Living with Dementia

 After the meal, Nann excused herself saying she had something to do. Mike gave her the nod and sat on the sofa to read the paper. Nann was not gone that long, in fact, to Mike, it seemed like only moments. Nann walked into the lounge in her dressing gown, and Mike wondered what was going on, looking at this beautiful woman who he was very much in love with, he wondered if she was alright. "Are you ok my sweet?" Mike asked her. "If your tired, then get your head down, I won't mind." Nann walked over to Mike on the sofa and sat down next to him, as they snuggled it to each other Nann sat so that her back was against Mike's chest, as she raised her feet onto the sofa Mike watched as the side of her dressing gown opened and fell to the floor, Nann was now showing a large expanse of thigh, and Mike wanted so much to touch her there. Nann turned in his embrace, kissing his mouth she whispered. "Michael my darling, we have little time left before we are parted, so I would like you to make love to me, not in bed, but here, right here on the sofa, and I want it to last as long as you can make it last so that when you are in England, I will have wonderful memories. Mike made love to his beautiful girl, and he as promised made it last, Nann as she said later passed cloud nine and ended up almost floating in outer space. As they lay together on the sofa getting their breath back to normal Nann looked at Mike and said. "Darling that was wonderful, I do love you, and I know that when we are together again life will be as it is at this moment, you and I snuggled up on the sofa, our bodies touching as they are now." As Mike looked at Nann he noticed that her eyes were closing, she was falling asleep, so very gently Mike got up off the sofa, then picking up Nann in his arms, he carried her into the bedroom. Pushing back the sheet and blankets with his left foot, he lay Nann onto the bed and covered her naked body with the bedclothes, turning off the bedside lamp, Mike made his way to the other side of the bed and climbed in as he made himself comfortable ready for sleep, Nann was using her hand to feel for him, as she found what she was looking for she held it, and placed Mike's hand onto her bust, "Mmmm that feels nice, love you." and she was asleep.

In the morning, there was a knock at the bedroom door, Mike woke up and said, "Come in," Grace was at the door with two cups of tea, as Mike sat up, Grace asked him if everything was ok. "Yes, everything is great." he said, "couldn't be better." Nann stirred and opened her eyes, "What's the time."  she asked. Mike looked at his watch. " 09-25," Mike answered. Nann saw her mother looking down at her with a smile on her face. "Well." she said, "You look in a happier mood today, this young man must be doing you a power of good." Nann smiled at her mother. "Yes mummy, he does." as she was talking to her mother she grabbed Mike's hand under the bedclothes and placed it around her waist, then still talking said. "He really does."Grace left the room, and Mike went to the bathroom. Back in the bedroom, Mike got dressed and then walked into the lounge. Mr Taylor was drinking a black cup of coffee and eating some dry toast. "Hello son, sleep well." "Not bad," Mike said, "How did the party go last night." "Very good. " Roger said, "but I will never get used to that wine from the hole in the wall, we must have drunk gallons of the stuff, it's a good job that Grace has her driving licence, I was in no fit state to drive."

Sitting at the table Grace bought in a plate for Mike of egg bacon and fried bread, plus some toast and marmalade. As Mike started to tuck in, Nann came and sat next to him, she put her arm around his neck and kissed him, then pinching a slide if toast from his plate she bit into it saying she wasn't that hungry. Looking at Mike she asked him how he slept, Mike had a mouthful of food, so what came out was a load of splutter, they all laughed. Once Mike's mouth was empty he was able to say that he slept very soundly.

After a lot of small talk around the table with Roger and Grace Mike and Nann left the flat and took the bus to  Rabat, getting off in the square they went to the small kiosk on the grass and had a coffee, sat at one of the wooden tables, they sat holding hands, talking about the future and what they planned to do, They both wanted to get married, and both wanted Mike to stay in the Royal Navy, and as Nann said, if we do start a family, then I feel sure that with you away, and me at home with our son or daughter things will be fantastic. They sat for ages holding hands, then Mike got up from the table, taking the cups back to the kiosk he took Nann by the hand and the pair of them made the short walk across the bridge into the silent city. Walking along the narrow streets, they headed out to the bastion wall where they sat.

Nann looked into Mike's eyes, and the tears welled up, she could not hold back any longer, leaning into his chest, she wept openly. As Mike held her in his arms, he could feel her pain but had no way of knowing how to stop it, all he could do was hold her, and show her that in his arms, she was safe and secure. After some time, Nann was still, she gently pulled away from Mike's embrace. As she looked into his eyes, she could see the tears, though he didn't cry as she had done, but she knew that he felt as she did, Nann kissed him, and in her heart, she felt happy now. they were sad that they would soon be parted but happy, no very happy that they had the strength to get through this.

