The Lodger’s Promise - Perth, 1932.

Perth, 1932 — The Lodger’s Promise.

Running a boarding house meant Jean Drummond was never alone, but often lonely. She served porridge every morning, always with the same 1910 apostle spoon, always with a smile that sometimes felt like work. One of her regular lodgers, a young typist from Dundee, told her, “You’ve looked after everyone else. Save a bit for yourself, aye?” The words stuck. She began setting aside a few shillings each week, stirred her own late-night cocoa with that same spoon, and started planning small adventures — a trip to the seaside, a new coat, a better chair by the fire. Now made into a ring, it reminds her that caring for others mattered — but so did finally caring for herself.