by S M Mala
Phyllis was barking loudly up at her.
Maddy realised she had enjoyed being dragged along the road.
Stan pushed up his hat and was smiling.
‘You mean it, don’t you? Your little eyes look quite vicious right now not to mention the snarl on your lips. Remind me never to upset you.’ He let out a little whimper that made her frown. ‘I was going to ask you to look after Phyl tomorrow night.’
‘Fine!’ she snapped back and looked down at Phyllis. ‘I’m happy to do it!’
‘Okay,’ he replied, putting his hands out calmly. ‘Thank you.’
‘Well, thank you!’ Maddy shouted and continued to storm off down the road.
‘Where are you going?’
‘Home to drink lots of wine and pass out.’
‘Do you want to get something to eat? It’s nearly six, and I thought you might want to go out.’
‘Will you buy me lots of wine?’ she asked, thinking that was better than her hiding in her living room.
‘Three large glasses. You can’t hold much more than that, can you?’
‘And who said I was cheap?’
‘I’ll train you.’
Stan was laughing as they sat in the garden of a pub close to where she lived. ‘Can you run?’
‘Did you hear what I said? I’m not doing it. I can donate the money myself and have done with it.’
‘But that’s not the point, is it? People are pulling together and doing something good.’
Maddy watched Phyllis drink water from the dog bowl as she secretly fed her cheese and onion crisps under the table. Her ‘pet’ didn’t like Maddy giving Phyllis things that he thought she shouldn’t be eating.
‘Let’s change the subject,’ she said, glancing around at the early evening drinkers and diners. ‘You know my boss said something quite funny today, other than doing the fun run. She said she had heard of you when I said I’d ask you to mention the hospice in your column.’
‘No!’ he said.
‘I know,’ she said, sighing at his negative response. ‘I said I didn’t know you were a cult and that I hadn’t read any of your work.’
‘No. I’m not going to mention the hospice as I have to be impartial. As soon as I say something, then everyone will be asking me to mention this and that. I pride myself that I am not sponsored, and my thoughts are all mine, not influenced.’
Maddy smiled at his indignant expression and wanted to laugh. He looked stunning without realising it, even with his stubble. Actually, it enhanced it.
She felt herself blush.
‘What are you thinking?’ he asked, moving closer.
‘Nothing,’ she lied, sipping her wine. ‘Actually, I never realised you were so precious.’
‘You went red, so it has to be something more interesting than that.’
‘Do you spend all your time observing me? Am I like some new species?’
‘Sort of.’
‘Ted gladly raises money for the hospice, you know.’ Maddy sniffed at Stan. ‘He has a good heart.’
‘That’s because his clientele isn’t exactly poor, are they?’ Again, he smiled at her, and she tried not to grin back. ‘And neither is he.’
‘Are you going to tell me a sob story about you being poor? I’ll pay for dinner; don’t you worry about that.’
‘I can pay my way, thank you very much. I’m not one of your mates you have to give money to, so they can be your friend. I’m not Roland.’ Stan frowned, and she shook her head in response to shrugging. ‘You and Ted. I don’t get it.’
‘What’s there not to get?’ Maddy fed Phyllis some more crisps when Stan’s attention was caught by some women sitting near them. ‘I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, but we’ve not done it, nor are we going to. Ted and Pearl did it.’
‘He slept with Pearl?’ Now Stan’s eyes widened. ‘Lucky man!’
‘They were teenagers and don’t be so base. It was short and sweet, and we all remained friends which is good. I don’t see Ted like that. He’s like a brother, which I have told you before. Anyway, that bitch fancied him, and I think that’s why she left me alone. If I see her again, I’ll have to make out I married Ted.’ Maddy looked around as not to make eye contact with Stan while the hairs stood up on the back of her neck. ‘And we have kids. Five.’
‘Wow, you don’t like that woman.’ Stan leaned forward and touched the end of her nose. ‘Your nostrils flared, and you’ve got a bit of perspiration. Barking Maddy, she has pissed you off.’
