 
Final Exam

Published by John Foltin at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 John Foltin

Cover Art by Donna Casey

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

# TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

KEYS TO SUCCESS

ANSWER KEY

UNFORGETTABLE

He Said

She Said

They Said

#  CHAPTER ONE

It all started with a simple newscast in January 2011. There was a story about the decline in graduation rates from universities and how hard it was for recent graduates to find work. It was followed by talking about the massive debts that students had from loans they took out to go to college and how long it would take them to pay them off.

Why was this one newscast so important? Because it was watched by Alfred Wellington III. He was the son of Alfred Wellington II, the billionaire owner of one of the largest petroleum companies in the world. He had inherited the company and his father's vast fortune recently after his father lost his battle with prostate cancer.

He was a graduate of Harvard, receiving his Master's Degree in International Business.

He was different from his father in one aspect. His father was only interested in making money at the expense of others. He was more interested in helping others.

When he saw this report, he saw an opportunity to use his newfound fortune to help those who needed it.

He couldn't help everyone, as much as he wanted to. So, he came up with a way to help those who were graduating and give incentive to those still learning.

He came up with a contest. There would be a test given to anyone who wanted to take it. The top male and female score from each of the fifty states would win a spectacular prize. Since Wyoming only had one four-year college, he included the District of Columbia.

The criteria: You had to be graduating in the spring of that year or had graduated in that school year from a four-year institute. You had to have a cumulative GPA greater than 3.0.

The prize: Each person would win an all-expense paid trip around the world, visiting many major educational sites. Each person would win a ten thousand dollar gift card to spend as they saw fit. Most important to Alfred, each person would have his/her student loans paid in full.

He wanted to be able to include students with many different kinds of majors. He considered this when making his test.

As spring quarter started across the United States, all eligible students were made aware of this opportunity. Those that accepted would take the test on March 28. They were not told the content of the test, just that it covered a broad range of education.

Auditoriums were filled with students. The test had a time limit of five hours. Cellphones were prohibited in the testing area. Each student received a booklet with eleven questions. The first ten questions each had a max of ten points. Question eleven was a tie-breaker.

"Question one: List all of the plays by William Shakespeare." There were thirty-eight blanks, one for each of the plays. For each correct answer, you received a portion of the ten allotted points.

"Question two: List all of the sports that were in competition from the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2010 Winter Olympics." There were fifty-six blanks, one for each sport.

"Question three: Name the bones in the human body." There were fifty-seven blanks, separated into different parts of the body.

"Question four: Name fifty of the top hundred most profitable businesses of 2010." There were fifty blanks.

"Question five: Name the men that were elected to or appointed to the office of President and/or Vice President." There were seventy-seven blanks.

Question six was a series of twenty-five math questions, ranging from simple algebra to calculus.

"Question seven: Name the artist." There were twenty pictures of paintings along with their name, and the students had to write down who painted it.

"Question eight: Name the books of the Old and New Testament." There were sixty-six blanks.

"Question nine: Name the elements from the Periodic Table." A copy of the periodic table took up the entire page. The symbols were there, but blanks were left to fill in the name of the one hundred eighteen elements.

"Question ten: Name the countries of the world." There were one hundred ninety-nine blanks, as well as a map of the world. The question would be scored according to how the student chose to list the countries of the United Kingdom, whether as a group or individually.

"Final question: Why should we choose you?" In case of a tie, this was how the choice would be made.

A number of people walked out on the test midway through. For some, it was just too much for them. For others, the religious question offended them.

Five hours later, the tests were collected and sent to a facility for grading. With as many tests as there were to grade, this would not be a quick process.

A few weeks later, all the tests were graded. Each university had its top male and female. In some cases, there were ties. In that case, those were sent to Alfred to judge using the last question. In most cases, it involved massive loan debts that needed to be paid, some more than one hundred thousand dollars.

With this test, there were no perfect scores. In fact, the top score was only a 93.8. To get an eighty on this test was an accomplishment.

Once the one hundred winners were determined, letters were sent out. They would be flown to San Antonio for the first destination. The only request was that they wear a T-shirt of their college to Texas. They were told to bring clothes for all climates.

On June 20, they all met. Among them were Daniel and Danielle Conley, a brother and sister attending Weber State and the University of Denver, respectively. For the sake of the story, we will concentrate on a select group.

Christopher Boyd was voted Class Clown at Upper St. Clair High School. He was also a member of the Science Club. However, he struggled in college. In fact, he almost flunked out after two quarters. He eventually got serious and graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a degree in Chemical Engineering.

Patricia van der Werf was captain of the Debate Team at Kenyon-Wanamingo High School. She was also voted Most Likely to Succeed. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Pre-Law.

Douglas Forbes was Senior Class President at C.K. McClatchy High School. He was President of Pi Sigma Alpha fraternity at Stanford University. He lost his bid for Senior Class President. He graduated with a degree in Political Science.

Leigh McElvain was a four-year letterer in cross country, swimming, and track at Shawnee Heights High School. She was given a full athletic scholarship to the University of Kansas. However, her sophomore year, she suffered an injury that prevented her from ever being a competitive swimmer again. As a result, she lost her scholarship. She still managed to graduate with a degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in English.

Chadwick Newton was a member of the Young Republicans Club at John F. Kennedy High School. He was the type of student who would use someone whenever he needed help, then discarded them when they were no longer of service. His idol was Donald Trump. It was only natural that he would graduate with a degree in International Business from Penn.

Kristen Dougherty was head cheerleader at Robert A. Millikan High School. She was also Senior Class Secretary, Homecoming Queen, and Prom Queen. She was also a finalist in the Miss Teen California Pageant. At the University of Southern California, she was a cheerleader and a news anchor for the campus's television station. She was also a leader of Pi Beta Phi. She graduated with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

She was never the type who was able to keep a boyfriend. She wore a purity ring on her necklace, a sign that she was saving herself for marriage. When guys knew that they couldn't score with her, they left her.

Richard Thumberg was salutatorian from Kenyon-Wanamingo High School and a classmate of Patricia's. In high school, he was very studious. However, when he arrived at Bemidji State, he underwent a total transformation. He became a vegetarian. He tried to go vegan, but wasn't able to give up dairy. He would organize rallies on issues like the war in Afghanistan or government-run healthcare. In short, he became a hippie that was born forty years too late. He graduated with a degree in Philosophy.

Mei-Xing Huang was valedictorian of Potomac Falls High School. She didn't have time for a social life. All of her time went into her studies. The same held true when she went to Rutgers University. She never dated. As a result, she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Pre-Med.

Todd Wickham was voted Most Shy from Essex High School. He was a member of the Marching Band and the Drama Club. At Goddard College, he continued this trend. He was a recluse. Like Mei-Xing, he also never dated. He graduated with a degree in Creative Writing. Shortly before graduation, he won a national writing contest.

One by one, they met in San Antonio. Kristen was one of the last to arrive. Do you remember the scene from Caddyshack when Lacey walked to the driving board and all the men stopped and stared, jaws agape? That was the reaction when Kristen walked by.

Alfred was there to greet them. He distributed one hundred Visa debit cards, each one worth ten thousand dollars. He told them that the student loans would be paid at the end of the trip, which would end with meeting the President in Washington D.C. All meals will be provided. If they should choose to go elsewhere, it would be out of their own pocket.

Two guides from Frommer's would accompany them on their trip. They boarded the bus bound for their first destination, the Alamo.

Once there, they toured the building. They saw the chapel, the Long Barrack, and the rest of the grounds.

At the end of the tour, Christopher asked, "What about the basement?" Either he saw Pee-wee's Big Adventure one too many times, or he had a great sense of humor. Apparently, it was the latter because that remark got a huge laugh.

As he looked around, one person's smile caught his eye: Leigh. It was love at first sight. Her smile, as well as her long red hair and green eyes, drew him to her like a magnet.

It was then that Patricia, looking for the man who made the joke, saw her old high school sweetheart Richard. They were valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, and dated off and on their senior year. Just as things were getting serious, they left for college. They tried to make the long distance relationship work. Alas, it only lasted six months, and they broke up.

During the tour, most of the guys were jockeying for position near Kristen, including Chadwick and Douglas. Todd wanted to, but he knew his limitations. He knew he couldn't compete with the other guys in the looks department.

People collected different things. Douglas collected postcards from each location. Patricia collected refrigerator magnets. Todd collected T-shirts.

After the tour, they checked into the Mokara Hotel for the night. The trip began in the morning. Before they left the Alamo, they drew numbers for their roommate. They had the option to keep this roommate the entire eleven weeks of the trip or switch out.

On each of the beds was a packet. Inside that packet was a copy of the itinerary and a test. Each question pertained to a different stop on the trip.

Attached to the test was a note. "Answer each question. At the end of the trip, you will turn in your test for a chance to win a Key to Success. Cheating is not encouraged, but it is allowed. Good luck to all. – Alfred Wellington III"

That night, Christopher and Leigh took a walk down by the River Walk. They were fanning the spark that began at the Alamo into a flame. They had dinner at Biga on the Banks, then took a cruise on the river.

Patricia and Richard talked about what they had done in the last three years. Patricia had dated a few guys, but nothing serious. Richard had dated someone his junior year, but she couldn't compare to Patricia. He ended up breaking it off.

Todd and Mei-Xing stayed in their respective rooms and went to bed early. They weren't the kind of people who spent their nights partying. They had to study all the time to get their grades, so they sacrificed a social life.

Chadwick and Douglas were among the group vying for Kristen's attention at Howl at the Moon Saloon. They catered to her every whim, and she knew this. They stood and cheered when she was asked up to the piano bar to be serenaded.

The next morning, they left for the airport. On the plane, Christopher and Leigh, still riding their high from the previous night, sat next to each other, as did Patricia and Richard. Seating around Kristen filled quickly, so Todd was delegated to the back of the plane. He sat next to Mei-Xing.

#  CHAPTER TWO

Six and a half hours later, the plane landed in Cancún. Once they got off the plane, they boarded buses for Aqua. The buses waited as they checked in and cleaned up. They had a two-hour trip to their destination, Chichén Itzá.

By this time, Christopher and Leigh were inseparable. They were connected at the hand.

The group around Kristen had started to thin out. Some of the guys knew she wasn't paying them any attention and gave up. Chadwick and Douglas didn't. In fact, Chadwick tried harder to separate himself from the pack.

Along the way, they went through the colonial town of Valladolid and stopped for an archaeological dig at Ik-Kil. While there, Christopher and Leigh dug up a small fossil, their first collaboration.

After the two and a half hour bus ride, they arrived at the Mayan ruins. The tour included the Pyramid of Kukulcán, the Observatory, and the Water Well, where the Mayans would perform human sacrifices. The guides told them about their customs.

Todd and Mei-Xing soaked in all the knowledge and took plenty of pictures. They both walked the grounds, getting a more personal tour of the site. They were quickly becoming friends.

Deep down inside, however, Todd wanted to be walking the grounds with Kristen. She didn't know he existed, not with the mob around her.

After a day of touring, they took the two and a half hour bus ride back to Cancún for the night.

Christopher asked if he could switch rooms to be with Leigh. He was told that roommates had to be the same sex. They took this evening as a chance to relax away from each other.

Richard and Patricia went out to Coco Bongo, looking to rekindle what they had. The three years apart seemed to vanish as the night went on.

As usual, Todd stayed in. Besides his camera, he brought his laptop along to document the trip. He viewed this as an opportunity for a novel.

Kristen wanted to try some Mexican food. She went to Puerto Madero with a few other girls. Some of the guys, including Chadwick, tried to sit at their table. The other girls chased them off.

Early next morning, they left the hotel and caught a flight from Cancún to Mexico City. Two and a half hours later, they landed. After a quick check-in at the Camino Real, they travelled to Teotihuacán, another site of ancient ruins.

They toured the Avenue of the Dead, the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon, and the Feathered Serpent Pyramid.

The tour got Todd closer to Kristen than he had gotten before. She still didn't acknowledge him, but he got a closer view of her. This gave him an ounce of incentive to try to talk to her.

It was here where Richard and Patricia realized they may have been rushing to get back together. While they still wanted to continue reconnecting, they decided to slow things down.

Christopher and Leigh were just the opposite. The night apart made him realize how important she had become in such a short time. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could in whatever time they had. It was here at Teotihuacán where they shared their first kiss.

As much as Douglas wanted to be with Kristen, he started to see that it just wasn't meant to be. Chadwick thought different. He thought that she would be with him, whether she wanted to or not.

After the tour, they went back to Mexico City. They had a very early flight in the morning, so a curfew was ordered.

That didn't stop Christopher and Leigh from checking the city at night. They stopped at Café Tacuba for dinner.

Todd decided to change his story. Instead of just writing down about the trip, he turned it into an adventure. It would be about a man who searches for pieces to an ancient alien artifact. In the course of the trip, the main character met a woman and fell in love with her at first sight. She would accompany him on his quest.

Todd would be the basis for the title character. Kristen would be the woman.

The next day, they had an early flight from Mexico City. After nine hours, they landed in Cusco, Peru.

They checked into the Hotel Monasterio. The hotel stood three thousand meters above sea level. The fifty bedrooms they stayed in were enriched with oxygen.

After cleaning up, they boarded a train bound for Machu Picchu. Four hours later, they arrived at the ruins.

They were able to tour Torreón, the Temple of the Sun. They were also able to tour the Temple of the Three Windows, Intihuatana, and the Temple of the Moon.

Todd and Mei-Xing again explored together, taking plenty of pictures. Today, however, they were joined by Douglas. He put Kristen behind him and made his own path.

Speaking of Kristen, even though her entourage was smaller, she still had a group following her. Part of the reason it was growing smaller was due to lack of interest from her. Another part was Chadwick driving them away.

By the time they returned to Cusco, the sun had set.

Nothing was going to drive Christopher and Leigh away from each other. With each passing day, their relationship grew stronger and stronger.

Christopher and Leigh had dinner at Limo, among the newest and most stylish restaurants in Cusco.

The same, however, could not be said for Patricia and Richard. Every time they tried to move their relationship forward, it would take two steps backward.

They tried to have a quiet dinner at Fallen Angel. But as soon as the talk turned political, they differed on views and couldn't find any common ground.

Kristen and a few others, including Chadwick, went to Ukuku's to listen to some Peruvian music. Chadwick did his best to stand between her and the rest of the entourage.

Todd and Mei-Xing, went to El Tupuy, the hotel restaurant.

The next morning, they flew six hours out of Cusco to Santiago, Chile. From there, they checked into the Plaza El Bosque. After dropping off their stuff, they went back to the airport to board another plane bound for Rapa Nui, otherwise known as Easter Island, one of the most remote places on Earth.

They saw a sample of the two hundred plus ancient stone statues, known as moai. No one knew who built them. Todd finished filling the first of his memory cards to his camera here.

After a few hours of sightseeing, they flew back to spend the night in Santiago.

Leigh went to swim some laps on the rooftop pool of the hotel. This brought back some memories of her competitive days. She tried to teach Christopher a few strokes, but he was like a fish out of water, in a matter of speaking.

Mei-Xing went to Teatro Oriente to listen to the symphony. She couldn't find anyone to go with her, so she went alone.

Todd finally left the hotel for the first time on the trip. He went to Cueravaca for a good steak.

Kristen went to Agua for dinner. The women finally gave up on her, leaving her company strictly male. Chadwick tried to dominate the conversation, but he wasn't able to.

Patricia and Richard felt they needed a night apart. Maybe this would be the necessary thing that would reconnect them.

The next morning, they flew seven hours to Puerto Iguazú. They checked into the Hotel das Cataratas. After cleaning up, they left for Iguazú Falls.

Legend had it that a god planned to marry a beautiful woman named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In rage, the god sliced the river, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall.

They were given an option to view the falls via whitewater raft. Most took advantage of the offer. Douglas was among the few who decided against it.

That night, about half of the group went to El Quincho del Tío Querido for dinner. Among them were Kristen, Douglas, Mei-Xing, Todd and Chadwick. Seeing no man control the conversation gave Todd his first glimpse of hope that he could ask Kristen out by the end of the trip. At the same time, she wasn't able to get in a word edgewise.

Leigh and Christopher stayed at the hotel and ate at the Doña María Restaurant. They had only been dating about a week, but they acted as though they had been dating for months.

After staying the night in Puerto Iguazú, they flew eight hours to Rio de Janeiro. Among the sights they saw was Corcovado Mountain, and at its summit was the statue of Cristo Redentor.

They had one night in Rio before leaving South America. If there's one place to party and have a good time, it's Rio.

A large group decided to go to Carioca da Gema, a club where they dance the official dance of Brazil, the samba. In that group were Christopher and Leigh, Richard and Patricia, and Douglas. Even Mei-Xing decided to go out for one night.

Kristen wanted to go out, too. However, she wanted it to be more of a girls' night out, no guys allowed. She knew this wouldn't be easy, but she put on a disguise to try and sneak out undetected. She was able to get out of the hotel. As for a girls' night out, that wasn't going to happen. Most of the women didn't care for her stealing all the attention, albeit unintentionally. Therefore, they didn't want to hang out with her.

She went out on her own. Just before entering Elite, she shed her costume. It didn't take long before she was, once again, the center of attention with a new group of men.

Todd went to Oui Oui for some tapas. He finally came up with the plot for his book.

The alien artifact would be a beacon to invite the aliens back to earth. It could also be used as a weapon. Only the one who reassembled the pieces would determine which it would be.

The main character wanted to use it as a beacon. There were others who wanted the device as a weapon. Who would win this struggle?

#  CHAPTER THREE

They next day, they boarded a cruise ship. Ten days later, they would arrive in Cape Town, South Africa.

A half hour after the boat left, Richard was confined to his room. He was suffering from seasickness.

On the first day of the cruise, everyone settled in for the long ride. This was a three thousand eight hundred mile trip, and wouldn't be over in a day.

On day two, everyone was laying out by the pool. That was until Kristen walked by in her tiny, black bikini. She had a body of a Playboy playmate. Every male eye stopped and followed her every move. Some of the guys even whistled at her. One or two took pictures.

There were three guys, however, who chose not to gawk at her. One was Richard, who was still recovering from seasickness. One was Justin Weaver, the only openly gay man on the cruise. The other was Todd. He chose not to stare out of respect for her. It was at that moment that Kristen first noticed Todd.

