Louise Spreads Her "Wings" Ch. 03-04

Louise Spreads Her "Wings".

Chapter 3 Sunday Lunch

I arrived on time at 1.00 drenched, the rain driven by a westerly gale from the Irish Sea, was sheeting horizontally and despite my Burberry Macintosh I arrived soaking wet. Louise opened the door, "my god Laurie, you look as if you've swum here. I've just come back from my morning swim, so I'll need a shower to wash the chlorine off. Take your things off, your coat and hat at least, and come into the warm living room and make yourself at home, I'll be down in a few minutes. Mum's doing some cooking in the kitchen and will be along in a few minutes and Dad's working in his office upstairs, he's feeling a bit grumpy because the rain's deprived him of his morning round of golf. Feel free to read the papers."

I was struck by the unassertive opulence of the large living room. The bay windows looked onto the quiet tree-lined street spanned the entire expanse of the front wall above a dado. The other walls were decorated with plain ivory hued embossed wallpaper; a large glittering chandelier hung centrally with matching wall crystal shades on three of the walls, A pale blue silk Chinese carpet covered the floor except for a highly polished parquet surround. The door furniture was heavy polished brass. Two large couches with sky- blue velour coverings formed a circle completed by three armchairs of the same design set on either side of the fireplace and between the couches. Several oil paintings hung on the walls, on the back wall, there was a large group portrait, of a six-year-old blond girl holding a blond doll was squeezed beside her blond and beautiful mother on an armchair. I recognised the armchair as the one between the couches, currently occupied by a couple of Sunday papers. A walnut baby grand Broadmoor piano occupied the bay a yellow covered scorebook of Chopin mazurkas lying open on the stand.

I glanced at the newspapers, the Sunday Times which I'd read already and the Sunday Post. I saw that the Post was opened at the cartoon pages, the Broons and Oor Wullie. It would seem that Louise at least had read these strips, as the rest of the paper it was pristine. The comic text was written in lowlands Scots, described the banal adventures of centres on a working-class urchin from Auchenshoogle and his group of pals Fat Bob, Wee Eck and Soapy Soutar and pet mouse, Jeemy, They get up to some puerile tricks which annoy teachers, parents etc. all written in vernacular Scots. I didn't see the charm in this, although clearly it must have been the only reason that the paper was read as it held nothing else of interest except the football reports and some rubbish about the Royal Family. The other cartoon was about the Broons, a working-class family; Paw works in the shipyards, Maw. mater familias of a large brood, Hen, tall awkward son, Daphne obese, recurrent dieter and glamourous Maggie, their struggles with overcrowding, the war of the generations, sexual anxiety and rivalry are depicted in all their mundanity.

I glanced through the headlines, reopening of the Suez Canal, the Queen to give her first Christmas message and had a closer look at the photos on the piano lid. Louise with her parents at what looked like a School Prize giving; Louise, receiving a cup for swimming, and another framed photo of her dad in front of a golf clubhouse, holding s large silver cup with his left hand, another taller guy holding the opposite side with his right, both smiling broadly and waving golf putters. The cup in the photograph was also on display on the photo, inscribed, Douglas Park Golf Cup, Pairs Championship above a list of winners. The most recent addition read September 1957 Harry Donaldson (capt) and Jim McLaughlan. I noted that Harry and James had also won the cup on the two previous years. At this point, Louise's mother entered wearing an apron. Hello, I'm Thelma, Louise's mum. You must be Dr Rabin. Sorry you've been left here to rot, I imagine she's having a shower, she always takes for ever! You look soaked, poor thing! Can I get you a towel and a drink. She yells through the door, "Harry, come downstairs and offer you guest a drink!" She was instantly recognisable from the portrait; she hadn't changed much from the dozen years or so since it had been painted. A very good-looking lady, medium height with tight blond curls, a shapely bosom and trim body no middle-aged spread.

"Are these flowers for me? Thank you so much, but you shouldn't have taken any trouble, but it's very kind of you. Where did you buy them on a Sunday?"

"My name is, Laurence, Laurie, and I took the precaution of buying them yesterday afternoon in a greengrocer at the corner of Byres Rd."

"Ah Malcolm Campbells. I might have seen you there. So, you live locally do you Laurie?" "Yes, in Hillhead St, I've recently moved to Glasgow from London and the University is renting me a newly converted apartment. It is very pleasant and convenient for my work."

"That's good, where is everyone?" She yells for Harry again, he appears, and blinks, "Hello, "I'm Harry Donaldson, and you are?"

"Laurie Rabin, I'm Louise's tutor in Contract Law at the University."

"Welcome to our home, Laurie, can I get you a drink? You look as if you've been walking in this flood. It stopped me from my morning round of golf. It's a real Glasgow Sunday. A dreich downpour and probably no let up for days. They say it's what builds our Glasgow phlegmatic character, certainly mine!" he coughs into his large white handkerchief. "Anyway, how do you take your whisky?"