As Mike helped Nann off the wall, she slid into his arms and they kissed. "I love you, Maureen," Mike said. "I love you very much, and if I am lucky enough to come back to Malta before you go home, I'm going to ask your dad if he will let us get married."  "I love you too Michael," Nann said. "And if you do come back here before we leave, I will marry you, even if I have to bully daddy to do it." Nann smiled, and they kissed again. As they retraced there steps towards the bridge, they stopped at the church in the square, looking at the main door they stood in silent prayer together, God was not just the God of Roman Catholics, he was a God for everyone, so to Nann and Mike, he was there God as well, and could answer their prayers if need be. Nann was a lot happier now, and for the rest of the day they spent there time enjoying each others company. They got back to the flat at around 7 pm, on the table was a note, gone to tombola, love mum and dad. Nann made them something to eat, and after doing the washing up, Nann took Mike's hand and lead him to the bedroom. "Mike love, I have a couple of gifts for you, I want to give them to you while we are on our own. One is very special and for your eyes alone. She then went to her dressing table, and from the middle draw produced a box some 12 by 9 and a couple of inches deep. When Mike opened the box, there was inside a framed colour photo of Maureen wearing the green dress, the one she wore on the night of her birthday, the one that Mike was asked to remove. The portrait had been done in a studio, Nann was sat in a high winged back chair with her legs crossed, the picture was taken at a slight angle so that Nann's bust seemed very prominent. Also, she was sat with her legs crossed and her hands clasped to her knee, she was showing a little bit of leg, very glamourous, but not overly sexy, just enough to look enticing, but of coarse Mike knew exactly what was under that dress, and only him, and he was a gentleman and had no intentions of telling others. The whole picture looked very professional, Nann was smiling and looked beautiful. As Mike took the picture out of the box, he smiled at Nann. "This will go on my locker at Raleigh," he said and kissed her. As Mike went to put it back in its box, he noticed a piece of tissue paper in the bottom of the box, lifting it out he went to unwrap it, but Nann stopped him. "No love, please don't open those here, what is in that tissue paper is for you to look at privately, when you are on your own, then she handed him a smaller box, in it was a wallet, with the letters M & M in gold on the front. When Mike opened the wallet there behind a clear plastic screen was the same picture in the large box but in a smaller version. Mike kissed the picture and said."Thank you." Nann asked."Tell me, love, why did you kiss it. "Well." Mike said, "When we are away from each other, this will be the closest I can get to you." Nann kissed him. "Yes." she said, "But you have me here now, so keep your kisses for the person, and not the cardboard cutout." As she was talking she was giggling, Mike grabbed her around the waist and sitting on the dressing table stool, he put Nann over his knee. "Please Michael, no please don't smack me." but it was too late, Mike lifted the dress over her bottom, then raising his hand, Mike made to slap her. Nann's body went tense, ready for the pain, but it didn't happen, not with a slap anyway, Nann felt the fingers on her right cheek, then she felt his mouth, then the teeth, and finally the kiss. As Nann stood up her face was bright red. Mike looked at her. "Are you alright?" he asked. "No," Nann said. "I feel as if, well as if we have just made love. Excuse me, love, I need to go to the bathroom."

When Nann came out of the bathroom, Mike was on the sofa in the lounge, as she joined him he again asked her if she was ok. "I am now." she said, "I have had to change my knickers." She giggled. "I think I wet myself when I thought you were going to smack me, it was wonderful and strange, all at the same time.

Roger took Mike home at around 10, Mike had his new wallet and the picture of Nann and wanted to get them into his hand luggage as soon as he could, he had no intension of putting them into his suitcase that went into the hold of the aircraft, he wanted then close to hand. Before putting the picture away, he once again took it out to look at it, then seeing the tissue paper, he took that out and inside, was a picture of his girl, wearing the green bra and panties she wore on her birthday, Mike's memory was going round in crazy circles, he had had to undo that bra, and slide those panties off of Nann's bottom, after which they had made love for the very first time. Under the picture was a second, again it was Nann, but this time she was wearing the bra and panties she wore at the night banyan party, and again Mike's brain started going crazy, thinking about what they had gotten up to that night. But then looking at both pictures together, he realised, that Nann had gone to a great deal of trouble to get those pictures and get them printed in Malta. As Mike made to put them both back in the tissue paper, he noticed the two notations on the back of the pictures. On the picture of Nann in the green outfit were the words, on the day you leave, I will be put away, only to come out when you return, and on the other one, it said, Look at me, when you need reminding of what you are missing, what you see is missing you just as much. Mike put the box with its contents into his flight bag, then closing his eyes he fell asleep, but all through the night, his dreams were so vivid, when he woke up in the morning, he had to look at the side of the bed, wondering if Nann would appear with two cups of tea.

Sunday night Mike and Nann were in the very back row of the club cinema, they were sat in the very far corner, the film was boring, but they were alone, and apart from the odd time when Grace or Dorothy looked back at them, they were left to there own devises. Mike had his hand around Nann's shoulder, she was wearing a pale green top and skirt, the top was low a low V neck, and Mike was able to play with Nann's bust, and she let him have his fun, the more Mike squeezed, the more Nann snuggled into him. She placed her hand over his, saying. "Please stop sweetheart, I cannot take any more, if we carry on, I will be dragging you onto the floor, and you know what that will entail. " Mike and Nann left the boring film and walked down the steps to the club below, in the club Mike bought them both a drink then finding a seat that looked out towards Sliema, they sat in silence for a long time, just holding hands watching the traffic on the waterfront, the street lights gave off a warm glow as it shone onto the water. They were so engrossed in each other, they didn't see Grace standing in front of them, as they looked up at her, she could see the tears in both their eyes, she knelt in front of them putting her hand over there. "I do realise," she said, in a soft calming voice, "What you are both going through, but you need to know, if you can get through this, then you can get through anything, yes it will be hard, but I can see in the two of you the love you have for each other, and that love will see you get through this, I promise you." Then leaning forwards she kissed them both on the cheek she stood up saying. "Come on my two young darlings its time to go."