In Safe Hands - Prologue. Prologue

Author's Note:

The story of Elliott Carter was originally built into another story, “An English Teen, Circumcised in the USA” ' Elliott forms one of the characters in that tale.

Originally, I set aside a few chapters to try to understand Elliott, but I'd always wanted to give him more breathing room. The following tale, "In Safe Hands" is his. It’s a journey; a coming of age, if you like and I hope you enjoy getting to know him though the following pages as much as I have in writing them.

It’s not perfect by any means—with far too many awkward perspective changes— written at a time when I was still trying to learn the basics. Most of it I’ve left alone, because, despite the awkwardness, it carries a lot of my feelings.

I hope you enjoy.

Your friend,

Riley Jericho

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In Safe Hands

by Riley Jericho

Prologue

“You're SO kidding me!” muttered Benedict Carter, Elliott’s father. “I don't believe it! It’s delayed…again!” Irritable as they studied the departure boards, he kept what he really thought of EasyJet to himself! Every other scheduled flight on the board was running to time. How hard could it be for them to shift a few planes around and keep to their schedule? It wasn't rocket science, for God's sake, though he knew the real problem tended not to be the actual aircraft, but the cabin crew. They would be waiting for cabin staff to come in on another plane; staff who would then form the cabin crew for their own flight to Spain.

“How long?” Elliott asked, though he could see it flashing on the screens himself.

“Another hour and a half, Sport,” he replied. He was frustrated and already weary. With kids in tow, they'd arrived at the airport with plenty of time in hand. Having left the car in long-term parking, they'd joined the endless queues. First via check-in, and then through the baggage check and scanners. Trudging forward inch by inch with the masses, many who were looking at their watches and fretting about departure times.

Their fault for not leaving enough time!

They were okay—they had time to spare. Too much of it now! He took a deep breath. It would leave when it would leave, and nothing he could do, would change that.

“Shit!” Elliott, the eldest of their brood, was less forgiving and swore under his breath, but not quite low enough that his younger brother, Sam, didn’t hear and blow the whistle on him. It all lead to a typical airport family fight that delay and frustration can create!

“PACK IT IN YOU TWO!” Rose Carter commanded with an authority over their kids that always seemed to escape Benedict. He was fine with big meetings and company business, but when it counted at home, their children seemed to listen to her more than him.

On occasions like this, he didn’t mind. She was good at it, and he needed her. They worked well as a team with the kids and he definitely wouldn’t want to take their brood on a flight like this without her!

She was also good at packing, and they weren’t overloaded with the huge numbers of bags and excess luggage, that many other similar families—most heading for the sun—seemed to be. Even the bags they’d already checked were half empty, leaving space for some local bargains and clothes picked up at a good exchange rate.

She was great in bed, too! He smiled to himself, studying her as she sat the youngest, Natty, on her knee to read a book. Her tall lithe form, oiled olive, latin skin and stunning good looks could turn heads even in busy airports! Mind you, unless the flights came soon, they would get there so late it would hardly be worth going to bed!

Malaga had BETTER be WORTH IT!

Travelling, for the Carter family, was no biggy. For more than a dozen years, they had packed their bags and boarded planes endless times as they travelled together, as part of his job. The kids were well drilled with check-in protocol and gate times, to the point of boredom. Often they would be in a country for no more than 6 months; a year at most. Being in the UK for fifteen months had been akin to putting down roots!

He was a trainer and trouble-shooter for DHL, and there was always trouble, and people either to train or shoot! The difference was, DHL didn’t fly him and his family by low cost airlines, and they never worried about luggage allowance. Who would, when you worked for the company that could forward anything, to anywhere, by the next business day? He hoped to God that their bags weren't en-route to Barcelona that day. Anything was possible with that gum-chewing airhead at the check-in desk!

Checking the board once more, he made a decision. “Come on, let’s go eat,” he suggested brightly. “Burger King or Burger King?” Not that he really cared for either, but it would keep the kids amused. For a while, at least.

His three children looked up hopefully, as he knew they would. Rose rolled her eyes in silent rebellion at the thought giving in to junk food, as he knew she would too. But she accepted the payoff and everyone was kind of happy.

At least for now!

A long five and a half hours - including the two and half hour flight - later, he finally pulled their adequately sized hire car outside the high-rise block, where they were renting a three bedroom apartment. It was close to midnight. Exhausted, they did nothing more than bundle the kids into various beds, climbed into their own, and fell asleep.