Early Release for Christmas

Chapter 1

Max Marks (28) sniffed as if he were smelling flowers and stretched as if he felt free.

Actually, the air smelt much better than inside where it was heavy with the oppressive tang of BO.

Standing outside Marshland Jail waiting with 13 other ex-inmates, Max thought about the prison Superintendent's explanation why he was being released on Christmas Eve eight months ahead of his Court-ordered term.

"Marks, you are one lucky man. Whereas other prisoner's being released compassionately today because their terms of imprisonment were to end in up to two months after Christmas Day providing their record indicated exemplary good conduct during confinement, you still had eight months subject to review before your term was due to expire."

"And yet, your behavioural record sheet showed you had been disciplined three times for fighting, once for involvement in a protest sit-down and once for calling a senior prison officer a 'compulsive mother fucker'."

"You owe your early release to one of the three judges on the compassionate release panel, Judge Wilkinson, for tabling your situation as a special case. His Honour said although you patently lied by denying that you weren't at the scene where that Police Sergeant was knocked unconscious by you for calling you a thug, CCT security camera played to the Court clearly showed you being at the scene of the attempted robbery of a bank security vehicle and clearly striking the Police Sergeant with your fist."

"His Honour said that after sentencing, he remained concerned that your claim that you were simply walking past the vehicle and noticed one of the two rear doors were not properly closed. The claim that you attempted to push the door shut thereby triggering the vehicle's alarm that attracted a mobile police patrol that had just entered that street, appeared to have some credibility."

"His Honour recalled you claiming that your arrest was a 'police cover-up' for the security officer and his colleague parking the van opposite a bar at 9.45 at night when banks would not have been open to accept deliveries of cash or money to be transferred under security had been a debatably point, especially when other CCT security camera footage produced by your solicitor showed the supposedly broken-down vehicle being driven away without any repair servicing taking place in the period the vehicle was left unattended after hours on a public street. The prosecution claimed without substantiating evidence that the vehicle being at rest for an hour, had allowed the over-heated motor to cool down."

The superintendent said the compassionate panel, while not asserting that a wrongful arrest had occurred, agreed it would appear that 'some element of doubt remained over the completeness of evidence' in the case leading to Marks' conviction in which he'd pleaded not guilty.

"As I said earlier Marks, you are one lucky man being allowed home for Christmas," said Superintendent Jones.

The mini-bus arrived to take the released inmates into the city.

The otherwise penniless Max Marks used some of the prison release funding he'd received to take a taxi to the train station to head north for the home of his parents who'd disowned him since his arrest. His parents had been supporting their unemployed son for the17 months prior to his arrest. He couldn't think of anything else where to go, having told a prison welfare officer that his parents would welcome him back into the family fold.

He felt honourable in not shaming his family by telling the truth, that he expected to be thrown on to the street by his father and mother soon after he arrived on their doorstep.

Max had no belief in good luck or a kind guardian angel working in his favour as fortunate things had happened to him only with scarcity during his torrid life of struggles that included being bullied and a raft of misfortunes.

Today he was happy. He'd be home for Christmas, err possibly.

He'd expected the house to be in virtual darkness, with his parents in bed watching TV on an old 14-inch set perched on part of his mum's dresser.

Instead, the house was lit up with music blaring. Christ, his girl-band sister with dozy boyfriend of the moment, who was good at sex and supplying her with drugs, must be at home to celebrate Christmas with the folk and getting then drunk and keeping them awake all night.

Max rang the doorbell and heard his younger brother Cecil call, "Dad, it will be the cops following up on a noise complaint to the council. I'm off through the backdoor because I don't want involvement at being on Court-ordered probation providing I exhibit good behaviour."

"Stay where you are, Cecil. I'll tell the cops to arrest Luci because she refused to turn down that heavy junk rock on her music-player despite your dad and I asking her to do that."

"Mum, don't be such a bitch," yelled Luci, sounding to be well away on party pills.

Council parking warden Kevin, red-faced from habitually over-indulging in drinking rum, opened the door and yelled, "Omigod, it's Max, escaped for jail."

The family ran to stand around Kevin to eye the alleged escapee.

"Turn yourself in right now, you stupid twit," said Alice, his mum. "That act could reduce your increased sentence."

"I've been released early to enjoy Christmas with my family and have an official certificate to prove it," Max protested.

"Says you," his father scowled. "I didn't invite you to Christmas Day dinner."

"Well, I'm inviting you in to share Christmas with us," his mother said, pushing Kevin aside and giving her jail-bird son a wet, open mouth kiss and thrust her groin against his as if instinctively knowing what any released prisoner had on his or her mind as soon as the jail door banged shut at their release.

"Omigod, mum look at Max's arm muscles and shoulder development; he's turned into the male equivalent to a gym bunny" said Luci. "Will that mean his dick has developed, too?"

"Shut your filthy mouth," Alice, snapped, stepping back and eyeing Max's groin.

"Nah, if anything it's shrunk from lack of use," joked her son.

The males chortled, eyed stonily by the two females and Alice told Max to come in and close the door.

Luci said, "Max, this is my man, Yedi that is short for Yedidya. He's Russian."

"Hi, Yedi," Max grunted. "What do you do?"

