American Savage

by Matt Whyman

  ‘Ivan?’ he asked, feeling no need to spell out that they should probably fear the worst.

  Amanda looked entirely unsurprised by the suggestion.

  ‘I asked him earlier, but he just got cross.’

  With both hands resting on his stick, and as Kat continued to call out for the missing creature upstairs, Oleg bowed his head and nodded to himself.

  ‘A feast would lift her spirits,’ he suggested hopefully, peering up at Amanda from under his wiry white brows.

  ‘We’ve only had one recently.’ Amanda rested her hands on her hips, grinning at him. ‘We don’t want to get greedy, Oleg. That’s when mistakes are made. Besides, Titus is pretty happy with his tenants right now. We gorged on the last one who gave him grief.’

  Oleg tried not to look frustrated. In the time that she had been lodging with his son’s family, Amanda always proved the most enthusiastic of human meat eaters. He had hoped to gain her support before approaching Titus about his plan for Priscilla. Ever since she had confided in him about her dwindling health and effectively confirmed that she was dying, all he could think about was introducing her to the cure-all. It wasn’t proven, of course, but human flesh had saved him as a young man during that barbaric siege, and sustained him to an age he never believed he would see. What harm would come from allowing Priscilla to share a meal with them? It was hardly going to kill her. That was how he planned to pitch it to his son. As much as he had a soft spot for Amanda, and banked on her fondness for another family gathering, he reminded himself that she didn’t decide when they would sit together again.

  ‘Well, let’s hope Titus doesn’t leave it too long, eh?’ Oleg forced a chuckle, which did little to cover the tension in his voice. ‘A feast is what keeps me alive!’

  Amanda regarded him with a hint of amusement in her expression.

  ‘How are things with your lady friend?’ she asked, and raised one eyebrow by a notch. ‘No doubt she takes years off you.’

  Looking to the floor tiles, Oleg refused to play along. Amanda’s observation was well intentioned, he had no doubt, but it lacked a little respect for a man of his age.

  ‘I enjoy the company,’ he told her after a moment. ‘Just having someone to sit beside as the sun goes down is a comforting thing.’

  Amanda smiled but seemed distracted by the fact that Kat’s repeated calling for the gerbil was threatening to break into a wail of anguish.

  ‘This search is futile,’ she muttered to herself.

  ‘It’s just prolonging the misery,’ Oleg agreed.

  ‘Kat’s so little, what else can I do?’ Amanda sought to keep herself from being heard. ‘But if I don’t go through the motions, she’ll know for sure that her brother killed it!’

  ‘There is another way.’ Oleg stopped there, turned and announced his presence to Katya. ‘I know where we’ll find Tinky Dinks!’ he called up to her.

  ‘Where?’ Amanda whispered.

  Little Kat appeared at the top of the stairs just then. It was quite clear to Oleg that she had been crying for some time, though he beamed broadly when she rushed down the steps to find out where they should look.

  ‘The pet store,’ he told Amanda under his breath, and opened his arms to greet his granddaughter.

  16

  Ivan Savage was wearily familiar with bad days at high school. On the first morning back the following week, he weathered teasing and intimidation right up until the lunch bell. The prospect of having his food tampered with persuaded him to stay away from the canteen. It meant that when the last lesson of the afternoon finished, the boy hurried from the classroom feeling famished and quietly furious.

  ‘It’s football practice tomorrow, new girl.’

  ‘Don’t forget to leave your kit at home!’

  ‘Unless you want your hair washed in the can again.’

  Well aware that the walk home might not be trouble free, Ivan scurried for the main gates in a bid to get ahead of Chad, Ryan and Bryce. He glanced over his shoulder on hearing their stupid dumb laughter as they emerged from the halls. To his ear, they sounded like cows lowing on their way to the dairy. He smirked at the thought, only for his heel to catch the kerb as he reached the sidewalk. Ivan had just enough time to fling out his hands before hitting the ground. It left the boy with his palms skinned and the contents of his bag fanned out in front of him.

  ‘When is my luck going to change?’ he muttered bitterly to himself.

  Unwilling to be seen by his tormentors, Ivan scrambled to return his schoolbooks and pens to his bag. When a hand reached out to help, he looked up with a start.

