Cling and Wait

By E.E Hunt

The characters in this book fly to New York City after the protests and

are shocked by the damage done by the loss from the rioting. Black

lives matter but violence and destruction of property in the process

of Justice becomes another form of injustice. Rev Dr., Martin Luther

King had it right that nonviolence is the most

• Language: English
• Publisher: Global Summit House
• Release date: Aug 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781956074680

Book preview

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Cling and Wait

(The Very Rev Dr Ernest E Hunt III)

*Amplexus Expecta: Historian Arnold Toynbee credited these words in which he heard from the Cross in a dream that he believed had once made him well

Cling and Wait

E. E. Hunt

Copyright © 2021 by E. E. Hunt.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by reviewers, who may quote brief passages in a review.

ISBN: 978-1-956074-69-7 (Paperback Edition)

ISBN: 978-1-956074-70-3 (Hardcover Edition)

ISBN: 978-1-956074-68-0 (E-book Edition)

Some characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to the real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Book Ordering Information

Phone Number: 315 288-7939 ext. 1000 or 347-901-4920

Email: [e-mail]

Global Summit House

www.globalsummithouse.com

Printed in the United States of America

Previous Books by E.E. Hunt

Sermon Struggles, the Seabury Press 1982

Chapter One: New York City at Last

The four devoted people to law from London and New York City were still frustrated while on vacation in Naples, Florida, if you could call their time in that city a ‘vacation’ since they were more or less pressed into duty as assistants to the local Sheriff. They had done their job, one being FBI, the other the police lieutenant in the 19th Precinct of Manhattan, the third, the political officer of the American Embassy in London, and his fiancé Bronwyn Esther Morgan, his Welsh secretary. The four, Ted Edmunds, tall and handsome, a little rugged looking, also an FBI man, and his spouse, Sherry, attractive, blond, stern looking and giving off the aura of not being a pushover, who was the NYC police cop; Steve Hallcroft, the Embassy man who had lived in Paris for many years, also tall, good looking according to women and yet seasoned appearing, and then Bronwyn Esther Morgan, his very attractive secretary, brunette, thin but otherwise quite busty. All after being shot at and partially shot up by Iranian terrorists, were now relaxing for a time still on vacation in Ted’s cousin’s house, located in a superior Pelican Bay area gated community.

This older relative of Ted Edmunds, his cousin James, had been travelling but now was stuck due to the shutting down between countries because of the Corvid 19 virus. So, everyone was in place, which had not been so bad for the four since they were in sunny Naples, Florida, as restless as they had become. What kept them there longer was that Ted had been shot in the shoulder but after hospitalization and therapy was just about as good as new. Steve had received a glazing head shot but it had healed quickly, yet the ladies were otherwise fine. They all were ready now, however, to go back home, no matter the Chinese virus’ inhibition of successful travel plans.

Bronwyn stated openly that it seemed easier for Ted and Sherry to return to Manhattan than for her and Steve to fly to London. She commented one day at breakfast that maybe they fly domestic in the States with their New York friends and then wait for the airlines to open up for London there.

Hearing her in her sing song Welsh brogue reminded Steve that he should call the American Ambassador in London for whom he worked and inform him of his air travel problems, and he did. The Ambassador understood but told him to get back to his office whenever the airlines were open, and of course, Steve agreed.

Steve reiterated what his fiancée had said to Sherry and to Ted and told them that he and Bronwyn would love to visit Manhattan, even for what he hoped would be a short time. Bronwyn was the next to speak out of nervous excitement, saying, While I lived in Wales, I saw while watching with my parent’s old American movies on television, and many were about Manhattan, so rich and royal, not like the Queen and her family, but nevertheless thoroughly American. I would like to see that island today before I return to London. Oh, is it possible?

Sherry replied,

"Why not. You can’t go home yet, so fly with us. But from what I have heard and read the city is not the same after all the riots from the police killing of that criminal, named George Floyd. A protest group sympathetic to Floyd, called, ‘Black Lives Matter,’ unleashed riots and looting, and I hear even now damaged or destroyed stores are still bordered up. That group Ted found out through government connection had funding from China. That is really sad if not thoroughly bad!

Also, hundreds of police retired or were eliminated when a call from that organization and other far left groups went out for ‘defunding police,’ the only real safety minorities have had in the past, so some of greater New York city is not the same.

Too add to the changing of the Manhattan landscape, many well-known or familiar restaurants were shut down because of the Chinese virus. So, you may be disappointed, but believe me, Bronwyn, remnants of Manhattan remain, and so does our spacious apartment on East 72nd Street where you and Steve can stay. You will still enjoy Manhattan, regardless of the failed present leadership after both the last great mayors for many years in their own challenging times, namely Mayor Giuliani and Mayor Bloomberg, did great work running the place. But quite a few people have of late, I understand, moved out of the city at large, mostly the middle class folks, but others also."

For example, I do have a friend named Slava, born in the Ukraine who is a real estate agent up in the mountains of New York State, who claims that many of her fellow Ukrainians have moved out of the city and have resettled where she lives. She knows because she has found them housing. So, many folks did not like the looting or lost their small shops to set fires by thieves. It’s a shame, damned it.

