"Go and see"
Mark stood up, his wife had given her instructions.
He thought about saluting but changed his mind.
Anything for a peaceful life.
He knocked on the door of their neighbour.
"Tish, are you there?"
There was no sign of her. He was a little bit worried. Was she OK? Had she had an accident?
He went around the back. He would not normally intrude but he was concerned.
The back door was unlocked so he went in.
"Tish, it's me Mark."
Tish came out. She was crying and red eyed.
"Oh my, what is wrong?"
Tish didn't speak. Didn't move.
Mark stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her.
He took out his phone and called Sara to come from next door.
Sara and Tish sat at the table and Mark made a coffee for him and two herbal teas for the ladies.
Sara kept giving him funny looks. Did she think her husband had caused this? Surely not.
"He has told me to get out. He is bringing his boyfriend here to live with him."
Tish's husband was a shit. Now he was a bigger shit than before.
They didn't question why a married man was now gay.
They would have accepted it from most other men but they didn't accept anything that the shitbag did or said.
He had made Tish's life miserable.
Mark took out his phone.
They had seen a lawyer recently, sorting out wills, now they had retired.
"Appointment this afternoon. We will go with you."
Mark didn't let Tish say no. He knew that she wouldn't go on her own.
Tish and the shit had moved her five years ago.
Sarar and Mark thought Tish was lovely, but her husband? Not so much, truthfully not at all.
They had tried to be friends with him, they had tried to understand him, but nothing came of it.
He seemed determined to be as unpleasant as he could possibly be.
They took Tish next door with them and sat with her.
Then Mark drove them to the lawyer.
The lawyer was brilliant, he told Tish exactly what to do.. He promised he would begin court proceedings. Tish burst into tears.
"I have no money, I can't pay."
Sara told the lawyer she would pay.
Tish burst into more tears.
They drove back home
They took Tish into their home.
Mark went to Tish's house and locked the front door, so shitface couldn't get in, even with a key.
Then he locked the back door. He guessed that shitface would not have a back door key, so now he was effectively locked out.
Mark wasn't worried, he had been a boxer during his time doing National Service. That was fifty years ago but he still remembered the moves.
The three of them waited.
Huge amount of banging and swearing. So many rude words.
Mark went out.
"Tish is staying with us."
Shitface was with another man.
He rushed at Mark, who let him hit him. Then he knocked him flat on his back.
He looked at the other man.
"Self defense, he hit me first."
The other man looked and decided to leave.
Shitface was rolling around on the ground.
Mark knew he would be hurting but not seriously injured.
Mark moved to his side of the fence and waited.
Shitface eventually pulled himself up.
He started screaming at Mark.