Having everyone treat her like a piece of meat made her feel her uncomfortable and embarrassed. She put her wrap on and ran back to her room. This would be the last she would wear of that bikini, much to the chagrin of the men. They waited for her the next day and were disappointed when she came fully clothed.

Later that day, Mei-Xing ran into Todd. It seemed that over the course of the trip, she had started to develop feelings for him. However, the feelings weren't mutual. He only wanted to be her friend.

At the same time, Douglas had started developing feelings for Mei-Xing. He was just trying to find the right way to let her know.

For the first few days, Patricia grew closer to Richard. Perhaps it was Florence Nightingale Syndrome, taking care of him while he was sick.

On the night of day four, Christopher and Leigh were staring at the moon shining on the ocean. It was at that moment that he first told her that he loved her. Hearing this, she reciprocated the feeling with a kiss.

That same night, on the other side of the ship, Kristen stared into the ocean as well. For the first time on the trip, she was alone. She was crying.

"Why can't everyone just leave me alone? I just want to be normal and be liked for being me. I hate all the extra attention."

She thought she was alone on the deck. As she began her soliloquy, Todd walked by. She didn't see him, but he saw and heard everything. He felt sorry for her. He wanted just the opposite. He wanted to be the center of attention, not invisible as he was now.

For the first time on the trip, he had worked up the nerve to actually talk to her. Unfortunately, as he was walking toward her, Chadwick stepped in. He told her what she needed to hear and walked away with her. He looked back and saw Todd. He gave him an evil smile.

The next day at breakfast, Chadwick approached Todd. He told him not to waste his time thinking about Kristen. Chadwick said that he didn't need the student loan payoff. His dad paid for his education. He just took the test because he wanted to and to keep someone else from winning. He said he had a girlfriend waiting at home, and that Kristen was merely a conquest for him. He always got what he wanted. With that, he walked away from Todd.

At lunch that day, Douglas decided to sit next to Mei-Xing. They started to carry on a conversation. At the end of lunch, he asked her to have dinner with him. She accepted.

By day six, Patricia had grown tired of taking care of Douglas. She gave him some Dramamine and left to enjoy what was left of the cruise. They agreed that they needed to take some time apart.

On the last night of the cruise, Todd slid an anonymous note under Kristen's door. In it, he explained what Chadwick told him. He also said he heard her the other night, and that she should stand up for herself. If she didn't want the extra attention, then she should speak up and let everyone know to back off.

She took the advice in stride. She was still hesitant to speak up and dismissed what he said about Chadwick.

After ten days, they docked at Cape Town.

They got off the boat and took a bus to the airport for a two-hour flight to Johannesburg. Upon landing, they checked into the Westcliff and left for the Apartheid Museum.

That night, Chadwick and Kristen went out on their first date. They went to Lekgotla for dinner. Todd followed and kept an eye on them, hidden from view. From there, they went out dancing late into the night.

As Chadwick dropped her off, he leaned in to kiss her. She backed away. When he asked what was wrong, she answered, "It's just too soon." Chadwick knew he had his work cut out for him, but vowed to break her.

The next morning, they flew two hours from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls. The natives call this Mosi-oa-Tunya, or **"S** moke that thunders". After they checked into the Victoria Falls Hotel, they went to see the largest falls in the world. They were again given the choice to view the falls by raft. Like before, most chose it.

Todd saw this as his chance to get close enough to Kristen to tell her about Chadwick. As he came up to her, Chadwick took the last spot in her raft. He looked back at Todd and smirked.

Patricia and Richard rode in separate rafts. They barely spoke to each other since the cruise.

At the crest of the falls, they saw two islands that divided the falls, Boaruka Island and Livingstone Island.

Christopher and Leigh chose a more adventurous option. It started with a one hundred seventy-seven foot repel down the fifth gorge. Next, wearing a harness attached to a high wire, they leapt over a four hundred foot gorge that was two hundred fifty feet above the ground. Then, again attached to a harness, they ran face first down a one hundred seventy-seven foot cliff. To end their experience, they swung together on the world's first gorge swing, free falling one hundred sixty feet at over a hundred miles per hour.

After touring the falls, they checked out and flew from Victoria Falls to Cairo. They checked into the Mena House Oberoi. They were given the rest of the day off for an early start tomorrow.

The next day, they left early for Giza, twelve and a half miles southwest of Cairo. When they arrived, they saw the three Great Pyramids, the only surviving Ancient Wonder of the World. They included the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure. They also saw the Great Sphinx, the Valley Temple and nearby Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara. They were even able to enter the Pyramid of Khufu.

They returned to the hotel and stayed the night in Cairo.

Christopher and Leigh had dinner at Naguib Mahfouz Café.

The next day, they took an hour long flight south to Luxor. They checked into the Al Moudira. They had two stops to make.

The first was to Valley of the Kings, the tombs of the Pharaohs. Among the tombs there was the tomb of Tutankhamen. They were also able to enter the tombs of Ramesses VI, Merneptah, and Ramesses VI.

The second was Karnak, a mix of ruined temples. Included in the tour were the Great Temple of Amun, Hypostyle Hall and Sacred Lake.

Douglas and Mei-Xing had their second date at Sofra.

Leigh and Christopher had dinner at King Dude II.

Kristen had spent the past few days at the hotel. She felt the entourage had pretty much kept her a prisoner in her own room. She couldn't leave without followers. It was almost like paparazzi following a celebrity.

Todd stayed in his room for a different reason. He emptied his memory card into his computer so he could take more pictures. At the same time, he was getting ideas for his adventure novel.

#  CHAPTER FOUR

They left early the next morning for a five hour flight from Luxor to Athens. They checked into the Electra Palace Hotel.

They took a tour of Athens. They saw the Temple of Zeus, dedicated to the king of the gods. They saw the Temple of Hephaestus, named after the patron god of metal working and craftsmanship. They saw the Erechtheion, dedicated to King Erichthonius. According to some legend, he was born of the soil and raised by Athena. Lastly, they saw the Parthenon, dedicated to Athena.

With the Acropolis lit in the back ground, Todd handed his camera to a local and asked him if he could take his picture, as he had in every other city.

Douglas wanted to try the different cuisines from each country. He asked Mei-Xing to have dinner with him at Pil-Poul. She agreed on one condition. She would go if he agreed to accompany her to Megaron Mousikis Concert Hall the next night for an evening of classical music. She loved classical music. He could tolerate it if it meant making her happy.

Richard wanted to patch things up with Patricia. He knew she was still upset with him about the cruise. He offered to take her to K. Kotsolis Pastry Shop as a first step to mend that bridge.

Chadwick asked Kristen to dinner at Kostoyiannis. He thought that tonight he would finally get to kiss her.

After dinner, they walked back to the hotel. Once again, Chadwick made his move, leaning in to kiss her. And, once again, Kristen backed away. Chadwick was clearly upset. He wondered what he had to do to break past her force field.

The next morning, they traveled to Delphi. They saw the Temple of Apollo, dedicated to the son of Zeus and Leto. They saw the Altar of the Chians. They saw the Tholos.

They spent one more night in Athens before leaving in the morning.

Chadwick tired of trying to kiss Kristen and went out to find a local woman who would not be so offended by his advances.

He met such a woman at Inoteka. Her name was Daphne, but he didn't care about her name. He was interested in one thing only from her. After a few drinks, he got what he wanted. They left Inoteka and went back to her place.

He made out with her and felt her up. He left before things got too intense. His goal was not to have sex with her, but to relieve a bit of sexual tension.

Kristen, unaware of his escapades, went shopping at Kolonaki. Shopping was her hobby, and she was good at it.

Christopher and Leigh had a night of dancing at the Candy Bar.

As he had promised, Douglas and Mei-Xing went to Megaron Mousikis Concert Hall. She enjoyed the classical music. He learned to like it.

Todd continued to write his story. He usually had the room to himself, and tonight was no different. The quiet allowed his mind to flow and the words to appear.

The next day, they flew two hours to Venice.

After checking into the Hotel Danieli, they visited the Palazzo Ducale. They were given the Secret Itineraries Tour, which showcased the rich history and art of this Palace.

On this tour were the Senate Chamber, Room of the Council of Ten, Great Council Hall, and the Bridge of Sighs.

That night, Todd wanted to check out the local cuisine. He was a pizza fanatic, and what better place to get pizza than the source.

He found Al Vecio Canton. He tried their signature pizza, with tomato sauce, mozzarella and gorgonzola cheeses, onion and spicy salami. He finished his meal with authentic tiramisu.

As he was walking back to the hotel, he saw Chadwick walking into a nearby alley with an Italian woman. He was curious, but chose not to follow them in. It was their personal business.

Christopher and Leigh shared a romantic dinner at Al Covo, followed by a gondola ride through the many canals of Venice. The moon was unusually bright that evening. They cuddled and enjoyed the ride.

Mei-Xing and Douglas went to Chiesa di Vivaldi for another evening of classical music.

The next morning, they boarded a train. Three hours later, they arrived at Pisa.

They checked into the Hotel Palazzo Alexander. Shortly after checking in, they visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

They climbed the two hundred ninety-six steps to the top of the former bell tower. At its peak, the tower stood one hundred eighty-six feet.

When they came down, Todd asked to have his picture taken as though he was trying to hold up the tower.

The next morning, they left Pisa for a three hour train ride to Rome. They checked into the Hassler Roma.

That afternoon, they toured the Piazza del Campidoglio, designed by Michelangelo.

They toured the Colosseum, whose original Latin name was Amphitheatrum Flavium. It was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, and re-enactments of famous battles.

They toured the Arch of Constantine, erected to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312.

They toured the Pantheon, commissioned by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in about 126 AD.

Everyone had dinner at Il Convivio. As the sun was setting, they saw the Piazza Navona and the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or "Fountain of the Four Rivers".

After the tour, Kristen went shopping at Laura Biagiotti. She was like a kid in a candy store. She spent a thousand dollars on clothes.

Todd, on the other hand, did what he did at every other city. He bought a T-shirt from the hotel's gift shop.

Christopher and Leigh had dinner at Quinzi & Gabrieli. With each date they had, Christopher knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. While Leigh cared for him, her feelings were not as strong. She did know that she wanted to enjoy each and every moment with him.

Richard and Patricia were friends again. They spent their night in Rome at La Terrazza. It was after dinner that they shared their first kiss in years.

Mei-Xing wanted to pick up a gift for her sister. She took Douglas to Fendi to buy a purse. After an hour of looking, she found just the right one.

The next morning, they traveled to Vatican City. Richard was a bit hesitant about traveling to the home of the Pope. You see, he was an atheist. Ever since his father was killed by a stray bullet and his killer was acquitted of the crime, he believed that there was no justice. If God existed, his father, a devout Christian who gave of his time and money, would still be alive, or the man who killed him would pay for his sin.

Patricia knew of his father's death. She convinced him to go.

There, they saw the Basilica di San Pietro. It had the largest interior of any Christian church in the world.

They saw some of the Vatican Museums, such as the Chiaramonti Museum, the Pio Clementino Museum, and the Pinacoteca. They saw the Vatican Library, one of the oldest libraries in the world.

They saw the Sistine Chapel, where a new pope would be elected when one passed away. It was famous for paintings depicting nine scenes from the Book of Genesis painted by Michelangelo on the ceiling. Those scenes were: The Separation of Light and Darkness; The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Earth; The Separation of Land and Water; The Creation of Adam; The Creation of Eve; The Temptation and Expulsion; The Sacrifice of Noah; The Great Flood; and The Drunkenness of Noah.

The last sight they saw was the Castel Sant'Angelo, a towering cylindrical building initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family.

They had little time to enjoy the city. They had to catch a midnight train. They checked out of their hotel.

Six and a half hours later, they arrived at Bari. They checked into the Hotel Oriente Bari and traveled to Andria to tour the Castel del Monte.

Built by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II during the 1240's, its shape was an octagonal prism with an octagonal tower at each corner.

Later that afternoon, they boarded another train. Five hours later, they arrived in Naples. They checked into the Grand Hotel Vesuvio.

Douglas felt the need for some good jazz. Mei-Xing didn't. He went by himself to Riot.

Patricia and Richard went dancing at Chez Moi. Their bond was growing stronger by the day.

Leigh and Christopher had dinner at Europeo di Mattozzi

The next morning, they drove to the ancient city of Pompeii. During their tour, they saw Mt. Vesuvius, the volcano that caused the devastation back in 77 A.D. They also saw the Temple of Vaspian, the Vettius House which still contained many frescos, and the Tomb of Vestoria Prisco.

That night, Todd wanted one last taste of pizza from the motherland. He went to Antonio e Antonio.

Since he had gone purse shopping with her, Douglas took Mei-Xing to Mimì alla Ferrovia for dinner. They were starting to become serious. They weren't at the level of Christopher and Leigh, but they were getting there.

Kristen started feeling neglected. After her last date with Chadwick, he had become distant to her. She still had her entourage at every site. But she felt alone without Chadwick. Still, she refused to dismiss her beliefs.

#  CHAPTER FIVE

The next morning, they caught a flight from Naples. Two and a half hours later, they landed in Madrid.

They checked into the Hotel Ópera and left immediately for the Museo del Prado. The museum featured a collection of more than seven thousand paintings and more than a thousand sculptures.

After they finished the tour, they drove northwest about thirty miles to El Escorial. While primarily used as a monastery, it also functioned as a palace, a museum, and a school. Among the sights they saw were the Courtyard of the Kings, the Hall of Battles featuring frescos of the most important Spanish victories, and the Pantheon of the Kings containing the remains of the kings of Spain.

Today was Todd's twenty-second birthday, but you wouldn't know it by the events of the day. With the exception of the guest of honor, everyone either forgot it or ignored it. The only one who got him a card was Mei-Xing, and that was at the very last minute. She was so preoccupied with Douglas that she forgot. She got one as the gift shop was closing.

All day long, he had but one birthday wish. He wanted Kristen to acknowledge his existence. Alas, it didn't happen.

He called his family for the first time on the trip. They were the first to wish him a happy birthday.

He went out to celebrate alone at Balneario. He had a few drinks and a few tapas.

It was then that he was approached by a young woman. She could see he was unhappy and wanted to cheer him up.

"¿Lo que está mal?" ("What's wrong?")

"Es mi cumpleaños, y nadie quiere celebrar conmigo." ("It's my birthday, and no one wants to celebrate with me.")

"¡Qué vergüenza! ¿Te gustaría celebrarlo conmigo?" ("What a shame! Would you like to celebrate it with me?")

"Sí, me encantaría. Gracias." ("Yes, I would love to. Thank you.")

She told him her name was Marisol. They left Balneario. She took him to Fabrik. There, they danced the night away.

At the end of the evening, she took a picture of the two of them, kissing him on the cheek. "Feliz cumpleaños." He gave her his e-mail address to get a copy of the picture.

It wasn't the evening he wanted. It was so much better.

Chadwick didn't know any Spanish, but he learned one phrase to use when he went out. "Te daré cincuenta dólares para tener sexo conmigo." ("I'll give you fifty dollars to have sex with me.")

After a few slaps to the face, he finally got a positive response to his request. Fortunately for Kristen, she was nowhere nearby. He brought her back to his hotel room, and she did the deed she was paid to do. When she finished, he sent her on her way.

Speaking of Kristen, she went to Casa Hernanz to find a pair of shoes to match the outfits she bought in Rome. She also decided that, in order to keep Chadwick, she had to give him what he wanted: a kiss. That was all she would give him.

Douglas wanted to sample the local cuisine. Mei-Xing didn't. Douglas went with a group of guys to Zalacaín for dinner. This was probably good for him. He felt like things were going too good too fast with Mei-Xing. An evening away from her was just what he needed.

Christopher and Leigh wanted to try something different. They went to Cines Verdi for a Spanish movie. In the dark, they held each other. They couldn't understand most of the words, but they still got the message the movie delivered.

The next morning, they flew five hours from Madrid to Edinburgh. They checked into the Balmoral Hotel and left for the Royal Mile.

The Mile started with a tour of Edinburgh Castle, a fortress located on top of Castle Rock. Among the sights they saw there were the Portcullis Gate, the Argyle Tower, St. Margaret's Chapel, the Half Moon Battery, David's Tower, the Queen Anne Building, and the Royal Palace, which contained the Honours of Scotland, Scotland's crown jewels. At one o'clock, they heard a cannon go off. This was the One O'Clock Gun being fired.

At the end of the Mile was the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the Queen of Scotland.

Christopher, Leigh, Douglas and Mei-Xing had dinner at the Forth Floor Restaurant. Douglas continued to fear that things were moving too fast with Mei-Xing, so he asked to go on a double date.

Kristen knew the time was now. She asked Chadwick to go with her to Cabaret Voltaire. After a night of dancing, she kissed him for the first time. But one kiss was not enough for him. He wanted more, more than she was willing to give.

As he grabbed her to kiss her again, she pulled away. His grip got tighter. "You're hurting my arm." She broke his grip and ran away.

The next morning they traveled by train from Edinburgh to London. They would be spending the next few days here.

They checked into the Savoy. They boarded buses and drove an hour and a half northwest to Stratford-upon-Avon, the home of William Shakespeare. Todd was excited about this stop. Shakespeare was a major inspiration in his becoming a writer.

They visited the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Shakespeare's Birthplace and Anne Hathaway's Cottage, the childhood home of his wife. Christopher commented, "I loved her in The Princess Diaries."

They loaded the buses and headed back to London for the night.

Still feeling the Shakespeare vibe, Todd wanted to see the Bard's work in his homeland. He went to Shakespeare's Globe Theater.

Feeling the need to fill his urge that Kristen couldn't satisfy, Chadwick hit the streets of London looking for someone who could.

A group of them, including Patricia and Richard and Christopher and Leigh, went to the London Eye. They boarded their capsule and rode the four hundred forty-three feet tall Ferris wheel. The view of London from that height at night was spectacular.

Douglas took Mei-Xing to the Barbican Centre to see the London Symphony Orchestra.

On the morning of day two in London, they left to tour the University of Oxford. Some of them had already visited Oxford for interviews. Patricia was among them who applied and were rejected.