"I don't normally, but as I'm both cold and a little damp a small tot would be welcome."

"I meant do you take it with ice, water or soda?"

"Nothing at all, thanks, Harry."

"Very good, a man after my own heart. How about you, Thelm?"

"Same again, Harry."

Harry brings a bottle out of the sideboard with a black label and three heavy crystal tumblers and pours three generous slugs.

I nod at the painting, "Louise has changed much more than you, Thelma, since that was completed, Thelma. It's a very good likeness of you, but Louise has matured a little."

"Really, I hadn't noticed, she's still the same wee ball of mischief. Do you play golf Laurie?"

"No Harry, I don't, never had the time, I play tennis and last year I learned to sail when I was in USA, and I'd like to continue that here."

"Mmm, I don't know much about sailing, do you Thelma?"

"Harry, you know damn fine I know nothing about sailing. Where would I go sailing? Though I do play tennis at the local club Dowanhill, Laurie, you probably passed it on your way up here from Byers Rd. Who should become a member it's very convenient for the University if you want a quick game. The University courts are away out in Anniesland it takes about half an hour by the time you catch a bus or tram and Dowanhill has a friendly atmosphere."

"Friendly is one way of putting it Thelma, some may call it shameless licentiousness."

"Really, Harry, just a little light-hearted banter."

"If you say so dear. So, what were you doing in the States, Laurie?"

"I was studying the comparative aspects of Contract law at Yale. It has an excellent Law Department. I was there to extend the work I did for my Ph. D at Cambridge."

"That sound very impressive, did you play any tennis when you where there?"

"Yes, I played a bit but nothing very serious, Thelma, I did want to waste too much time as I really need to devote most of my time to research and the little, I had to spare, I spent sailing."

"Did you enjoy being in the USA?"

"Yes, very much, although Yale is atypical probably more like England then almost anywhere else in the USA. People are much more cultured and broader minded than elsewhere, but they are still rather too pious for my taste. They are very Godly."

"I didn't realize that, I thought all the schools were secular, unlike here."

"Yes, that's so but they take religious observance very seriously, It's a class thing really."

"The upper middle classes are Episcopalian or Presbyterians, and that distinguishes them working class white Protestants are Methodists and in the South Baptists or Catholics who around New England generally from Italian or Irish working class, although not all, and then the Jews and the Blacks who are African Methodists or Baptists or some other religious sect. The Jews also use religion to define their class, the professional middle classes are call themselves Conservative and have an observance more akin to Episcopalians or Anglican Christian observance in England, whereas the working-class Jews are more traditionally Orthodox, like here or what's left of them in the rest of Europe."

"We're mainly Presbyterian in Scotland too, or Catholic of course. Do you go to Church Laurie?"

"No Thelma I don't practise any religious observance."

"Ah, I was wondering whether you might object to eating roast pork, because that's what I've prepared for our lunch."

"I follow the precepts of St Augustine when in Rome, do as the Romans."

"Do you follow any other of St Augustine's precepts?"

"Do you mean the one "Lord makes me chaste, but not yet?"

"Ah very pragmatic,"

"I'm sure you roast pork will be delicious, Thelma."

"We'll see Laurie, it's our cook's day off as it's Sunday, I do very little cooking. Ah Louise, you're here at last, what kept you so long? Now we can eat lunch, Harry could you bring in the roast."

"Can I help Harry?"

"Thank you, Laurie, you can carry the plates into the dining room, if you would, saves a second trip."

There was a stack of plates and a couple of tureens of cabbage and potatoes on a large tray on the kitchen table. I carried it into the dining room and set it down on the sideboard. Louise was laying out the cutlery on a large walnut table with matching chairs, The pork was sitting large and pale and still a little underdone on the carving dish and I asked Harry if there was any gravy or sauce to go with it? He looked questioningly at Thelma, and she shook her head, "Cook told me to put the joint in the oven and leave it for hours."

"Never mind, I said I say a cooking apple in the kitchen, and I can make some gravy in a few minutes, I've been taught how during my summer vacation jobs as a saucier in a very upmarket restaurant. But I'll need to find a few ingredients, in your larder Thelma, perhaps you can help Louise and show me where the herbs and spices are kept also if you have spot of vinegar and brandy that would be good.

"There's cooking brandy in the cupboard in the living room, I don't trust it in kitchen, we hardly use it except at Christmas."

"Thanks Thelma, ok if you don't mind, I'll make some apple sauce and see if I can crisp up your pork as they do in the Simpsons' Restaurant."