‘The column you write,’ she said, changing the subject. ‘How come you never told me it was like a cult read? Would I like it?’
‘No,’ he replied sharply, pulling back. ‘It’s not something you’d appreciate. As you said, it’s rude and pretty opinionated. I don’t want to upset our burgeoning friendship.’
‘Friendship?’ she repeated, instantly smiling. ‘Yes, it is a new friendship.’ Maddy sipped her wine all the time looking at Stan. ‘Okay, well, I see you’ve got my best interests at heart, so I won’t read your column. Look! Our food’s coming!’
Stan ordered steak and chips with a side order of onion rings while Maddy had a child’s portion of chicken goujons and chips. Phyllis got a boneless piece of barbecue chicken.
Cutting up Phyllis’s food, she put the plate on the ground and watched the little lady tuck in. When she looked up, Stan was glancing at her plate as he ate.
‘Why do you get children’s portions? I thought it was only for your burger on Sunday.’
‘I like them,’ she said, feeling herself blush again.
‘And you specifically ask for salad on your plate but barely eat it.’
‘Psychologically, it makes me feel healthy.’
‘But your portions are small.’
‘It’s manageable and cheaper.’
‘But you’re not short of cash.’
‘I hate to see food wasted.’
‘You don’t want to tell me?’ He grabbed the salt and ground it over his chips. ‘That’s okay.’ Stan then sat up and took a deep breath. ‘Your portion size of food makes me think you’re always watching your weight. I noticed your collection of diet books in the kitchen.’
Maddy cut her goujon and placed it in her mouth before chewing, all the time avoiding eye contact.
‘I don’t think women should be slaves to dieting. The money that companies make from the diet books and all that stuff is just a joke. All you have to do is eat less and exercise more. Is that what you do?’ he continued.
She shook her head from side to side in response.
‘Have you a problem with your weight? Did you suffer from being overweight as a child?’ he questioned. ‘It’s very common. Is that why you were picked on?’
‘No.’
‘It’s a little odd.’
‘I have a small appetite,’ replied Maddy, putting another piece of food in her mouth. ‘And by not eating too much food I have less chance of feeling sick, and having more control.’
Unbeknown to Stan she had told him a little bit more than she had intended about the bulimia.
From the look on his face, he didn’t quite understand what she said.
But she did.
‘You gave me a fright!’
Stan looked stunned. Maddy had walked out into the living room on Saturday morning, and he was sleeping on the sofa, fully clothed. Perfectly still, she peered into his face to see if he was okay, making the man jump. ‘Don’t do that!’
‘I’m going to have to open the doors,’ she said, smelling the stale scent of booze. Then she grinned to herself. ‘We can’t even go on a practice run if you’ve been drinking. It’s extremely bad for your heart. Phyllis, you can run outside while I fumigate the room and prepare your breakfast.’
Stan decided to go back to sleep as his dog jumped up on him then scattered across the room to the garden. Maddy just stood, looking at the sleeping beauty, still with his hat on, fall back to sleep.
She went to her l
aptop, which was opposite to his on the dining table, and switched it on to check her emails. There were a few from her mother, one unfunny piece from her brother and a little note from Dora which read.
‘Hi, Maddy. Hope all is good. We need to prepare for my party on Friday 29th April (as if you forgot!) and your trip to Rome. Come and visit me at home when you can. Love Dora.’
‘Will do,’ she said to the screen then noticed Stan had gone, probably back to bed.
Phyllis was relieving herself in the garden, so she got the nappy sack and cleaned it up before heading back into the kitchen to make breakfast. Her egg was boiling in the pot, and she poured out the dog biscuits and refilled the water bowl. Then she sat down to have her breakfast and read what was happening in the world on her tablet.
There was a screech of the chair, and she noticed Stan was sitting opposite her, topless and with his hat on. She glanced at the tired face and eyes, before watching him watch her.
‘Tea?’ she asked, as he nodded, so she poured him a cup and watched him empty lots of milk into it. ‘Toast?’
The response was a nod.
