Mary MacLeod

A 'what if' story based on a recent meeting with an old friend who turned out to be related to Donald Trump

Mary MacLeod

Anne and I had just arrived from Ullapool on the ferry and we were looking for our bed and breakfast place on the outskirts of Stornoway.

‘That must be it there Jim - that white house on the left with the red car.’

‘Well done Anne. Who said that women couldn’t navigate!’

I pulled into the pavement and parked.

‘Yeah, this is it Jim, number 16.’

Just as I pulled on the handbrake an elderly lady with a ‘birdnest’ of  fading yellow hair opened the door and waved us up with a smile.

We retrieved our bags from the boot and walked up the cement path.

‘You must be Mr and Mrs Daniels. I think it’s going to be stormy tonight but welcome to Tonge. Come on in and make yourself comfortable.’

I lingered on the step. ‘You have a great view from here Mrs MacTumpan.’ We looked out over the busy wee town of Stornoway to the grey expanse of the Minch. Behind the house, the green and purple moors were marked by the dark scores where the peat had been cut.’

‘The view is good when it’s not raining - you can see the hills on the Scottish mainland. By the way, please call me Mary. My husband Donald will be home later. He is getting the church ready for the service tomorrow.’

 Mary asked us to take off our shoes in the hall and then showed us our room. ‘This is a cosy room Mary.’

‘I love all these pictures and ornaments.’ Anne added, but I knew that she hated clutter. ‘That’s very kind of you Anne,’ Mary gushed.

‘Just make yourselves at home and I’ll bring you a tray with tea and scones.’

‘She’s very nice isn’t she Jim?’

 I laughed. ‘Apart from the funky hairdo, it would be hard to trump that birdsnest!’

‘You’re just jealous Jim - you’ve none left!’ I laughed - crying wasn’t an option!

After we had unpacked there was a faint knock on the door. I opened it and Mary came in with the tray.

‘That’s lovely Mary - thanks.  Oh, by the way, please call us Jim and Anne.’

‘I think that’s Donald home now. Please come and join us in the living room later. We can have a blether.’

After unpacking we went through to the living room and knocked tentatively on the door,

‘Come on in you two, this is my husband Donald.’ We shook hands and then sank into in the comfy settee.

‘Mary said you were getting the church ready. Are you the minister Donald?’

Donald laughed. ‘I’m the caretaker but we all have our part to play.’ I guessed that the ‘in God’s plan’ bit had been left unsaid.

The chat continued easily and Mary and Donald answered our questions about island life. Then we heard a commotion as the front door burst open and a gruff voice.

‘It’s me mum, I finished early today.’

Mary laughed. ‘It’s our son Donald. He works for the council, helping with refugees coming to the islands.’

‘Oh sorry, I didn’t realise we had visitors. ‘Hello, I’m Donald.’

I kept a straight face and I knew Anne would be struggling too for there was no doubt that he out-trumped his mother in the orange toupee department.

I held out my hand ‘I’m Jim and this is Anne.’

‘Your mother was telling us about your job Donald. It sounds very worthwhile.’

‘It is - and I can see I’m making a difference to these poor refugees that end up in Scotland. Too many people would like to stick to their own cosy little world but if you think about it even Britain has been a melting pot. You can go back to Roman times, the Vikings, the Normans  and right up to our commonwealth visitors from India and Africa and now these poor folk escaping the middle east.’

‘And of course it works the other way too,’ Mary added.  ‘Our own Lewis men and women left poverty here to start a new life in America and Australia. My own mother Mary MacLeod went off to New York in 1930 when she was only eighteen to join her older sister. She was the youngest of a family of eleven and they lived in the house that stood here right up until 1976.’

‘So you were born in New York Mary?’

‘Oh no!  My mother was engaged to a man called Fred who built apartment houses but it didn’t work out between them and she came back in 1938. And, as they say the rest is history.’ Mary looked pensive. ‘You can’t help thinking how history might have been different.’  

‘Don’t be silly Mary. We wouldn’t be sitting here speaking to Jim and Anne if your mum hadn’t come back.’ Donald tried to turn her mood.

I could see Donald junior looking at his watch. ‘Do you mind if we watch the news on the TV. It’s the presidential inauguration address in America. I’m interested what Hilary is going to say.’

‘Of course not, we can’t miss it.’ Anne answered. ‘We are witnessing history - the first woman president of the United States.’

‘What do you think of her Donald?’

‘She’ll make a great president. Perhaps she doesn’t have the people skills of Bill but I think her heart is in the right place. She also has a record of holding high office. One other thing that impressed me was how she conducted herself during her husband’s disgrace.’

We turned to watch the coverage on the TV. The camera panned round to let us see the record breaking crowds in the mall. Then it swung back to the president elect standing with her husband Bill, daughter Chelsea and the vice president elect. With her right hand raised she proceeded with her historic oath of office.

‘I Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.’

This flight of fancy was triggered by a recent visit with my wife to the isle of Lewis. We looked up an old college friend of Amanda and were amazed to find that she was related to Donald Trump. His mother, Mary McLeod, had emigrated to the United States from Scotland in 1930 and had married Fred trump. As they say, the rest is history!

Or perhaps this story is a dream and we

are all living the nightmare?

Reviews

[angel]

Lord, I can't stand The Donald. Here is my poem about him:
Trumpty Dumpty wanted a wall,
But he didn't know how he could pay for it all.
He thought his pal, Vladdy, might float him a loan,
But the thought of the interest made poor Trumpty groan!