Louise showed me the cupboard where the spices were kept, cinnamon and cumin and ginger and a lemon. I cut up the apple into small pieces and fried it in butter for a couple of minutes then added the cinnamon lemon juice and brandy and let it stew for a couple of minutes whilst I scored the fatty skin on top of the joint and added the cumin and ginger and placed it under the grill which was above the stove. I told Louise to watch the meat whilst I scraped the roasting tin and added some balsamic vinegar and glug of cooking sherry I found in the cupboard, which must have been sequestered by the cook-out of Thelma's not very watchful eye. I added a bit of salt a paprika and I was quite surprised to find some garlic paste. The cook was obviously fairly resourceful.

It was ready in about 10 minutes, the apple sauce in a dish, gravy in a gravy boat and pleasantly smelling crusty pork on a plate.

We returned to the dining room, and Harry carved the roast without further ado. The vegetables were still warm enough, so the lunch was acceptable, everyone complimented my on the wonderful apple sauce and gravy. Harry said, this is the best pork he'd ever had. "Where did you learn to cook like this Laurie? Not at home I don't suppose that roast pork was often on the family dinner table."

"That's correct, Harry, my mother is quite an accomplished cook but she was a busy with work so mostly we tended to have leftovers for dinner most evenings except at weekends when we had the traditional fried fish on Friday and roast chicken on Saturday and the leftovers on Sundays. I learned how to make sauces at the Simpson's when I was in second year at Oxford and I carried on again when I started my Ph. D. in Cambridge. A friend of my late father thought it would be good for me to get out of the house and learn a thing about how life is outside the College. He had some influence at the Savoy, so reluctantly they took me on as a special favour. I enjoyed it, although the hours were long and arduous, the pay was pitiable, but I learned how to make sauces for the various kinds of roast dishes they served, along with extending my vocabulary of profanities in English, Italian and Russian.

"We're very provincial up here in Glasgow, you talk of Simpson's Restaurant as if we should have heard of it, should we? Have you heard of it, Harry?"

"Yes, although I've never eaten there, I believe it's quite a famous place for its roast dishes. And its next door to the Savoy Theatre where the Doyly Carte Opera put on Gilbert and Sullivan Operas. Isn't that, right?

"Yes, it is a traditional English restaurant which started about 150 years ago as a coffee house and chess club but was taken over about 1865 by John Simpson who expanded it and made it into a top restaurant, where the rich and famous used to come and dine, Dickens, Gladstone, Disraeli. The meat is served at the table by the waiters carving it from large joints. These are wheeled on trolley under large silver containers. It's all rather elaborate and pompous, but that's what the clientele like. My dad used to take mother and me there as a special treat for graduations or birthdays and the like. It's expensive, but memorable. Next time you're in London you should go."

"I rarely go to London, although maybe soon. What did your father do Laurie?"

"He was a barrister and Professor of Criminal Law at University College London."

"So, you're following in his footsteps, then?"

"Not quite, Crims don't appeal to me at all and defending them doesn't pay that well either, as mostly they're unable to pay for their defence, so it's left to the Government to subsidise the defence lawyers. I find Contract Law quite engrossing, although it doesn't attract newspaper headlines so may seem rather dry and technical to the general public, but Louise also seems to find it absorbing, don't you, Louise."

"" Yes, but I quite fancy working in the High Court in Edinburgh in high profile crime or divorce."

"Well, your parents will have to subsidise you for quite a while till knowledge of your talents in defending the indefensible is widely recognised amongst the solicitors who are the first port of call, for your average criminal. Perhaps Civil law would suit you better and certainly be much more profitable."

"I agree and you could become a partner in my firm so we could extend the firm into providing business advice on taxation and contracts."

"Well, it's a long time yet, let's see what transpires."

"So where are you living obviously not far if you walked?"

"I'm renting an apartment in Hillhead St from the University. It's a little too big for my requirements but the rent is reasonable and it's very convenient and it's been newly bought and converted, so it's in excellent decorative condition."

"Oh, aye, I know these conversions, I was looking at one or two for investment purposes too, but the University has deeper pockets. All the same with all these conversations of the large houses in that area, it's changing the whole character of the neighbourhood and will have political consequences. Walter Elliot will probably lose his seat in Kelvingrove at the next election to Labour."

"He's the Rector at the University, I heard him give a talk last month at the Union, it was quite rowdy, but he handled the questions very well, I thought. Conservatives usually get a rough ride, especially since the Suez debacle."

"He's an exceptional man, as well as being an MP, he's a medical doctor and was a very brave soldier, twice awarded the military cross in the First world war and was Minister of Health. He's very well connected, his second wife Katherine Tenant was Margot Asquith's half-sister. He was responsible John Boyd Orr and when he became Minister of Heath, introduced free school milk to Scottish schools which has made a tremendous improvement to the stature of the working classes here in Glasgow although it probably had a lesser effect than free school meals which was first introduced in 1906 and made compulsory in 1944."

"You seem to know a lot about him Dad."

