Gifted

I was shocked, confused and angry. I knew I couldn't deal with Shona straight away and I needed to gather my thoughts. When I got back to our place I put the card and gift for Callum back on the coffee table. I left a note for Shona in the kitchen to let her know that I'd decided to take advantage of the dry weather and had gone for a walk up the Hoch Magandie. She knew I liked to do this fairly regularly and that my standard procedure was to take a packed lunch, so that I could do the twelve mile horseshoe circuit of the three highest peaks in about six hours.

I put all my energy into hill-walking for the next few hours and the magnificent vistas from those high hilltops allowed me to calm down a little and begin to recover from the shock of my wife's betrayal. As I made my way homewards in the late afternoon I still wasn't sure what I would do. There didn't seem much point in crying over spilt milk, but the nature of my relationship with my wife would need to be reviewed and I might have to make some tough decisions.

One thing was certain. I wasn't going to upset any apple carts with some sort of showdown before the ceilidh that evening, because gossip spreads like wildfire in highland communities. Everybody makes it their business to compare notes and circulate conjecture, rumours and lies. There was no way I wanted the wider community to get embroiled in our personal lives. A ceilidh is an event that is high risk for tittle-tattle and the gossips would be able to feast on stray snippets of information, such as a missing husband, an upset wife or a birthday boy who had been beaten up.

The walk in the hills had cleared my thinking, but I still found it difficult to face Shona when I got back that afternoon. Thankfully, Robbie proved a useful distraction, sitting next to me on the sofa and telling me all about what he had been up to with his cousin. The highlight had been an encounter with snails that his cousin Malcolm had found in the garden. For a six year old Robbie was fairly well-informed about the natural world and we had an interesting discussion about the difference between snails and slugs. Robbie thought the snails were clever to grow a hard shell so they didn't get hurt.

Shona made Aberdeen Angus burgers and we sat down to eat around six o'clock, which is about as late as Robbie will tolerate. The conversation was all about the ceilidh, which would start fairly early to take account of the younger participants. Robbie and I would be wearing our red MacGregor kilts and all three of us would be there when things got going around seven that evening. Robbie knew there was going to be a clown doing magic tricks to keep the children entertained during the early part of the evening, while the adults had a few drinks and chatted. We hadn't talked about how long we might stay, because that would depend on how Robbie felt.

*

Scottish country dancing is a wonderful contrivance that ensures everyone gets a chance to dance and socialise with lots of different people. Other countries around the world have similar or comparable formats for social dancing, such as circle dances, barn dances or line dancing. In a small place like Lochmagandie almost everyone dances with everyone else and that evening was no exception. The ceilidh started with the children trying the easier dances, mostly with the help of their parents and grandparents. Robbie's favourite was "The Dashing White Sergeant", which he had practised at school. Together we made a family threesome, energetically dancing our way round the hall, forming a set of six at each round with the next threesome coming towards us.

Dancing with Robbie, we must have looked like we had our act together, but I was finding it difficult to keep up the facade of the happy family. Despite what she had been up to that morning, Shona showed no signs of any worry or concerns. She was radiating smiles at everyone and lapping up the compliments about our talented son and how well the three of us danced together. I kept checking to see whether she would find an excuse to go and talk to Callum MacDarrell, but apart from wishing him a happy birthday and handing him the card and gift when we first arrived, she was carefully ignoring him. Neither I nor anyone else would have suspected anything was going on between them and I began to wonder if it was just a one off.

As expected, Robbie began to tire as the evening wore on. Shona had kept an eye on him most of the time while he played with some of his wee friends, including Malcolm. I thought she might expect me to take Robbie home, so she could get a chance to flirt and dance with Callum, but I was surprised to learn that she had arranged a sleepover at our place for Robbie and Callum. Shona and Maggie took the two wee laddies up the road to our place around half past nine.

Maggie came back to the ceilidh about half an hour later. She told me Shona and she would take turn about and each of them would babysit the boys for an hour while the other had some fun at the ceilidh. That meant Shona would be back in about an hour's time when Maggie relieved her of her babysitting duties.

