This Time Next Year We Will Be Laughing

 Jacqueline Windspear is the author of her memoir This Time Next Year We Will Be Laughing. She starts out with her parent's stories. Her mother was a child when World War Two broke out. She and her sisters were sent to live in the countryside to be safe from the bombings in London. When her parents found out the farmer was not feeding the girls enough food he brought them back to London. Her parents met in London. Due to the war, extra apartments were not available and living with the in-laws was not working out. She moved to Kent where they got jobs picking hops, strawberries, and apples. Her father got a job painting. For a while they lived with a group of Romani and lived nomadically. When Jacqueline was born they decided to settle in Kent. Although they worked hard they never had a lot of money. When Jacqueline was 16 the family finally got a house with indoor plumbing and a washing machine. Jacqueline's father liked to go for walks and marvel at a hedge or a rabbit or a tree. He was a quiet man. When things got tough, like the time Jacqueline's little brother had to go to the hospital because of a burst appendix, her father would always say, "This time next year we will be laughing."  Jacqueline's mother was talkative and liked to tell stories. Although her mother could turn cruel and sarcastic, the author probably got her love of story telling from her.