Page 178 - Mobile Magic

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important. They put me inside - and that’s something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. My family disowned me. It's one way of working out who your friends are. I went back to Uni. when I got out ... but ...’ He shrugged, smiling again. He had no more to say.
‘And Angie?’
‘Well, I’ve never been able to work out why she even likes me, or why she stuck by me through it all. I’m a lot older than her, too. I don’t seem a very good bargain to myself most of the time ... but here we all are ... things happen, things you never plan for, and life gets better all the time. How about I cook us a slap- up breakfast? It’s far too late to go back to bed.’
He went into the kitchen where she could hear the clattering and clanking which heralded a feast. Cooking always helped him to relax when he was tense. She wondered how he had managed to cope with prison food and routines - probably not very well.
When she had changed into her school clothes and entered the kitchen, her family were sitting around the kitchen table, tucking into fried bacon, kidneys and mushrooms with crispy home-made potato pancakes. Her plate was waiting for her so she sat down and joined them.
‘I gather it all went well this morning,’ stated Angie, with a touch of wariness in her voice. Her daughter could now understand why.
‘They look great! I couldn’t have put them all up by myself, but I was really slick by the time we were done, wasn’t I, Tom?’