by S M Mala
‘Stan said you couldn’t monopolise the dog.’ Ted was stood behind her holding a glass of wine and a pint of beer. ‘He said she needs to socialise with others, so she doesn’t become too attached.’
‘She’s only spent one night with me.’ Maddy sighed and kissed her head. ‘Anyway, change the subject just in case he hears.’
Standing up to grab her drink, she walked out into the garden and sat under one of the garden heaters. There was no way she was going to sit with Ted’s friends. Phyllis jumped up, and Maddy took out her blanket so she could wrap her up too. All the time she glanced at the bar and watched the people.
‘Being sociable again?’ she heard Stan ask, sitting next to her. ‘What are you doing with Phyl now?’
‘She was cold, and I thought you wanted me to keep out of the way.’ Maddy turned to look at him. He was cleanly shaven and had his hat pulled down the front of his forehead. ‘You smell nice. Where are you going?’
‘Nowhere.’ Stan smirked at her. ‘So, let me tell you about my ground rules about living together.’
‘What?’
‘You can’t bring men home while I’m staying at yours. I have to think about Phyllis’s welfare and based on the last boyfriend, he would probably hit on my dog.’
‘Pardon?’ Maddy pushed him hard. ‘I hope you’re not implying I’m a slut of some sort. I don’t bring men home, and I certainly have standards. It takes about a month for me to let them come into my home. Then a week later to drop my knickers!’
‘Oh Maddy, why do you tell people these things?’ Ted asked, putting a pint of beer in front of Stan before sitting down. ‘Sometimes you give too much information.’
‘Five weeks?’ Stan asked, sipping his pint. ‘I’m staying with you for that long.’
‘Ha!’ Ted said making Maddy sit back. ‘Lock your door, Stan.’
She sat there open mouthed and looked at her best friend.
‘I’ve slept in the same bed as her a few times,’ replied Stan. ‘She’s usually comatose or trying to cuddle the life out of Phyl, which reminds me. Where did you put the collar?’
‘Dustbin men came, so they took it away this morning after I threw it out.’ Maddy smiled at him as Ted grinned. ‘I’ll get another one for Phyllis.’ She then glared at Ted. ‘Don’t speak to me if you’re implying that I’m going to harass Stan.’
‘I was joking.’
‘She’s saving up her loose change for the Trevi Fountain trip to wish herself a man for her thirtieth birthday.’ Stan shook his head from side to side. ‘You’re better off just handing the cash to Roland. Hey Ted, do you know he came to see her yesterday?’ Maddy glared at Stan who grinned. ‘Luckily, I told him to go, but I could tell she was clicking something over.’
‘Stanley!’ she snapped, hitting his arm.
‘Madeleine, in no way shape or form do you let him lay a finger on you, no matter how desperate you get.’ Ted then rolled his eyes. ‘Did I tell you someone saw a picture of him at work and thought he might be good to audition for a model?’
‘You’re joking?’ She nearly choked on her drink. ‘You don’t want him modelling your undies knowing what lurks in his bollocks, do you? Don’t you dare think about it.’
All she heard was Stan laughing as she frowned then spotted Eugene walking towards them.
He was quite small, just over five foot four inches, and a little portly. His hair was intense dark brown and curly against pale skin and dark green eyes. Poor Eugene’s skin was a little pock-marked due to suffering from acne as a teenager. At the time he was covered in red raw spots. Maddy had heard his mother spent a lot of money to get the disorder corrected.
‘Aren’t you coming to join the party?’ Eugene asked, smiling at Ted and Stan then glancing at her. ‘Maddy Berkeley.’
‘That’s me,’ she replied. ‘How are you, Eugene Brown?’
‘Good,’ he replied with a sly smile. ‘It’s not like you to come out on a weekday.’
‘Ted asked me, and I can’t refuse Ted, can I?’ Maddy could see Ted was discreetly shaking his head from side to side. ‘I mean, what you said last time. Ted says ‘jump,’ and I say, ‘how high!’ I think you’re confusing us with Stan and Phyllis.’
‘You’re so over sensitive. Always has been since school,’ Eugene huffed, shaking his head. ‘Everything I say you take the wrong way.’