Along the tour, they visited the Ashmolean Museum, the oldest museum in the United Kingdom.

Mei-Xing and Todd both got information on applying in the future to Oxford. Neither strongly considered it, but wanted to leave all options open.

That night, all were treated to dinner at Gordon Ramsay's Restaurant.

The next morning, the group traveled to Stonehenge, the ancient wonder that was built over four thousand years ago. The circular monument was believed to be used as a burial ground. Others believed this was left by aliens. How else could such heavy stones have been placed as they were?

That night, Christopher had a rare evening alone. He needed to be alone on this night. He went shopping at Daniel Prince for a very special piece of jewelry.

Richard and Patricia were getting closer each day. This was no more present than when they went to Ministry Of Sound dancing. Richard took offense when a Londoner started dancing with her. She loved when he came to her defense.

Douglas and Mei-Xing went to Ain't Nothin' But Blues Bar, a change of pace for Mei-Xing, but right up Douglas's alley. His father used to play for a blues band.

Kristen joined a few of the ladies, including Leigh, for a night at Fabric. She was approached by several men, but turned them all down. She wanted to stay true to Chadwick.

If only she knew where he was that night. He spent the night at Nags Head, a gentlemen's club. He spared no expense there.

Todd, meanwhile, spent the night alone in the hotel room. He continued working on his book. Being in London has inspired him to make this his best work to date. He had a new inspiration: Marisol.

His roommate Gary Peach seldom ever spent much time in the room. He was involved in Geocaching, an internet treasure hunt. People would hide caches, mostly with trinkets, that others would use GPSs to find.

Most people in the States had few finds, if any, outside of the country. What better opportunity to find international caches than this trip.

On their last day in England, they toured the city of London. Their first stop was Westminster Abbey, just months after the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The two highlights here were the Henry VII's Lady Chapel and the shrine of St. Edward the Confessor.

Next on the tour of London was the Houses of Parliament. This included the House of Commons, the House of Lords, Westminster Hall, Victoria Tower, and Big Ben.

Next on the tour was Buckingham Palace, the home of Queen Elizabeth II. The inside tour was limited to the State Rooms, the Royal Mews where the royal carriages were housed, and the Queen's Gallery, but they were able to tour the grounds. They arrived just in time to see the Changing of the Guards. Christopher tried his best to make them flinch. He failed.

Next was Windsor Castle. During the tour, they were able to climb to the top of the Round Tower.

The final stop of the tour of London was the Tower of London, a castle founded in 1066. Among the sights on the tour were the White Tower, the Crown Jewels and the Menagerie.

Scattered throughout the many sights were paintings by the world's most famous artists.

They finished their stay in London with a moonlight cruise on the River Thames. Besides the sights that had seen earlier in the day, they saw London Bridge lit up.

#  CHAPTER SIX

The next morning, they checked out of the hotel. They rode the train from London to Paris. The ride took them through the Channel Tunnel, an underwater tunnel. Two and a half hours later, they arrived.

They checked into the Hotel de Crillon. A half hour later, they left to tour the Louvre.

When they saw the glass pyramid, Christopher made a remark about The DaVinci Code. Inside, they saw some of the most famous works of art in the world, such as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, among the thirty-five thousand pieces in the collection.

As the sun was setting, they toured the Eiffel Tower. On their way, they passed the Arc de Triomphe, which honored those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, and Notre Dame Cathedral.

When they reached the top, Christopher pulled Leigh to the side, where they could be alone. "You don't know how much you mean to me. In this past month, I realized that I don't want to spend another day without you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the engagement ring he purchased in London. He dropped to one knee. "Leigh Anne McElvain, will you marry me?"

When he asked that question, they knew they weren't alone because everyone turned to see her reaction. When she said yes, everyone applauded.

While some went elsewhere after the tour, others stayed and ate at Le Jules Verne. Among them were Douglas and Mei-Xing. It was during dinner that Douglas told her that he loved her for the first time.

Kristen took this as another opportunity to shop. She visited Yves-Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton.

As she walked back to the hotel with several bags, she looked over to an alley. What she saw shocked her. She saw Chadwick making out with a French woman.

When she saw them kissing, her eyes welled up. She ran away as fast as she could. She gave him more than she did to most other men, and this was the thanks she got?

After he ditched Séverine (again, he didn't get her name nor cared to), Chadwick took in a show at Moulin Rouge. He didn't care about the story, just the manner in which it was told, with topless performers.

Christopher and Leigh celebrated their engagement at Taillevent, followed by a walk, hand in hand, through Park Monceau.

The next morning, they checked out and boarded a train. Three and a half hours later, they arrived at Pontorson. They checked into the Hôtel Vert.

Shortly thereafter, they traveled to Mont St. Michel to view the famous Abbey. It used to be a monastery, but was converted into a fortified prison during the French Revolution. According to legend, the Archangel Michael appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of Avranches, in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet where the structure that bears his name stands today.

After checking out of the hotel, they boarded a train and rode through the night. When they woke up, the train was pulling into Aachen, Germany.

They checked into the Hotel Pullman Aachen Quellenhof. From there, they traveled to Aachen Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in Northern Europe. The cathedral was a mixture of Carolingian, Gothic, and Baroque architecture.

They saw the octagonal Palatine Chapel. They saw the Shrine of Virgin Mary and the four great Aachen relics: St. Mary's cloak, Christ's swaddling clothes, St. John the Baptist's beheading cloth and Christ's loincloth. They saw the Shrine of Charlemagne, which housed his remains.

They did not stay the night in Aachen. They checked out and boarded a train bound for Füssen.

On the way there, Chadwick tried to talk to Kristen. Kristen, however, didn't want to hear any of his sweet talk.

"What do you take me for? A fool? I saw you back in Paris making out with that whore."

"I can explain..."

"Don't bother. In fact, don't say another word to me. Get away."

Before he left, Chadwick told her of the other women he enjoyed on the trip, Daphne in Greece, Giovanna in Italy, Isabel in Spain, and Séverine.

Word of their split spread fast. Before the train arrived in Füssen, she had been approached by six different men asking her out. She refused them all. Todd was happy to hear about the split, but knew to keep his distance for the time being. She needed time to recover.

Christopher and Leigh started making plans for their wedding. Leigh wanted to wait until they got home to get married. Christopher wanted to get married on the trip. They compromised. They would get married on the trip and then have a separate ceremony back home with friends and family.

As they were checking into the Luitpoldpark Hotel, man number seven asked her out. This was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Look, just leave me alone! I don't want to go out with you or anyone else! I just want to be left alone!"

Her plan worked. All of the men left her alone. Unfortunately, all of the women left her alone, too. She got what she wanted; she was an island unto herself.

After checking in, they left for Neuschwanstein Castle. It was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as an homage to Richard Wagner. They saw the Hall of the Singers, the Throne Hall, and the Rectangular Tower.

As they left the castle, they saw several people paragliding over the castle. Christopher wanted to try that, but he didn't know who to contact nor did he have the time to.

Again, they checked out of the hotel early and rode the train through the night.

Kristen wound up with a private room, as no one still wanted to have anything to do with her.

They arrived at sunrise in Berlin. They checked into the Hotel Adlon.

After breakfast, they left for the Brandenberg Gate. This was one of the openings for the Berlin Wall. It was here that in 1987, Ronald Reagan Gave his famous speech, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

From there, they went to Gemäldegalerie. This museum held one of the most impressive collections of European art.

That night, Christopher and Leigh discussed their wedding plans further over dinner at Die Quadriga. After much discussion, they decided on where they would get married. They would get married in a few weeks when the trip stopped in Japan.

Patricia and Richard shared a pint at Prater Garten. They were getting back to the way they were when they dated in high school.

Kristen spent a rare evening in her hotel room, ordering room service. She wanted to be left alone. She got her wish on the tour. This was one of the few times she had been all by herself on the trip. The silence was calming.

Todd spent a typical night alone in his room. Work on his novel hit a standstill. Ever since Spain, all he could think about was Marisol. No one had ever treated him as special as she did.

He needed to get past her. He was never going to see her again, although he would very much like to. His interest in Kristen was gone.

He spent the night trying to catch up his novel, but without an inspiration, it was difficult to put the emotion in it.

Mei-Xing and Douglas took in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. At the start of the trip, he wasn't big on classical music. Mei-Xing was turning him into a fan.

Chadwick did his thing. He went to Watergate to find someone to fill his needs. He came upon Lena. He asked her to have sex with him for fifty dollars. She accepted, and they returned to her apartment.

The next morning, they checked out and left Berlin.

#  CHAPTER SEVEN

Five and a half hours later, they arrived in Warsaw. They checked into the Kyriad Prestige.

They left to tour the Wilanów Palace. They also toured the Royal Castle, and the Copper-Roof Palace.

That night, Todd wanted to sample some of the cuisine of his ancestors. His grandparents from his mother's side came from Poland. He ate at Pierrogeria.

Christopher and Leigh enjoyed dinner at Delicja Polska. They continued discussions about their wedding. They decided who and how many to include in their wedding party. His roommate Kyle Beck would be the best man. Her roommate Jodi Ferguson would be the maid of honor.

Richard and Patricia enjoyed a night out at Foksal 19.

The next morning, they checked out. They boarded a train for Krakow. Three hours later, they arrived.

After they checked into the Sheraton Krakow, they were given a choice, the first such on this trip. There was a bus waiting to take them to the concentration camps in Auschwitz and Birkenau. Due to the graphic and sensitive nature, some people may be offended or repulsed by the sights. Those who chose to stay behind could.

Patricia's mother was Jewish, so she chose to stay behind. Richard chose to keep her company. Ten other women and Justin stayed behind as well.

The bus carrying the rest left for a fifty mile trip to Auschwitz.

They toured the grounds, including the gas chambers where many Jews were killed. The smell of death still remained sixty plus year later. They saw Block 11, the "prison within the prison" where repeat offenders were placed. They saw some cells that were only sixteen square feet and made to hold four prisoners at a time.

As scary as Auschwitz was, Birkenau was worse. Almost a million Jews were killed at this camp. They could tell it would be by the sign on the gate, "Gate of Death". They saw "The Little Red House" and "The Little White House", two brick cottages converted into gassing facilities. They saw four crematoria, larger gassing chambers.

The sight of the remains still in the chambers caused some, like Leigh and Todd, to run back to the bus. Others, like Daniel, lost their lunch.

This tour had to be cut short. No one enjoyed this stop, but some were intrigued by the historical significance.

When they returned to Krakow, they did what they could to forget the sight of death.

Some of them went to Ministerstwo for a night of dancing. Others went to Nostalgia for an authentic Polish meal.

Chadwick chose to go to Szambelan for a bottle of Polish vodka.

Kristen was still an island unto herself. She didn't want to go out with any of the men, and none of the women wanted to go anywhere with her. So, she drowned herself in room service.

Todd went shopping at Sukiennice for some Polish souvenirs for his family. Afterward, he went back to working on his story for Kristen.

They couldn't stay out too late. They had an early flight in the morning. After a few weeks of traveling by train, a flight was a pleasant change of pace.

After checking out of the Sheraton Krakow, they boarded a plane. Three hours later, they landed in Prague in the Czech Republic. They checked into the Hotel Josef.

After time to clean up, they left for Karlštejn Castle. The castle was built in the fourteenth century and contained artifacts dating back to then.

As they toured the castle, they passed through the Imperial Palace, the Marian Tower, the Big Tower, the Well Tower, and the Chapel of the Holy Cross.

As Todd walked the grounds, he noticed how sad Kristen was. He knew exactly what she was going through. He wanted friends, yet no one would talk to him. Likewise, Kristen wanted someone to talk to, not someone to hit on her or snipe at her.

As much as he wanted to talk to her and satisfy both of their needs, he just wasn't brave enough to take that step.

He was brave enough to go out that night to sample the cuisine of his paternal ancestors at Pivovarský dum.

Christopher and Leigh planned more of their wedding at Vinárna V zátisí. He went online to view which city on the tour was the best option for their wedding in Japan. He suggested Rokuonji Temple in Kyoto. She needed to research it to see if it was appropriate.

Mei-Xing and Douglas went to Smetana Hall to see the Prague Symphony Orchestra. While she enjoyed the music, Douglas started getting a little frustrated. To him, it seemed that they were only doing what she wanted to do and ignored his interests.

The next morning, they checked out and left for the airport. Two and a half hours later, they arrived in Moscow, Russia.

After checking into the Hotel Metropol and cleaning up, they left for Red Square. One of the first things they saw there was Lenin's Mausoleum, containing the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin. They also saw headstones of other Soviet icons, such as Joseph Stalin and Yuri Gagarin along the Kremlin Wall.

Next was a tour of Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat, otherwise known as St. Basil's Cathedral. Todd was able to get his picture taken with the cathedral in the background.

Next, they toured the Kremlin. Included in the tour were Cathedral Square, the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, Terem Palace, the Arsenal, and Ivan III's Palace of Facets. They saw the Tsar Bell, the largest bell in the world. There were twenty towers with the Kremlin walls, but due to time restrictions, they were not able to tour them all. They did go into two, the Blagoveschenskaya Tower and the Konstantino-Eleninskaya Tower.

That night, Douglas wanted to sample the Russian cuisine. He took Mei-Xing to Kitezh. He took one sip of borsch and spit it out. Otherwise, he loved the food. After dinner, he took her to the Bolshoi Theater to see the ballet.

Christopher and Leigh took a moonlit walk through Gorky Park. After doing her research, she said that the wedding was a go at Rokuonji Temple.

Kristen felt lonely. The men left her alone at her request, and the women left her alone to spite her.

She went shopping by herself in an effort to forget about her solitude. She went to Bvlgari for some jewelry. She found a nice necklace that matched her ensemble she purchased in Rome.

Patricia and Richard went out dancing at Discoteque. The way they danced out there, you would never have known they had broken up three years ago. They looked like two people in love.

Todd went with a group to the Moscow Circus. He was going through a bit of writer's block and needed a breather to clear his head.

Chadwick was tiring of the whole paying for sex thing, but he tried one more time. He met a call girl named Raisa. Like always, he didn't care about her name.

She went to work on him after the money was exchanged, but his heart just wasn't into it.

The next morning, they checked out and left for the airport. An hour and a half later, they landed in Minsk, Belarus.

Instead of checking into a hotel, they loaded their suitcases onto a bus and left for a two hour trip to Mir Castle, a castle built in the fifteenth century. It was unique in that it featured Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture and overlooked a man-made lake.

After the tour, the bus took them straight to the airport. From there, they flew through the night.

When they woke up, they were landing at Kayseri, Turkey. They were given two hours to clean up after checking into the Ibis Kayseri.

When ready, they left by bus for an hour-long trip to Cappadocia. There they toured several of the underground cities. The biggest and deepest of these was Derinkuyu. It was eleven floors and about eighty-five meters deep, though most of it was inaccessible to them. They were also able to tour the underground city of Kaymakli.

Between cities, they saw a number of hot air balloons overhead. Christopher wanted to do that, but he didn't know their starting point.

After the trip back, they crashed at the hotel for a while. Since there was little to do in Kayseri, everyone stayed in for the night.

#  CHAPTER EIGHT

In the morning, they checked out of the hotel and left for the airport. Five and a half hours later, they landed in Tel Aviv, Israel. From there, they drove to Jerusalem.

They checked into the Mamilla Hotel. As they left to tour the Old City, Richard decided that he didn't want to leave the hotel. When asked why, he said that as an atheist, visiting such a religious city was against his beliefs. Patricia tried to talk him into coming on the tour, but he refused to budge.

As she walked away, she knew the man she loved in high school was dead to her, and this replacement was not him.

The rest of them went to the Old City. The tour started at the Jaffa Gate. It was named after the port of Jaffa, from which the Prophet Jonah embarked on his sea journey. From the gate, they could see the Tower of David.

Next, they went to the Western Wall, or the Wailing Wall. This was the most sacred Jewish site in the world and the last remains of the Second Temple, commissioned by King Solomon.

They also visited the Temple Mount, the site where Isaac was bound by Abraham, the Al Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock.

To close out their tour of the Old City, they traveled the Via Dolorosa, or the Way of the Cross. This was the path believed to have been traveled by Jesus as he walked to Calvary, where he was crucified. Some were offered large wooden crosses to reenact the Stations of the Cross. Todd, Douglas and Christopher were among those who chose this option.

The walk began where Jesus was scourged and judged.

For those that don't know, these are the Stations of the Cross:

Station 1: Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate.

Station 2: Jesus received the cross.

Station 3: Jesus fell for the first time.

Station 4: Jesus met his mother.

Station 5: Simon the Cyrene helped Jesus carry the cross.

Station 6: Veronica wiped Jesus' face.

Station 7: Jesus fell the second time.

Station 8: Jesus consoled the pious women of Jerusalem.

Station 9: Jesus fell the third time.

Station 10: Jesus was stripped of his garments.

Station 11: Jesus was nailed to the cross.

Station 12: Jesus died on the cross.

Station 13: Jesus was taken down from the cross and given to Mary.

Station 14: Jesus was laid in the chamber of the sepulcher and from there was resurrected.

The last five Stations on the tour took place inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

That night, Christopher and Leigh went to Kan Zeman. They continued discussing plans for their wedding. After dinner, they went dancing at The Lab.

Douglas and Mei-Xing had dinner at Dagim BaChatzer, known for their seafood.

Richard, as he had done all day, never left the hotel. He ordered room service for lunch and ate at the King's Garden Restaurant inside the hotel.

Patricia didn't want to join him. She wanted to explore the city. She ate at Eucalyptus. As she was ordering, she saw Todd sitting alone as well. She asked to join him for dinner.

Patricia talked about how insensitive Richard was. Todd talked about how he wanted to ask out Kristen, but she had yet to notice him.

Kristen went shopping at Ophir for some jewelry. As Chadwick was walking the city, he passed by the store and saw her through the window. Part of him considered walking in and trying to patch things up with her. Instead, he decided to give her some space. She needed a bit more time to cool off.

The next morning, they traveled to East Jerusalem. Everyone but Richard. He still refused to leave the hotel.

The first sight they saw was the Mount of Olives. Next, they saw the Mosque of the Ascension, which marked the spot where Jesus ascended to Heaven.

