Chapter 5: Oil & Vinegar

Hello you lovely people! I hope you all had wonderful holidays. Winter Classic is a hop, skip and a jump away so you best all be excited. Sorry this one is short but Max didn't seem to feel much like talking these past few weeks. Let me know what you think. :)


I was never good at meeting the family. I got lucky in meeting most of Mal’s family at the ballet where it was not appropriate to talk. This kept me from putting my foot in my mouth for the most part. Tonight I would not have that luxury. I sat in the parlor of the big fancy house with a maid/cook that opened the door and took my coat. We all knew Mal was running late and I couldn’t exactly sit in the driveway since there had to be a buzzer to get the gate open so here I was parlor a glass of scotch in my hand. I don’t even like scotch but Mal’s Grandfather insisted on it. He was a nice enough guy but no doubt felt just as awkward as me… or much less so. He seemed pretty comfortable in what was obviously his favorite chair watching me be uncomfortable sipping my own scotch.

I had to fight not to curse as I felt my phone vibrate in my jacket pocket. Next thing I know Ke$ha is busting out letting me know that it is in fact Mal calling. It’s a silly ring tone but when the song comes on she always dances around to it and it is especially funny with my playoff beard being just around the corner.

“If it is Mallory please answer, if it isn’t then that song needs to be explained.” The old man said with just a hint of a mischievous smile. I may actually like him.

“Yes, it’s her.” I said answering. As usual she just started talking not even letting me say hello.

“I promise at one point I was on time…” she paused honking her horn. “Fucking Walmart parking lot. Put me on speaker I need my Grandpa to hear this too.”

I followed her directions. “Ok, Mal your on.”

“Great. Grandpa, Max, Max my Grandpa. Sorry you guys are stuck waiting on me. I really was on time at one point. Then there was this big accident. There were kids and I couldn’t just wait for the EMT’s.” she said making my jaw drop. She had done this before. I had actually seen her pause to help someone on the street before. “So long story short I’m walking into wal-mart now because I got a little….” she paused. “Messy.” I knew messy was her and Sarah’s usual code for bloody or some other nursing related kind of grossness. “So I’ll be there shortly to change. I currently look so crazy with scrubs thrown over my dress.” My mind goes to the thought of her in her pink scrubs in heels. That would be hot, not as hot as an old times nurse uniform with the hat but still hot. “Grandpa be nice to Max. Max don’t be shy. You guys should talk about Max’s charity. He wants to start a foundation Grandpa so maybe a few tips?” Mal said into the phone as I heard plastic hangers sliding around. “Just be good both of you till I get there.” With that she ended the call.

“So a foundation?” her Grandfather asked sitting back in his chair slightly more relaxed.

“Yes, Sir. I want to put some good in the world. Hockey is good but I want lasting good. To know I did my parts to help the human race.” I explain powering through a sip of the scotch.

“That sound nice Max. Do you have thoughts on what your charity will work towards?” he had to go and ask a hard question.

“Well I think it will take on a project at a time. I love supporting children’s charities. Helping cancer patients has a place in my heart as well. Right now I have a friend who has been telling me about the problems in Haiti. I think our first goals will have to do with that. I am planning to go visits down there late this summer. I hope to see what I can do.” please god let that have made sense.

“That is the benefits of having a foundation. You can do whatever speaks to you. For example when we started our foundation the first goal was the childrens museum then the cancer center and now a grant program to help found other projects that focus on bettering the lives of local families.” he explained to me.

“Yes, I however can not make my foundation central to Pittsburgh. As much as I would love to do so I can not because of how mobile my job is.” It was a reality every hockey player faced. Not all of us were lucky enough to have no trade clauses and long term contracts. A player like me has to work for every start, has to work to stay.

He nodded. “Someday I always expected a man would take Mallory away from me.”

I opened my mouth to speak but the bustle at the front door distracted both us.

“Hey men folk I’m going to change because I’m pretty sure it’s not appropriate to as dirty as I am for a dinner. Sorry Grandpa but I had to go with jeans.” she said holding up her walmart bag.