  ‘I’m beginning to think you’re a walking disaster,’ said Crystal, the girl with the dairy-white skin and the ginger hair. She grinned, looking fresh-faced without the nose bleed, and crouched beside the boy.

  ‘I’m fine.’ Ivan snatched the papers she’d just picked up for him. ‘Thanks, but I have this under control.’

  Next, he reached for a notebook, the pages fluttering in the breeze, but Crystal got there first.

  ‘What’s this?’ she asked, holding it just out of his reach. ‘Oh, wow! You can draw.’

  Ivan watched her fearfully. He drew his bag closer to him, as if it was a comfort blanket.

  ‘It’s nothing serious,’ he offered quietly. ‘Just doodles.’

  Crystal glanced across at him as if to say he’d have to come up with a better explanation.

  ‘You’re very talented,’ she said, eyeing him side-on. ‘Should I be scared of you?’

  Throughout the last lesson, having had enough of the constant teasing and the put-downs, Ivan had vented his fury by putting pen to paper. Crystal flicked through the notebook, which he had filled with sketches of the three boys in various stages of dismemberment.

  ‘I don’t mean anything by it,’ said Ivan, who collected the last of his stuff from the ground.

  ‘Well, you should,’ said Crystal. ‘Those idiots make your life a misery.’

  Behind them, the trio in question emerged from the halls. Ivan heard their voices, and picked himself off the ground.

  ‘I need to get going.’

  ‘I’ll walk with you.’ Crystal rose to her feet. ‘Seeing as you’re so accident-prone right now, someone needs to watch your back.’

  ‘There’s really no need,’ said Ivan, but he didn’t protest when she set off with him. ‘My family watch out for me.’

  For the first couple of blocks, Ivan replied to Crystal’s questions about his life with some reluctance. Her full, round bottom and chubby midriff certainly appealed to the boy’s taste buds. It was her enthusiastic nature that made him wary. She asked him about the movies he liked, questioned what insect he would be if he had to make a choice and whether he’d heard the rumour that the school caretaker had a criminal record in Arkansas for child molestation. Gradually, in spite of the constant queries, he began to warm to her company. Crystal was good at filling all the awkward silences, and despite relaxing in her company, Ivan created a lot. A case in point occurred as they passed the Fallen Pine Nursing Home. Having randomly shared his Call of Duty kill streak record, Ivan was pleased to point out that he had family there, simply to change the subject, only to snatch his eyes from the building and quicken his pace.

  ‘Hey, what’s the hurry?’ Crystal jogged a couple of feet to catch up. ‘Is it someone from school?’

  She looked around, caught sight of a couple on the bench in the porch of the old people’s place and then stopped in her tracks.

  ‘Oh, boy, check out those two,’ she said, grinning. ‘Do you think they remove their false teeth first?’

  Ivan was well aware that Crystal had also spotted his grandfather making out with his new girlfriend. As soon as he’d seen them, his instinct was to pretend it wasn’t happening. It still seemed so weird that Oleg had a love life going on. When the family learned that he was dating once again, Ivan just assumed it meant he’d found someone to finish the crossword with. Now, seeing them snogging like teenagers
, with their sticks side by side against the wall and her leg hooked over his, the boy felt a sense of shock, horror and shame.

  ‘I should be getting home,’ he said, but Crystal remained entranced by the sight.

  ‘What’s going on now?’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘I think he just made it to second base.’

  Ivan could barely bring himself to glance back at the porch. When he did so, it was enough to spur him onwards.

  ‘It can’t last,’ he said, as Crystal reluctantly followed him. ‘How can it?’

  ‘Well, I think it’s kind of sweet,’ she replied, with one final look back at the porch. ‘I guess at their age there’s nothing more to be embarrassed about. If I get that old I hope I still have that lust for life.’

  ‘A bucket of cold water is what Grandpa needs,’ muttered Ivan out of earshot.

  ‘Do you think they go all the way?’ asked Crystal, who caught up with him just then. ‘You never think of old people having sex, do you?’

  ‘Never!’ said Ivan, who practically broke into a trot just then. What he had just witnessed left him reeling. Grandpa was just Grandpa. He’d lived his life. The boy just didn’t expect him to behave in this way, especially as he had yet to experience anything like it.