I danced with Maggie and some of the other women and I did my best to act normal, whatever that might be. The music made conversation difficult, but that suited me and I ended up standing at the edge of the crowd, sipping my beer and listening to the fiddle band as they played their way through various reels, strathspeys and jigs.

Although I was generally looking in the direction of the band I was also watching for any tell-tale signs that anyone knew my wife had been fucked behind my back. I really couldn't be sure. A couple of times I wondered if a few of the women might know something. One or two glanced my way, but I reckoned they might just be checking me out.

Callum MacDarrell had done his fair share of dancing. Grannies, aunties and friends of his mother took turns on the dance floor with the birthday boy. The menfolk took turns buying him a beer whenever he was allowed a time out by the women. There was no doubt he was well-mannered and popular and in other circumstances I would have taken my turn to buy him a drink. But there was now no danger of that ever happening.

Waiting to order myself a beer at the bar, by chance I found myself standing next to Callum's dad, Dougal. I didn't know whether he knew about Callum and Shona, but here was an opportunity to solve a small part of the mystery.

"You must be a proud dad, Dougal," I said, smiling at him.

"Er, yes, I suppose so," he responded.

"Tell me, is Callum named after his grandfather or someone else in the family?" I asked.

"Aye, Callum is his maternal grandfather."

"Would his middle name be Dougal then, after yourself?"

"No, it's Hector, after his paternal grandfather," said Dougal.

"How interesting," I replied. "Are these good gentlemen here with us this evening?"

"Maybe in spirit," he replied. "They both live a long way away. Grandpa Callum emigrated to Canada years ago and Grandad Hector lives with my sister and her family in Australia."

"It's a pity they're missing a good ceilidh, but maybe that can't be helped," I said, bringing our brief conversation to a close as I paid for my beer.

Dougal had unwittingly provided me with evidence that Shona and Callum's session that morning was unlikely to have been a spontaneous, spur of the moment thing. No doubt the 'C' on the gold signet ring stood for Callum, but it was a good bet that the 'S' stood for Shona. To my mind, the intertwined letters might as well have stood for "Cuckolding Slut".

My mood did not improve when my wife reappeared just after eleven o'clock. She looked around the hall and gave me a brief wave, then headed straight for Callum MacDarrell. Was this the moment they had been waiting for all evening? On the face of it, all she was doing was taking her turn to dance with the birthday boy, but it seemed to me there was no mistaking the broad smiles of anticipation on both their faces. With no hesitation he immediately accepted her invitation and soon they were waltzing round the dance floor in each other's arms.

If I had not been on the lookout for those giveaway signs on other people's faces I might not have noticed anything, but the onlookers who knew something was going on couldn't help themselves. While watching the dancing couple, many of the women, including my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, were sneaking furtive glances in my direction. They were no doubt amused by the idea that my wife was dancing with her young lover and I was clueless. I put on my best poker face and only decided to head outside when Shona and Callum stayed on the dance floor after two dances.

Someone must have suspected that I knew what was going on. As I stood outside in the darkness, trying to get my head round the idea that half of Lochmagandie seemed to know I had been cuckolded, Dougal came up behind me.

"Ye're no lookin' happy, Rob. What's the matter?"

"Your son and my wife," I replied.

"So ye've found out then. Fiona thought you might be on to them. Please don't make a scene tonight. Fiona would like a chance to talk to you tomorrow morning about what's going on. Tell Shona you've got a bit of a sore head and then come over to our place when she takes wee Robbie to church. It's really important you hear what Fiona has to say. Can I tell her you'll be there?"

He looked at me anxiously as I thought about what to say.

"If I'm honest I don't know that it will do much good, Dougal, but I suppose I can wait until then. I'm not planning on making a scene, as you put it. Just keep your son away from my wife. I have no idea how many people know about them, but it would be better if they did not spend the rest of the evening in each other's arms on the dance floor. That's just rubbing salt in my wounds and I'm not sure I have the patience to put up with it."

"Thanks, Rob. I'll ask Fiona to have a quiet word with Callum."