"Yes, my firm has handled some family business for him."

"I fancy going for a walk now, the rain's gone off, maybe we can buy some ice cream as it doesn't look as there's any sweet course."

"No, sorry Louise, I've been too busy to think about lunch, perhaps if you bring back a carton we can have it for tea."

"Ok, I'll try, come on Laurie, we need to walk off all that pork and gravy."

"Ok, it was nice meeting you Laurie, can you leave me your office number, there's a business matter I'd like to discuss with you."

"Certainly, here it is. I'm usually in my office between 9.00am and 5.30pm. Thanks very much for lunch, Thelma, it was most enjoyable."

"Och think nothing of it, you really brought out the best in it."

When we left, I was able to better appreciate the self-assured grandeur of the houses in this quiet street, not overstated, or ostentatious but nevertheless a confident statement of bourgeois solidity and taste. Each stone build terrace house had a small back garden whose fence bordered a large communal garden large central lawn entirely surrounded with an annular flower bed filled with rhododendrons and bordered with winter flowers, primroses and snowdrops. Access to the communal garden was via locked iron gates.

"You're lucky to live in such a nice area Louise with a well-kept communal garden."

"Yes, Dad's on the garden committee, everyone who lives in the street and Crown Rd north has to pay for the maintenance and upkeep. He loves sending out threatening letters to any late payers, threatening them with exclusion for the gardens and being made social outcasts. It usually works."

"You only find properties like this in London in Belgravia and Mayfair."

"Dad bought it just after the war when he married mum, at the time properties around here didn't cost much. There had been a lot of war damage around here because of the air raids on the docks. Now the properties around here are much more expensive because of the University, the Western Infirmary and the BBC all very close. It's really too big for the three of us, I guess Dad was hoping for a bigger family, I think they'll soon be converted to apartments, nobody can afford the costs of upkeep and staff to maintain them and few people have large families anymore. Anyway, real estate isn't one of my interests at present. Let's take a walk in Botanic gardens unless you want an ice cream. We're passing the tennis club where Mum likes to play tennis and other games. After she's had a couple of gins and tonic, she's a dreadful flirt. The dirty old men leer at her legs, which she likes displaying for all and sundry to ogle at. It's very embarrassing. I couldn't stand the scene and left."

"Didn't they ogle you too?"

"A bit, but I didn't encourage them and anyway it was a couple of years ago, I was much younger."

"So, you don't like men being attracted to your Mum, but she is very attractive for her age, don't you think?"

"Don't tell me you fancy her too, Laurie! She certainly fancies you though, couldn't stop giving you the eye. She's certain to inveigle you into joining her boozy pervy tennis club."

"No, but we'll have to be quick if we want a walk, it's 3.30 pm and it's beginning to get dark, but didn't you say you'd bring back some ice-cream to your mother."

"Well, she'll have to do without, serves her right for producing such a lousy lunch! Which your magic retrieved against all the odds! You did a great job, and everyone was impressed, I think we all enjoyed the irony of you saving our bacon. Although I would have like a pudding..."

"Next time I'll make you a crepe suzette, it goes very well with roast dishes."

"So, you're not just a sorcerer, but a deserter too!"

"Quite funny, Louise. I'll give you a beta plus for that."

"We're passing the Arlington Swimming Club, it's my swimming club, very exclusive. No Catholics are Jews allowed, just Aryans like me. Let's see what's on at the Hillhead Cinema. It's just round the corner. It's 'Somebody up there likes me.' I've heard it's quite good, it's on at 6.00pm. We could go to yours and you can play some of your favourite records before.

"Good idea, I had a similar thought, we can cut through to Kersland St and then back onto Great Western Rd."

"What would you like to listen to, I've got quite a decent collection of LPs"

"You choose Laurie."

"I like Brahms how about his string sextet."

"I don't know it."

"Well, it's very beautiful and very romantic just the thing for a cold Sunday evening in January."

"Remind me, where did we get to last time Louise?"

"Sorry, to what are you referring Laurie?"

"Well, I remember these ok, unforgettable, but not sure about where else we got to, can you remember, Louise."

"My memory's a blur."

"Perhaps, you should keep a catalogue."

"I think you're being a bit insulting and disrespectful, Laurie."

"Sorry, I was joking, but it was at my expense and unkind."

"I'm really sorry. You're quite right, it was disrespectful. I'll let Brahms do the work."

They lay in each other's arms listening to the music whilst Laurie caressed Louise's breasts and listen to the rhythm of her breathing, they soon got bored with this and both felt it was time to progress to the next stage but how? Laurie felt the best and smoothest tactic was to extend the range of his excursions over her chest to the abdomen, down the central ridge of fine blond hair, almost invisible unless viewed closely, exactly what he was doing. He circled around her umbilicus and then gently placed his lips on top of it and pulled them apart and inserted his tongue very gently. Louise squirmed and thrust her pelvis under Laurie's chin, so that he shifted his lips downwards to her skirt. "Can you take this off?"