‘That’s because you’re always having a dig at me.’ Maddy took a massive gulp of her drink and felt Ted pull her hand down, so the glass could be extracted from her lips.
‘Eugene, we’ll be with you in a minute,’ Ted replied as Maddy noticed Stan was looking at her. ‘I’m just having a chat with Stan and Maddy. She’s taking him in for a few weeks.’
‘Taking him in?’ Eugene replied, looking a little flushed. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m sleeping under her roof for the next five weeks while my flat is getting fixed,’ said Stan, shuffling closer to Maddy. ‘My dog has a girl crush on her, so I had no choice but to stay there.’
Eugene gave Maddy a look which could only be described as annoyed before flashing a glance at Stan.
‘I thought you said she was irritating?’ Eugene asked, stepping closer as Maddy raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘That’s what you said when you first met her.’
‘Did you?’ she asked as Ted frowned at Stan. ‘Me? Irritating?’
‘Chat, chat, chat,’ replied Stan who she noticed was staring at Eugene. ‘I have wax in my ears, so it gets a bit easier.’
‘Funny!’ Maddy made eye contact with Ted. ‘Well, he’s stuck with me. Thanks for letting me know what he thinks. I’ll bear it in mind when I’m loading his spaghetti bolognaise with a laxative.’
‘But I can see why you’re doing it,’ Eugene said, smiling brightly. ‘Good move, Stan.’
‘Good move?’ she repeated, watching Eugene walk off. ‘What does that mean?’
Stan darted a glance to the inside of the bar then at Ted. She swore he blushed and couldn’t figure out why. Phyllis then started to yawn.
‘You don’t help matters by being confrontational, do you? How many times have I told you, the poor guy is pining for you, and you’re not playing ball.’ Ted stood up.
‘You want me to go out with him like a good little pooch?’
‘Not at all. But you know why he makes the comments. It’s to get your attention. I’m going to be sociable. I’d advise you do the same thing.’
Maddy just let her head fall forward and looked down at Phyllis before turning to Stan.
‘What else do you say behind my back?’ she asked, seeing he was pretending to ignore her by looking at his phone. ‘I know you said something. Usually, Eugene would be devastated to find out if a man shared a bag of crisps with me, but you? That’s something. He nearly threw himself off one of these tables when he met Roland for the first time. He’s short like me so probably thought it was an equivalent to a cliff.’
‘Maddy,’ he whispered, starting to laugh. ‘Don’t be mean.’
‘But you’re being mean by calling me irritating. That’s not a nice thing to say to your landlady, is it?’ She got up then knocked back her wine. ‘Phyllis needs a walk, and I’ve got nappy bags to pick up her poo. They’re biodegradable and have a lovely scent.’ Stan was tapping his finger on the table and staring. ‘Do you think I’m irritating?’
‘Yes.’
‘Am I this irritating person you write about? The one you want to slap in the face?’
‘And how do you know that if you don’t read my column?’
‘I heard them talking about it.’ She gestured to the people inside the bar. ‘They all think you’re hilarious. Maybe I should read your column and see what the fuss is about.’
‘Don’t be silly!’ Stan stood up and patted her head. ‘It’s lad’s talk, and you’ll just get, what do you say? Cross.’
‘I don’t like those sorts of magazines. They’re demeaning to women. I’m going to walk my dog.’
‘My d
og.’
‘Sure, it is.’
As Maddy walked off, she did wonder what Stan thought about her and if he would write something in his column.
Her heart shrugged at the fact he might not even like her as much as she liked him, which was an unbearable thought.
Then she shrugged knowing there wasn’t that much to say about Madeleine Berkeley that everyone didn’t already know. The only thing she was sure about, she wasn’t the person he was allegedly writing about because if she were, then he wouldn’t want to stay at her home.
That was for certain.
‘Lance?’
Maddy swallowed hard the following week when she heard the news. ‘But he’s doing okay. I don’t get it.’
Dr. Bob was sitting next to her in the empty visitor’s waiting room.
‘He’s deteriorating, and I doubt if he’ll see another birthday so what you’re doing is special.’ He leaned forward as she shuffled uncomfortably from foot to foot. ‘His heart can’t take the strain.’
