Once upon a time, a beautiful young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes fell in love with a brown-haired and brown-eyed man. After a year of courting they got married. They loved each other with all their hearts, so when war started in 1914, the man tried to stay at home, until he broke under all the pressure, donned khaki, and went to war.
Mother has told me of the day he left. She said that she was crying continuously all day and she only stopped at dinner. She told me what my father said, just before he left.
"Don't cry, my darling, I'll be back before you know it. Keep going, just for me."
He didn't come back.