From there, they went to the Church of the Pater Noster, built on the spot where Jesus instructed his disciples in the Lord's Prayer. Then, they saw the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus supposedly prayed the night before his arrest.

The last thing they saw on the tour was the Tomb of the Virgin, which was a deep underground chamber housing the tombs of Mary and Joseph.

That afternoon, they checked out of the hotel and traveled to Tel Aviv to board a plane. Four hours later, they landed in Aqaba, Jordan. Two and a half hours later, they arrived in Petra. They checked into the Mövenpick Resort for the night.

The next morning, they left for the Siq, a canyon from ten to thirteen feet wide. As they walked, they next saw Al Khazneh, a royal tomb carved out of sandstone.

Christopher recognized the structure. "Are we going to see the Holy Grail?" using a reference to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Next was the High Place of Sacrifice, the Tombs of Wadi Farasa, and the Roman Theater.

After that was a series of royal tombs. They saw the Urn Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb, the Palace Tomb, and the Tomb of Sextius Florentinus.

Finally, they saw the Temple of the Winged Lions and the Qasr al Bint Temple.

When they returned to the hotel, they checked out. They had a long flight ahead of them, one that would take them through the night.

After the two and a half hour drive to Aqaba, they boarded a plane. The next morning, they were landing in Delhi, India.

They checked into The Oberoi. Shortly after they checked in, they boarded a bus for a four hour trip to Agra.

They arrived at the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum built by Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal. It combined elements of Persian, Turkish, and Indian architecture.

The first sight they came upon as they approached the epic landmark was the Taj Gateway, standing thirty meters high. Past the Gateway was the Taj Garden, spanning three hundred meters by three hundred meters. There were pathways that divided each quarter of the garden into sixteen flowerbeds.

As they approached the tomb, they could see the elaborate detail in the carvings of the exterior. But that paled in comparison to the detail of the interior. Among the sights they saw on the interior was a replica of the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. The actual tombs were off limits to the public.

After leaving the Taj Mahal, they visited Fatehpur Sikri, a ghost town made out of sandstone and only inhabited for fourteen years. Among the buildings they saw there were the Diwan-i-Am or Hall of Public Audience, Panch Mahal, a five-storied palatial structure, and the Tomb of Salim Chishti

They also visited Agra Fort. They entered through the Amar Singh Gate. They saw the Musamman Burj, a large, octagonal tower with a balcony facing the Taj Mahal, the Shish Mahal or "Mirror Palace", and the Anguri Bagh or "Grape Garden".

There was a part of Chadwick that still wanted to be with Kristen, but he knew she wouldn't take him back in her present state. He knew he had to make her want him again.

He thought if he dated another person within the group that she may get jealous and want him back. While they toured the Taj Mahal, he surveyed the possibilities.

He eventually set his sights on Brianna Fox, a graduate of Bluejacket High School who got her degree in Advertising from the University of Oklahoma. At the end of the tour, he asked her out that evening. She said yes.

He took her for a night of dancing at Decibel. They had a great time. He kissed her at her door and left. He wanted to have sex with her, but he had to let Kristen know there were other choices.

Christopher and Leigh had dinner at Punjabi by Nature. After a week of planning their marriage, they took tonight to just relax and enjoy each other's company.

Douglas and Mei-Xing had dinner at Chor Bizarre.

Todd had dinner at threesixty. Patricia saw him sitting there and asked to join him again. He started talking about Kristen again. He told her about her soliloquy onboard the cruise ship. After a while, Patricia discovered she had completely misunderstood Kristen. She wasn't stuck up; she just wanted to be like everyone else.

Richard wanted to patch things up with Patricia. He knew they would never be what they were in high school, but he still wanted to be friends. Her roommate told him she was out.

He walked past threesixty and saw her talking with Todd. He felt it best not to interrupt and make things worse.

Kristen didn't want to go out. She felt like a pariah ever since the train ride to Füssen. She had gone out a few times by herself, but she really wanted some company, male or female. She had wanted to be left alone. She got her wish. Now, she regretted her wish.

They had to meet back at the hotel by eleven o'clock. They had to check out and be at the airport for a midnight flight.

#  CHAPTER NINE

At midnight, the plane left Delhi. It landed eleven hours later at Siem Reap in Cambodia.

They had little time to waste. They quickly checked into the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, cleaned and changed.

Buses were waiting to take them to Angkor Wat, a temple built for King Suryavarman II in the early twelfth century. The outer wall was surrounded by a moat one hundred meters wide and formed a rectangle 1500 meters by 1300 meters.

As they entered by the south tower, they noticed a statue of Vishnu, which they called Ta Reach. Inside the walls, the structure was made up of three galleries.

The walls of the outer gallery were sculpted with images of epic scenes during the reign of Suryavarman II. Connecting the outer gallery to the inner galleries was a cruciform gallery called Preah Poan, or "Hall of a Thousand Gods". The second and innermost galleries were also connected by a cruciform terrace.

Next, they toured Banteay Srei, a temple constructed in the tenth century and dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. While not nearly the size of Angkor Wat, it was still impressive to see.

After a short lunch, their next stop was Ta Prohm, a twelfth century temple built by Jayavarman VII as a shrine to his mother. It was unique as there were many trees and vines growing out of the structure, though recently some work had been done to clear away some of the foliage.

The last stop on the tour of Angkor was Bayon, a fifty-four tower temple built in the late twelfth century. Throughout the temple were over two hundred carved faces of Avalokitesvara, or "Lord who looks down". As his name suggested, the faces looked down.

Throughout the tour, Chadwick held hands with Brianna. He made sure to let Kristen see this. Sure enough, she did. And yet to Chadwick's surprise, she was unphased.

In fact, she was happy. You see, on the advice of Todd, Patricia started talking with her, and they quickly became friends. A few other ladies took note of this and began talking with Kristen again. She was no longer a pariah. She felt a bit normal.

Todd saw the smile on her face, and it brought a smile to his. Now, if only he could work up the courage to talk to her and not scare her off.

Again, Richard tried to talk to Patricia and make things right between them. But she was too preoccupied with her new friend Kristen to pay any attention to him.

They had little time to settle in when they got back to the hotel. They had a long flight ahead of them and needed to leave as soon as possible.

They checked out and left for the airport.

Seven and a half hours later, the plane landed in Jinan, China. They left to check into the Hotel Sofitel Jinan Silver Plaza.

After time to unwind, they boarded buses to go to Kong Miao in Qubu. After an hour and a half drive, they arrived in the hometown of Confucius.

This temple was the largest and the oldest devoted to the memory of Confucius. The complex was the second largest historical building complex in China. It had a total of four hundred sixty rooms and covered sixteen thousand square meters.

At the center of the complex was Dacheng Hall, translated as "the Hall of Great Achievement. It was supported by twenty-eight pillars. It served as the place to offer sacrifice to the memory of Confucius.

In the center of the courtyard in front of Dacheng Hall was the Xing Tan Pavilion or "Apricot Platform". It commemorated Confucius teaching students under an apricot tree.

After touring the complex, they returned to Jinan for the night.

Douglas and Mei-Xing had dinner at Lao Hangzhou Jiu Wan Ban. She was happy to have some native food, the first time she had tasted such since she left China as a young child.

Christopher and Leigh had dinner at Jingya. Kristen and her new BFF Patricia spent the night just walking about the city and talking.

The next morning they checked out and boarded a train. Two hours later, they arrived in Beijing, where Mei-Xing was born.

After checking into the Peninsula Beijing, they left for the Temple of Heaven. First, they saw the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a triple-gabled circular building built completely out of wood, but not a single nail in the building. It was said that the Emperor would go there to, as its name said, pray for good harvests.

Next was the Imperial Vault of Heaven, a single-gabled circular building resembling the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. It was surrounded by a smooth circular wall called the Echo Wall that could transmit sounds over large distances. The two were connected by the Vermilion Steps Bridge, a raised walkway.

Finally, they saw the Circular Mound Altar, an empty circular platform on three levels of marble stones, each decorated by lavishly carved dragons. The center of the altar was a round slate called the Heart of Heaven, where the Emperor prayed for favorable weather.

From there, they went to Tiananmen Square, the site of a pro-democracy protest back in 1989. This was the third largest city square in the world. The Square was originally built in 1651. During the 1950's, it was enlarged to four times its size.

Located in the middle of the Square was a mausoleum dedicated to Mao Zedong. Previously on that site stood the Gate of China, the main gate of the Imperial City. Also located on the Square were the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum of China.

They also saw the Monument to the People's Heroes, a ten-story obelisk built in memory of the martyrs who laid down their lives for the revolutionary struggles of the Chinese people during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

For their last stop of day one in Beijing, they visited the Forbidden City, the Chinese Imperial palace for almost five hundred years. It was the world's largest surviving palace complex. It was divided into the Outer Court and the Inner Court.

The Outer Court was used primarily for ceremonial purposes. Among the buildings they saw in the Outer Court were the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

The Inner Court was the residence of the Emperor and his family and was used for day-to-day affairs of state. Among the buildings they saw in the Inner Court were the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

When they returned to the hotel, Todd decided to stay in. He knew he had to finish his story for Kristen, and time was running out. He had to finish writing it, then revise it.

Mei-Xing took Douglas to meet her grandmother Hui-Ying, whom she hadn't seen since she was three years old. Her grandfather Shen died a few years before.

Hui-Ying had a traditional Chinese dinner prepared for them, with hot and sour soup, Peking duck with pancakes, wonton, and steamed egg cake.

After dinner, Hui-Ying embarrassed Mei-Xing by showing Douglas baby pictures of her. Overall, Douglas enjoyed his time finding out more about her heritage.

Chadwick and Brianna had their second date. It started with dinner at Xiyu Shifu, followed by dancing at the White Rabbit.

Patricia, Kristen, and a few other girls took Leigh out for a bachelorette party. It started with dinner at Taipo Tianfu Shanzhen. After dinner, they went to the Chaoyang Theatre to watch the famous Chinese acrobats. Actually, they tried to find a strip club to take her to, but due to the limited time available, they decided on a clean night.

Christopher opted for a quiet night at The Teahouse of Family Fu for a night of poetry and tea. It inspired him to write his own vows for his upcoming wedding.

While Richard still wanted to make things right with Patricia, he could never get the opportunity with her. So, for now, he put that on the back burner.

The next morning, the group left for a trip to the Great Wall of China. While impossible to tour the entire wall, they did visit the portion near Beijing.

Among the parts they saw were the Badaling Great Wall, which was the most preserved section of the Wall, the Mutianyu Great Wall, the Jinshanling Great Wall, and the Juyongguan Pass.

When they returned to the hotel, they checked out and boarded a train. Five and a half hours later, they were in Shanghai, the largest city in the world by population.

They checked into the Peace Hotel, but most didn't stay in their hotel room for long.

Richard, Chadwick, and a group of guys took Christopher out for a bachelor party. After dinner at Su Zhe Hui, they went for a night of dancing at the Shelter. Chadwick gave a local some money to dance with Christopher. When things started getting a bit too provocative, Christopher pulled away. Still, everyone had a good time.

Douglas and Mei-Xing had a nice Sichuan dinner at Bo Guo Bu Yi, then went to have some fun at Jin Jiang Amusement Park.

BFFs Kristen and Patricia went shopping at Woo Scarf & Shawl for some silk scarves, then to Yi Long Court for some Cantonese food.

Todd finally found the inspiration for the ending for his book. Now that he had the beginning and end finished, he only needed to fill the middle.

Leigh heard about a challenge at Lupu Bridge, the second longest arch bridge in the world. It was called the Shanghai Climb. She rode an elevator, then climbed three hundred sixty-seven steps along the arch to the observation deck on the top of the bridge.

The next morning, they left early for a busy day of sightseeing. It started with a trip to Jin Mao Tower, a tower that ranked as the ninth tallest building in the world. They looked over Shanghai from the observation deck on the eighty-eighth floor.

Next to the Jin Mao Tower was the Shanghai World Financial Center, an even taller building. It ranked as the fourth tallest building in the world. It stood one hundred one stories and at 1555 feet offered the world's highest observation deck.

As they left, they passed by the Shanghai Tower, which was under construction. When completed in 2014, it would stand one hundred twenty-eight stories and over two thousand feet tall. It would rank only behind the Burj Khalifa as the tallest building in the world.

Next, they saw Chenghuang Miao, or "the City God Temple". The temple was dedicated to three city gods: Huo Guang, Qin Yubo, and Chen Huacheng.

That night, the group saw the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe at the Shanghai Center Theatre. This was the first mandatory nighttime event for the entire group.

Chadwick made sure that he and Brianna sat in front of Kristen. He wanted her to see everything that was going on.

He wasn't the only guy that wanted to sit near her. As she warmed up to her new female friends, other guys started to pay her attention again.

Todd never lost sight of her, but he also didn't sit by her. Instead, he sat beside Douglas and Mei-Xing, who was reliving one of her first memories.

The next morning, they checked out of the hotel and left for the airport.

#  CHAPTER TEN

Two and a half hours later, they landed in Tokyo. They checked into the Park Hotel.

Once they cleaned up, they left for the Meiji Jingu Shrine, a Shinto shrine dedicated to the spirit of Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shoken. The shrine was located in a forest.

The group was told of the many religious customs of Japanese culture so no one was offended. At an archway or tori, you bow once. At the main shrine buildings, you bow twice, clap twice, and bow again.

The shrine was divided into two major areas. The first was the Gaien, the outer precinct. At the center of this precinct was the Kaigakan, with eighty paintings depicting the lives of the emperor and empress honored there. The Gaien also included the Kinenkan, or "Memorial Hall", and the National Stadium, where various sporting events were held.

The inner precinct was the Naien. Part of the Naien was the Homotsuden or "Treasure Museum". It was here that the Constitution of the Empire of Japan was drafted.

While there, they saw a Shinto wedding taking place. Leigh, knowing her own wedding was taking place in a few days, got the first signs of cold feet here.

Seeing her a bit distraught, Christopher tried to lighten the mood. "I hope we don't see Godzilla here today." That smart remark put a bit of a smile back on her face.

Next, they visited the Sensoji Temple, Tokyo's oldest and most popular temple. Unlike Meiji, this was a Buddhist temple.

The temple was dedicated to the goddess Kannon. According to popular lore, two brothers fishing in the nearby Sumida River netted the catch of their lives, a tiny golden statue of the Buddhist goddess of mercy and happiness who was empowered with the ability to release humans from all suffering. That statue remained there, but was not available to the public.

Next to that temple was a Shinto shrine, the Asakusa Shrine. The shrine honored the three men who founded the Sensoji: Hinokuma Hamanari, Hinokuma Takenari, and Hajino Nakatomo.

They also saw the Tokyo Sky Tree, the tallest tower in the world at two thousand eighty feet. The only structure taller than it was Burj Khalifa. However, it was still under construction, so they couldn't go inside the tower.

The last stop on the tour was Shofukuji Temple, the first Zen temple built in Japan.

As they had started to do the night before, guys had begun to follow Kristen around, rebuilding her entourage. Surprisingly, Chadwick was not a part of it. All of his efforts to make her jealous by flaunting Brianna in front of her were for naught.

By the end of the tour, Leigh was more relaxed and even excited about her upcoming nuptials. If anything, Christopher's feet were getting chilly.

Still, that night, they went out to eat at Waentei-Kikko. After dinner, they visited a nearby Shinto temple to discuss what took place in a typical Shinto wedding.

Kristen ditched the guys for a girl's night out at Ageha. Kristen told Patricia how she liked the attention the guys were giving her again, but also told her that they would be friends regardless. She asked Patricia for a possible recommendation.

She thought back to her talk with Todd and how he was interested in her. She brought his name up. For as long as they had been on the trip, Kristen still didn't know which guy was Todd. They spent more time talking about him.

Speaking of Todd, he went with a few other guys to the Tokyo Dome to check out a baseball game with the Yomiuri Giants.

Douglas and Mei-Xing had dinner at Casita, then went to Shinbashi Enbujo Theater for some Kabuki.

With her roommate out with the girls, Brianna invited Chadwick over. One thing led to another. Before the night was out, they had sex for the first time.

The next morning, they left Tokyo and boarded a train. Three hours later, they arrived in Matsumoto.

After checking into the Buena Vista, they left for Matsumoto Castle. However, they were only able to see the outside of it due to damage sustained from an earthquake a few months prior.

When they left the castle, they toured the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum, which was based on the Sakai collection dating back five generations.

That night, Christopher and Leigh went shopping for their wedding kimonos and everything else they would need for the next day. They also felt the need to expand their wedding party. They asked Douglas and Mei-Xing to join the party before they left. They said yes.

Mei-Xing and Douglas went to eat at Nomugi. Most of the rest stayed in the hotel.

Richard finally got the opportunity to make amends to Patricia. They talked about how much he had changed since high school. He told her that he had seen the light after his father passed. He was no longer willing to sit back and watch the world fall part around him and not try to change it for the better.

She told him that she could no longer have anything to do with a person like that. She walked away.

Word started getting out that Kristen had a birthday coming up shortly. Guys started thinking of how to impress her. It became a competition about who could buy her the better gift.

Todd was oblivious to the conversation. All he could think of was how he was going to get her story finished before the end of the trip.

Chadwick had gotten what he wanted from Brianna. Now, he had to get rid of her. He would find that would be easier said than done. She was enamored with him.

The next morning, they checked out and left for the train station. Two and a half hours later, they arrived in Kyoto.

Both Christopher and Leigh were nervous as they boarded the train. Weeks had become days, and days were now hours.

They checked into the Hyatt Regency. Christopher brought his aoiri-hakama for the ceremony. Leigh brought her kimono, hood, and makeup. However, they would need to carry those to several other sites since Rokuonji Temple was later in the tour.

The first stop was Kiyomizu Temple, a Buddhist temple. Beneath the main hall was the Otowa waterfall, where three streams flowed into a pond. Rumor had it that the water from the falls had wish-granting powers.

Part of the temple complex they saw was the Jinsu Shrine, dedicated to Okuninushi, the goddess of love and "good matches". Inside the shrine was a pair of "love stones" placed twenty feet apart. Lonely visitors could try to walk from one to the other with their eyes closed. Success in reaching the other stone implied that the person would find true love.

