Chapter 11

"Let's celebrate!"

Malcolm had put the kettle on and Sharon set about peeling the cellophane wrapper off the box of chocolate covered truffles. He then joined her where she was standing at the end of the island. His shoulder brushed up against hers and he felt her lean into him.

"This really is fantastic news Malcolm." She lifted off the box top. "I know you've been worried about this book."

He started to protest but she shut him down. "Don't try to deny it. I can read your face like this best seller you're writing." She pulled the waffled protective covering off the chocolates and brought the box up to her nose for a long leisurely sniff.

"You still love smelling your chocolates." He chided.

"Ahhh! It's like heaven."

He laughed and she set down down the box. "And I'm not kidding about your book being a best seller..."

"Oh, d-don't go and ...j-jinx it!"

"I'm not going to jinx it. I know you." She put her arm around his shoulder and gave him a hug. "I know what kind of man you really are and its about time the rest of Britain knew as well. It'll shut up those smug faced bastards who wanted to pillar you in court." She reached into the box for a truffle. "Here, you get the first one." She held it up and popped it into his mouth.

"They're... very good," he smacked out while chewing.

She snagged one for herself and took a bite. "Mmmmm...so decadent! She moaned.

He was always amazed at how she could make eating chocolates sound so damn sexy. He smiled at the memories of all the boxes he's bought her just so he could hear her moan. Sharon still had her right arm around his shoulder and when she returned his smile... that's when it happened.

He'd leaned in and kissed her.

And then...nothing. There was no response on her part. Not initially. But a mere second and a half later he felt her arm leave his shoulder as she took a step back.

The surprise in her voice was evident. "What are you doing?"

He thought it was pretty obvious and didn't know what to say, so he just stood there, confused over her reaction.

Looking flustered, she moved to stand around the corner of the isle to face him. "Malcolm, you...you can't do that ."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm with someone! We've been together for nearly two years now."

He was shocked. "I d-didn't know."

"No, because you've never asked!"

I haven't, have I? He pulled in his bottom lip and chewed on it nervously. Why haven't I?

Sharon had noticed after the first week she'd spent with him. She noticed he never asked questions anymore. The Malcolm Tucker she once knew used to be what she'd describe as a human data mining machine. Always asking questions, personal or otherwise. Always mining the minutia out of every encounter to be saved ,extrapolated and filed away for future reference, gain or advantage. But now there was nothing and he didn't even realize, so she thought it best to never to bring it up.

But his kiss had breached the dam and she couldn't hold back..

"You've never asked me about my life since our divorce, if I was married or even dating. You haven't asked me where I live. You've never once asked about my new career, or even if I'm happy. You've never commented on my new car or my new hair color. You haven't even asked me about my sister who now has two twin boys, and I haven't gotten to tell you that I'm now an Aunt who gets to spoil them rotten. And most of all you've never once asked me about my mother ...who by the way, died last year! It's like part of you is missing!" She'd felt herself starting to shake as she spoke, and she shocked herself when she spit out her private observation of him. She threw her hand over her mouth to stop anything more from coming out. Oh god! The hurt and confusion in his eyes were clearly visible and she took a step towards him. She reached for his hand to apologize for her outburst and to explain, but he backed away until he bumped against the stove. He turned to his right and grasped the edge of the kitchen sink for support.

"I'm sorry Malcolm. I didn't mean it like that."

He didn't reply, but she could tell he was upset by the rise and fall of his shoulders and this rapid breathing.

""Please Malcolm, I want to apologize, or at least explain."

A response finally came, but it wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"J-just...go."

That had been three days ago.

Afterwards. Sam had lingered behind in the kitchen long enough to turn off the kettle that had started to squeal and she caught up to Malcolm in the living room just as he was about to deploy his favorite avoidance tactic. The television. So, she positioned herself between him and it.

"Malcolm, before she left, Sharon told me to tell you that she needed a break and that she'd be back in a couple of weeks."

Th remote he'd been picking up dropped back down with a clatter atop his end table. "A break?" He stared up at Sam while his mind processed her message. A break?Two weeks!

"Yeah...well I think I need a f-fuckin' break too. In fact, I think we all need a break. I'm sure you must have a p- puppy to feed or a man that needs d-dating."

That last comment elicited a confused look from Sam.

He got up out of his recliner. "Come on," he ordered her as he headed over to the work table. "Let's get you all p-packed up and...and headed home so you can d-do what-ever it is you do when you're not stuck... hanging ah-round with me."

