The Third Option - Part 5
This is part five of my new novel "The Third Option" which is expected to be released in May.
The frequency of Henry Shaw’s trips to New York picked up after the new year. He shoved his briefcase under the seat in front of him as he and David prepared to land in New York. David gazed in amazement at the Manhattan skyline as their plane descended. Henry remembered being amazed the first time he had flown into New York, but the novelty had worn off with the number of trips he’d made over the last few months.
“How long do you think it will take us to get through Customs?” David asked his father.
“We cleared that back in Toronto.”
“Really? I thought the president said they were going to step up security at the borders. That was easier than I thought.”
“They didn’t let him do everything he said he would,” Henry said. “It turns out some of the things he wanted to do were illegal.”
Despite that, Henry knew that getting across the border was a hit and miss thing, somewhat dependent on the mood of the particular customs and security agent you encountered. Because he travelled so much, Henry had a Nexus card that helped reduce the wait times. But he thought having David accompany him on this trip would slow things down. He smiled as he recalled the interaction between David and the agent.
“What is the purpose of your visit to the United States?” the agent had asked.
“A girl,” David had said matter-of-factly. “I’m here to find out if I have any hope with her.”
The agent had tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh at the response. “Good luck with that,” he said as he waved them through.
They quickly made their way out of the airport as they both just had their carry-on luggage. David had everything he needed for their 3-day trip in his backpack.
“Thirteen-forty-five sixth avenue,” Henry said to the driver when they got into the taxi. “How’s traffic looking this morning?”
“Should be about forty minutes,” the driver said. “Maybe a bit longer. They’ve closed some roads cuz the president is in town.”
Henry knew the president liked to come back to New York whenever he could. However, the cost of securing the president and his family while in New York was growing in magnitude and the press had been hammering him on it.
“Are you sure you’ve got a place to stay?” Henry asked David as the taxi drove toward Manhattan.
“Yeah, Bronx said I could crash on her couch. She’s going to meet me at the Park Lane Hotel this morning, give me a quick tour of Central Park, and then we’ll take the subway out to her place.”
Henry tapped the partition between the front and back seats of the taxi. “We’ll be dropping my son off at the Park Lane Hotel on the way,” he said to the driver.
“No problem,” the driver said.
“She still lives with her father, doesn’t she?” Henry asked his son.
David nodded.
“So what does he think about you coming to visit?”
Henry could tell by the look on David’s face that he hadn’t factored her father into his plans.
“I think he’s cool with it,” David said.
“Well I’m staying at the Hyatt on 57th street if things don’t work out. I’ll be in meetings all day, but you can text me if you need anything.”
“I thought Laura was coming to New York,” David said.
“She’s not arriving until tomorrow. She’s coming in to do some research on a story about the president’s business dealings and then we’re going to see a play tomorrow night. She flies back to Chicago on Wednesday, around the same time we fly back to Toronto.”
David had gotten to know Laura fairly well and seemed to approve of his father’s relationship with her. But for some reason, Henry still felt nervous – or was it guilt – for having a relationship with someone other than his boys’ mother.
As they got closer to their destination, the traffic got heavier and heavier until it came to a complete stop. The police had blocked off the road as a group of protestors marched by. Many of the protestors were carrying signs with statements like “We don’t need a wall” and “Racism and Bigotry is not the answer”.
The taxi driver rolled down his window, waved to one of the taxis going the other way, and did a U-turn in behind him. “Just goin’ to screw a U-ball to get us out of this shit”, he said in explanation.
It worked. A few more quick turns and they found themselves in front of the Park Lane Hotel.
“This is my stop,” David said as he got out of the cab.
“Be careful,” Henry said, “and call or text me if you need anything.”
David smiled and gave a wave as he headed into the hotel.
The frequency of Henry Shaw’s trips to New York picked up after the new year. He shoved his briefcase under the seat in front of him as he and David prepared to land in New York. David gazed in amazement at the Manhattan skyline as their plane descended. Henry remembered being amazed the first time he had flown into New York, but the novelty had worn off with the number of trips he’d made over the last few months.
“How long do you think it will take us to get through Customs?” David asked his father.
“We cleared that back in Toronto.”
“Really? I thought the president said they were going to step up security at the borders. That was easier than I thought.”
“They didn’t let him do everything he said he would,” Henry said. “It turns out some of the things he wanted to do were illegal.”
Despite that, Henry knew that getting across the border was a hit and miss thing, somewhat dependent on the mood of the particular customs and security agent you encountered. Because he travelled so much, Henry had a Nexus card that helped reduce the wait times. But he thought having David accompany him on this trip would slow things down. He smiled as he recalled the interaction between David and the agent.
“What is the purpose of your visit to the United States?” the agent had asked.
“A girl,” David had said matter-of-factly. “I’m here to find out if I have any hope with her.”
The agent had tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh at the response. “Good luck with that,” he said as he waved them through.
They quickly made their way out of the airport as they both just had their carry-on luggage. David had everything he needed for their 3-day trip in his backpack.
“Thirteen-forty-five sixth avenue,” Henry said to the driver when they got into the taxi. “How’s traffic looking this morning?”
“Should be about forty minutes,” the driver said. “Maybe a bit longer. They’ve closed some roads cuz the president is in town.”
Henry knew the president liked to come back to New York whenever he could. However, the cost of securing the president and his family while in New York was growing in magnitude and the press had been hammering him on it.
“Are you sure you’ve got a place to stay?” Henry asked David as the taxi drove toward Manhattan.
“Yeah, Bronx said I could crash on her couch. She’s going to meet me at the Park Lane Hotel this morning, give me a quick tour of Central Park, and then we’ll take the subway out to her place.”
Henry tapped the partition between the front and back seats of the taxi. “We’ll be dropping my son off at the Park Lane Hotel on the way,” he said to the driver.
“No problem,” the driver said.
“She still lives with her father, doesn’t she?” Henry asked his son.
David nodded.
“So what does he think about you coming to visit?”
Henry could tell by the look on David’s face that he hadn’t factored her father into his plans.
“I think he’s cool with it,” David said.
“Well I’m staying at the Hyatt on 57th street if things don’t work out. I’ll be in meetings all day, but you can text me if you need anything.”
“I thought Laura was coming to New York,” David said.
“She’s not arriving until tomorrow. She’s coming in to do some research on a story about the president’s business dealings and then we’re going to see a play tomorrow night. She flies back to Chicago on Wednesday, around the same time we fly back to Toronto.”
David had gotten to know Laura fairly well and seemed to approve of his father’s relationship with her. But for some reason, Henry still felt nervous – or was it guilt – for having a relationship with someone other than his boys’ mother.
As they got closer to their destination, the traffic got heavier and heavier until it came to a complete stop. The police had blocked off the road as a group of protestors marched by. Many of the protestors were carrying signs with statements like “We don’t need a wall” and “Racism and Bigotry is not the answer”.
The taxi driver rolled down his window, waved to one of the taxis going the other way, and did a U-turn in behind him. “Just goin’ to screw a U-ball to get us out of this shit”, he said in explanation.
It worked. A few more quick turns and they found themselves in front of the Park Lane Hotel.
“This is my stop,” David said as he got out of the cab.
“Be careful,” Henry said, “and call or text me if you need anything.”
David smiled and gave a wave as he headed into the hotel.
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