Free Savage Night by Allan Guthrie

too.
    This was how they used to fuck. Liz lying on her back, her legs over his shoulders.
    He lowered her legs. Her thatch of near-black hair reached to her belly button. And the hair was thick. He remembered that. It was always thick and wiry. He liked it that way. Wild and out of control.
    Fuck it, he wanted her.
    Was there something wrong with him that he felt like this? She was his wife and she was half-naked and he hadn't had a shag in over five years.
    Not as if he'd be doing something wrong if he screwed her now. If she could make a choice one way or the other, she'd want to do it too. Right?
    But she couldn't make a choice.
    There were other options, of course. He could go elsewhere, pay for it. Liz wouldn't mind. She wouldn't know anything about it. But he didn't want sex with just any woman. He wanted Liz.
    He bent over, kissed her. Her lips were dry, unresponsive.
    He should get rid of the nappy, the used wipes, get her ready for bed.
    But first he lay down beside her, placed his cheek on her belly. The chatter on the TV dulled.
    She was warm and soft and her belly rumbled. He wondered what she was trying to say.

    ***

    BEEF STEW FOR dinner the next night. Martin had made it, and like everything he cooked, it was frigging delicious. Afterwards, they all sat in the sitting room, sinking a few pints, Effie and Martin snuggled up on the settee, Liz beside them. Park sat on the arm until the pressure on the base of his spine got too much, then switched to the floor by Liz's feet.
    "Want my seat?" Grant said. He was sitting in the only armchair.
    "I'm fine here."
    They were all here. Well, apart from Richie, Park's eldest. Right at this moment, he was probably in the prison gym 'getting big', or slobbing it in front of the TV. If he was out of his cell. And gagging for some beer, no doubt. That's what you missed inside. More than sex.
    Still, Richie could do the time. You don't become a hit man unless you're prepared for the consequences. Although he'd never imagined what it would do to his mother when she found out. Nobody'd imagined that.
    Christ, Liz.
    Maybe she'd like some beer. He asked her.
    "No," Effie said. "Are you fucking mental?"
    "Just a glass."
    "She's not used to alcohol. And, anyway, she's had enough liquid for one night."
    "Dad's an expert nappy changer now," Grant said. He laughed.
    "It's not funny," Park said. "And it's true. I am."
    "That's debatable." Effie didn't think he'd done that great a job last night. She'd given him some advice earlier: "If Mum does a number two, get her to stand in the bath. Much easier to clean her under the shower."
    He'd try it next time and see.
    Anyway, didn't look like Liz was getting any beer.
    They watched some reality show, then an oldie DVD Grant had got from a friend at work. Park rarely watched modern movies. Too much blood. So Grant was always on the look-out for old classics for his blood-shy dad. God's Little Acre, this one was called. A comedy about a poor crazy hick family. Turned out to be every bit as sad as it was funny.
    When that was over, Grant left, giving his mum and Effie a hug and a kiss, shaking hands with Martin, and not sure what to do with his dad. Park helped him out, giving him a hug but foregoing the kiss.
    Martin put some music on. Lesbo-pop, he said. Russian.
    It sounded all right. Park was even humming to himself when he went to get more beer from the kitchen.
    He wondered when he'd get a chance to speak to Effie. All day they'd been talking about what they were going to do with Liz. Long-term. Then Effie'd whispered to him that she had an idea, but she wanted to talk to him about it when they were alone. By which she meant, not in front of Martin.
    It was getting late now, and Park was hoping Martin would head off to bed soon so he could hear what Effie had to say. But when Park returned from the kitchen, Martin was talking about his mother and bed still looked a long way off.
    "We have our ups and downs," Martin said. "Mainly ups,