before I see him again. He suddenly kneels in front of me, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

ALEX 

“Will you become the love of my life? I know we’ve only known each other for a little while, but I am sure of my feelings for you.” He hands her the flowers, unsure if she will take them or not.

RHODA

I accepted the flowers Alex gave me. And with that, I sealed my fate with his. He stood up and gave me a gentle kiss, with the Institute serving as our backdrop.