7 December 2024
Good morning,
It’s the day of the University Carol Service. It could be windy this evening, so I recommend wrapping up warm. Doors open at Holy Trinity Church, South Street, at 6.45 pm and the service will begin at 7.30 pm. I’m looking forward to hearing gorgeous music from St Salvator’s Chapel Choir and singing traditional carols with everyone gathered. I just have to put some final touches to my talk on (What’s the story) Morning Glory? If you can be in St Andrews this evening, I hope to see you there. The service is not livestreamed, but it will be filmed and we will put the service online when it’s ready.
Feathers
Part 7
The story so far: Maryam, frightened at the news of her pregnancy, has been to Student Services for support.
Maryam knew she had to tell Joe. She was scared what he’d think, but her fears about facing this alone were greater. Everything was going round in her head: her changing body, where she’d live, visa issues, how she’d cope with a tiny baby, what about her degree, what she’d do for money, and (she tried not to think about this) the birth itself. Robin was kind, but a wellbeing adviser isn’t there like a boyfriend is.
She’d met Joe at the Vic one Friday night in December, out celebrating the end of the exams. Joe was ahead of her at the bar but when it was his turn to order he turned to her and said, “You go first.” And he smiled. She told her friends later it was his smile that got her, a smile like an offering to give her confidence.
As she waited for her drinks he carried on speaking, “Are you a student, like?”
She was. And him? No – he worked for his father, serving his time as a joiner. She wasn’t quite sure what that meant and must have shown it.
“A carpenter,” he said. “I make things out of wood. Mainly fix things which are broken.”
And he smiled again. Somehow he and his friend ended up at Maryam’s table, Joe opposite her, and they talked all evening. She found herself speaking about life growing up at home, her parents, her sister and brother, what they would eat there – he’d never had hummus – and why she’d come to St Andrews. She wondered why she was talking so freely and realised, half an hour in, it was because he’d ask a question and then listen to the answer, every so often giving that encouraging smile. He talked a bit too about growing up in St Andrews, going to Madras, and working for his Dad: “He lets the other boys off with far more than me.” When the time came for the girls to leave for the Union, Maryam and Joe hadn’t just exchanged numbers, they’d arranged to go for a walk on the West Sands the following morning, before Maryam went home for the winter break.
They messaged every day when Maryam was home, and there was even one hand-written letter from Joe which, more than anything, made Maryam feel peculiar. She imagined him sitting at a dining-room table at home, asking his Mum if she had any note-paper, then queuing at the Post Office for the right stamp to wing his words to her. She didn’t want to think she was in love after a couple of conversations and a letter. And a kiss at the far end of the West Sands. But it was a feeling she’d never known before, a thrilling happiness. They took it slowly in the second semester, but Maryam was increasingly sure of him, and hoped he was feeling the same about her.
The image today is also on the cover of the order of service for this evening’s University Carol Service.
Antonio Travi (1608-1665), The Adoration of the Shepherds, Palazzo Bianco, Genoa
Yours,
Donald.
Revd Dr Donald MacEwan
Chaplain