Louise unzipped the side zipper and lowered her skirt to her knees uncovering her tight silk pants which seemed a little damp and stretched around her crotch. He continued the mouth play over the tight silk along the side of her right inguinal groove then hovered midway pressing his lips to the now frankly wet and transparent silk. He pulled down the elastic waistband exposing her swollen clitoris and pressed it gently between his lips, Louise groaned and climaxed quietly.

She sat up and said, "If we are going to fuck let's do it with care. Do you have any contraceptives, Laurie?"

"No, I haven't thought I need any, but I think there's a pub open in Byers rd. where I can buy a couple of packets in the dispenser. It'll take about 20 minutes. Can you make some toasted cheese, there's bread in the cupboard and butter and cheese in the fridge. I'll be back soon, I promise.

When he returned two plates of hot toasted cheese and tea were on the table. Just what I need it's so to share one's dinner table. We can have a teacake afterwards if you want.

"Perhaps later, I'm not hungry, finish your tea, Laurie."

"Ok, but let's take it slowly. Are you sure you want to?"

"Yes, as you've gathered, I'm not a virgin, so you need worry about deflowering an innocent maiden, however I haven't done it for ages, so I'm a bit out of practise."

He rolled on the rubber, and they at once returned to the couch, this time without any more time wasting. It was over quite quickly but for a first time was a good experience."

"How many more of these did you buy Laurie?"

"I bought two packets so that makes three, why do want another go."

"Yes, but in bed next time the couch isn't well designed for this kind of activity. When did you last make love with someone else, Laurie?"

"Ages ago, when I had a girlfriend in the States, but we broke up. She told me that didn't want to come to Britain and disrupt her career, but that wasn't the whole story. She was a post-doctoral fellow at Yale in medical science. I found out that she was also having an affair with an older married guy, a full Professor working in the same department although not directly with him. She's an excellent tennis player and keen yachty. He's also a strong tennis player although not particularly fit but can give her a good game. We met at the Yale tennis club. She was seeing me at mainly at the weekend, during his family time. She was with him most days and evenings. When I found out she was seeing this guy I was pretty upset, I told her that didn't want to play second fiddle, and disapproved of her having an adulterous affair, which when the whole thing became public knowledge would jeopardise his marriage and career and probably hers too. The guy's wife worked as a part-secretary in the department too. It was a ticking time bomb. Yale is fairly permissive about student misconduct, and discipline but very straightlaced when it comes to scandal. They don't like it. Bad for the image of a God-fearing Institution, where like-minded elitist and snobbish American people feel safe to entrust their elite offspring. Yale's prestige as one of world's most elite small Ivy League Universities, comes with a high burden of vigilance which is kept by continuous scrutiny and partially administered by committees of Yalie alumni, influential rich and powerful graduates, who have a big say in student recruitment. The self-image of the place, its alumni and students are key to their elan. Kathleen said that she couldn't break up their relationship, she claimed he was dependent on her for his sanity, a breakup would destroy him. He was a very tense driven guy, unsettled and unhappy in his skin who chain smoked all day even whilst playing tennis who'd come to the pinnacle of academic achievement via the scholarship route, from middle America. This set him apart from the majority of the faculty who as well as having high abilities also came from monied backgrounds. I suspected that at least part of his unhappiness was due to internal conflicts about their affair. I told her that I couldn't continue to see her under these circumstances, and this lit the fuse.

She gave her week-day lover an ultimatum, commit fully to her or she'd go back to California where she had a good job offer. He left his wife, and moved in with her, but a few weeks later was admitted to hospital as an acute psychiatric emergency due to depression. He was discharged and a few weeks later died allegedly from a heart attack. Kathleen decided that change of scene would be in her best interest and left for California."

"What a sad and terrible story, I hope you aren't trying to relive it."

"I'm not married though Louise and there isn't a twenty-year age difference between us and I don't smoke, drink or have depression, although you are blond, ambitious and probably quite ruthless too, so maybe some similarities but let's enjoy the moment, whilst we can.

Do you want to go to see that film, or would prefer to stay here for a bit longer? I think you should phone your mother that you'll be back later, you said you'd bring them ice cream for tea. They may think you've been kidnapped."

"I don't think so but ok, I'll tell her that she's not going to have ice cream today."

Louise rang home and spoke briefly to her Thelma. When she returned, she said that her mum said to thank you for being so considerate, this was the first time that I'd ever rung to say I would be late home!"

Chapter 4 City Business.