Several of the group tried this. Some succeeded; others needed help, which meant a go-between would be needed to find that love.

Kristen decided to try it. This surprised some of the group. How could somebody as beautiful as her be lonely? What they didn't know was that she felt more alone than just about anyone else there. She made it to the other stone without assistance.

Shortly after her was Todd. He looked around for Kristen before he started. He needed that one vision to guide him. As he was about to be shoved to keep the line going, he saw her. His love for her directed him to the other stone in little time.

As they left, Christopher saw a place that sold incense and everything else they needed for a wedding in a Zen temple.

Next, they went to Nijo Castle. It contained two concentric rings of fortifications, each consisting of a wall and a wide moat. Inside those rings were Honmaru Palace and Ninomaru Palace.

Ninomaru Palace consisted of five connected separate buildings. One of the most striking features was the "nightingale floors" in the corridors. To protect the occupants from sneak attacks and assassins, the builders constructed the floors of the corridors in such a way as to squeak like birds when anyone walked on them.

They saw the Willow Room, the Young Pine Room, the Retainers' Room, the Reception Room, the Ministers' Offices, the Imperial Messenger's Room, and the Great Hall.

When they left, they finally made it to the Rokuonji Temple, a Zen Buddhist Temple. The temple was also known as the "Golden Pavilion", mainly because the top two stories of the three-story temple are completely covered in gold leaf.

They stepped out to the strolling garden, where the wedding would take place. In order for Christopher and Leigh to get married, however, they would have to do it with another couple. They were fine with that.

Jodi and Mei-Xing helped Leigh get dressed for the ceremony. Her face was painted white, as was tradition in Japan, and dressed head to toe in white with a white hood. Christopher changed into his black kimono and met Leigh at the start of the wedding procession.

They joined the other wedding party at the altar. The ceremony began with the chanting of the Heart Sutra:

"The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, while dwelling in the deep Perfection of Wisdom, sees clearly that the five skandhas are all empty and is thus freed from all suffering.

"Oh Shariputra! Form is not different from emptiness; emptiness is not different from form. Form is indeed emptiness; emptiness is indeed form. Feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness are also like this.

"Oh Shariputra, all dharmas have the nature of emptiness. They neither arise nor perish; they are neither impure nor pure; they neither increase nor decrease. Thus in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, no perception, no mental formations, no consciousness. No eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no objects of mind. No sensory realms or mind-consciousness realm.

"There is no ignorance, and no end to ignorance. There is no old age and death, and no end to old age and death. There is no suffering, no arising, no cessation, and no path. There is no wisdom, and no attainment.

"As there is nothing to be attained, the Bodhisattva abides in the Perfection of Wisdom, and has a mind free of hindrances. Because the mind is free of hindrances, it is fearless. Having transcended all illusions, the Bodhisattva finally transcends Nirvana.

"All the Buddhas of the past, present and future follow the Perfection of Wisdom, and thus realize unexcelled perfect Enlightenment.

"Thus know that the Perfection of Wisdom is the great holy mantra. It is the mantra of great knowledge, the unsurpassed mantra, the incomparable mantra that removes all suffering. It is true, not illusory. Therefore, say the mantra of the Perfection of wisdom. Thus, recite the mantra:

"'Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!' (translated as 'Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone totally beyond, Enlightenment, hail!')"

After the procession, the bride and groom made an offering of incense to Buddha. The priest led the vows, followed by their own personal vows.

Next was a tradition known as _san san kudo, where the couple shared sake. Three cups, each bigger than the next, were filled with sake. The bride and groom each took three sips from each cup._ The number three was sacred and done to honor the three treasures of Buddha. When finished, the rest of the wedding party drank the sake.

The priest gave them a juzu, or Buddhist rosary, and rings were exchanged. Finally, the priest presented them as Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Boyd.

Because of the wedding, the group had to miss touring the Imperial Palace. They didn't care. How often would they see such a ceremony in person?

At the end, Leigh tossed her bouquet to the single ladies. Brianna caught it.

A look of panic came over Chadwick's face. He knew he had to end it with Brianna, and the sooner, the better.

The happy couple held their reception at the hotel. Most of the group attended the reception.

Chadwick, however, knew he had to distance himself from the reception and from Brianna. He went to Man in the Moon for a few drinks.

Even though they were in the wedding party, Douglas and Mei-Xing didn't stay through the reception. They went to Live Spot RAG for a bit of jazz.

Todd never cared for weddings or receptions. He decided to try the local cuisine at Misoka-An Kawamichiya.

Although they were now husband and wife, the rules of the trip still forbade them from sleeping in the same room. Besides, that would leave another man and woman to share a room.

The reception went late into the night. Fortunately, their train didn't leave until late in the morning.

They checked out and went to the train station. An hour and a half later, they arrived in Himeji. They checked into the Nikko.

After lunch, they went to tour Himeji Castle, the largest castle in Japan. It was also known as "White Heron Castle" as it resembled that of a bird in flight.

While they toured the castle, Brianna clung to Chadwick. That was all he could take.

"Look, Brianna. It's just not going to work out. It's over."

She refused to believe him. She tried to talk him into staying together.

"What is wrong with you? Get lost!"

She burst into tears. "I'm sorry I even bothered with you." She ran away from the group.

Richard went after her. He had spoken to her once or twice on the trip. She had come to know him as a friendly face.

They missed the rest of the tour. Instead, they waited outside. He calmed her down enough to rejoin the group when they came out.

That night, he took her out to Asaka Sushi for a friendly dinner. He told her that she deserved so much better than that creep Chadwick. She took that to mean that he was interested in her.

Back at the hotel, Todd was almost finished with his story, but he still had to come up with a title. He started looking through the pictures he took on the trip. Then, he saw the picture he saved in Spain with Marisol. She had written a caption with it. "Nunca me olvide." ("Never forget me.")

As soon as he saw that, he had his title. "Unforgettable". How could any man ever get the image of such a beauty like Kristen out of their head?

The Boyds spent their second night as a married couple over dinner at Kassui-ken.

The next morning, they checked out and went to the train station. An hour later, they arrived in Hiroshima, the site where the first atomic bomb was dropped.

After checking into the Rihga Royal Hotel, they left for Hiroshima Castle. Although the original was destroyed in the atomic blast, it was rebuilt and now served as a museum to Hiroshima pre-World War II.

When they left the castle, they went to Peace Memorial Park. They saw the A-Bomb Dome, the remnants of the former Industrial Promotion Hall, the building closest to the epicenter of the blast to remain standing. They also saw the Children's Peace Monument dedicated to the children who died that day. It was a statue of a girl with outstretched arms, and rising above her was a crane, a symbol of happiness and longevity in Japan.

They saw the Peace Flame, a memorial to those who died that day. It would continue to burn until all atomic weapons vanished from the face of the earth and nuclear war was no longer a threat to humanity.

The Memorial Cenotaph was a saddle-shaped monument that covered the names of those who died that day. Finally, they toured the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which documented the effects of the bombing.

Being an activist, Richard took plenty of notes. He gained a ton of respect for those who not only survived but worked to rid the planet of nuclear weapons to this day.

That night, they checked out and left for the airport.

#  CHAPTER ELEVEN

Ten hours later, they landed in Bangkok, Thailand. The sun had just risen. They checked into the Swissôtel Nai Lert Park.

After they cleaned up, they took a boat up the Chao Phraya River to Ayutthaya.

The first sight they saw was Wat Phra Si Sanphet. This former monastery used to be a residential palace. The temple held three large bell-shaped Chedis containing the ashes of three Ayutthayan kings: King Boromatrailokanat and his two sons, King Ramathibodhi and King Boromatrailokanat II.

Next, they saw Wat Chaiwatthanaram, a Buddhist temple. When translated, its name meant "Temple of long reign and glorious era".

Christopher recognized they central spire. "I thought the Temple of Light was in China." Of course, he meant the temple of Liu Kang's ancestors in Mortal Kombat.

On the boat ride back, they passed Aisawan Thiphya-Art, a pavilion for Bang Pa-In Royal Palace constructed in the middle of a pond.

When they arrived at the hotel in Bangkok, the front desk told Daniel and Danielle there was an urgent message left for them. When they read it, Danielle burst into tears. Daniel tried to console her, but he was too distraught to be any help.

Apparently, their parents' house caught fire due to some faulty wiring. They were trapped inside. Their father had died in the fire. Their mother was in critical condition having suffered third degree burns on over thirty percent of her body.

Mr. Wellington offered them a direct flight back to Denver and would still pay off their student loans. Without hesitation, they left to be with their brothers David and Donald to watch over their mother.

Christopher saw this as the opportunity he needed. Now, there would be a room with one male guest and a room with one female guest. He and Leigh could now sleep in the same room and not have the oddity of another male/female staying together. His proposal was accepted. The happy couple could truly be happy and consummate the marriage.

Before that, they celebrated over dinner at The Blue Elephant. They tried some of Bangkok's famous cuisine.

Christopher had som tam boo, Thailand's most famous salad with crab. It included tamarind juice, fish sauce, peanuts, dried shrimp, tomatoes, lime juice, sugar cane paste, string beans and grated green papaya, served with sticky rice.

Leigh had tom yum goong, a hot and sour soup with prawns, mushrooms, tomatoes, lemongrass, coconut milk, cream, galangal and kaffir lime leaves.

For an entrée, Leigh had nam tok mu, grilled pork combined with lemon juice, green onions, chili, mint sprigs, fish sauce and toasted rice.

Christopher had massaman curry, beef with coconut milk, roasted cashews, potatoes, bay leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon, star anise, palm sugar, fish sauce, chili and tamarind sauce served with rice and pickled ginger.

Mei-Xing heard about a popular restaurant called Lemongrass. She wanted to try it out. She asked Douglas to go with her. They both loved the food and the atmosphere. After dinner, they went to Saxophone for some good jazz.

Richard and Brianna decided to try dating to see if anything could come of it. He found a restaurant called Cabbages & Condoms. While the name sounded suggestive, it wasn't. The owner was involved with population control, AIDS awareness, and a host of rural development programs and donated generously to those causes.

Patricia and Kristen were supposed to go to Bed Supperclub for a night of dancing. But the more the guys started paying attention to her again, the more Kristen began to go back to her old ways. She stood Patricia up.

Chadwick followed them there. Too bad he wasn't able to get close enough to her to attempt reconciliation. Between her entourage and the other guys at the club, her dance card was full.

Back at the hotel, Todd was putting the finishing touches on "Unforgettable". He only had about a week left to polish it before the trip ended.

The next morning, they checked out and went to the airport. Six and a half hours later, they were landing in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

As they checked into the Melia Purosani, buses pulled up to the hotel to take them to Borobudur Temple.

The temple was comprised of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms and was decorated with over five hundred Buddha statues. On top of that was a perforated main dome, which was surrounded by seventy-two Buddhas on the inside.

When they returned to the hotel, they were informed that the next stage of their trip, Australia, had to be cancelled. There was a pending tsunami set to hit Sydney, where they were to land next. Instead, they would skip that stop and return back home to the United States.

They were going to tour Sydney and take a submarine ride to see the Great Barrier Reef.

On the flight back to the states, Patricia confronted Kristen. She told her how long she waited for Kristen and how mad she was about being stood up.

"I'm sorry, Patricia. I guess I got caught back up in the attention. You were there for me when I needed a friend the most, and I turned my back on you. I want to make it up to you somehow."

"It's okay. Just don't do it again." She smiled at Kristen, and they hugged.

They arrived at the airport in Yogyakarta at 6:00 am on August 21. Twenty-two hours later, they landed at LAX. However, due to the crossing of the International Date Line, it was 1:00 pm that same day, August 21. The flight traveled almost nine thousand miles. Given the lengthy flight and adjusting to the time difference, they were given the rest of the day off.

As they checked into the Ritz-Carlton, Kristen heard her mother yelling her name. Since they only lived fifteen minutes away, they wanted to see her and take her out to eat for her birthday, which was in four days.

This was where Todd first heard of her birthday. He vowed not to leave his hotel room until "Unforgettable" was revised and ready to be printed. He had designed the cover on the flight from Indonesia. After all, he had plenty of time to do so.

Chadwick introduced himself to her parents, acting as if they were dating. Kristen reassured her parents they were not.

After resting up for a bit, Douglas took Mei-Xing to the House of Blues. Ever since the wedding, he was wondering if they had a chance to get married someday. He knew he wasn't ready to marry her today, but he knew that one day he would.

Richard and Brianna went to Jar for dinner. After eating, they went to the world-famous Viper Room. By the end of the night, he knew that his experiment with Brianna would not end on a positive note.

Christopher begged and pleaded with his new wife to go with him to the Comedy Store. It had been a lifelong dream of his to go there. Its past read like a who's who of comedy. All of his favorite comedians had played there: George Carlin, Rodney Dangerfield, Andrew Dice Clay, Gallagher, Sam Kinison, Cheech Marin, Carlos Mencia, Eddie Murphy, etc. Eventually, she said yes.

The next morning, they started with a tour of Grauman's Chinese Theater. The theater was opened in 1927.

Todd was excited. He was a huge sci-fi nut. In front of the theater, he saw the footprints of C-3PO, R2-D2, and Darth Vader, as well as the handprints of the cast from Star Trek. He also saw imprints of the magic wands of Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.

After the tour, they were given a chance to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Keys to Success question for Hollywood was, "Name three of your favorite celebrities on the Walk of Fame." This was a different type of question. All the others had a singular answer. This allowed each person to answer uniquely.

Being a journalism major, Kristen's answers were her inspirations: Larry King, Edward R. Murrow, and Barbara Walters.

Chadwick's also followed his major of business: Donald Trump, Ted Turner, and Michael Eisner.

Douglas's first two followed his major in politics: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronald Reagan. His third was a man he admired since he was a kid: Hugh Hefner.

Christopher's first choice was a no-brainer. If not for Pee-Wee Herman, he would not have met his bride. As a former class clown, his other two choices were obvious: the Three Stooges and Bugs Bunny.

Richard was the type who liked the cool guys. His first two choices were James Dean and Elvis Presley. As a kid, he loved watching John Wayne movies, so that was his third choice.

Mei-Xing chose three of her favorite classical musicians: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Irving Berlin, and George & Ira Gershwin.

Patricia loved the strong, powerful woman. Her choices were Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand, and Katherine Hepburn.

Todd's choices were those of classic leading men: Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, and Spencer Tracy.

Leigh also liked those of classic entertainers. Hers covered a wide range of entertainment: dance with Fred Astaire, song with Bing Crosby, and comedy with Bob Hope.

Brianna chose three of her favorite leading men of today: Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, and Adam Sandler.

After seeing the stars, they were taken to the giant Hollywood sign. Each letter was forty-five feet tall, and the name stretched three hundred fifty feet. Originally, it was used for advertising and read "HOLLYWOODLAND".

As the bus drove by, their next stop was a tour of Paramount Studios. They got to see the back lots of films and television shows currently in production.

They passed by a set for an action film. There was a crowd scene taking place. The group was asked if they would like to be in the movie as part of that scene. Naturally, they jumped at the chance. After they filmed the scene, they were told they would be flown out for the premiere of the movie.

Their last stop on the tour was on Rodeo Drive. They were given an hour to shop. Now, Kristen loved to shop, and she knew these stores inside and out.

This was where a few of the guys took the opportunity to try and impress her with a birthday present. Others took the chance to buy gifts for family members. For the most part, the group just window shopped. The prices were quite high, and some of them had little left on their gift cards.

That night, Christopher wanted to go to the Groundling Theater. Leigh didn't. She compromised the night before, but wanted to see a different side of Los Angeles. They decided that just because they were married, that didn't mean they had to share every single moment together.

Christopher found a few friends that wanted to go. Like the Comedy Store, it had a rich history.

Gary Peach logged in the last of his international caches. Most Geocachers were lucky to have one cache outside the United States. He could claim twenty-seven countries.

A big group went to Pink's Hot Dogs. Among the group were Douglas, Todd, Mei-Xing, Leigh, and Kristen.

Douglas ordered a Lord of the "Rings" dog, a ten-inch dog with barbecue sauce and topped with onion rings.

Mei-Xing ordered a Hollywood Walk of Fame dog, topped with coleslaw and chopped tomatoes.

Leigh ordered an Ozzy Spicy dog, a spicy Polish dog topped with nacho cheese, American cheese, guacamole, grilled onions and chopped tomatoes.

In line, Todd stood directly in front of Kristen. While he didn't see her, he still knew she was there. He could smell her scent. He could have turned around and introduced himself to her. But in that one instant, he froze up.

It wouldn't have mattered. She had her male followers trying to carry on a conversation with her that she wouldn't have been able to hear him.

He had finished "Unforgettable" and was ready to print it. But still, he felt there was something that he still needed to add. With that smell, he discovered that one piece of his story that was missing, a personal touch. That one moment where he first meets her and the one moment he knew he needed her in his life.

Meanwhile, she didn't have a clue who Todd was. She didn't acknowledge him; she didn't speak to him. She didn't even know the person standing in front of her was part of her group.

When Todd's turn came to order, he stepped aside to let Kristen order before him. At that moment, she spoke her first words to him. "Thank you." Too bad he couldn't return the favor.

Kristen ordered a Martha Stewart dog, a ten-inch dog topped with relish, onions, bacon, chopped tomatoes, sauerkraut and sour cream. Not exactly the thing you would expect to see somebody who looked like Kristen eat.

Todd ordered a Three Dog Night. That was three hot dogs wrapped in a giant tortilla and topped with three slices of cheese, three slices of bacon, chili and onions.

As he left with his food, Chadwick approached him. "I thought I told you not to bother with Kristen. She's out of your league. She'll be back with me by the end of the trip, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Todd knew he had the magic for his book. As soon as he added it and presented it to Kristen, Chadwick would disappear from the picture.

Richard and Brianna spent the night at Avalon. He tried to search for the right way to amicably break things off with her. They were having too much fun there for him to do it.

Patricia wanted to see how Richard was doing. When she saw him dancing with Brianna, it made her a bit jealous. She knew she was never going to get back together with him, but he was happy and she wasn't.

That morning, they checked out and left for the airport.

