Norma placed the tray upon the kitchen sink, and then poured herself a cup of tea from the teapot.   She picked up one of the slices of toast and asked, “Would you like a hard boiled egg, Chris?”

While Norma began to wash the breakfast dishes, Chris returned to the kitchen table to read through his schoolbook.

“What will you do with yourself if you don’t have any work to go after today?” asked Norma.

“Oh I’ll go around to a few of the shops in Footscray to ask about work, and stop in at the CES a couple of times.   They put new job notices up on their work board a couple of times a day.   Then I’ve got a night class at the tech.”

“Well I’m glad to hear that you’ve got at least one easy subject,” said Norma.   She was about to say something more when there was a sound of knocking at the front door.

“That’s all right, Chris, I’ll get it,” said Norma, seeing him about to stand.   “You go on with your studies, I she said, wiping her hands on a tea towel.

Jack moaned from the effort as he sat himself up on the bed.   He sipped at the cup of tea, and then finding it tepid, swallowed the tea in one gulp.   He replaced the empty cup upon the saucer on the bedside table, and then reached for the newspaper upon the bed.   He moaned again and rubbed the back of one hand against his forehead as he was stabbed in the brain by a shooting headache.   Still, he thought, he had been a lot worse only a couple of days ago.

Jack reached the newspaper, and then sat back against the bed-head to read.

“Oh, Jack,” said Norma, walking into the bedroom.   “There’s a bloke at the door to see you.”

“A bloke to see me?” asked Jack, finding that he was unable to get his eyes to focus upon the newspaper.   “How old?”