In the afternoon, Bradley's home on Stonemason Street was filled with the smell of baked cakes.

In the kitchen, Adele is busy for her birthday party in the evening. A freshly baked cake crust is already on the workbench.

Little Ella wore a paper-folded little chef's hat and stirred the cream diligently. It's a fun house wine game for the little ones.

"Adele, do you need my help?" Mary asked, as she came to the kitchen door.

"No, no." Adele sifted the powdered sugar through a sieve and said, "Omar is rarely back, so you better go and accompany him." ”

"Omar is on the phone in his study. Besides, they are all old husbands and wives, what is there to accompany. Mary put on her apron and went into the kitchen.

Married for almost 35 years, Mary has long been accustomed to Bradley's days when she made the army her home. This was the main reason why she did not go to Livingston (where the 28th Division was stationed) with Bradley.

The daughter Elizabeth lives on campus, and Bradley is busy with work and rarely comes home. Even if she moved over, she would be alone in the empty house most of the time, so it would be better to stay with Alexander and Adele as company. Livingston isn't far from Alexandria anyway, so it won't take long to drive.

"Not really, Mary. How can anyone make their own birthday cake? Adele said that she would not let Mary, the "birthday star", cook, "Today is your birthday, so you can rest and rest." ”

"Don't worry, Aunt Mary. I'm going to make you the most beautiful big cake. Little Ella also waved the stirring stick, swearing to Mary, as if she wasn't the one who had caused Adele so much trouble.

"Thank you, sweetheart!" Seeing Ella's cute little appearance, Mary couldn't help but pinch her little face with her hand, "Our Ella is the best!" Then I'll wait to eat your cake. ”

She said she wouldn't get involved, but Mary didn't mean to leave the kitchen, but picked up the ingredients on the workbench, "Elizabeth should be here in a moment, I'll make her some butter muffins that she likes to eat and let her take them back." ”

Adele glanced at the heavy rain outside the window, "It's raining so hard outside, is someone going to pick her up?" ”

"Bridges has gone to the station." Mary poured some hot water into a copper basin, ready to melt the butter.

"Will Liz (Elizabeth's nickname) bring her little boyfriend over this time?" Adele asked curiously, "I haven't seen him yet." ”

"Henry won't be here this time, and it's hard to take a leave of absence at West Point (Elizabeth's boyfriend, Henry Beckman, is now a junior at West Point)." Mary sighed, "It's going to be a home away from home, why did you say that Liz fell in love with a soldier." ”

"Men, they always have their own careers, how can they stay at home all the time." Adele is very open-minded, in her concept, only unpromising men will revolve around their wives and children, "as long as it's good for Leeds." ”

"That's right." Mary has been a good wife and mother all her life, so naturally there will be no feminist idea that "women can hold up half the sky".

Just now, she just thought that she would spend her life with Bradley and be separated from each other, and she was a little worried about her daughter, "Henry is a good young man. Although Omar didn't say it, he was still very satisfied with him in his heart. ”

"Then it's time for you to get ready." Adele enthusiastically reminded, "Looking at the current stance, maybe there will be a fight at some point." Don't delay Liz's marriage. ”

"Omar discussed this with me, and he meant to get them engaged when Henry graduated. As for getting married, let's see the situation in two years. At this, Mary couldn't help but sigh again.

Adele was also silent. As the wife of a soldier, how could she not know Bradley's intentions.

If war breaks out, Elizabeth's little boyfriend is bound to go to war. A rookie officer who has just graduated from a military academy, no one knows if he will be able to come back safely.

Bradley chose to let his daughter get engaged first instead of getting married, because he was worried that if the other party had three longs and two shorts, Elizabeth would not become a widow at a young age.

At the moment, Mary is worried about her daughter and future son-in-law. And Adele is worried about her husband's safety.

Bullets don't have long eyes, and when it comes to the battlefield, no one dares to guarantee that they are absolutely safe. What if John had become a general. From 1939 to the present, there are still fewer generals who have died on the battlefield.

If war breaks out, will the husband go to the front? Will there be any danger? What should she and her children do if something happens? These are these questions that Adele has always been reluctant to and dare not think about.

But as the situation became increasingly tense, there was more and more talk about war in society. These voices always appeared in her ears through various channels, like a lingering nightmare, which made her uneasy and uneasy.

For a moment, no one in the kitchen spoke, only little Ella was still happily stirring the cream, making a tinkling sound from time to time.

At this time, little Eric's cry was suddenly faintly heard upstairs.

"Mom, my brother seems to be awake." Little Ella reminded.

Adele looked at the clock on the wall, "I've only been asleep for less than an hour, why did I wake up so quickly." With that, she wiped her hands and hurried upstairs.

When Adele arrives in the bedroom on the second floor, she finds Bradley already in the room, and is scrambling to coax little Eric.

"Adele, little Eric seems to be peeing." Seeing her come in, Bradley said with some embarrassment.

Just now, he heard little Eric's cry in the study next door, and when he came over to see that the little guy was urinating. Originally, he was going to change little Eric's diaper by himself, but who knew that the little guy not only did not cooperate, but the more he cried, the more fierce he became.

"Thank you, Omar. Let me do it" Adele took little Eric from Bradley's hand and put him on the bed to expertly change her son's diaper.

"The little guy has a lot of strength, and his little arms and legs are quite strong. I almost didn't hold it. Bradley looked at little Eric and said with a smile.

"This kid probably ate more than Ella could have eaten when she was a child. He is also bigger and stronger than the average child. Adele struggled to put on a clean diaper, and little Eric, who was already smiling, hugged him again, "After a while, I won't be able to hold him anymore." ”

Looking at little Eric's smiling face, Bradley suddenly thought of himself and Mary's first child.

It was also a boy, named Raymond, who unfortunately died shortly after birth. This incident hit the Bradleys hard, and it was another seven or eight years before they had Elizabeth.

If Raymond were still alive, he would be 23 years old by now, a young man. Perhaps, he will go to West Point like himself and become a career officer after graduation.

Then, like the lads under him, follow him to fight to defend the country.