#  CHAPTER TWELVE

Four and a half hours later, they landed in Orlando, Florida. They checked into the Gaylord Palms Resort.

Once they cleaned up, they left to go to Kennedy Space Center. An hour later, they arrived. If they had been there a few weeks prior, they could have seen the final launch of the space shuttle.

They saw the launching pads for the space shuttles and for the Apollo missions. They also saw the area where the spacecraft were assembled. At the end of the tour, they saw a museum containing objects from space and artifacts from various missions.

After they finished the tour, they hopped onto I-95 for a two-hour trip to St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States. They toured the Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fort in the United States.

After the three hour ride back to Orlando, some of the group rested at the hotel.

Christopher and Leigh went to Medieval Times for dinner and a show. The knights put on a jousting tournament complete with swordplay. Christopher wanted to get involved, but he knew he would be embarrassed by the competition.

Todd added that initial attraction to "Unforgettable". It was ready to be printed.

His story was about two people who meet in various locales in New York City. He was strongly attracted to her; she was repulsed by him. Then, they were forced to share a cab. She left her phone as she fled the cab. He returned her phone to her.

The story was separated into three parts. The first part was from his point of view. The second was from hers. The third part was when he returned the phone.

To celebrate, he went to eat at Bubbalou's Bodacious BBQ.

Richard and Brianna went out to Arabian Nights, where the show featured acrobatics and many different breeds of horses. Richard knew it was best to break up with her in public, so as not to cause as much a scene. After dinner, he told her it was over.

She burst into tears. Richard felt bad about making her feel that way, but he knew he would have felt worse if he stayed with her.

That morning, they checked out and left for the airport.

Two and a half hours later, their plane landed in New York City. They checked into the Trump International Hotel and Tower. Chadwick was thrilled to be in the hotel named after his idol.

Once they cleaned up, they left to take a ferry to the Statue of Liberty. The statue itself stood one hundred fifty-one feet tall. With the pedestal, it stood three hundred five feet tall. Those that could took the staircase to the crown.

Inside the statue was a history of how it was built, as well of the renovations that have been done since it was dedicated in 1886.

From there, they took another ferry to Ellis Island, where millions of immigrants entered this country. As they entered the Immigration Museum, Leigh started to cry.

Her grandparents came to this country from Ireland and met on Ellis Island. They met at the Kissing Post, waiting on their relatives. She searched the American Immigrant Wall of Honor for their names. After looking for a few minutes, she found them. She ran to her husband and threw her arms around him in happiness.

As they got off the return ferry, they were greeted by men in tuxedoes. They were told that each person was given a ticket to the Broadway show of their choice.

In an awkward moment, Patricia, Richard and Brianna each chose tickets for The Lion King. Brianna spent the first half of the show pleading with Richard to take her back. It got to the point where he called for an usher to escort her out.

Douglas and Mei-Xing chose tickets for The Phantom of the Opera.

Again, Christopher and Leigh chose to go their separate ways for the evening. Leigh went to see Rock of Ages, while Christopher went to see The Book of Mormon, from the creators of South Park.

Kristen chose a ticket for Mamma Mia! Todd chose a ticket for Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark.

Chadwick chose a ticket for Chicago. However, unlike everyone else who chose to attend their show, he chose to scalp his ticket. He had no interest in seeing a Broadway production. He took the money from the ticket and went to Scores, the famous strip club.

The next morning, they got up and left for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum showcased a wide variety of work, from American artists to European and Egyptian to Asian. Among the many works they saw there were Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze, View of Toledo by El Greco, Last Communion of St Jerome by Botticelli, and Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) by Jackson Pollock.

Next, they went to the Empire State Building. At one time, it was the tallest building in the world. It now ranked as the third tallest building in the United States.

They took an elevator to the observation deck on the 102nd floor, 1250 feet above the streets. You could see all of Manhattan from there.

Christopher asked, "Has King Kong been here recently? Do we get to see Mount Olympus?" The latter was a reference to Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

Their last stop in New York was the site of the former World Trade Center, where two airplanes crashed into the buildings on September 11, 2001. Now, there was a memorial that was set to open in a few weeks.

They were to be given a private tour of the 9/11 Memorial. They would be the first to see the inside of it.

Richard took exception to this. He felt that the first people to see this should be the family members of those who died that day and those who went into the wreckage to save others.

Patricia agreed with him. There were others who deserved to see this before them.

Chadwick wanted to see it. He didn't care about the policemen and firemen who died that day or were hurt saving others. He wanted to be the first to see it.

The decision was put to a vote. Majority would decide. By a two-thirds to one-third vote, it was decided that they would not go inside for the tour. Instead, they would just view the outside.

They saw the names of the 2977 people who were killed not only in that attack but also the attack on the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania that day, and also those who died in the bombing of the World Trade Center in February 1993. They were inscribed around the edges of the two Memorial pools.

They also saw the construction of One World Trade Center, which would stand taller than the Empire State Building when completed in 2013. Its spire would reach 1776 feet.

That night, Todd took his flash drive to the nearest Kinko's. He printed out "Unforgettable" and the cover. He asked them to bind the story and cover together.

Back at the hotel, he stopped at the gift shop to buy wrapping paper, tape, and a card. He went back to his room and wrapped the story in a neat box.

Douglas and Mei-Xing couldn't decide where they wanted to go. Douglas wanted to go to Birdland to hear some jazz; Mei-Xing wanted to go to Carnegie Hall. In the end, they decided to just take a carriage ride through Central Park after having dinner at Serendipity 3. On their ride, they saw Cleopatra's Needle, a red granite obelisk approximately sixty-nine feet tall. It was originally erected at the Temple of Ra in Egypt around 1450 B.C.

Christopher went to Dangerfield's for a night of comedy.

Patricia wanted to make up for standing Kristen up a few days ago. They went for a ladies night out at Cielo. Leigh didn't want to stay home alone. She went with them.

Chadwick went to Gray's Papaya for a few hot dogs.

Richard wanted to see the lights of New York. He hailed a cab and asked him to just drive around the city, over the Brooklyn Bridge.

Brianna just wanted to be alone. She went to walk Times Square. She wouldn't be alone there, but she would be away from everyone in the group. She imagined it was New Year's Eve and the ball was dropping.

The next morning, they checked out and left for the bus station.

#  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

It took two Greyhound buses two hours to drive from New York City to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They caught a shuttle from the bus station to the Rittenhouse Hotel.

As they checked into their rooms, Todd looked to see which room Kristen was staying in. He had a plan to get her his gift.

Once they cleaned up, they left for Independence Hall. It was in this building where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed.

Some of the group thought the Liberty Bell was still in the bell tower. They were told that it was replaced with the Centennial Bell and later the Bicentennial Bell. The actual Liberty Bell resided across the street in Liberty Bell Center.

Before they left, they saw the two wings of the hall. They saw the Old City Hall to the east and Congress Hall to the west. Congress Hall saw the ratification of the Bill of Rights and the inaugurations of Presidents George Washington and John Adams.

After they saw the Liberty Bell, they went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Christopher led a group of people running up the steps. When he got to the top, he yelled out, "Yo Adrian! I did it!" sounding like Rocky Balboa.

Among the work they saw in the museum were _Prometheus Bound_ by Peter Paul Rubens, _Vase with Twelve Sunflowers_ by Vincent Van Gogh, _The Concert Singer_ by Thomas Eakins, and _Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War)_ by Salvador Dalí.

That evening before Todd left to explore Philly, he stopped by Kristen's door. He thought about leaving his gift at the door. Then he thought, "What if someone takes it? This is too important to leave to chance." He left it at the front desk with orders to give it to Kristen and only to Kristen.

Once he dropped it off, he went looking for the best cheesesteak in Philly. He asked around. Everyone gave him a different answer. He looked online for the best rating. Again, he was unsure. He wound up going to Cosmi's Deli.

Douglas and Mei-Xing had dinner at Chifa. Then, they went to see the Pennsylvania Ballet.

Patricia and Kristen went dancing at Fluid. They were followed by Richard and Chadwick. The friendship had been rekindled between Patricia and Richard in New York. As a result of that, Chadwick tried to distance himself from them.

He tried to pull Kristen away from the group, but she refused to budge. She was done with him, and nothing he could do would change her mind.

Christopher and Leigh had used most of the remainder of their gift cards on the wedding. To keep things simple, they went to Geno's Steaks for dinner.

Brianna chose to stay in her room for the night.

As Patricia and Kristen returned to the hotel, the desk clerk told Kristen she had a package. He handed her Todd's gift.

She waited until she got back to the room to open it. She opened the card first. Inside, he wrote a message.

"I wanted to talk to you the whole trip, but I was afraid I would say the wrong words to you. I hope you like these. – Todd Wickham"

She opened the gift to see his story. She started reading it. She was moved by it.

"A smile that could brighten up the darkest of rooms." "She was that single rose growing in the desert."

She couldn't put it down. She got to the part where he finally poured out his heart to her as he returned her cell phone. He left her a text message to read after he left. "If you want to see me again, just say 'yes'." After that, Todd left a blank page.

This was a gift unlike any other she had ever received. All the other gifts were materialistic, an attempt to buy her love. This was from the heart, an attempt to win her love. Every other guy wanted to be with her only because of how she looked. She could see Todd was different from any other guy she dated. She was intrigued.

The next morning was her birthday. As they checked out, guys lined up in the lobby. Each had a gift in the hopes of being her birthday date. Chadwick was there with a dozen roses.

As she walked through the lobby, she brushed each of them aside. She had to find the man who wrote that story. But she didn't know who he was.

Then, she remembered Patricia talking about him. She knew who he was. Kristen went to Patricia.

"Who is Todd Wickham? He wrote me the most amazing story, and I just wanted to thank him."

Patricia led her to him and introduced them. "Kristen Dougherty, meet Todd Wickham."

When she saw him, she remembered him as the guy who let her ahead of him at Pink's.

Even though he wanted to impress her, he was still surprised when she wanted to meet him.

"Todd, I really liked your story. I had a question I wanted to ask you." She grabbed his hand. "Would you be my birthday date?"

Everybody turned to look at them in disbelief.

"It would be an honor."

The two walked to the shuttle hand in hand. As they boarded the Greyhound, they sat next to each other. They could talk the whole trip to Washington, D.C. and get to know each other better.

Chadwick sat across the aisle from them, making sure he could keep an eye on them at all times.

Three hours later, they arrived in our nation's capital.

This was the happiest Kristen had been the entire trip. She had just spent three hours having a genuine conversation with someone who was genuinely interested in her as a person, not an object.

They checked into the St. Regis. Todd helped carry her bags to her room.

They took the metro to Arlington National Cemetery. In this cemetery were soldiers and nurses ranging from the Civil War through Afghanistan and Iraq.

They saw the eternal flame that burns for the memory of President John F. Kennedy and crosses for the memories of his brothers Robert and Edward Kennedy.

They saw the Tomb of the Unknowns. The soldiers entombed represent World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. It was guarded by the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment.

Near the Tomb of the Unknowns stood a mast from the USS Maine, a memorial to the two hundred sixty-six men who lost their lives aboard that ship. There was also a memorial for those who died in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986, and another for those who died in the Columbia disaster on February 1, 2003.

They saw a memorial to the one hundred eighty-four victims of the September 11 attacks on the Pentagon.

Throughout the tour, Todd and Kristen were inseparable. And Chadwick's jealousy started to show.

Next, they saw the Lincoln Memorial, built to honor our sixteenth President. It was in the form of a Greek Doric temple and contained a large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and inscriptions of two of his best known speeches, The Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address.

As they left the Lincoln Memorial, to their left was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The memorial consisted of three separate parts: the Three Soldiers statue, the Vietnam Women's Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

The Memorial Wall was two hundred forty-six feet, nine inches long. Inscribed were the names of servicemen who were either confirmed to be killed in action or remained classified as missing in action when it was constructed in 1982. One half pointed toward the Washington Monument; the other pointed toward the Lincoln Memorial.

The Three Soldiers was a bronze statue depicting three soldiers: White, African American, and Hispanic American.

Todd and Kristen looked on the wall for his uncle Henry, who was killed in action in 1971. After a few minutes, they found him and made a pencil rubbing of his name.

From there, they saw the World War II Memorial, consisting of fifty-six granite pillars, each seventeen feet tall, arranged in a semicircle around a plaza with two arches forty-three feet tall on opposite sides. Each pillar was inscribed with the name of one of the forty-eight states as of 1945, as well as the District of Columbia, the Alaska Territory and Territory of Hawaii, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The arches were inscribed with "Atlantic" and "Pacific".

On the west side of the memorial was the Freedom Wall. The wall had four thousand forty-eight gold stars, each representing one hundred Americans who died in the war.

This made Patricia cry. Her grandfather was killed in the Battle of Normandy.

Next, they walked to the other end of the Reflecting Pool to the Washington Monument, built to honor George Washington, the father of our country. It was both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, standing five hundred fifty-five feet, five and one-eighth inches.

Because of an earthquake just a few days before their arrival, they couldn't climb to the top of it.

The last sight they would see today would be the Jefferson Memorial, built to honor our third President and author of the Declaration of Independence.

It was made up of circular marble steps, a portico, a circular colonnade of Ionic order columns, and a shallow dome. The interior of the memorial had a nineteen foot tall bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson.

As they went to the metro to take them back to the hotel, Todd asked Kristen, "Can I take you to dinner tonight?"

"Sure. I'd like that."

Chadwick's face turned beet red.

With this being their last night together, Douglas and Mei-Xing had dinner at 1789. They talked about what would happen after tomorrow when the trip was over. Would they try to make their long-distance relationship work? Or would they end it tonight?

Christopher and Leigh enjoyed a play at the National Theater. They talked about where they would spend the rest of their lives together. Since he already had a job, they would live in Wilmington, Delaware.

Richard and Patricia knew they would probably never see each other again, so they went out for one last night at U-topia. After tomorrow, they would go their separate ways, but at least they could part on good terms.

Brianna met them there. She apologized to Richard for overreacting. Their dating was only on a trial basis, and she thought it was permanent. They also parted on good terms.

Chadwick knew he had been beaten. For the first time in his life, he was not going to get something he wanted: Kristen. He went to Bourbon to drink away they sorrow.

Todd dressed up in his best outfit. When Kristen met him in the lobby, he was speechless. After a few minutes, he was able to talk.

They went to Marcel's, a French restaurant. His French was a bit rusty, but he was still able to order.

They talked while they were waiting on their food. Kristen felt she could trust him enough to tell him of her dating past.

"Every guy I ever dated was only interested in one thing: sex." She showed him her purity ring. "But I made a vow to save myself for marriage."

Todd got a smile on his face. He reached inside his shirt and pulled out a necklace he kept hidden the whole trip. It had a ring on it.

"Me too. I also have a purity ring. It's just that being a guy, you can get beat up for being a virgin at my age. So, I keep it hidden. But I am not afraid anymore. I will wear my ring proudly." That put a smile on her face.

As they ate dinner, he poured out his heart to her. This was his first date. He had never met anyone like her. All he wanted was just to have her like him.

"I heard you talk on the ship about how you just wanted to be normal. I've always wanted the just the opposite. I wanted everyone to know who I was. I wanted everyone to be looking at me.

"Thanks to you, I got a taste of that today. When you asked me to be your birthday date, everyone saw who I was. All eyes were on me.

"And at that moment, it didn't matter to me. Because in that instant, all that I cared about was that your eyes were looking at me. You knew who I was. And that was all I ever wanted on this trip. Thank you for noticing me."

She started to cry. She reached for his hand.

For dessert, the waiter brought Kristen a piece of cake with a candle in it. Todd had called ahead and told them it was her birthday. As the staff came to sing "Happy Birthday", Todd gestured to them not to.

"Go ahead. Make a wish."

"I don't need to. You made it come true." She blew out the candle.

As they walked back to the hotel, she asked him, "Why did you leave the last page blank?"

"Well, I didn't want to write the ending to our story. I wanted you to finish it."

"Can I have your cell phone number?"

He gave him her number. She started typing on her phone. Suddenly, his phone rang. He looked down to see the text message she sent him.

"Yes."

As he looked up at her, she grabbed him and kissed him on the lips.

When they got to the St. Regis, Chadwick was waiting outside. He was holding a bottle and was clearly drunk.

"It's about time you got back," he said in a slurred voice. "Now, give me a kiss."

"Get away from me!"

"Come here."

"No!"

"You're nothing but a tease, a slut."

That was all Todd could stand. "You heard the lady. She doesn't want anything to do with you."

"This is who you want to be with? Why don't you step up and be with a real man."

"She is with a real man. She doesn't want to be around a jerk like you."

He staggered forward and took a swing at Todd. He hit him on the jaw. Todd fell to the ground.

"Yeah, you're a real man. Can't even take a punch." He grabbed her arm. "C'mon, let's go back to my room for a little party."

She reared back and slapped him hard across his left cheek. Todd got back up and got in his face.

"I'm still here, asshole. I won't lower myself to your level." He refused to fight back. He just stared him down.

As Chadwick turned to walk away, a policeman met him and arrested him. A valet had seen the punch being thrown and called the cop. He was arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct and assault.

Kristen looked at Todd's face. A bruise was starting to form. She suggested he go to the emergency room to make sure everything was okay. She volunteered to go with him.

He felt fine, but he could see she was worried. He went to the ER. They ran a few tests, and he only suffered the bruise.

Chadwick spent the night in jail to cool off. He was released the next morning.

When he got to the hotel, his stuff was packed and sitting in the lobby. Mr. Wellington, who was scheduled to be at the White House later that day, met him.

"Because of your actions, you are no longer welcome on this trip. Your students loans will not be paid, and you forfeit your ten thousand dollar card."

Chadwick looked at him smugly as he threw the card at him. "Go ahead. Take it. I spent most of it anyway."

"In that case, you will pay back the balance."

A look of anger replaced that smug look. He threatened to sue Mr. Wellington, saying he had no right to do so.

"Look at the contract you signed at the beginning of the trip. I have every right to. Escort him from my sight."

Indeed, there was a clause that stated that in the event that someone violated the terms of the contract, which included fighting, that person would lose all monetary rewards.

Security escorted him out the door. He would not get to see the President. He would not get a Key to Success.