‘Oh.’
‘This is what happens. As much as we try to make them better, eventually some of them we can’t help. One day it will affect you and with Dora being-.’
‘What about Dora?’ she asked, instantly getting agitated. ‘Dora’s not the same as Lance.’
‘Maddy, she’s not getting better. Can’t you see?’
‘I can see everything and don’t have this conversation with me, not now or ever.’
‘But one day-.’
‘Enough Dr. Bob.’
There was a children’s party starting shortly, and it was for Lance’s birthday. He was going to be fourteen. Dora and Maddy had planned to throw him a massive bash, with the help of Lance’s family, because everyone knew he had been ill.
Maddy thought he had turned a corner.
It seems she was wrong but in no way, should he be compared to Dora.
That was unacceptable.
‘My friend, Stan, is coming with Phyllis.’ Maddy’s head was all over the place trying third to concentrate. All the excitement she felt suddenly evaporated. ‘Phyllis is a very clean. I don’t want Lance to get poorly, and he likes her.’ Crashing into the chair, she gulped hard again. ‘Dr. Bob, this is horrible. I can’t tell Dora. She’s still upset about Jerome getting poorly again.’
She burst into tears as the shock of the news had taken her by surprise.
‘Maddy, don’t upset yourself,’ said Dr. Bob, walking around the table. He kneeled down and put a tissue in her hand and gently touched her face. ‘I’m sorry to have upset you. Focus on having a good time.’
‘It’s hard.’
‘Am I interrupting something?’ Stan walked through the door holding Phyllis in his arms.
‘It’s fine.’ Dr. Bob stood up. ‘Hello, Phyllis. Sorry, I’m Bob.’
‘His name is Dr. Bob,’ Maddy added, wiping her face quickly and looking down, trying hard to compose herself but feeling sick. ‘He looks after the children who pass through here and tries to make it better if he can.’
‘I’m Stan.’ He smiled, but she could see he was eyeing her with suspicion. ‘Is it okay for my dog to be here? I know Maddy says this is where she’s taking her on the days she kidnaps her.’
‘Phyllis is a welcomed guest,’ sighed Dr. Bob, stroking the dog’s head. He then turned to look at Maddy. ‘Are you going to be okay?’
She nodded and watched him walk out only to be met with Stan’s wide-eyed expression.
‘Handsome, dashing doctor who specialises in paediatric care. Couldn’t make it up if you tried,’ said Stan, walking up to her. Phyllis managed to bark and licked her face. ‘Dr. Bob? You’ve never mentioned him before, and you mention everyone.’
‘Are you criticising my ability to express myself through words?’ she asked, patting Phyllis’s head before whispering in her ear. ‘At least I don’t criticise your pet for playing the guitar badly.’
The past six days he had spent in her home, she noticed he strummed his guitar on the sofa when he seemed stuck on his work. It happened three times a day, and he thought hard while playing a tune, mostly staring her.
Maddy wasn’t sure what he was playing as she’d never heard it.
Or she had heard it, and he was killing it by his lack of string skills.
As for the staring, it seemed he was ticking something over and trying to put it into words.
The small problem she found was her secret observations of him when he wasn’t looking. Maddy could have spent hours examining his face and not get bored. Often, she’d catch herself gawping at him and turning just in time, so he didn’t notice.
That’s when her eyes would focus on his pert little backside, and she’d just grin, hoping to get the chance to squeeze it gently, one day. To help matters along, she would take every opportunity to walk around in her underwear, but he never noticed, or even gave a second glance. She aimed to get some with larger spots to draw him in.
Time was flying by every moment he stayed with her, and she liked having them around.
It made her feel part of something.
‘Did he upset you?’ asked Stan, putting Phyllis down so she could run around. ‘Because you looked pretty sad when I walked in.’
‘It’s nothing,’ she replied, shrugging her shoulders.
‘You didn’t offer to pay him for a bit of jiggery-pokery, did you?’
‘Are you implying I asked to pay him for illicit sex and he said no, hence why I’m upset?’
‘You have a reputation,’ he laughed out.
‘No, I did not. And I wouldn’t have to pay him.’
‘You think he fancies you?’