I received a phone call from Harry a couple of days following our lunch. He invited me for lunch the following day he said he had a proposal to discuss. I was curious and had a relatively free afternoon, so accepted. The square is in central Glasgow consisting of a central private garden and surrounded on four sides by Georgian townhouses churches. The eastern side is occupied by the Royal Automobile Club which has a swimming pool in the basement and a member's restaurant on the first floor. The Square had been built on land bought by the Douglas-Campbell family in the 17th century. William Harley a calico cloth printer, purchased 10 acres in 1804 adding to his earlier purchase of 35 acres and developed the land on top of Blythswood Hill. Four terraces of Georgian houses formed the square and were designed by John Brash and built in the 1820s. Blythswood forms a central part of the grid network of roads which characterises Glasgow's city centre. This is by no means an original design. The Chinese cities in the 15th century BC had a similar pattern, the ancient Greece and was propagated by Alexander the Great in Pakistan has the New Town in Edinburgh and Mannheim in Germany and some part of Japan, such as Kyoto and Sapporo, and some parts of Tokyo but for reasons of defence not around the Edo Castle. New York's grid plan was designed and slightly predated Glasgow's grid. However, the orthogonal design makes navigation simple and improves traffic mobility a little, although to be frank you wouldn't think so. Far too many stops and starts at the intersections.

Any Harry's offices occupied the first two floors in the building next to the RAC. I showed up on time at 12.30 and was shown into Harry Donaldson's rather shabby office, no grandiosity here. There were a couple of open bookshelves holding office account books and shelves of ledgers holding clients' accounts. A bookshelf held books on tax law and accountancy. There was single picture of Louise taken when she was about 8 or 9 years old. She looked a bit more mature than when the portrait was painted no longer trailing a doll, she was dressed in a swimming costume and throwing a beach ball and smiling charmingly for her dad. It looked as if it was a professional job. I wondered if it had been taken by wicked Uncle Jim. This was confirmed by Harry when I said I like the photo, "Yes it was taken in Troon a few years ago by my sister-in-law May, she and her husband are professional photographers."

"You've nothing more recent then."

"No, I don't see much of them, I'm afraid." We left that topic behind. "Okay, let's go for lunch at the RAC club next door and we can talk quietly."

We were taken directly to our table by a friendly waiter, "Good Afternoon Mr Harry, your table by the window is free."

It was a pretty ordinary business lunch, a brown soup and a brown stew with mashed potatoes cabbage and carrots and an apple. "I try to avoid eating too much for lunch as we eat dinner at home. As you may have observed, Thelma's an appalling cook, so we hire a cook to make our evening meals tolerable, it's an extravagance, but worthwhile as it preserves domestic tranquillity. I'm afraid Louise takes after her mother in that respect." I didn't comment but realized that Harry was relaxed about the deficiencies of his womenfolk, as well as commending their good points and achievements.

"Ok, Laurie I've been asked to give the City Corporation advice regarding building contract they are about to start for an extension to the offices of the City Chambers. It will amount to several million and be financed by the National Coal Board Pension Fund, which is one of the biggest investors in Britain, as it invests on behalf of the miners and the NCB staff. They have some very sharp in-house lawyers working for them. Especially those from the London Office who will be coming up for the meeting to back up the Scottish team. The guy in charge of the commissioning, his name is Myer Galpern, has asked me for advice, about the loan agreement. He's an old friend and actually a relative on my late mother's side. She died in a traffic accident when I was 8 in 1916. She was Myer's maternal aunt. He will be the next Lord Provost, so he has a lot of clout, he's Labour of course and quite a lefty. But most of his colleagues is very sharp when it comes to money and has good business acumen. Myer Galpern is an orthodox and practicing Jew, by the way. You look a little surprised, Laurie."

"If your late mother was Galpern's aunt, she must have been Jewish too, and that makes you one too."

"Correct, but my father who died shortly before the war, was a Prod, although he didn't hold with religion or his built-in prejudices. He never remarried but had a lady friend they brought me up as a Prod. Apparently my mother had been excommunicated by her family for marrying out, so I never say her family until my Dad introduced me to them at a funeral when I was a teenager. Oh, by the way, neither Thelma nor Louise is aware of my rather strange background, and I would prefer to keep it that way. But if you're going to meet Myer, you should be aware."

"Ok Harry, Mum's not the word, so to speak. All the same I think Louise has a right to know about her ancestry. Family secrets fester, I imagine Thelma might have a thing or two to say as well."

"That could be, but let's keep it as our secret for now please."

"You have my solemn promise, Harry, I will not mention it."

"Good so what are your thoughts on the terms of the loan."

"Well I suggest that the Corporation take out as long term a loan as possible and are relaxed about the amount of the loan but that try to delay initial payments for as long as possible whilst the building is in progress and take out a fixed rate for the remaining duration of the loan. The reasons for this are that currently interest rates are at a historic low, but inflation which is coming along in the next five years or so because of our balance of payments problems and the breakup of the Empire, will inevitably reduce the value of the pound so a loan for 4 or 5 million will be worth much in real money terms in 10- or 15-years' time. So, what may appear expensive now will be cheap as chips by 1980."

