Endgame by Malorie Blackman

Author:Malorie Blackman [Blackman, Malorie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780241444009
Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK
Published: 2021-09-16T00:00:00+00:00

thirty-seven. Tobey

* * *

I buzzed round my apartment, making sure there was nothing untoward that would rain down Callie’s disapproval upon me. No knickers stuffed behind the sofa cushions. No lipstick or earrings ‘carelessly’ discarded by past acquaintances, hoping to use the absence of their personal items as an excuse to visit me again. I used a cleaning service who came every other morning to see to the place, but my usual cleaner was on two weeks’ holiday and I had declined the offer of a replacement. Once in a while, it did me good to fend for myself as a reminder of where I came from.

Look at me! What the hell was I doing? Trying to make a good impression on a woman who found me deeply unimpressive. And, with her mum whispering in her ear, what chance did I have? On the night of Dan’s party, when George announced that dinner was served, Sephy and I’d had a brief chat – if you can call it that – as we headed for the dining room. If I’d vomited gold bars and pooped pearls, that woman would still give me the serious side-eye. I remembered every word of our conversation.

‘What’s what, Sephy? How’s Callie Rose? I haven’t seen or spoken to her in too long.’

‘Not long enough,’ Sephy replied.

My lips twisted into a wry smile. ‘Same old Sephy.’

‘Same old Tobey. And that’s Mrs Ealing to you.’

I tried again. ‘I’ve been following Callie’s career. You must be so proud of everything she’s accomplished. I know I am.’

Sephy looked me up and down. ‘I’ve been following your career just as closely, Tobey,’ she told me. ‘The smart money says you’ll be the next leader of Albion.’

‘And what d’you say?’

‘I say I was smart enough not to vote for you. You know as much about public service as I know about the dark side of the moon.’

Well, I did ask. ‘Mrs Ealing, that’s hardly fair. Why d’you think I got into this game in the first place?’

‘You see, Tobey, you just gave yourself away there. You’re in the position to change the course of people’s lives for good and yet you call it a game. Yes, the drug rehabilitation centre you set up back in the day was to help others. Everything after that has been to help yourself,’ she replied.

Why was I even arguing with this woman? Nothing I said or did was ever going to win her over. But that didn’t stop me trying. ‘I know it’s hard for you to believe, but I genuinely want to do some good.’

‘Then start by staying away from my daughter,’ said Sephy.

‘Why is it so hard for you to believe that I care about Callie?’

‘Care about her?’

Pause. ‘Yes, care about her,’ I repeated. Damn it! I was blushing. A grown-ass man who made other world leaders nervous, yet this woman had me blushing! That’s what Sephy had reduced me to, what she always reduced me to.

‘Tobey, you wouldn’t know an honest emotion if it bit you on the left bum cheek.

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