‘Why wouldn’t he?’ She folded her arms in annoyance. ‘He can’t be completely immune to my charms.’ Then Maddy mumbled. ‘Not like someone I could mention.’
‘And I see you’re dressed as the clown today.’
Maddy looked down at her red dress with white polka dots and smiled before seeing he pulled a face.
‘I don’t criticise you, and you shouldn’t do it to me. If you don’t like the way I dress, then tough. I’m expressing myself.’
‘Badly.’ Then he laughed and let out a sigh. ‘But I admit, it suits your happy go lucky, chatty, mad personality which is probably going to drive me round the bend by the end of the week.’
‘Or make you smile.’
‘Oh, you do that when you’re not even trying.’ Stan smirked. ‘So, I’m here with Phyl for an hour only. I’m doing this as a favour because you’ve taken me in.’ Then he grimaced. ‘I spoke to Giselle and told her I was staying with you. She wasn’t threatened or even pissed off!’
‘Why should she be? It’s only me.’ Maddy grinned then realised that comment wasn’t very complimentary. ‘You should have said you were staying with Ted. That would wind her up considering the women he hangs out with.’ Then she noticed Stan frown. ‘He wouldn’t cheat on your sis. Ted’s not like that.’
‘Erm,’ came the reply as she saw Stan shake his head.
‘Don’t you like my best friend?’
‘I do, but I sort of don’t get your friendship with him. That’s a conversation for another day. Lead me to this party so I can at least tell everyone how good a friend I am to you.’
‘Stan,’ she said, moving closer and taking his hand. ‘Don’t look shocked when you see some of them. They are poorly, so don’t treat them differently. It pains my heart and head sometimes, but I cope.’
‘Barking Maddy, your face betrays everything. If you’re worried, they’re going to see.’
‘Why do you think I wear the costumes most of the time,’ she honestly replied. ‘So, they can’t see how I really feel.’
‘Dora, this is Stan.’
He laughed on spotting the little girl, immediately knowing who she was. ‘And Stan, this is Dora.’
‘What a beauty!’ he said, leaning down to kiss her hand as Dora blushed. ‘And you go for the spots too, I take it.’
She was wearing a yellow
dress with spots and a matching head band. Maddy noticed Stan was grinning at her then at Dora.
‘He doesn’t like the way I dress,’ piped up Maddy, looking around the room that had been decorated for the party.
‘It suits Dora,’ Stan said and smiled.
‘I think it makes Maddy look very pretty,’ Dora said quietly. Maddy could see she was a little shy on meeting Stan. ‘And she looks pretty in her dog suit too. Oh, there’s Phyllis!’
The pup was playing in the garden, and Maddy knew Dora wanted to go outside. She noticed Dora’s mum, Linda, smile at her from the other side of the room.
‘It’s a bit chilly so I’ll bring her in. What time are you staying until?’ she asked, seeing Stan was studying the people in the room, still with a smile on his face. ‘We have to leave in an hour and a half with Phyllis to visit Pearl.’
‘We?’ he asked, turning to look at her. ‘Am I going?’
‘Yes! Honey needs to meet Phyllis.’
‘She’s only a baby!’
‘Stan, don’t be mean. She’s my dog too!’
Dora started to laugh as Stan frowned in response. Maddy then noticed Lance being wheeled in by his older sister and she held her breath. At that moment she realised Stan looked at her and then at the boy. Forcing her best smile, she skipped towards Lance but not before glancing at Dora and remembering what Dr. Bob tried to imply about her friend.
‘Happy birthday!’ she said, as brightly as she possibly could as Dr. Bob looked at her. ‘I hope you have a lovely day!’ Then Maddy planted a kiss on his cheek. ‘Come and meet my friend Stan.’
‘Hi Maddy, this is great! Thank you.’
‘It’s Dora and my pleasure. As you know, we like to throw parties.’
Lance was born with a severe case of spina bifida and mostly got around with the use of crutches. His parents were from Senegal, and he had dark ebony skin and a smile that could light up a town. As with everything, he was fit as a fiddle then started to deteriorate. The news that he had a matter of months to live hit hard in her.
‘And cake,’ Maddy said, trying to think hard about what to say. ‘Lots of cake.’