"Malcolm, I don't need..."

"Sure you d-do." He interrupted, his voice sounding a bit more agitated. "I need one, we all need one." He gathered up some of Sam's papers and held them out to her. "So let's all take a break...and meet back in in a cu-cu-couple of weeks." He then gave Sam the phoniest smile she'd ever seen. She thought it best not to argue and started packing up her things.

Malcolm escorted her to the door. As she started down the frirst step Malcolm suddenly blurted out, "Are you happy?"

She turned back at his question and gave him a searching look before replying. "I'm happy enough." She smiled, stepped towards him and pulled him into a hug with her free arm. He was startled. "Call me if you need me," she whispered his ear. She kissed him on the cheek and then briefly rubbed her thumb across pink smudge she'd left behind. As Malcolm stood there watching her walk away, he was more confused than ever.

Three days ago was the last time he'd spoken to anyone.

He was now in full brood mode. And when he wasn't brooding, the TV was blaring. Because with no one else around, it was just 'too fuckin' quiet'. His three days of solitude were starting to feel like three weeks. It was dinner time and he was seriously considering getting dressed and going out to eat when there was a knock at his front door.

A part of him wanted to run to the door yelling "Come in! Come in!". But he was still in a mood and he really didn't want to speak to anyone. The knocking got louder. If that's someone trying to sell those shitty magazine subscriptions I'm going to give them a good bollicking. Haven't done that in a while. Might make me feel better! He grabbed his cane and hurried to the door. Wrenching it open he started swearing before he even looked to see who it was.

"W-what the f-fuck do ya want!" He looked up. "What are you d-doin' here? D-didn't you get my...my message?"

"You mean the one you left on my voice mail?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah."

"I never got it," he said sarcastically, pushing his way into Malcolm's house.

"I d-dont recall inviting you in!" He yelled at Jamie's back as he headed to the living room .

Jamie turned around. "I not the one who's the funkin' pasty faced vampire here," he pointed at Malcolm. "That's you. I don't need to be invited in."

Malcolm slammed the door shut and followed him in. "Am I not ah-llowed to go f-five minutes in my own...home without someone ch-checking up on me or...or trying to stitck a ther-mometer up my butt!"

Jamie's eyes went wide. "Woah, Malc...I don't need to know about your kinky fetishes, I'm just here to ask you one a question and then I'll be on me way."

Malcolm leaned his cane against the work table and crossed his arms defensibly. "What."

"What the fuck were ye thinkin?" He yelled at Malcolm.

I don't have to listen to this! Embarrassed that Jamie knew what had happened, he grabbed his cane and shoved the rubber tip into Jamie's chest, shoving him back until he made himself room to pass to his chair.

Jamie kept on rebuking him. "You don't make out with the ex! Every man knows that. We learn that before we're out of fuckin' primary school. Don't make out with the ex!"

He flopped down into his chair with a grunt. "Did Sam p-put you up to this?"

"Sam? What's Sam got to do with this? You make out with her too?"

"Shut up!"

"Sharon called me the night it happened."

"So why d-did you wait till now to come over ?"

"Because if I'd come sooner you'd have probably beat me with that cane of yours instead of poking me in the chest with it."

Malcolm laid the cane across the arms of his recliner, He held on to it, just in case he did need to beat Jamie with it. "She tell you what she said?"

"Yeah."

"All if it?"

Jamie moved in closer to Malcolm's chair. "There's nothing wrong with you."

"You tell her that?"

"Malcolm, part of you isn't missing. It's just been misplaced."

Malcolm snapped his head to the left and he looked accusingly up at Jamie. "You knew ah-b-bout this? You knew and you di-di-didn't tell me!"

Jamie sighed and crossed in front of Malcolm to take a seat on the couch. "Malcolm...it's just like learning to walk again or going through speech therapy. It's just a skill you need to relearn. A social skill."

"What if it d-dosen't come back?"

"You said the same thing about your hand and your leg."

"Neither of those are back to normal!"

Jamie was getting frustrated as well. "It's barley been a year! A year since they cut your head open and played around in your brain! Everything will take time, you know that! Christ!" He shook his head in annoyance and leaned back into the couch. "You certainly haven't lost the ability to be an irritating cunt."

"Is that supposed to make me f-feel better?"

"You want to be coddled? Is that what you want? We can still move you in to the care home with your mum."

"F-fuck you."

