I disembark at Caledonian Railway’s Southside Station, situated in the Gorbals. A thirty-minute walk, to and from the station, forms part of my daily work routine, regardless of weather conditions.
I cross Glasgow Bridge, proceed along Jamaica Street and Alston Street, arriving on Gordon Street. A right turn takes me to Thompson & French’s Head Office, standing proud at 123 Hope Street, which sits between Bothwell Street and St Vincent Lane.
I pull the blinds down in my office, lock the door and make my way to the rear wall, where I have a floor to ceiling map of the world. When you push a country, it moves forward two inches – our greatest innovation. I reset the map and push ten countries in my own combination. The whole map hinges backwards, revealing a hidden staircase to my underground vault, where I store my closely guarded secrets – no one has access to this place.
I go down the stairs and sit in my black leather upholstered chair and examine Robert and James’ reports. The third item is a letter with a double seal of wax and break open both and remove the finest paper, instantly recognisable as a product of R. Tullis & Co. The contents are absorbed and the letter carefully stored.
The clock strikes eight times. Time to return upstairs.
———————————- © Graeme Brown 2019 ————————————-
The Hampden Collection 