"Very cogent reasoning Laurie, I agree with what you're saying. I didn't misjudge you, you're quite a smart guy! However, the NCB aren't fools either, Derek Ezra the chairman is a very smart guy too, they can make these deductions as well as we can, so why would they agree to these conditions, which will be to their eventual disadvantage."

"For their investment branch, an immediate deal has a higher priority than a long term. Financing loan agreements depends on the current book values, so they will be happy to accept the high first price for the principal and for a relatively high interest rate, because they will be present this as a good deal to their board. But it will be very important to have a very tight contract agreement to ensure against upward hikes in the repayment interest rates, no matter how high these rise in the future."

"I see, so it would be as well to borrow as much as possible, too, wouldn't it."

"Yes, definitely. The corporation will be able to make this good from increased City rates which will keep pace with inflation, possibly more so."

"Having said that, I suspect Scotland's economy will take a downturn in the next few years, you can see what's happening to heavy industry in USA already in the Midwest and Northeast. Cities like Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit and Upstate New York all are showing decline which will only decline as heavy industries are displaced to locations where labour is cheaper and less unionized, such as Mexico and the Philippines. It's bound to happen here especially in Glasgow, Belfast and Newcastle and the so-called Black Country around Birmingham.

"I agree with you on that too, Laurie, but perhaps you refrain from making this point when you meet Myer Galpern tomorrow. He's a man who likes to look on the bright side. When it comes to drawing up the contract I would be grateful if you could look over the written agreement, and I will pay you for it. If I pay you a lessor sum you will be able to buy a car and obtain a very large tax rebate as you'll be able to charge it to business expenses. I know you aren't paid very much at present, but that will change soon enough, and a car will be useful, you'll be able to see our wonderful countryside."

"That sounds like a good deal Harry, I was thinking about buying a car, but they are prohibitively expensive."

"Yes, that's because of the ridiculous tax regime which our government misguidedly believes is for the benefit of the economy. So, the only way the middle classes can run a car is off business expenses. Ok we'll meet at the City Chambers in George Square at 2.00pm, better make it 5 minutes earlier."

"Ok, but I'd better square it with the Law Department, to make sure they agree to me working part-time for a city firm."

"Och, I'm sure they'll be happy for you to keep your hand in with the real world, and you can be sure that almost everyone in the Law Department will have some similar consultancy agreement to eke out their meagre salaries. But try to this soon so you stay on the right side of these guys. They can turn nasty unless they think they are in control. And another thing, if you intend to continue to see Louise, keep it straight with your seniors I don't want any fuss being made about what will no doubt be her excellent exam results. And another thing, if you split up which regrettably is always a possibility in such volatile times, we will almost certainly have to curtail our business association, it would be intolerable if Louise takes agin you. I pray that it never happens, for your sake as well as mine, probably the same goes for Thelma. Which reminds me, she asked me to ask you to phone her, she needs you to partner her in the mixed doubles tournament at her tennis club. Her erstwhile partner has damaged his Achilles tendon and will be unable to play for the season. Here's our home number. If you don't want to have dealings with all three Donaldsons feel free to refuse her request. But you might enjoy it, you'll get to meet a different set of people."

"Thanks, I ring her this evening. See you tomorrow, Harry, I must rush I've a tutorial at 4.00pm."

I phoned Thelma Donaldson that evening and she repeated the tale the Harry had already told me. She was in a panic, her regular, male doubles partner had torn his Achilles tendon playing tennis and wouldn't be able to play again for months, Louise had mentioned that I was a competent tennis player, so she wondered if I would mind stepping into the breach so to speak. The awkward thing is that she had reached the finals of the competition last year so had been given a bye into the second round, which was actually the quarter finals of the competition. She was reluctant to resign from playing in the competition as she was also on the Club committee.

It all sounded a little over elaborate, I wondered if it was entirely true, but I agreed to partner her and warned her that I hadn't played for months, so don't expect miracles.

"I very grateful to you Laurie the game's scheduled for 3.00 this Saturday assuming it isn't pouring with rain. If you come early about 2.30, we can have a practise knock up for a few minutes to get used to each other's styles."

I was happy to play in the competition as I was missing a bit of outdoor exercise. There done much since coming to Glasgow, except for my morning work outs.