I waited five minutes before heading back into the ceilidh. Shona was now dancing with her brother-in-law, Duncan. Callum was dancing with his older sister, Heather, a 22 year old, black-haired beauty who was next in line to become lady chieftain and was studying Accounting and Finance at UHI in Inverness. When the dance finished, Shona came over to me and made a big show of giving me a hug and a kiss. She was still radiating happiness and clearly had no idea I knew about her affair with Callum.

We finished off the evening by dancing together and then we walked arm-in-arm back up the hill to our cottage. I tried to act as if everything was normal and it helped that Shona was going on about what a success the ceilidh had been, who had been there and how they had all said how much they enjoyed it and wasn't the band just terrific and so on. I bit my tongue and just interspersed her conversation with the occasional response along the lines of "aye" or "right".

Maggie was pleased to see us and agreed that Shona and I could bring both boys to church in the morning and Malcolm would meet up with his mum and dad there. Shona checked the boys were okay then she went straight to bed and it looked like she was asleep before I had finished in the bathroom.

I lay awake for a while, wondering what the clan chieftain might have to say to me that could change the way I was thinking. I was fairly certain my marriage had been mortally wounded and I thought it unlikely Lady Fiona would be able to resuscitate it. You can't unfuck someone and I very much doubted that whatever it was Fiona had to tell me would save my marriage.

*

Shona made breakfast the next morning and she took the boys to church on her own when I told her I had a bit of a sore head and needed to get some fresh air.

While the pious people of Lochmagandie were filing into the village kirk that Sabbath morning, I was retracing the route to heartbreak that I had taken twenty four hours earlier. Soon enough I was at the chieftain's cottage. Fiona answered the door when I knocked.

"Thank you for coming, Rob," she said, showing me into the lounge. "The others are at church, so we won't be disturbed. I've boiled the kettle and I'll make us a cup of tea, unless you would prefer a nip of whisky?"

I couldn't have cared less about having a cup of tea, but it would have been extremely impolite to refuse and I expected our conversation would be difficult enough, without getting off to a bad start. Fiona fetched the tea and we eventually settled down opposite one another in two wing-backed chairs by the fireplace. I was unsure what Fiona wanted to tell me and I waited for her to speak.

"Let me start by saying I'm sorry you found out about Shona and Callum," she said. There was a tone of concern in her voice as she continued, "Can I ask how that happened? Did someone tell you?"

I had been trying to keep control of myself, particularly in the presence of wee Robbie and Malcolm, but my anger must have been obvious to Fiona. "It doesn't matter how I found out, Fiona," I said. "Nobody told me, although it seems plenty of people know your son fucked my wife."

"Rob, there's more to it than that," she replied. "It's a long story and I need you to listen to what I'm going to tell you. I will do my best to answer any questions you have. The only thing I would ask of you is that you promise to hear me out before taking any decisions. Can you do that?"

"Okay, Fiona. You can say your piece, but I don't think it will change anything."

"Thanks, Rob. I won't deny that Shona and Callum have been intimate. What you don't know is that Shona has been gifted. I don't mean that she is talented or has been given some gift from God. I'm talking about the gifting of a woman to a young man when he comes of age."

"Hang on a minute, Fiona," I interrupted in astonishment, "Are you telling me that Shona and Callum were fucking because it is some sort of tradition or rite of passage when he turns eighteen?"

"Yes, Rob, that's about it," she replied. "You see, the tradition of the gifting of women in Glen Magandie began after the rape of Morag MacDarrell. Everyone knows the story of Morag and everyone knows that the women of Glen Magandie took over the stewardship of the glen after 1745. Those women did whatever it took to rebuild the community and ensure the prosperity of the glen. Yes, they welcomed redcoat soldiers into their beds, but what most folk don't know is that they also made sure the young women of the glen were never again put at risk of being raped and murdered by chauvinistic young men with rampaging libidos."

"Let me get this straight, Fiona. What you're telling me is that it wasn't enough for the old sluts just to screw the soldiers, they decided to screw the local youths as well?"