Oh well, Bronwyn sighed audibly in her sing song brogue, you can’t have everything, and in Wales we have had a severe up and down history, so I am still excited to see Manhattan and to stay there for a short time, courtesy of you and Ted. When do you two plan to leave?

I don’t know yet, but Edith, Ted’s boss, should help us with that, by at least giving us FBI information about the best flights out of Ft Meyers from here to La Guardia, avoiding JFK in NYC if possible. That airport is much farther out than La Guardia and the traffic is often horrendous. We will see.

Then Sherry decided to call up her routine airline and attempted to make reservations for the four of them, but she could only do so after the airline lady operator on the phone said she would call back to confirm. Later that day she did, and then they were set to leave the following week.

Bronwyn was quite happy even while Steve felt compelled to call his boss in London to explain in detail exactly where he was going to be diverted and gave the address and phone number to the Ambassador’s secretary. Of course, the Ambassador knew Steve couldn’t fly to London at that time and was glad to know that at least he might be on his way, although very much delayed.

Sherry took the initiative and talked to Edith to inform the FBI, and then called the 19th Precinct to tell the captain when she would be back to work. While chatting later with Edith the FBI agent herself claimed she had very little influence with the airlines and in any case not many were flying then due to the Chinese virus. She definitely thought there would not be any particular delay, but where was Teddy? He hadn’t called her for days, and he was supposed to do so often.

Tell him that for me now, before I get very mad! She obviously hung up, leaving a slamming noise to her cell phone. Sherry wondered how she managed to do that with an ordinary iPhone.

In any case Sherry told the others about the airplane arrangement, that Delta flew without a stop to La Guardia, and if not receiving further phone calls from the local Sherriff they would leave on Thursday next for their home, or more nominally for the big NY City for Bronwyn Esther Morgan and the political officer in the London American Embassy, Steve Hallcroft, her engaged partner.

The next few days passed slowly, in spite of the warm weather in Naples where Ted’s cousin had his house located. He had loaned them that spacious place for what was to have been a short vacation. Of course, it turned into extended time due to hunting down terrorists for a small Sherriff’s office, and then several extra days they needed for recovery from wounds.

Now the foursome was about to leave, and they were getting excited. On the specific day to exit pleasant Naples, they took an Uber to the Southwestern International Airport off of Ft. Meyers and flew for two and half hours to La Guardia. Bronwyn, in a window seat on the plane, commented as they crossed over Manhattan itself, that she could see the whole city. She asked Sherry, who was in the seat next to her, what the buildings were named. There were so many; Sherry pointed out the Chrysler Building first and of course the Empire State building, and then reminisced about the destruction of the Twin Towers when the two terrorist planes crashed into them and as a result over 3000 innocent people’s lives had been lost. Now there was just one tall building representing the two former ones, an accomplishment that took some time, but it remembers the horrible event with a museum and also yearly recital of the names of all those lost.

Once nearly there at La Guardia Airport after soaring low over the Grand Central highway, the plane landed and when the four had secured their baggage, they hailed a yellow cab. Its driver drove fast amidst loud honking with quick moving traffic on a crowded Grand Central roadway and then the Triboro (Bobby Kennedy) bridge, eventually using the congested FDR East River road next to the Harlem River, turning off on 70th street into Manhattan. On the way to the entrance at East 72nd Street, Sherry and Ted had noticed that about half of the small shops were closed on the sidewalks or just still boarded up, leaving a foul taste in their mouths from knowing how many of the ‘little people’ of the city had been put out of work.

Finally, they reached their apartment between 1st and 2nd Avenues, parked and waited while the taxicab driver helped remove luggage from the car’s trunk. After he was properly tipped by Ted, the four were then helped by a doorman into the building, who welcomed them in a detached friendly way.

They took the elevator up to the 9th floor where their large apartment was located and could hear a dog barking a greeting. Ted’s niece opened the door for them as well as the tired doorman carrying most of the luggage, and they all practically stepped into the dog, named Buzz, attempting to bounce off of each of them. He was almost successful, knocking Sherry personally almost into Ted, and lathering her with pooch spittle.

Bronwyn laughed with Steve, who chuckled, but the doorman who carried most of the bags kept a firm expression while simply plodding on past them all. Meanwhile Ted’s niece became quite serious in her attempt to stop Buzz from more forceful antics. She too hugged Ted and Sherry along with the nuzzling dog, before she was introduced to their London guests. Then the niece announced that she wanted to go home and would leave Buzz to them, saying as awful much of Manhattan street stores now seemed she always loved being in their E72nd Street Co-op.

Sherry spoke up first as the doorman left their apartment, stating nicely, The best spare bedroom and bath is the first on the right as you go down our long hallway, which you enter to your right from this entrance hall. We hope you will like it, and when you are both settled, we will see what’s in the kitchen as soon as Ted and I are settled ourselves and have unpacked our belongings.

After having walked and fed Buzz, about an hour later as evening approached, Ted invited everyone to have a drink with some snacks Sherry had quickly prepared from the results of their niece’s shopping earlier. Scotch prevailed along with white wine in the comfortable living room, and once the four were seated there the men talked to each other, the ladies did also, then Bronwyn asked