Max knew what the guy who looked about 18 would be doing for his sister who was 28 but waited to hear the lie.

"I'm unofficial in this country and your sister feeds me and I help to set up the band each time they play, but officially I'm Luci's bodyguard. She calls me her lover, too. Is that explanation what you wanted to know?"

"Yeah, but aren't you rather skinny and short to be a bodyguard?"

"I have protection," Yedi said and pulled out and presented a flick knife faster than Max managed to say "Shit?" He looked at the knife pointing inches away from his stomach.

Kevin said, "I'll get you a beer son, you look rather white-faced,"

His mum's younger sister, Aunt Claire came from the kitchen, wiping her hands.

"Hi Max, you are in time for very late dinner. It's almost ready. Oh, this house is full; you can have a bed in my house."

"Claire, that's not on. Your Harvey is in Ireland on business."

Claire bared her teeth.

"What are you implying, you filthy-minded bitch?"

"I... I was simply reminding you..." Alice said, flushing. "Oh, it doesn't matter. Max can stay with you instead of sleeping on a lounge sofa here."

Everyone looked at Max as if expecting his to stoutly declare he was averse to being fucked by his bellicose aunt.

"What's for dinner?" was Max's only comment.

"A beautiful roast of beef and roasted veggies."

"Yummy. That's a big advance on prison tucker, lovely lady. We may have been served rabbit stew tonight."

Even Aunt Claire looked at Max suspiciously, at the use of the words 'lovely lady'. Since he was about eight, he and his aunt had been frequently engaged in hot abusive verbal exchanges.

She eyed him and said he knew from experience that she was no lovely lady.

He shrugged and said but generally they got on okay.

"But you serve me roast dinner tonight that's tops, and you'll be my lovely lady."

She gritted, "Are you implying that meals I cook occasionally for your over-worked mother aren't always tops?"

"You said it," he smiled.

"Arsehole," she snorted, eyes narrowing.

"Come on you two, it's Christmas Eve," Alice urged.

Chapter 2

Walking ahead of Max into the visitor's bedroom, his aunt said, "Here's your bed, and by the way drop the aunt title from now on."

"Thanks Claire," Max said, ready to duck under a swinging arm. "You don't want me to sleep with you?"

She said softly, "You'd by lucky."

Surprised, Max said yes, he would be lucky.

She stared at him and said slowly, was he being serious about his interest in her body.

"Yes, and haven't you thought about it over the years, occasionally?"

Claire said, "I may have."

"Me too."

He sighed and added but now he was an ex-convict.

"Max, I never believed that you had attempted to break into that armoured car to look for something to steal, perhaps 10,000 quid."

He said oh yeah, and asked how did she reached that conclusion.

"To my knowledge you haven't stolen anything from your mother's house or my house and yet you would have had plenty of opportunities. Stealing is just not in your character but fighting, lying and chasing after skirt are."

"But pocketing 10,000 quid could be tempting."

"Max, I've thought about this. How was it that no one queried why that van was left unlocked, suggesting it was empty? My understanding is if the backdoors were not secured an alarm would alert the driver to that fact. It suggests than on that evening, the van was left not even locked by an irresponsible driver."

"Yeah but it probably would not have made any difference because the authorities were anxious to keep the lid on this while putting me away in jail. That's why my solicitor was offered that deal by the cops for me to plead guilty to the attempted robbery charge with the cops in return withdrawing the second charge of me assaulting the cop for calling me lazy scum for being jobless. That was marginally okay with me but then he insulted mum by calling me the son of a whore."

"Omigod, my hero for having the courage to defend my sister like that. Did you do anything to provoke the cop"

"Not really, apart from calling him a Fascist pig attempting to pin a trumped-up charge of attempted robbery on me."

"Oh Max, the fact that you called him that may have provoke him into calling you lazy scum and the son of a whore."

"Aren't the cops supposed to be trained not to over-react to name-calling and one-finger taunts?"

"I have no idea darling, but it sounds likely. Give me a kiss, not a piddly one, but get your tongue half-way down my throat to rev me up and oh man, you'll get lucky."

Max and his 40-something aunt went at it like dogs on heat.

Next day they returned to his parent's parents' home for Christmas dinner at midday.

Alice looked at her exhausted-looking sister enviously and simply whispered, "You adulterous bitch, you make me sick."

The reply was: "Shut your uncharitable mouth Alice and remember it's Christmas. If you don't, I'll reveal to Kevin and Harvey when he arrives here within the hour that you often force me to lick you because these days your brother-in-law considers that practice to be unhygienic whereas you don't."

"Okay, you win Claire. While we are waiting for Harvey to arrive, I'll get Luci to keep an eye on the turkey in the oven and when to put in the root vegetables and I'll suggest to Kevin that he takes the dog for a walk. You and I can then slip over to your house with Max and give him the time of his life in lieu of us not having the opportunity of buying him Christmas presents."

"Oh Alice, that's a great idea and is one of the reasons why I look up to you. That poor boy has been starved of vaginal sex for months and I'm delighted to say he'd really gym-fit. It should be a family Christmas for you and I to especially remember in fully embracing my elder son and your nephew. I feel joyful."

"Me too."

The End