‘Butter and jam?’
Again, the same thing.
She gave him two slices and watched him chew as if he was eating cardboard. Stan was sat there, completely still, now looking at Phyllis.
‘Good night?’ Maddy continued to ask. ‘We had lasagne and watched television. I saved you some for lunch.’
Another little nod was the response.
There was nothing more to do but to eat her boiled egg and drink her tea while trying to ignore him, but it was a little hard. Stan sitting without his top on and still wearing his hat wasn’t off-putting. She kept darting discreet looks at him out of admiration.
He, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to everything as he stared into space chewing slowly.
Holding her breath, she thought he looked quite beautiful, examining the beauty spot on his cheek and the glazed eyes.
When she sat with Roland for breakfast, considering he was more beefed up and overly handsome, he didn’t have the same gentle quality that Stan had. Unassuming and not knowing how hot he was. Roland knew he looked good and that used to gall Maddy a little.
‘Oh, you’re woofing at me,’ she said, seeing Phyllis was by her feet, trying to attract some attention. ‘That’s fine. We’ll go in a minute to get the new collar.’
‘What?’ he said, in mid-chew. ‘Where are you going?’
Maddy pulled a face in response to his pained expression.
‘Why don’t you go back to bed and have a little sleep?’ she gently replied. ‘I can hang out with Phyllis, and you can rest.’
‘You’re not buying her a collar. I know you’ll pick something with diamonds. Phyl needs something a little bit more practical.’
‘Like she’s going to need it?’ Munching on her toast, she smiled. ‘I’ve ordered the tag for her collar, and it’s going to look lovely. Trust me.’
‘You’ll buy something girlie.’
‘She is a girl.’
‘She’s a dog who is female.’
‘The last time I checked that meant she was a girl.’ Maddy started to laugh at Stan’s face. ‘You look pretty when you’re grumpy, do you know that?’
‘I’m not pretty,’ he gruffly replied, looking away then scratched his stubble.
‘Okay, handsome.’ Maddy got to her feet and cleared away the plates. ‘But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so they say.’
‘We have to go for a run.’
She stopped in mid-stride and glanced over her shoulder at him. He was smiling.
‘You need to rehydrate and rest,’ she said, carrying on with kitchen duties. ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea to run right now. Maybe tomorrow?’
‘You’re going to the hospice then to the pub, where you will consume two large glasses of wine, a burger, no chips and more than likely come home and pass out.’
‘How do you know that?’ Maddy turned on her heels to look at him.
‘I can tell.’ Stan grinned while eating the toast. ‘A light weight one calls it.’
‘Call it what you like, but that’s the best Sunday anyone can get.’
She washed up and put all the things away, leaving him at the table chewing his toast.
Again, Maddy examined Stan.
About seven months ago she had no idea he existed, and now he was camping out in her home. Phyllis was sitting dutifully at his feet, looking up in awe of her pet. If Maddy didn’t know any better, she would say it was love reflecting from the pup’s eyes. It made her let out a little sigh.
‘I’m going back to bed,’ he said, getting up and walked out the room.
His underpants had ridden down, and Maddy could see the top of his little peach shaped backside. His beloved dog was following him and barked at Maddy as she walked past, tail wagging in the air as if she knew her pet was hot to trot.
Maddy quite liked having these houseguests though she wasn’t going to tell one of them in particular because then he’d know it was all about semi-adopting the pooch.
But Phyllis’s pet wasn’t that bad thrown into the mix, and based on his bottom and pretty face, not bad at all.
‘Madeleine!’
Stan stood with his hands on his hips after looking at Phyllis’s new collar. ‘What is that?’
‘Oh,’ she said, pretending to do stretches as they stood in the park. ‘I know, it’s pretty with the diamond studs. I’m assured they won’t come out, so there’s no chance of her choking on them.’
‘It’s red with…’ He huffed as if unable to say it. ‘A love heart in the middle! Can you believe it?’
