The following morning, the start of Edward"s last day of leave, Mum was preparing a good breakfast for him, with egg, a strip or two of bacon she had saved from previous rations and as much coffee and toast as she could press upon him. She was not looking very glamorous with a headscarf and her apron round her waist as she cooked but I did notice that Edward couldn"t seem to take his eyes off her. She looked a bit rushed and stressed too, attending to the fried food and in between filling up Paula"s bowl of cornflakes and getting me a second slice of toast. When she had served Edward with his breakfast she bustled about doing something else until Edward called to her to come and sit at the table with us.
"You need to have something yourself," Edward told her.
"I just want coffee," she re