Kristen and Todd got to the lobby just in time to see him leave. They waved good-bye and started singing, "Na na na na, na na na na, hey asshole, goodbye."

In the lobby, the remaining ninety-seven turned in their Keys to Success tests. In addition to the fifty-eight questions, there were an additional three questions wanting their opinions about the trip.

"What was your favorite stop on the trip?" The city that got the most responses was Paris. Among the others that were mentioned were London, Rome, and Los Angeles. Christopher and Leigh both put down San Antonio, where they met, and Kyoto, where they were married.

"What was your least favorite stop on the trip?" More than half of the people put down Auschwitz. Richard put down Jerusalem. Others mentioned were Indonesia and Cappadocia.

"Where would you like to have gone that you didn't?" The cities that got the most responses were Amsterdam and Las Vegas. Also mentioned were Sweden, Singapore, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, and Toronto.

Once the drama was over, they remaining ninety-seven took the metro to the National Archives, which held the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It also contained such documents as the Louisiana Purchase Treaty and the Emancipation Proclamation.

Leigh asked, "Can we see the map on the back of the Declaration of Independence, like in National Treasure?"

Christopher was so proud. "That's my girl!"

From there, they went to tour the Capitol, the meeting place of Congress. It was marked by its central dome above a rotunda and two wings, one for each chamber of Congress: the north wing was the Senate chamber and the south wing was the House of Representatives chamber.

As they walked into the House chamber, Douglas looked around. He wanted to work as an intern for a senator or representative and was looking for a friendly face to ask how to apply.

When they left the Capitol, they walked to their final stop of their eleven week trip: the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the President. It had been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams.

The White House was made up of six stories: the Ground Floor, State Floor, Second Floor, and Third Floor, as well as a two-story basement.

The tour consisted of five rooms: the East Room, the Green Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room, and the Dining Room. Outside of the normal tour, they also got a tour of the Oval Office.

It was here where they met the President. One by one, they shook his hand.

That is, except for Richard. When his turn came, he rejected the extended hand. Instead, he asked him a series of questions.

"How soon before the troops come home from Afghanistan? When are you going to fix the economy? Or unemployment? When are you going to start lowering the National Debt instead of making it bigger? In fact, when are you going to do anything?" He was pushed along.

Douglas took this once in a lifetime opportunity to pick his brain. "Do you have any advice for someone who wants to have a career in politics?" Since he knew very little himself, he was of no help.

They exited the White House onto the South Lawn. There were tables set up and a catered meal.

As the meal was coming to an end, three doors were placed on the lawn. A table was set up and a bowl full of keys was placed on it. Mr. Wellington walked in.

"First of all, congratulations on your accomplishment and I hope you enjoyed the trip. You traveled more than fifty-five thousand miles.

"Now, as the day started, you turned in your final exam, your Keys to Success. And I bet you're wondering what those are.

"Well, you see those three doors? Behind each door is a key to success. Each of you will pick a key from the bowl and try to open a door.

"Behind one door is a new house. Behind another door is a 2012 Toyota Prius. And behind the other door is a hundred thousand dollars.

"Now, I will ask you to pick your keys. We will go in alphabetical order by last name."

For Kristen and Christopher, they were happy because they were toward the top of the list. For Richard, Patricia, and Todd, they knew they would be among the last to pick.

One by one, each person picked a key. Although her name was now Boyd, Leigh was asked to pick under her maiden name. In the end, there were three keys left over, the keys that would have gone to Daniel, Danielle, and Chadwick.

One by one, they tried to open the doors. And one by one, the locks would not open.

Christopher tried the three doors. No success.

Kristen tried the three doors. No success.

Douglas tried the three doors. No success.

Brianna tried the three doors. No success.

Mei-Xing tried the three doors. No success.

When it was Leigh's turn to try, all three doors remained locked. She tried the first door. No success. She tried the second door. It opened. Christopher ran to her and hugged her. They didn't even see what she won. As they swung the door open, there was a picture of a house.

Just a few people later, the second winner was revealed. Hoc Nguyen won the Prius. Ironically, if Chadwick had kept his cool and been able to pick, it would have been his Prius.

Now, there was only one door left. With each key that didn't unlock the door, Patricia and Todd gained hope.

Then, the door finally unlocked. Nelson Vandervort won the hundred thousand dollars.

At first, Todd was a bit dejected. But as Kristen held his hand, he said, "That's OK. I have the greatest prize any man could ask for: Kristen."

A look of joy came upon her face. She kissed him in front of everyone. A slow clap quickly turned to applause.

As they were leaving, Alfred presented them with one last gift. He gave them each a return plane ticket to the destination they came from and a ride to the airport.

The group said their final goodbyes to each other. Christopher and Leigh said goodbye, but they knew they would see each other very soon.

Kristen was sad. She had finally met a true gentleman in Todd, and she had to leave him. They promised to call each other every day.

Douglas and Mei-Xing decided to try the long distance relationship. If their relationship was strong enough, no distance was too great to stop it from blossoming.

Patricia and Richard parted on amicable terms. So did Richard and Brianna.

They boarded their planes and returned from where they originally came from.

#  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

In the weeks that followed...

Christopher and Leigh had another wedding ceremony. This one was for the friends and family of the bride and groom.

They rented a hotel room while their house was being built. Leigh found a job as a substitute teacher. Christopher started his job as a chemical engineer.

Patricia started law school. She was also searching for a law firm to intern for.

Mei-Xing started her graduate work.

Douglas cashed out his plane ticket and stayed in Washington. He tried to find a job working as a page or intern for a senator or representative.

In the meantime, he got a job as a barista at Starbucks. He met the occasional page getting coffee for a congressman.

Every weekend, he took off to visit Mei-Xing at Rutgers. At first, the long-distance relationship seemed to work. But over time, their relationship started to fade.

In lieu of any prison time, Chadwick paid a significant fine and was placed on probation for his assault on Todd. As a result, he lost his job offer to Goldman Sachs and had to find another.

Brianna decided to concentrate on her career and not so much on her personal life. She found a job at Hobby Lobby's corporate office in Oklahoma City.

Richard joined the Occupy movement in Minneapolis.

Kristen started as a field reporter for KTTZ FOX Channel 11. She quickly became a favorite in the Los Angeles area.

Todd submitted the first chapter of his adventure book, which he called Quest for Qadaris to Adventure Stories magazine. They liked it so much that they offered him a contract to write a new chapter each month. When completed, they would publish it as a complete work.

He had to fly out to Los Angeles to sign the contract. While he was there, he dropped in on Kristen. They had talked every day since they were separated. She was so happy to see him.

He decided that after seeing her again, he had to move out there to be close to her. That way, he could see her every day.

Although this cost Alfred millions of dollars, the effects were clear. He showed Americans the rewards of a quality education. He helped a lot of students pay off student loans. Based on this result, he decided to make this an annual event.

As spring quarter was starting again, he offered the opportunity to graduating seniors. He changed the format of the test. Whereas the first test was ten questions each worth ten points, this test was four. Fifty percent was based on world geography; the other fifty percent was United States history. Also, he felt the need to let those taking the test know what they needed to study.

As the new group of students was set to embark on their journey from Miami, the members of the inaugural trip met for a reunion.

Christopher Boyd was working for DuPont Chemicals. Leigh McElvain-Boyd was an English teacher at Thomas McKean High School. They were still married and expecting their first child.

Douglas Forbes was an aide for Senator Ramirez from California. Mei-Xing Huang had just completed her first year of graduate school at Rutgers. Their long distance relationship lasted only a few months. They felt it best to call it quits. Neither was involved in a lasting relationship since they split.

Patricia van der Werf had just completed her first year of graduate work at Northwestern. She found a job as an intern for Thompson, Cavanaugh, & Wojciechowski. Richard Thumberg joined the group in Minneapolis supporting Mitt Romney's bid for the Presidency. They remained friends, but this was the first time since the trip ended that they had seen each other.

Chadwick Newton had just begun serving a two year sentence in a federal penitentiary. He was working for a financial company. His supervisor was involved in insider trading. When the feds came after him, he made Chadwick the scapegoat. He ended up taking all the heat.

Kristen Dougherty became the morning anchor for KTTZ FOX Channel 11. Todd Wickham added an ending to the story he wrote for Kristen. He entered it into a contest for short stories, and it won first place. He finished Quest for Qadaris and was beginning work on a sequel, Two Weeks of Qadaris. As promised, Adventure Stories began work on releasing Quest for Qadaris as a complete novel.

Todd and Kristen were still together. In fact, they were engaged. Kristen still wore her purity ring. So did Todd.

After all they learned through four years in high school and another four in college, it took this trip to make some of them realize that there were some things in life that you just couldn't learn from a book.

#  KEYS TO SUCCESS

1. How did the Alamo get its name?

2. What does Chichén Itzá mean in Mayan?

3. What does Teotihuacán mean in Aztec?

4. Machu Picchu was built as an estate for which Incan emperor?

5. How did Easter Island get its name?

6. Iguazú Falls is separated into how many waterfalls?

7. What are the dimensions of Christ the Redeemer?

8. How tall is Victoria Falls?

9. How tall was the Great Pyramid originally?

10. What year was the Tomb of Tutankhamen discovered and by whom?

11. The Acropolis was also known as Cecropia. What is the origin of that name?

12. There are three phrases carved into the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. How are they translated?

13. Palazzo Ducale is translated as the Doge's Palace. Who was the Doge?

14. What is the angle of lean on the Tower of Pisa?

15. How many spectators could the Colosseum seat in its prime?

16. Vatican City was established in 1929 by what treaty?

17. The Castel del Monte was built by which Holy Roman Emperor?

18. The day Mount Vesuvius erupted was the day after Vulcanalia, a festival for whom?

19. Which king ordered the construction of El Escorial?

20. In what year was the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle completed?

21. What day was William Shakespeare born?

22. Oxford is the second oldest surviving university in the world. What is the oldest?

23. What kind of stone is Stonehenge comprised of?

24. When did Buckingham Palace officially become the royal palace of the British monarch and for which monarch?

25. The Eiffel Tower was originally intended to remain for only twenty years. Why was it saved?

26. In what year was the Benedictine monastery established on the island of Mont-St-Michel?

27. What is the name of Charlemagne's marble throne located in Aachen Cathedral?

28. Who commissioned the building of Neuschwanstein?

29. The design for the Brandenburg Gate was based on what?

30. Who was the Wilanów Palace built for in the 17th century?

31. The motto of Auschwitz was "Arbeit Macht Frei". How does that translate to English?

32. Who was the architect of Karlštejn Castle?"

33. There is a bronze statue in Red Square. Who is the statue of?

34. In the sixteenth century, ownership of Mir Castle changed hands. Who was the new owner that made the change from Gothic to Renaissance architecture?

35. Which group of people is said to have built the city of Derinkuyu in the 8th–7th centuries B.C.?

36. Besides the Jaffa Gate, there are six other open gates to the Old City of Jerusalem. Name four of them.

37. Who is believed to be buried in the Tomb of the Prophets at the Mount of Olives?

38. Petra was established around the sixth Century B.C. as the capital of what people?

39. Who was the Turkish architect that designed the main dome of the Taj Mahal?

40. What was the original name of Ta Prohm?

41. In what year did Confucius die? (Hint: Kong Miao was built one year later.)

42. What is unusual about the coffin of Mao Zedong?

43. How long is the Great Wall of China?

44. What is the population of Shanghai?

45. Tokyo was originally founded as a village known by what name?

46. In 1868, Matsumoto Castle was scheduled for demolition. What local man led the drive to save the castle?

47. Rokuonji Temple is featured in a photograph in the desktop picture art of which computer operating system?

48. What is the name of the garden created to commemorate the city of Himeji's 100th anniversary?

49. When did the Enola Gay drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima?

50. How did King Uthong choose Ayutthaya as the capital of Thailand back in 1350?

51. Borobudur is separated into three divisions, each symbolizing the three "realms" of Buddhist cosmology. Name them.

52. Who designed the Sydney Opera House?

53. How much area does the Great Barrier Reef cover?

54. Name three of your favorite celebrities on the Walk of Fame.

55. Who designed the Statue of Liberty?

56. What metals make up the composition of the Liberty Bell?

57. When did Washington, D.C. become the capital of the United States?

58. Who was the first President of the United States? (Hint: It is not George Washington.)

#  ANSWER KEY

List all of the plays by William Shakespeare

All's Well That Ends Well; Anthony and Cleopatra; As You Like It; The Comedy of Errors; Coriolanus; Cymbeline; Hamlet; Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; Henry V; Henry VI, Part 1; Henry VI, Part 2; Henry VI, Part 3; Henry VIII; Julius Caesar; King John; King Lear; Love's Labour's Lost; Macbeth; Measure for Measure; The Merchant of Venice; The Merry Wives of Windsor; A Midsummer's Night Dream; Much Ado About Nothing; Othello; Pericles, Prince of Tyre; Richard II; Richard III; Romeo and Juliet; The Taming of the Shrew; The Tempest; Timon of Athens; Titus Andronicus; Troilus and Cressida; Twelfth Night; The Two Gentlemen of Verona; The Two Noble Kinsmen; The Winter's Tale

List all of the sports that were in competition from the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2010 Winter Olympics

Alpine Skiing; Archery; Artistic Gymnastics; Badminton; Baseball; Basketball; Beach Volleyball; Biathlon; Bobsleigh; Boxing; Canoeing-Slalom; Canoeing-Sprint; Cross-Country Skiing; Curling; Cycling-BMX; Cycling-Mountain Bike; Cycling-Road; Cycling-Track; Diving; Equestrian-Dressage; Equestrian-Eventing; Equestrian-Jumping; Fencing; Field Hockey; Figure Skating; Freestyle Skiing; Freestyle Wrestling; Greco-Roman Wrestling; Handball; Ice Hockey; Judo; Luge; Modern Pentathlon; Nordic Combined; Rhythmic Gymnastics; Rowing; Sailing; Shooting; Short Track Speed Skating; Skeleton; Ski Jumping; Snowboarding; Soccer; Softball; Speed Skating; Swimming; Synchronized Swimming; Table Tennis; Taekwondo; Tennis; Track & Field; Trampoline Gymnastics; Triathlon; Volleyball; Water Polo; Weightlifting

Name the bones in the human body

Skull: Erhmoid bone; Frontal bone; Occipital bone; Parietal bone; Sphenoid bone; Temporal bone

Face: Inferior nasal conchae; Lacrimal bone; Mandible; Maxilla; Nasal bone; Palatine bone; Vomer bone; Zygomatic bone

Middle Ear: Incus; Malleus; Stapes

Throat: Hyoid bone

Shoulder: Clavicle; Scapula

Thorax: Ribs; Sternum

Vertebrae: Cervical vertebrae; Lumbar vertebrae; Thoracic vertebrae

Arm: Humerus; Radius; Ulna

Hand: Capitate bone; Distal phalanges; Hamate bone; Intermediate phalanges; Lunate bone; Metacarpal bones; Pisiform bone; Scaphoid bone; Trapezium; Trapezoid bone; Triquetrum bone

Pelvis: Coccyx; Hipbone; Sacrum

Leg: Femur; Fibula; Patella; Tibia

Foot: Calcaneus; Cuboid bone; Distal phalanges; Intermediate cuneiform bone; Intermediate phalanges; Lateral cuneiform bone; Medial cuneiform bone; Metatarsal bone; Navicular bone; Proximal phalanges; Talus

Name fifty of the Fortune 500's top one hundred businesses of 2010

Wal-Mart Stores; Exxon Mobil; Chevron; General Electric; Bank of America Corp.; ConocoPhillips; AT&T; Ford Motor; J. P. Morgan Chase & Co.; Hewlett-Packard; Berkshire Hathaway; Citigroup; Verizon Communications; McKesson; General Motors; American International Group; Cardinal Health; CVS Caremark; Wells Fargo; International Business Machines; UnitedHealth Group; Proctor & Gamble; Kroger; AmerisourceBergen; Costco Wholesale; Valero Energy; Archer Daniels Midland; Boeing; Home Depot; Target; WellPoint; Walgreen; Johnson & Johnson; State Farm Insurance Cos.; Medco Health Solutions; Microsoft; United Technologies; Dell; Goldman Sachs Group; Pfizer; Marathon Oil; Lowe's; United Parcel Service; Lockheed Martin; Best Buy; Dow Chemical; Supervalu; Sears Holdings; International Assets Holding; PepsiCo; MetLife; Safeway; Kraft Foods; Freddie Mac; Sysco; Apple; Walt Disney; Cisco Systems; Comcast; FedEx; Northrop Grumman; Intel; Aetna; New York Life Insurance; Prudential Financial; Caterpillar; Sprint Nextel; Allstate; General Dynamics; Morgan Stanley; Liberty Mutual Insurance Group; Coca-Cola; Humana; Honeywell International; Abbott Laboratories; News Corp.; HCA; Sunoco; Hess; Ingram Micro; Fannie Mae; Time Warner; Johnson Controls; Delta Air Lines; Merck; DuPont; Tyson Foods; American Express; Rite Aid; TIAA-CREF; CHS; Enterprise GP Holdings; Massachusetts Mutual Life Holdings; Philip Morris International; Raytheon; Express Scripts; Hartford Financial Services; Travelers Cos.; Publix Super Markets; Amazon.com

Name the men that were elected to or appointed to the office of President and/or Vice President

John Adams; John Quincy Adams; Spiro Agnew; Chester A. Arthur; Alben Barkley; Joseph Biden; John Breckenridge; James Buchanan; Aaron Burr; George H. W. Bush; George W. Bush; John Calhoun; James Carter; Dick Cheney; Grover Cleveland; Bill Clinton; George Clinton; Schuyler Colfax; Calvin Coolidge; Charles Curtis; George Dallas; Charles Dawes; Dwight Eisenhower; Charles Fairbanks; Millard Fillmore; Gerald Ford; James Garfield; John Nance Garner; Elbridge Gerry; Al Gore; Ulysses S. Grant; Hannibal Hamlin; Warren Harding; Benjamin Harrison; William Henry Harrison; Rutherford Hayes; Thomas Hendricks; Garret Hobart; Herbert Hoover; Hubert H. Humphrey, Jr.; Andrew Jackson; Thomas Jefferson; Andrew Johnson; Lyndon Johnson; Richard Johnson; John Kennedy; William King; Abraham Lincoln; James Madison; Thomas Marshall; William McKinley; Walter Mondale; James Monroe; Levi Morton; Richard Nixon; Barack Obama; Franklin Pierce; James Polk; Dan Quayle; Ronald Reagan; Nelson Rockefeller; Franklin Roosevelt; Theodore Roosevelt; James Sherman; Adlai Stevenson; William Howard Taft; Zachary Taylor; Daniel Tompkins; Harry Truman; John Tyler; Martin Van Buren; Henry Wallace; George Washington; William Wheeler; Henry Wilson; Woodrow Wilson