"Rob, you're deliberately twisting what I'm trying to tell you. It wasn't like that at all. The women arranged to give each other to their sons when the sons became eighteen years old. The gifting of an older woman to a younger man is a reward for his good behaviour while he is growing up. The gifted women were originally spinsters or widows of men who had been killed in wars. For many years the men from Glen Magandie sought their fortune in North America and there was always a fight they could join. They fought against the French, against the native American Indians and against Santa Ana and his Mexicans. They fought one another in the bloodiest battles of the American civil war. In between times they joined the gold rush in California, but hardly any women went with them. The twentieth century brought more terrible wars that took a toll on the men of the glen. The South African Boer War was followed by the First World War, the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War and the Korean War in the fifties. For over two centuries there was no shortage of unattached women to be gifted."

"So if it's unattached women who are involved in this tradition, how the hell did Shona end up being gifted?" I asked.

"The women of the glen are all expected to honour the tradition and be willing to be gifted. Nowadays we are fortunate that our men are not away being killed in wars, but that means there are few widows or single women in our community. Instead, the women who are gifted are often the ones whose husbands are away from home a lot of the time. These men may be on the oil rigs in the North Sea for weeks at a time or they may just be away in Glasgow or Edinburgh from Monday to Friday. The main consideration is that the gifted woman can make herself available without the arrangement impinging on her home life."

"It sounds to me like this whole set up is just an excuse for older women to enjoy illicit romps with young lads," I told her.

"It's not like that at all," she replied.

"Are you speaking from experience, then, Fiona? Have you ever been gifted?" I asked her.

"I shouldn't really answer that question, but I want to provide you with some reassurance, Rob. The answer is yes, but it was many years ago and I won't tell you more than that. A gifted woman and her young man are expected to act responsibly and keep their relationship under wraps as far as possible. Shona and Callum should maybe have shown a bit more restraint yesterday evening."

"So what you're saying is that Shona declared herself ready, willing and able to fuck Callum, but that they should have been a bit more circumspect?"

"Rob, it's not just about sex. The gifting is done with care and affection. There's a courting period of three months before the young man's eighteenth birthday. The couple meet as often as possible during that period and they get to know one another by spending time together, talking about all the things that are important in life and what the young man's plans for his future might be. No sexual activity takes place during the courting period, although the couple can hold hands and kissing is also permitted."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. No wonder my wife had been such a frequent visitor to Fiona's cottage for the last few months. She had been meeting up with Callum.

"But that makes it worse," I said. "You're telling me it's a fully fledged romantic affair, not just a quick fuck. The only saving grace might have been if it was some sort of spontaneous, unforeseen event -- a one off mistake of some sort."

Fiona paused for a moment, looking like she was weighing up what to say next.

"I know it must be difficult for you to understand what's going on, Rob, but the relationship between Shona and Callum is not really an affair and it's no real threat to your marriage. Callum needs to learn about women and relationships and Shona is a wonderful person who has taken on the responsibility of helping him to learn. Of course we all hoped you wouldn't find out that Shona had been gifted, but you need to understand the gifting of women is a long-standing tradition in our community. It has widespread support and the gifted women are held in high regard."

"That may be," I replied, "But who has caused this to happen? Who is the matchmaker? Who decides which woman is to be gifted?"

"A young man may express a preference for a particular woman, but the final decision lies with the clan chieftain," she said, looking me straight in the eyes. "It's always a carefully considered decision and neither the woman nor the young man is coerced into having a relationship."

"Let me guess then?" I responded, trying to keep my temper in check. "Callum told you he wanted to fuck my wife, you asked her and she agreed?"

"That's a very crude way of putting it, Rob," she countered. "Very roughly speaking that's how it happened, but I can't think of a better person than Shona to teach Callum about love, respect and responsibilities in the adult world."

"I have to disagree," I said. "All he learned was lust, disrespect and thoughtlessness -- lust for my wife, disrespect for me and damn the consequences. What about the risk of pregnancy? That seems a high price to pay for a few moments' pleasure."