Then he thought,I won't pay it, as I sometimes do,
Even though Vladimir surely would sue.
That didn't disturb him, it failed to subdue...
He'd simply ignore bills, as some bad eggs do!

Unfortunately, his reputation was known;
No m en could he hire. Must he build it alone?
He gave this some thought for a minute or three,
Then decided, "Oh, screw it! I'll go watch TV.

So, he goes to his bed where he raptly attends
The sycophant rantings of FOX AND FRIENDS.

[alanwgraham]

Thanks angel. I hope you liked my story! I hope you posted your poem to share
Cheers
Alan

[angel]

Oh, loved it. The old ORANGE ONE don't half look like his mum, does he?

[angel]

Oh, and yeah, it's posted with my other stuff. Thanks again!

[angel]

Another Donald poem, fresh today! :TRUMP'S DILEMMA
A Poem by angel
" Trump wants a wall--but how high to make it? Hmmm... "
There once was a fellow named Trump
More brainless than any old stump.
He wanted a wall,
Said, when they asked, "How tall?"
"How high can a Mexican jump??"

[alanwgraham]

I like it! A limerick is ideal for the chump.

[barleygirl]

I felt like I was on the edge of fantasy & reality as I read this. Your imagination is impressive & I'm truly stunned by your authors note. I have to admit, I was not expecting a story that did not have an axe to grind about Trump -- not that YOU are an axe-grinder, but that most stories are going there eventually, so I was kind of waiting for some shoe to drop. It just goes to show how conditioned we've become to our constant hate mongering here now. It's actually nice to have an unbiased story about Trump (even tho I hate his guts, it gets tiresome to exist in his hateful realm). As always, your storytelling is well organized & easy to follow. The pacing is peppy, despite no real "action" in your story. You are just so imaginative, you add natural spice to your stories (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[alanwgraham]

Thanks for yet another very full and pertinent review Margie. It was a bit weird when we found our friend was related and they didn't want to say too much except His sister came back to Scotland regularly and did 'good deeds'. She needs to give her brother a good thumping! That pic I found of his mother leaves no doubt about his ancestry. I think it is donalds relationship with his dad that's the root of the problem. Hopefully he's had his wings clipped a little now. I hope you are keeping well and set for winter.
Regards
Alan

[barleygirl]

Are you suggesting that we liberals are sitting around cracking our knuckles as we wait gleefully for the new congress to be installed in Jan & putting a damper on the King's rantings & ramblings!?!?!??!?!

[alanwgraham]

God forbid. That man plays by trump rules. It's very dangerous! I think we have to look at history to see how men like trump can subvert decent norms and appeal to so many. Please be gentle on your knuckles. Ha ha.

[KCthelastboyscout]

This is has been a big "what-if" for 2 years now. Hopefully in another two or three years from now ( or less) we can talk about "what was"

[alanwgraham]

Let's hope and people vote with their heads.
Thanks KC
ALAN

[RoyStone]

Hey, Alan. I hope you remember me. You left a review on my short story and I HAD to return the favor and I didnt mind reading this great short story. My only criticsm is that I thought men were known not to have good navigational skills rather than women. I dont know maybe Im worng but well done job again. Keep up the good work!!!

[Neville]

I thoroughly enjoyed your 'Mary MacLeod' Alan... Indeed, I did and true, in the literary sense of course... a splendid tale methinks, combining irrefutable truths, with a hefty whack of imagination.. tis what both dreams and nightmares might be made of...........off on a tangent, I know, but I did once know a Mary McKraken who was the first to put her finger on my dodgy iliac fossa, but that's another story..... All Good Things.. Neville

[alanwgraham]

Thanks Neville, I hope he'll be gone soon and they'll send him back to dig peat. The worrying thing is that he has more supporters than let on. I've been quite shocked to find some acquaintances supporting him on the basis of more jobs. I don't even want to contemplate your another story!
Regards
Alan

[Neville]

and so say all of us.. excepting those blind fools who do support him blindly... and yes, unfortunately, there are far more than one might imagine or think .... Neville

[Dave]

Alan - my oh my, how I wish you were right, but unfortunately we are living the nightmare. I'm surprised that the man can speak with all the times he puts his foot in his mouth.

With regard to the poem by angel, I have friends whose families were brought to ruin by Humpty Dumptys' propensity of going bankrupt.

I too enjoy writing about nature. I have posted other short stories on the topic. Take care - Dave

[alanwgraham]

Thanks Dave for reading. I appreciate your comments. The worry is that we focus on trump because he is an easy target when there are others in power such as Putin who are powerful but also intelligent and cunning.
All the best.
Alan

[Chris Shaw]

I read your story last night Alan but have come back to respond this morning. I enjoyed the humour you out into this piece, and the wide stretch of you imagination. A very entertaining read, but also one which probably would have many wishing the ending had come true. I'm not a fan of the orange tweeter, but I have to say their economy is riding high, with many more jobs created. Hope all is good with you.

Chris

[alanwgraham]

Thanks Chris. Its true that there is often a silver lining on every cloud but in this case I'll i'm having to look hard. As you say, those that have found jobs will feel quite positive.
Thanks for reading this Chris - it felt a bit weird when we found my wife's friend was related to him.
Regards,
Alan

[Samuel Dickens]

Dear God, how I wish this story was true and Hillary was in charge. A clever, very "Trumpian" tale, it made me think how that orange baboon has sullied the name Donald and other things related.

[alanwgraham]

Thanks Samuel. It's hard not to react to what is happening and I fear the danger is not taking him seriously. It feels that we may be at the 'beginning of the end' for him now.
Regards,
Alan