A Childs War Read Online Free PDF

first of the tears away from his parents’ faces, and they went indoors. Joyce did not disguise the whisky this time, but gave it to her friends neat. She took Alex off with her to get something from Mr Haines’s, making their absence last as long as she could. However, Alex really wanted to be with his parents just then, much as he enjoyed being on his own with Auntie Joyce.
II
    â€œWhat can we do to help, George?”
    â€œI know we’ve probably outstayed our welcome, but can we stay on here until we can see our way forward a bit clearer, please?”
    â€œThat goes without saying,” replied Joyce, having discussed it all with Graham at his workshop in the dairy when she had gone over the yard to see him there an hour before he came home.
    Edna, who had gone round and round her emerging plans with George all afternoon, added, “What we mean is can we carry on as we are now?”
    â€œYes,” put in George, “with me coming and going at week-ends and Edna and the son and heir staying here with you all the time. Put like that, it does seem as though that’s a lot to ask of anybody.”
    â€œYou’re not asking it of anybody,” replied Graham, “You and I’ve been friends for a good few years now since we both took a fancy to the same set of generating equipment and saw it installed together. You’re asking it of Joyce and me, who have offered it anyway.”
    â€œWell . . . , thanks very much,” said George, with Edna sadly nodding as the words slowly came out. “When you’ve lost nearly everything you owned, it is reassuring to know that people stand by you.”
    â€œI’d like to make a suggestion,” said Joyce, breaking the awkward silence. “You’re all three upstairs in the middle bedroom now. You need your own room at the weekends, and I expect, Edna, you don’t want Alex round you all night as well as all day. So what I suggest is that we bring the divan he is sleeping on down to the living room, and he can sleep there. He goes to bed at eight, and we can come in here then and light the fire - coal isn’t a problem in Graham’s job, and we won’t have to wake him up early in the morning because nobody goes in there until Graham has come back for his breakfast from over the yard. What do you think?”
    Edna looked at Joyce gratefully and agreed to what she had said. So Joyce went on.
    â€œGood,” she said. “That will be better all round for all three of you. The only thing is that he won’t have to mind Joey chirping at him when it gets light - oh, I forgot, we have to have the black-out up in there too, don’t we, so it won’t get light until I let the sun in after Graham’s breakfast!”
    George cleared his throat in embarrassment now.
    â€œThere is something else to talk about before we make too many decisions. We can’t let you put us up like this without us agreeing on a proper rent.”
    â€œI thought you’d bring that up, George, knowing you,” replied his friend. “Let’s not talk about it as rent. This place goes with the job and with the rent from the other place, we are not doing so badly - John goes to a private school, even, don’t you, son?”
    â€œWhat are you paying them to teach me, then?” joked John, who, like Alex was all ears to what was being said, in spite of a show of imparting the mysteries of the draughts board.
    â€œIf we can share what the ration books entitle us to, and you put something in the kitty each week, we shall get along very well, I think,” decided Graham. “We’ll be eating like lords,” he added, with a smile on his face and a circular motion with his hand on his girth, which was ample already under his Fair Isle pullover.
    Both men had had a certain formality trained into them. They stood up and warmly shook hands. Edna sat chewing her lower lip, until Joyce came over to put