Sweet Memories of You (Beach View Boarding House) by Ellie Dean Page A

stomach for decent food.’
    She realised there was no point in arguing about it. Archie was a Cockney through and through, so nothing she could say would change his mind. She took a sip of tea and almost gagged. It was so stewed and strong it had the consistency of engine oil.
    His laughter was loud and seemed to fill the tiny café. ‘That’s proper East End tea, my girl. Put hairs on your chest, that will.’
    Doreen blushed and dipped her chin as she realised their exchange was being eagerly listened to by the woman behind the counter. ‘It’s all very well for you,’ she hissed across the table. ‘You’re used to it.’
    His expression became more serious as he reached across the table, his large hands engulfing her fingers. ‘I’m sorry, Dor. I know it’s not fair to tease you, but if you and me are going to have some sort of future together, you’re going to have to learn to like eels and pie, and tea so strong you can stand a spoon up in it.’
    Her heart began to thud as she looked into his tanned face and saw her reflection in his eyes. She loved him so much, and if the price of being with him for the rest of their lives was to eat eels every day, then she would make herself like them. And yet all this talk of being together wasn’t exactly a proposal, so there was no point in getting ahead of herself. She decided it would be better to keep things on a lighter note.
    ‘You can certainly take the boy out of the East End, but you can’t take the East End out of the boy – no matter how big and grown-up he is,’ she teased.
    ‘It’s who I am,’ he said simply. ‘This is where I was born and where I grew up. I might be all of a swagger in this uniform, but underneath beats the heart of a true Cockney.’
    Doreen was well aware of the tough childhood he’d had growing up in this part of London, and how hard he’d strived to escape the endless poverty and hardship through his naval apprenticeship, which had offered a good career. ‘It wasn’t all pie and eels, Archie,’ she murmured, ‘and things are even worse now the Luftwaffe has virtually flattened this part of London.’
    He nodded solemnly then leaned back in his chair and drained the bottle of beer. ‘I’m well aware of that, love. The old place is barely recognisable now.’ He placed the bottle on the table and his smile was sad. ‘But the spirit’s still here, Doreen. Jerry will never destroy that, no matter what they do to us.’
    Doreen realised that although his words were brave, he was still fretting over his parents’ whereabouts. His search for them had come to nothing more than rumours and snatches of half-remembered sightings. It seemed they’d been bombed out twice in Shoreditch, and had managed to find temporary accommodation here in Bethnal Green. Yet that too had been so badly damaged in an air raid that it was deemed uninhabitable, and no one seemed to know where they’d gone after that – or even if they were still alive. It was an awful situation, and her heart went out to him.
    ‘I’m sure the Red Cross or the Salvation Army people will track them down,’ she said quietly. ‘You mustn’t give up hope.’
    ‘I don’t like leaving without knowing,’ he rumbled. ‘But I’ve no choice.’
    ‘I’ve left my address with the different agencies, so if there is word, I can pass it on to you.’ She rested her hand on his, wishing she could do more to help.
    He took a deep breath and his mood lightened as he gently chucked her under the chin. ‘No news is good news, as they say. If they were killed they’d be on some register somewhere. I expect they’ve gone to Wales to be with my sister and her brood.’
    Doreen nodded but she wasn’t convinced, for surely if they had gone to Wales, they would have written to him by now? She could see that he was thinking the same thing, but neither of them wanted to voice their doubts, for that would only make them seem more concrete.
    He pushed back from the table and