The following afternoon, I met Harry at the City Chambers, I'd cleared it with the Law Department, who had said, they were happy for me to work with a respectable City firm and Donaldson's were and certainly with Glasgow Corporation. Networking with the Glasgow legal and business community was very much encouraged as long as it didn't interfere with my teaching and research and paid any taxes which were due. As far as seeing a student was concerned. As I had reported it, they would see to it that all exams I marked would be done blind. The students were all assigned exam numbers so that their scripts were anonymous to the examiners and only revealed after all the marks had been collated. Essay marks for tutorials were only used as guidance to progress and not counted for either term or sessional exam results and in any case all exams were double marked to avoid excessive bias in either direction. Glasgow was well in advance of most UK Universities in applying this policy, so as long the student doesn't raise any question of harassment, I shouldn't be concerned, but they appreciated my honesty. So that was a relief. I was pleased that I wouldn't have to ask for Louise's transfer out of my tutorial group.

We were shown into Mr Galpern's large corner office on the north side of the building with windows facing George Square and George St. The traffic noise along George Street was considerable so the windows were closed. Galpern was a small thickset guy with a ruddy complexion a pencil moustache and glossy hair, very dapperly dressed in a pinstripe suit. "Hello Harry, welcome to my humble abode and mazeltov on your daughter Louise's success in the Bursary, it's wonderful to hear that someone at least in the younger generation have inherited our brains. I hear she's studying Law here is Glasgow."

"Thanks Myer, I'll tell her what you said, she'll be chuffed. I've brought along a young friend as advisor, Dr Laurence Rabin, he's a newly appointed lecturer in Law at Glasgow University."

"Shalom Dr Rabin. Welcome to Glasgow. Where are you from?"

"Shalom and thank you Mr Galpern. I was born and went to School in London, and attended Oxford and Cambridge, for my undergraduate and postgraduate studies and I've spend time studying comparative contract Law in USA at Yale."

"Excellent, I'm sure you'll be able to us on track with this business, then, which is quite important and likely to complex as we'll dealing with the English branch of the National Coal Board who will be financing the loan for the new extension to the Corporation offices. The proposed site you can see right across the road behind the façade of buildings in George St just at the side of Queen St Station in North Hanover St. We need the space for our expanded needs. This building is much too crowded for all the activities that go on here."

"Yes, Harry has informed me about the details."

"You look a bit like someone I knew on the committee of UJS a few years ago. Saul Rabin. I hear he died young."

"Yes, that was my late father, olav hasholom he died suddenly about five years ago. I believe he was interested in student politics when he was UCL. I never have been, interested in student politics, I was too busy, with sport and work."

"Really, what sports?"

"Tennis and rowing, I've given up rowing, though."

"Well, you'll be very welcome to join Garnethill Synagogue if you wish."

"Thank you, Mr Galpern. I may take you up on that sometime but at present I'm not interested. My parents were not particularly frum and since my father passed away neither my mother or I attend have attended Shul, although she's still a member at Dennington Park, where they were married and I attended cheder."

"Please yourself, Dr Rabin, but if ever you wish to join, you will be welcome."

"Thank you, I appreciate it, and some future date may consider it."

"Ok Myer, Laurie has suggested an outline plan which could be a way of saving the Corporation a lot of money in the long term. He has suggested that as interest rates are currently at record low level but likely to rise steeply in the next 10 years or so, we take out a as large a loan as possible to support the project and delay repayment of the principal and interest for as long as possible extending repayment for twenty years. We reckon that inflation will reduce the value of the outstanding loan by at least 50% so that even if we pay 2% above the current repayment rates, we will pay much less in real terms over the duration of the loan."

"On what basis does your crystal ball tell you this Dr Rabin?"

"As Harry says, inflation will increase dramatically from unsustainably low current rate, due to our negative balance of payments, Suez is only a harbinger of what's coming our way, we will unable to hold on to our Imperial and Colonial trade and the USA will certainly not help us retain this colonial possession. This will inevitably create inflationary pressures."

"I don't disagree with this analysis, but it's a bit of gamble and we could find ourselves overpaying for this substantial loan."

"Not if we can negotiate a delay in loan repayments for the five years or so that the construction work is being undertaken."

"I see, well if we can delay some of repayment till the back end of the loan period that would be useful and with any luck, I'll be doing something else when the bills become due! So, if you can arrange a long term lease with the NCB you have my blessing.

"Please let me know how the negotiations progress Harry. I assume that it will be only you and your in-house team who attend the meeting with the NCB."

"Yes, I think so, but I'll ask Laurie to look over the documents that we're preparing."

I was relieved to hear this exchange; I didn't relish being present at protracted meetings.

These meetings were long and arduous, but ultimately Harry managed to arrange a long repayment scheme with the bulk to be repaid in the last five years, albeit at 3.75% above the principal sum loaned as I had recommended. I went over the written contract with Harry and generally approved although I made a few minor amendments to the wording to cut a few ambiguities about sub-contractors defaulting on the job, which they frequently do. This would be up to the principal building contractor to fix and not the Corporation. Myer viewed successful outcome of the negotiations as a major success and building works were being arranged to start within the next few months.