  ‘I imagine they need a whole lotta lubricant.’

  ‘Crystal, can we change the subject?’

  ‘But it’s totally natural, when you think about it. Even seniors get horny, just like us.’

  Ivan glanced across at her, and then immediately wished he hadn’t. She had not only kept up his pace, but there was also something in the way Crystal looked at him that told the boy she wasn’t only referring to the appalling scene they had just witnessed. It made him feel quite dizzy. As they approached the junction for the inlet community, the question of where she was heading became uppermost in his mind.

  ‘I live over there,’ he said, gesturing towards the far end of the private road. ‘See you at school tomorrow, then.’

  Crystal swapped her bag from one shoulder to the other.

  ‘Aren’t you going to ask me in?’

  ‘No,’ said Ivan, without thinking. ‘I mean, did you want me to?’

  Crystal shrugged, smiling in a way that made him feel odd given how he was coming to regard her.

  ‘Got any food in the house?’

  ‘Hope so,’ Ivan replied. ‘The school canteen is kind of out of bounds for me right now. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.’

  ‘Then what are we waiting for? Let’s fix ourselves a feast!’

  Ivan watched Crystal set off along the road and just stood there staring at her. He only came to his senses when she turned to face him.

  ‘What do you mean by a feast?’ he asked cautiously.

  Crystal seemed surprised by the question.

  ‘Well, let’s see what you’ve got in the fridge,’ she suggested. ‘Maybe you can surprise me!’

  On the drive home from pre-school, Angelica glanced in the rear-view mirror and prepared to choose her words carefully.

  ‘So,’ she said, on making eye contact with Katya in the back. ‘Was your teacher pleased to see Tinky Dinks after his weekend away?’

  ‘She’s always pleased to see Tinky Dinks,’ her daughter replied.

  Pleased, and relieved no doubt, Angelica thought.

  ‘And she didn’t say there was anything … different about him?’

  ‘Nope.’ Katya shook her head, and switched her attention to the water as they drove across the bridge.

  ‘Well, that’s good,’ said Angelica.

  ‘Why would Tinky Dinks be different?’

  ‘Oh, no reason,’ she replied, and then switched on the radio to distract Kat from further conversation.

  Angelica had Oleg to thank for saving the situation. First, he had invited his granddaughter to climb on board his scooter. Then he sold her a story that the plucky gerbil had gone on a shopping trip to the mall. By all accounts, Kat had completely fallen for it. She had even provided him with a good description of his appearance, so that Oleg knew just what to look for when they rode into the pet store. He’d always had a kind heart, Angelica reminded herself, and that had certainly been reflected in his actions since striking up his sweet, chaste little friendship with the old lady from the home. Just thinking about that made her smile briefly, until she reflected on Ivan’s role in the episode. Angelica was still cross with her son, of course, mostly for continuing to deny any involvement in the original gerbil’s disappearance. Killing a little creature like that was one thing, and goodness knows whether he’d learned anything from his father about making it humane. What really bothered her, however, was the dishonesty. How he could look into his mother’s eye and swear that he had played no part in it was just so disappointing.

  It meant that when she arrived home to find Ivan in the kitchen with a friend, Angelica was less than welcoming.

  ‘This is Crystal,’ said Ivan, speaking with his mouth full. ‘She’s just shown me how to make a six-decker sandwich.’

  ‘And used up all the bread in the process.’

  The pair were clutching their creations, layered with ham, rocket, tomatoes and mustard. In the wake of Angelica’s comment, Crystal set hers down on the plate, her face reddening. Angelica hadn’t intended to sound as snappy as she had, but the work surface was a mess and Ivan had spilled the orange juice he’d poured for them.

  ‘My grandma will be wondering where I’ve got to,’ said Crystal, hopping off the stool. ‘It’s nice to meet you all.’

  Angelica forced a smile when Crystal caught her eye, but as she was standing there with her arms folded, it only served to hurry the girl from the kitchen.

  ‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ Ivan called out after her, and then looked sulkily at his mother at the sound of the front door closing. ‘That’s if she’ll talk to me again.’