‘Isn’t it gorgeous?’ Maddy smiled sweetly at him, bending down to cuddle the dog. ‘And Phyllis has been walking with a spring in her step since she put it on. I’ll have to stop those other dogs sniffing around.’
‘It’s horrible!’ He shook his head in dismay. ‘She looks like a dog’s dinner.’
‘She does not!’ Maddy kissed Phyllis. ‘I think she looks beautiful and I got a new tag for her neck, all especially engraved.’
‘Let me see.’ Stan bent down and looked at was written then his mouth dropped open. They were at eye level as she grinned. ‘You are kidding me.’
‘What’s wrong with that? ‘My name is Phyllis, and my pet’s number is zero-.’
‘Pet is bad enough but what’s that at the bottom.’
‘Do you need reading glasses?’ she cheekily asked knowing he wasn’t happy. ‘It just says, ‘or you can call my friend Maddy on-.’
‘Why’s your name there?’ Stan’s eyes were bright now after he slept off his hangover and glaring at her. ‘She’s my dog!’
‘And if you’re busy being a cult writer and have to be whisked off to somewhere glamorous, then they can call me. I’m thinking about contingency plans here. I’ve got my eye on the ball.’ She kissed his nose and stood up, wanting to laugh, but holding it in. ‘Let’s go for a jog. You do need to know that I can’t run. Never have been able to. I’m fit when cycling and going to the gym but running? It’s not a skill I have. Sometimes when I-.’
‘Stop talking,’ he said, putting his hand out as if that would silence her. ‘I’ve still got a headache, and what you’ve done to my dog, well, I don’t know.’
‘A woman needs to be treated with great care and attention. Calling her Phyl and making her wear boy things is not right. She’s a very pretty girl and needs to be appreciated.’
The response was for him to double blink.
He wasn’t wearing a hat but had his dark blue hooded top on and was scowling at her.
‘Do you ever stop talking?’ he said, looking at Phyllis and grimacing. ‘Ever?’
‘Nope! My mum said I was a chatterbox since I started to talk. I started quite early.’
‘And you’ve never stopped?’
‘Nope.’ Maddy smiled up at him. ‘I know people say stuff about me talking non-stop, but I can’t help it. Words are
nice, even writing them, which you should know about. And communicating is a good thing. My mind is forever ticking something over.’
Then there was a look in his eye that quite startled her.
It wasn’t kind but seemed annoyed and maybe with a hint of dislike.
She recognised it from when she was at school and how Tara would glare.
‘Don’t look at me like that,’ she whispered, stepping back. ‘It’s not nice.’
‘Let’s run.’
And so, they did.
He made her jog for a few minutes then run. Phyllis was having a whale of a time joining in and barked happily away, but Stan was very quiet. He seemed to be concentrating on exercising and didn’t notice when Maddy started to slow up, pretending to jog when she wasn’t moving. He suddenly sprinted off with Phyllis as she hopped at a slower pace.
Her phone rang. It was Dora.
‘Hello there,’ Maddy said, trying not to sound exhausted. ‘How are you?’
‘Are you okay?’ her friend asked. ‘You sound breathless, a bit like me.’
‘I’m in training for the run on bank holiday weekend. My boss thinks it might be a good idea for me to compete and raise money for the hospice.’
She was then met with a massive laugh from the other end of the phone.
‘You’re going to run?’ giggled Dora, who found it funny as Maddy stopped. ‘Remember when you tried to do it three years ago, and they took you to the hospital because you said you had a heart attack?’
‘Okay, that was a bit of a glitch,’ she whispered, turning around and walking back the way she came, so as not to let Stan hear. But he was miles ahead. ‘I hadn’t trained, and in four weeks I will be fighting fit.’
‘Even I could run the five kilometers and do it faster than you are holding my tank!’ Again, Dora started to laugh, and it made Maddy smile.
‘Dora, please can you calm down,’ her mother said in the background. ‘You weren’t well last night, so you have to rest. I guess you’re speaking to Maddy about your party.’
‘You weren’t well?’ Maddy asked, her joy completely slipping. ‘What’s wrong?’
