Hand on His Head: Correction in an Empty House - by Cole Harlan

Elias knelt on the rug with the dress already on him and Richard’s hand already in his hair. The empty house held only the low tick of the radiator and the soft scrape of fishnets when he shifted. Richard did not speak. The weight stayed. Elias’s breath moved under it and did not rise to meet it. The conference had taken Richard’s wife out of the house. Elias was still home, boxes half-unpacked, ordinary tasks unfinished. Richard kept the days running. When the maid dress appeared on the coffee table, he told Elias to take it off. Elias answered that he had only been trying it. The order was repeated. Later the door opened without a knock and the hand settled on the back of Elias’s neck and stayed. What followed could still be called correction the next morning. Coffee was made. Neither of them mentioned the dresser or the way Elias had remained bent. The extension of the conference stretched the days. Elias wore the outfit when Richard was home.