“Meet us in the dining room Mallory we’ll be waiting for you.” her Grandpa said draining his drink and watching me till I drained mine before leading the way to the formal dining room.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Sorry you were stuck like that.” Mal said as I tossed my keys on the counter of her apartment.

“No problem. It wasn’t that bad.” I shrug taking off my over coat handing it to her as she hung up her own followed by mine. It was this little tradition or something she always did at least. It made me feel especially welcome that she didn’t just toss my coat somewhere. She wanted me there and made space in her closet (which I know is freakishly full) for me.

“Good.” she walked around her kitchen in her bare feet the jeans and plaid shirt she had gotten at walmart looking amazing on her like this was her normal. “He made you drink scotch didn’t he?” she asked wrinkling her nose

“Yeah but it wasn’t dat bad.” I say with a shrug moving in behind her as she got me a glass of water without asking me if I needed it. I was thirsty. She was good at anticipating my needs before I even knew them. She relaxed back into me sighing. “Do you need to talk about the accident?” It wasn’t like me to open up this kind of a conversation. To be honest I have a hard time listening. My mind just kind of wonders off somewhere and I end up saying some kind of wacky shit that may or may not vaguely have to do with what the conversation was about. It works for me though because I’m Max Talbot and people don’t expect me to be a good listener.

“Yes and no.” she said shrugging one shoulder that I could feel move up and then down on my chest as I stood behind her. “I just… the kids were really little. I would guess three and five. Two little boys. They had hockey gear in the back.” she sighed again turning in my arms so she could rest her head against my chest. “We never talk about the future because neither of us are the making plans type and to be honest it is still way to soon for anything like that. It was just… seeing these little kids with their hockey gear in the back of the station wagon made me scared. I don’t get scared about this stuff. I’ve seen kids with gun shot wounds or kids get their chest cracked open in the ER or see them slowly waste away. This just freaked me out.”

“Do you want that someday? Little boys with hockey gear in the back of the car?” I asked wrapping my arms around her tight. I could feel her pulse picking up anxiety building within her.

“Yeah, I guess. I mean someday.” I could feel her brows furrow against me.
“I want dat too someday.” I say managing to catch myself before I add the with her. It freaked me out as much as I think it would have freaked her out. I have never ever thought of anyone like this before. “Mal…” I swallow hard as my mouth goes dry with anticipation of what I am about to say. “I think you should know that I am in love with you.”

She make some kind of soft humming sound like a cat purring but also unique to her. “I love you too Max.”

“Shower then bed eh?” I ask knowing she had to still feel gross clothes changed or not I know the first thing she does when she gets home from work is shower.

“Yeah, shower then bed.” she said back as I slowly unwrapped us from the death grip we had on one another.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So I told Mal that I love her.” I say to Kris as we are both in the stick room cutting and being obsessive. Sometimes it freaks me out how obsessive we all get about stuff. Sid and his gross hat and his peanut butter and jelly time. Kris with the tape on the blade of his stick. We’re all a bit crazy but I try to keep a lid on mine.

“You did what?” he asked lifting the blade of the table saw.

“I told Mal that I love her.” I say again.

He just gives me this look that I’m not sure what the fuck it means. It’s somewhere between a shocked face and a glair and uniquely Kris. “And you mean it?”

“Yeah I mean it.” I saw rolling my eyes heating up the glue with the hot gun thing remembering no one ever told me what the hell this thing was called in English.
“Oh well that’s good.” he says going back about his business. He’s so freaking weird sometimes. Train with him for months and I’ll never understand how Sarah puts up with him.

“Hey this is a big deal.” I say.

“Not really. Either you love her or you don’t and you just told her a lie. Since you say you really do love her then I am happy for you. You two are crazy but I am happy for you. You are like oil and vinegar you and Mal. You make good salad dressings but are such individuals it is hard for others to see how you can work.” he just shrugged and went back to working on his sticks.

Damn him for being a fucking relationship Yoda right now. He was right the rat bastard. The only way oil and vinegar can work together is if you keep shaking them up. Mal and I may love one another but to keep that we’ll have to keep shaking the bottle. I like dramatics but could I really do that for forever? Is a car with little boys and hockey gear really something that can be shaken up when we get bored and the love we have separates like salad dressing?