"Malcolm, up until recently your social circle has consisted of only three people. Your sister, myself and Sam. Your lack of social skill wasn't high on the list of priorities. Your physical rehab and your book have been the main focus, so I apologize if we've been lax on the details."

"D-details! What else haven't you told me?"

"Aren't you gonna offer me a something to drink. That is part of the social skill thing that you're lacking. You should work on that now."

"Jamie," Malcolm glowered at him. "What else?"

He pointed at Malcolm's face. "See that, your eyebrows haven't lost the ability to make people want to shit themselves."

"What else, you f-fuck twat?"

"Ahhh, ok. There was something Sam mentioned to me a few weeks ago."

His expression quickly went from anger to worry. Shit. Do I really want to know? Of course he did. "What?"

"She thinks the stoke has made you colorblind."

Colorblind? "How can she tell that?"

"Well, she said that since you've been doing your own wash none of your socks match anymore."

"My socks?" Malcolm kicked both his feet out and looked down at his ankles. "What's wrong with my socks?"

Jamie looked too. "The left one is grey and the right one is brown," he said.

"Really? Malcolm kept looking.

"Yep."

"Well I think that would be good to know! I could be dressing myself like a clown! Thanks, thanks a lot."

"Malcolm, it was just a recent observation. We weren't sure." He looked down at Malcolm's ankles again. "Pretty sure now though."

Malcolm placed his hands over his eyes and rubbed them in frustration. "Arrrggh!"

"You should probably go an have your eyes checked."

He glared over at Jamie through his fingers and mumbled through his hands. "I should beat you with my cane."

Jamie laughed. And so did Malcolm after a moment.

After their laughing subsided. Jamie brought their conversation back around to why he was there in the first place. "So...kissing the ex. What were you thinking?"

He let out a sigh. "I wasn't thinking, that's what happened."

"Well, some part of you was obviously thinking." Jamie playfully ribbed..him "Good to know that's not broke, am I right?"

Embarassed, Malcolm squirmed in his chair. Truth be told he hadn't really thought about 'that'. Maybe it doesn't work? Jamie couldn't help but interpret Malcolm's silence. Shit! "Oh, sorry, mate."

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment, but Jamie couldn't keep quiet.

"So, you haven't...taken it for a test drive since your stroke?"

Malcolm rested his right elbow on the arm of his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't want to discuss his dick with anyone.

"I can bring you some of my magazines, if you think it might help."

Malcolm silently shook his head. He didn't want any of Jamie's wank mags. "Can we not d-discuss this?"

"Fine. But maybe you should start getting out more. Maybe start dating?"

Malcolm gave him a look. "D-dating! I'm not exactly a teen...teen-ager anymore."

"It's just a thought."

"Yeah. Well my past proceeds me."

"Ah!" Jamie exclained. "That's it!"

"What 's it?"

"That's why you kissed her! She already knew you. She was safe."

"I su-pose. She is the one person who knows me best."

Jamie got a mischievous glint in his eye. "Well, I wouldn't say the one person."

Malcolm though a moment. But he was at a loss. "Who else you talking ah-bout?"

Jamie gave him a bumb founded look. "Seriously?"

"I don't fancy you! You bent bastard!"

"No, not me!" He shook his head at Malcolm's cluelessness. "You really are thick aren't you?"

"What do you mean?"

I'm talkin' about Sam!"

"Sam?"

"Yes, Sam."

"But she's my secretary."

"Was your secretary. "

"Yeah, but..."

"You relly don't have a fuckin clue, do you?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Before the move to opposition. The PM offered Sam a job."

"What?" This came as a surprise. "What job?"

"Clerk of the Privy Council."

"What!"

"She turned him down flat."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because of her loyalty to you, you moron."

Fuck! I am a moron! Sure he was extremely fond of Sam. But he was also a gentleman and he never thought of her in 'those' terms. Course, he was too busy trying to forestall the latest cock-up from toppling the government to properly notice much of anything in those days. They did spend a lot of time together though, and she was the only person he knew that took no notice of his bullshit. How many times had he thrown a blanket over her after finding her asleep on his couch after patiently waiting for him to come back from an emergency meeting in the wee hours of the night. She knew what he liked to eat, and how he like his coffee. She laughed at his obscene jokes and cleaned up the daily mess of mandarin skins off his office desk. Oh shit...she was my work wife!

Jamie saw the penny drop for Malcolm, his eyes growing wide as he touched his left cheek. With his job done, Jamie got up to leave. Stopping briefly next to Malcolm before he left, he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and squeezed. "Stick that in your bonnet and think about it."