  Angelica felt bad that her arrival had cooled the temperature this much. She hadn’t meant to be so severe, but this thing about the gerbil still sat uncomfortably with her.

  ‘Nobody at school realised that Tinky Dinks was a new model,’ she told him, setting her bag on a stool. ‘Thanks for your concern.’

  Katya could be heard trotting up the stairs to her room as she said this, singing to herself as if nothing had happened.

  ‘Well, that’s a happy ending,’ said Ivan, before taking another bite from his towering sandwich.

  Angelica said nothing for a moment. She just observed her son eating and wondered where they had gone wrong.

  ‘All you have to do is own up to it, Ivan, and then we can move on.’

  Ivan swallowed his mouthful, but didn’t even attempt to break from his mother’s gaze.

  ‘I didn’t kill Tinky Dinks,’ he said finally, as he had so many times over the weekend. ‘I didn’t touch the stupid thing!’

  Angelica drew breath to suggest that Ivan might like to reconsider things in his room, only to watch him leave his stool and march off in that direction anyway. She breathed out long and hard as he left, aware of the mess he’d created, and crossed the floor to collect their plates. Normally, a workout in the gym would’ve helped her take a more relaxed approach to managing the household. It was a shame she’d had to let go of Joaquín, but she couldn’t focus on her fitness regime with a personal trainer who’d let his emotions run unharnessed. Yes, it had been flattering, but family always came first. It had to, what with the tradition that bound them together.

  As she wiped down the surfaces with an antibacterial spray, Angelica’s thoughts turned to Titus. He’d always gone the extra mile to provide a comfortable life for them all, and put a feast on the table when they needed it most. Even so, it was clear to her that he’d lost his drive lately. The man was a hunter, but that was all too easy out here. Then there was the management, repair and maintenance of all those single-occupancy apartments. It took up a great deal of his time, but it was hardly a challenge for him. As for her husband’s sudden desire to get in shape, that had to come from a sen
se of dissatisfaction within himself, just as it did for Angelica. Reaching for the rubber gloves in order to wash up, she wondered what she could do to help renew his zest for life. A moment later, the cell phone in her bag began to ring. She’d already snapped on one glove by the time she answered; pinning the phone between her ear and shoulder so she could slip her hand inside the other.

  ‘Hello?’ she said, and then fell quiet for a moment. What she heard next caused her to gasp and take a step backwards. It took another second for her to snatch the phone from her ear and stab a button to kill the connection.

  ‘Cold call?’ asked a voice from behind her. Angelica turned to find Amanda at the fridge. She was examining the contents of her shelf, unaware of the direct and menacing threat that Angelica had just received.

  ‘Wrong number,’ she told Amanda, still reeling from the detail the caller had offered that left her in no doubt that it was meant for her.

  Amanda returned her attention to the fridge, but only for a moment, because that’s when the cell phone in her pocket began to bleat.

  17

  Locked inside his bedroom, sitting on his bed with his arms folded tight around his legs, Ivan Savage chose not to answer his phone when it rang.

  ‘I didn’t do it,’ he muttered to himself. ‘Why does everyone think it was me?’

  It was unusual for Ivan not to come straight home from school and take out his frustrations through his videogame console. After a day of being teased and picked on by Chad, Bryce and Ryan, he would load up a first-person shooter and keep them in mind as his kill count gathered traction. On this occasion, when his phone finally fell silent, the boy stared at his socks and brooded. No matter how many times he had pleaded ignorance about the fate of the gerbil, everyone just gave him that look like he should know better than to lie to his family.

  ‘It’s just so unfair,’ he grumbled, his mouth tightening, and then turned his thoughts to the girl who had shared a bite to eat with him.

  Crystal was weird, he thought to himself. Frankly, anyone who wanted to spend time in his company, without worrying about what everybody else might think, had to be unusual. He still felt mortified at having come across his grandfather feeling up the old lady from the home. What troubled him more, however, was Crystal’s fascination. That kind of intimacy just wasn’t for him. Even a cuddle from his mother left him tense, and mercifully he’d only been in that situation a handful of times. Ivan figured he should probably distance himself from the girl. Not just for his sake, he decided, but for hers.