Post by Diarist on May 18, 2016 8:04:37 GMT 1
When I got up this morning Mum was already in the kitchen with a pot of tea and was preparing roast beef sandwiches. There was a lot of food left over from yesterday and Mum doesn't believe in throwing away good food so the pantry and refrigerator are full. She likes it here and asked if she could stay longer. Silly question, she can stay as long as she wishes. We decided to go for a walk so I took her to TRADOC to show her where I work. I showed her my office, nothing spectacular, then General Gort's office - more luxurious. Then I showed her our small break room and told her to make some tea using tea from the Earl Grey tin.
I went back to my office to prepare notes for tomorrow. Two main things on the agenda. Get the training exercise rolling then in the afternoon Sally and I go to the MoD to look at our new premises. Mum and General Gort arrived at about the same time. She said the tea tastes funny. General Gort had brought some photos and asked if here brother is the one with the moustache. She identified Uncle Willie - it's a small world. That was just before the battle of Passchendaele in 1917. Uncle Willie got wounded there and still limps. At least he got home in one piece. I showed him my plans for tomorrow for approval and asked if he knew a COL Wilkins, my point of contact, (POC), at the MoD. He didn't.
We got back home about 10:30 and Sally's parents were about to leave, there's a train in 10 mins. They intend spending the day in London therefore I could have more time with my Mum. When Sally returned from the station I told her about Mum staying here a bit longer and there was no problem. I turned to Mum and asked her bluntly, "why don't you divorce that slob you're married to? You can stay here until we find something suitable for you."
She didn't answer at first. "Your children have all left school and will soon have their own lives to think about. It's time for you to think about your future."
"It's a big decision," she finally answered.
"Then let me make it easy for you. You're not happy and you don't love the slob. I want you to be happy, we want you to be happy," holding Sally's hand. "After lunch we can drive to Kent and pick up more clothes and your personal items and paper work, etc. You want that?"
She nodded. "Good, we'll contact a divorce lawyer tomorrow."
It was now approaching 11 o'clock and that means the breakfast-after party will soon begin. We put a whole bunch of steak and kidney pies and Cornish pasties in the oven and prepared gallons of coffee and tea. The three Poles arrived first and were visibly disappointed when I said, "no alcohol just food and coffee." I also said that I need a volunteer to help my Mum with some suitcases - a sober volunteer. The other two can put some cognac in your coffee or rum in your tea, but discreetly. Others were arriving now, about a dozen in total including five of us from the former AEF planning group from pre-Chequers days. I asked Bronisław, the Polish volunteer if any of them, (the Poles), know how to use radio direction-finding equipment. Two did so I told them to teach the third guy - we have a mission. I gathered our team, introduced Bronisław to the group and we started talking about the exercise and how we are going to teach 2nd Infantry a lesson they won't forget.