The Plantation - Di Morrissey [21]
‘Yes, but all the same this travelling is so tiresome,’ said Winifred. ‘But I must say you’ve handled everything splendidly, Margaret. I really am impressed with the way you’ve managed all this. Such a pity Roland couldn’t meet us.’
‘He’ll meet us at the railway station in Kuala Lumpur as planned, Mother.’
Their cabin on the small Straits Steamship was comfortable, and the officers and other passengers on board were very friendly. When it became known Margaret was travelling to her wedding, toasts were made and best wishes exchanged. The two women slept well, the sensation of being at sea was familiar and after a hearty breakfast they docked at Port Swettenham at eight. Margaret had arrived on the mainland of Malaya.
Margaret and Winifred looked through the train window at the busy port as it pulled out of the station. Soon they were in the countryside. The scenery changed to one of villages with red-roofed shops, their colourful goods displayed outside and their signs written in Chinese characters. They passed bright green rice fields, small towns, a sweep of jungle with glimpses of thatched huts, a man on a bicycle wearing a sarong, a woman carrying baskets and children playing near a river. Stray chickens pecked by the side of a red dirt road. The larger towns were crowded with trishaws, bicycles and cars. Laden drays and carts were pulled by horses, buffalo and oxen. To Winifred it all seemed dirty and smelly, but Margaret didn’t seem to care.
Margaret knew that her mother was bothered by these scenes and she put any disquiet she might have felt herself to one side and maintained a positive outlook. She assumed that she would rarely, if ever, mingle in the squalid areas the train passed through, for Roland had given her the impression of a grand lifestyle, although he had been honest about their comparative isolation.
It was with great relief that, as the train steamed into the station at Kuala Lumpur, Margaret spotted the tall figure of Roland waiting on the platform. She pointed him out to her mother. He looked very smart in a white linen suit, holding his solar topee.
Doors banged and before the hissing rush of steam from the engine had dissipated, Margaret had stepped down from the train, waving a lace-edged handkerchief to her husband-to-be.
He reached her and kissed her cheek, smiling broadly. ‘Margaret, it’s wonderful to see you. I’d almost forgotten how pretty you are.’ Nodding to the Indian standing behind him, he said, ‘Hamid, get the memsahib’s luggage and take it to the car.’ He stepped forward and helped Winifred down from the train.
‘My, what a trip. It’s so good to be here at last,’ she said. ‘Oh, this is an impressive railway station,’ she added, gazing up at the soaring ceiling and grand entrance.
‘Roland, this is my mother, Mrs Oldham.’
‘I’m so pleased to meet you, Mrs Oldham. I hope your journey was not too tiresome.’
‘It was not too terrible, I suppose. But please, not Mrs Oldham, call me Mother, or Winifred.’
‘How far away is the hotel where we’re staying?’ asked Margaret.
‘Very close, it’s the Station Hotel. It’s a great old place. I think you’ll enjoy it. Hamid will bring the car.’
‘Look at those little contraptions that those men are pedalling. Like the ones we saw in Singapore,’ said Margaret, looking at the little canopied bicycles lined up in front of the station.
‘Are they safe?’ asked Winifred doubtfully as Roland, Margaret’s arm tucked in his, led them towards the car.
‘Trishaws are a form of transport you’ll have to try,’ said Roland. ‘They’ll get through the traffic faster than a car. Ah, there’s Hamid with Father’s automobile now.’
Safely in the hotel, Margaret and Winifred settled themselves at a table and ordered tea and dainty sandwiches on a terrace facing a lush garden. Mother and daughter exchanged a glance as two Chinese waiters in crisp uniforms with brass buttons hovered close by, ready to pour milk and pass sugar.
‘I don’t imagine I’ll be living in such grand circumstances,’ sighed Margaret. ‘But it’s very nice to know there are places like this we can enjoy.