Most people had learned how to ‘make do’ with dried, long-life products that, nowadays, replaced what they had had before the War. Eggs, milk, all of the things they had taken for granted when they had been fresh off the production line and readily available in the local store. They didn’t have those luxuries as much anymore, there was certainly none of this ‘free range’ stuff that people had been craving before the War. Aiden had long ago learned what was gone, what they weren’t going to have anymore; he had never been particularly fussy anyway, so he wasn’t all that difficult to please, or at least satisfy enough for him to move on and get by.

The coffee, however, was bordering on torture. But maybe some people liked it, who knew?

Giving her a smile as she took the bottle, he chuckled lightly and moved to make the promised beverage. It didn’t take him long, all things considered, and he had gotten the water boiling before Susan had even arrived, anticipating her arrival, so by the time he was replying to her comment, he was setting a mug with steaming dark liquid down near to her; “Somebody needs to put that on a t-shirt.” After a moment he said, “I only ever memorised how you take your alcoholic drinks, so…” Aiden set a tin of dried milk and a small container of sugar next to the mug, complete with a teaspoon. “Go nuts.”