Name the artist

Nympheas – Claude Monet

The Last Supper – Leonardo da Vinci

Starry Night – Vincent Van Gogh

Campbell's Soup I (Tomato) – Andy Warhol

_Portrait of a Man in a Turban_ – Jan Van Eyck

Guernica – Pablo Picasso

_Descent from the Cross_ – Rembrandt van Rijn

_The Parnassus_ – Raphael

_Las Menina_ – Diego Velázquez

_Girl with a Pearl Earring_ – Jan Vermeer

_Supper at Emmaus_ – Caravaggio

Boy in a Red Waistcoat – Paul Cézanne

Number 1, 1950 – Jackson Pollock

_The Scream_ – Edvard Munch

Les Alyscamps – Paul Gauguin

The Clothed Maja – Francisco Goya

The Old Musician – Édouard Manet

The Open Window – Henri Matisse

The Circus – Marc Chagall

View of Toledo – El Greco

Name the books of the Old and New Testament

Genesis; Exodus; Leviticus; Numbers; Deuteronomy; Joshua; Judges; Ruth; 1 Samuel; 2 Samuel; 1 Kings; 2 Kings; 1 Chronicles; 2 Chronicles; Ezra; Nehemiah; Esther; Job; Psalms; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; Song of Solomon; Isaiah; Jeremiah; Lamentations; Ezekiel; Daniel; Hosea; Joel; Amos; Obadiah; Jonah; Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah; Haggai; Zechariah; Malachi; Matthew; Mark; Luke; John; Acts; Romans; 1 Corinthians; 2 Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessalonians; 1 Timothy; 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon; Hebrews; James; 1 Peter; 2 Peter; 1 John; 2 John; 3 John; Jude; Revelation

Name the elements from the Periodic Table

Actinium; Aluminum; Americium; Antimony; Argon; Arsenic; Astatine; Barium; Berkelium; Beryllium; Bismuth; Bohrium; Boron; Bromine; Cadmium; Calcium; Californium; Carbon; Cerium; Cesium; Chlorine; Chromium; Cobalt; Copernicium; Copper; Curium; Darmstadtium; Dubnium; Dysprosium; Einsteinium; Erbium; Europium; Fermium; Fluorine; Francium; Gadolinium; Gallium; Germanium; Gold; Hafnium; Hassium; Helium; Holmium; Hydrogen; Indium; Iodine; Iridium; Iron; Krypton; Lanthanum; Lawrencium; Lead; Lithium; Lutetium; Magnesium; Manganese; Meitnerium; Mendelevium; Mercury; Molybdenum; Neodymium; Neon; Neptunium; Niobium; Nitrogen; Nickel; Nobelium; Osmium; Oxygen; Palladium; Phosphorus; Platinum; Plutonium; Polonium; Potassium; Praseodymium; Promethium; Protactinium; Radium; Radon; Rhenium; Rhodium; Roentgenium; Rubidium; Ruthenium; Rutherfordium; Samarium; Scandium; Seaborgium; Selenium; Silicon; Silver; Sodium; Strontium; Sulfur; Tantalum; Technetium; Tellurium; Terbium; Thallium; Thorium; Thulium; Tin; Titanium; Tungsten; Ununhexium; Ununoctium; Ununpentium; Ununquadrium; Ununseptium; Ununtrium; Uranium; Vanadium; Xenon; Ytterbium; Yttrium; Zinc; Zirconium

Name the countries of the world

Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Andorra; Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Armenia; Australia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahamas; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belarus; Belgium; Belize; Benin; Bhutan; Bolivia; Bosnia-Herzegovina; Botswana; Brazil; Brunei; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada; Cape Verde; Central African Republic; Chad; Chile; China; Colombia; Comoros; Costa Rica; Cote d'Ivoire ; Croatia; Cuba; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Denmark; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republic; East Timor; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; England; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Estonia; Ethiopia; Fiji; Finland; France; Gabon; the Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Grenada; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Haiti; Holy See; Honduras; Hungary; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Iran; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kiribati; Kosovo; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Laos; Latvia; Lebanon; Lesotho; Liberia; Libya; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macedonia; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Marshall Islands; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mexico; Micronesia; Moldova; Monaco; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Nauru; Nepal; Netherlands; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Niger; Nigeria; North Korea; Northern Ireland; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Panama; Papua New Guinea; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Qatar; Republic of the Congo; Romania; Russia; Rwanda; Samoa; San Marino; Sao Tome and Principe; Saudi Arabia; Scotland; Senegal; Serbia; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Slovakia; Slovenia; Solomon Islands; Somalia; South Africa; South Korea; Spain; Sri Lanka; St. Kitts-Nevis; St. Lucia; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Sudan; Suriname; Swaziland; Sweden; Switzerland; Syria; Taiwan; Tajikistan; Tanzania; Thailand; Togo; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Tuvalu; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United States; Uruguay; Uzbekistan; Vanuatu; Venezuela; Vietnam; Wales; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe

(Great Britain accepted in place of England, Scotland, and Wales.)

(United Kingdom accepted in place of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.)

Keys to Success

1. After a nearby grove of cottonwood trees, called Alamo trees

2. At the mouth of the well of the Itzá

3. Birthplace of the gods

4. Pachacuti

5. By the island's first recorded European visitor, the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who encountered it on Easter Sunday 1722

6. 275

7. 130 feet tall by 98 feet wide

8. 354 feet

9. 480.6 feet

10. 1922 by Howard Carter and George Herbert

11. The legendary serpent-man, Cecrops, the first Athenian king

12. "know thyself", "nothing in excess", "make a pledge and mischief is nigh"

13. The supreme authority over the Republic of Venice

14. 3.99 degrees to the south

15. 50,000

16. Lateran Treaty

17. Frederick II

18. The Roman god of fire

19. King Phillip II

20. 1511

21. April 23, 1564

22. University of Bologna

23. Bluestone, Sarsen, and Welsh Sandstone

24. 1837 for Queen Victoria

25. Scientific experiments with radio transmissions

26. 966

27. Königsstuhl

28. Ludwig II

29. The Propylaea, the gate to the Acropolis in Athens

30. King John III Sobieski

31. Work makes (one) free

32. Matthias of Arras

33. Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, who helped to clear Moscow from the Polish invaders in 1612

34. Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł

35. The Phrygians

36. New Gate, Damascus Gate, Herod's Gate, Lions' Gate, Dung Gate, Zion Gate

37. Haggai, Malachi, and Zechariah

38. Nabataeans

39. Ismail Afandi

40. Rajavihara

41. 479 B.C.

42. It is made of crystal

43. 5500 miles

44. Over 23 million people

45. Edo

46. Ichikawa Ryozo

47. Apple's OS X computer operating system

48. Koko-en Garden

49. August 6, 1945

50. He found a conch buried in the ground

51. Kamadhatu (the world inhabited by common people) is the base, Rupadhatu (humans are released from worldly matters) is the next five platforms, and Arupadhatu (the abode of the gods) is the top three platforms and the main dome

52. Danish architect Jørn Utzon

53. 133,000 square miles

55. Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi

56. 70% copper and 25% tin, with the remainder consisting of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold and silver

57. July 16, 1790

58. John Hanson, from November 5, 1781 until November 3, 1782

#  UNFORGETTABLE

by Todd Wickham

# He Said

My life was very boring. I went to work. I came home. I had very few friends and nothing that resembled a social life.

Then, I saw her. I was walking into the laundromat. What normally smelled of detergent and bleach instead smelled like roses. I only caught a glimpse of her as she walked out with her clean clothes.

The first thing I saw were the bluest eyes I had ever seen. Blonde hair done up in a ponytail. A smile that could brighten up the darkest of rooms. And yet, she wore baggy sweat pants and an oversized sweatshirt. Still, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

She was that single rose growing in the desert that was my life. She was the silver lining to my cloud. Yet, I didn't know a single thing about her, not even her name.

As I washed my clothes, all I could think of was her. The smell of roses continued to fill the air.

A few hours later, as I hung my clothes in my closet, the vision of her stayed in my head. I was not about to forget the best thing ever to walk into my life.

And yet, that is exactly what happened the next morning. She was gone. No matter how much I tried, I could not bring back the light at the end of my tunnel.

Life went back to its boring ways.

Then, as I was leaving Starbucks with my venti caramel macchiato the next day, she walked back into my life. The smell of roses overwhelmed me.

I thought to go up to her and introduce myself. Then, I chickened out. I didn't want to give the feeling I was desperate to meet her.

Actually, I took a look in the mirror, then one look at her. Talk about polar opposites.

If only I could know her name, if only I could hear her voice, then I could move on with my life. But alas, she was still a mystery to me. A mystery I needed to solve.

Days went by, and this time, nothing could drive her image from my head. If never I saw her again, I would never forget her.

A few days later, fate would bring us together again. I was sitting in the park, minding my own business. Suddenly, her beauty flashed before my eyes as she ran past me. She looked as beautiful in her running suit as she did in her sweatpants.

She was gone before I had an opportunity to say a single word.

That night, I got out a pencil and paper. Now, I had no artistic skills, but I could draw her face from memory with great detail.

A few days later, this beauty came before me in an unlikely place.

I went to my doctor to get my flu shot. A female was walking with a nurse to have a mammogram. Suddenly, she tripped and fell face first to the floor. The back of her gown came undone, showing her thong underwear.

While others stopped and stared, I turned my head. As embarrassing as this moment was for her, she didn't need people gawking at her.

As I turned my head, there she was with a little girl. Again, before I could speak one word, she was gone.

Why does fate deal me cruel blows so many? What do I need to do to get to know this object of perfection?

The next day, yet again, fate dealt me another cruel blow by placing her just out of my reach yet again.

Today was the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I had never missed it, going back to my childhood. This year was no exception.

As band after band, float after float passed by, I waited for Santa Claus. But just before I saw him, I got my gift.

This nameless angel appeared on a float with the same girl I saw her with yesterday in the doctor's office. At least now I knew one thing about her. She volunteered her time with Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

I yelled out three simple words to her. "Who are you?" She could not hear me over the crowd.

After that, I gave up all hope of ever getting to know her. So many opportunities, so many failures.

The next day was Black Friday, and I was out like everyone else looking for sales. After searching at a few stores, I hailed a cab to go to Bloomingdales.

As the cab pulled up, I heard a voice in the background. "Hold that taxi!"

I looked back to see the anonymous wonder of beauty. I wasn't going to fight her for this cab, but he stopped for me. I offered to share the ride. Reluctantly, she agreed. She was going to Macy's.

Six blocks later, I finally worked up the nerve to introduce myself. She ignored me. "And you are?"

"Not interested."

I tried to pry a bit of information from her, anything that could open the door to let me in.

"Look, I don't know you. You don't know me. So, why are you following me? Stop the taxi!" As he did, she got out and sprinted from the cab.

I was heartbroken. I should have stuck with my feelings an hour ago and not given her a second thought. But I just couldn't.

As I put my hands down after wiping the tears from my eyes, I felt something on the seat. "What's this?"

I picked it up. She had left her cell phone on the seat. She must have been in such a hurry to get away from me that she didn't know it was missing.

I could have gone through everything to learn as much as I could, but that would be invading her privacy. I did go through enough to learn her number, her address to return it, and, most important to me, her name. Karen Dockery.

Later that day, I took a cab to her address to return her phone. I just hoped she wouldn't accuse me of stealing it.

I rang her doorbell. After a minute, she answered the door.

# She Said

Today was just an overall bad day for me. They had me running ragged at work. I was just glad to get today over with.

I know it sounds a bit weird, but to relax, I went to the laundromat to wash my clothes and to drop off my dry cleaning. I was able to catch up on my reading.

As I was leaving, some guy just leered at me. It creeped me out.

That was nothing compared to the next day. I was going into Starbucks to pick up two Caffè Americanos, a Green Tea Latte, and a Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino.

As I walked into the establishment, who was walking out? Yes, that same creepy guy. Was he stalking me? I was just glad he didn't follow me.

I was a nervous wreck all day after this experience. I was ready to call the cops.

A few days went by, and things got back to normal. I hadn't seen that guy since Starbucks.

Then, I went shopping at Bloomingdales. Lo and behold, I saw that guy again. What do I have to do to get this guy out of my life? I just hope he didn't see me.

I had lunch with my girlfriends later that day. I mentioned how this guy kept popping up everywhere I go.

"That sounds kinda scary. Once is a coincidence. Three times means restraining order."

"Well, I can't get a restraining order on him because I don't know his name, nor do I want to."

A few days later, I was going for my usual afternoon run through Central Park. I ran past a bench. As I looked over, there he was. Frightened, I looked for the nearest police officer.

I told him about this guy who had followed me everywhere I went. By the time I brought him back to the bench, the guy was gone.

Was I losing my mind? Did I imagine him? Why can't I get him out of my head?

I went to a therapist for some answers. She tried to explain that he was a figment of my imagination, but I knew this guy was for real.

I was afraid to leave my house. I called off work for the next few days.

I couldn't stay locked away forever. I had agreed to be part of the float for Big Brothers and Sisters in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. At least here, I knew I was safe. I mean, if he was there, there were hundreds of others around to see him, to keep him from making a move.

As the float turned onto Herald Square, I heard a voice yelling at me. I couldn't make out what that person said. When I looked over, there he was. I acted like I didn't see him and kept waving to the crowd.

Enough was enough. I wanted to get my phone out to take a picture of him, but the float had moved on. Next time, I was getting my proof and taking it to the cops.

Armed with my Droid, I went out looking for Christmas presents on Black Friday. I got a cashmere sweater for my sister, a gift card for my boss, and a bottle of perfume for my friend Zoe. All I had left to buy for was my mom. I knew what I wanted to get her and where to go.

Cabs were hard to find, especially today. When I saw one pull over in front of me, I ran towards it. I didn't care that someone else hailed it; I wanted it. "Hold that taxi!"

I saw the man's face turn as I yelled. It was him. As soon as I saw him, I took out my Droid and took his picture. He offered to share the cab with me and cover the fare.

I was still scared, but there was a sincerity in his voice. Against my better judgment, I agreed to share the ride to Macy's.

I tried to ignore him as much as possible, but I couldn't with him staring at me. Six blocks later, he spoke to me.

"My name's Sean Rickman. And you are?"

"Not interested."

A block later, he asked me why I was going to Macy's.

"Look, I don't know you. You don't know me. So, why are you following me? Stop the taxi!"

When he stopped, I got out of the cab and looked for the nearest policeman. I had his name now and his picture.

Outside of Macy's, I found one. I told him how he had followed me to all those places. I gave them his name. I reached in my purse for my phone. It was gone. What happened to my phone?

The last place I saw it was when I took his picture. He must have taken it. The cab was long gone, and I didn't catch the name of the driver. I told the cop he stole my Droid.

I got home after buying Mom a Keurig single-cup coffee maker. I tried to relax and hoped the police could find him and my phone.

As I drank a glass of wine to calm my shaky nerves, I heard a knock at the door. It startled me. I spilled a bit of the wine on my blouse.

Now, I was in a very foul mood. I answered the door.

# They Said

As she opened the door, Karen saw Sean. She slammed the door. He knocked again.

"I just wanted to return your phone."

She looked through the peephole in the door. He held up her phone. She could see he was telling the truth. She opened up the door.

"You left your phone in the cab and I just wanted to return it to you."

"Thank you." She proceeded to shut the door again.

"Wait, please. I have something I need to tell you."

She was still mad at him, but the fact that he returned her phone showed possibility that she could be wrong about him.

"Okay. You have two minutes, and not a second more."

This was his chance to open up and spill his heart to her.

"Everywhere I looked these past two weeks I saw your face. At first, I was blown away by your sheer beauty. I was intimidated. By the third time I saw you, I could draw your face from memory.

"I thought to myself, 'Is this fate? Is God giving me a sign that this is who I am supposed to be with?' And yet every time I saw you, you were always just out of reach."

She was unimpressed.

"Then I thought to myself, 'This is such a strong, confident woman. What lies behind such a flawless face? Does she feel the same way about me?' Well, I got my answer today.

"A woman like you only comes along once in a lifetime, and you only get one chance to make a first impression. I know I blew that opportunity now.

"All I wanted to do was to put a name to go with that face. Now that I have returned your phone, I will leave. I would really like to know more about what kind of a person you really are. If you never wanted to see me again, I understand. I will stay out of your life forever."

With that, he walked away.

She wanted to call the police to let them know her phone was returned and that she didn't want Sean arrested.

When she did, she saw there was an unread text message. She opened it.

"If you want to see me again, just say 'yes'."

She sat down. His story moved her. Most men she came in contact with only wanted one thing from her. He was different. He sounded sincere and genuine. He made her feel special. She could tell he was not just throwing a line out there with the hopes of scoring with her. He genuinely wanted to get to know her. She had him all wrong. He wasn't a menace.

As he left the building, he heard his phone ring. He saw a text message. He opened the message.

"Yes."

He was overjoyed. His first thought was to race back up there and knock on her door again, but that seemed like an act of desperation. He wanted to play it cool.

Instead, he called her. All they did was talk and talk for over an hour. The only reason they stopped talking was because his phone died.

When he got home, he plugged his charger into his phone and called her back. The next day, they met over coffee. They talked every day.

She was everything he could have ever wanted in a woman, and he was everything she always wanted in a man.

This had all the makings of a fairy tale. Sean found his princess. Karen's frog turned into her prince.

And they both lived happily ever after together.

Other books written by this author:

Reality Check: <https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/59323>

Dreams of a Virgin: <https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/68659>

110 Days: The Life and Times of a Hard Luck Case: <https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/100555>

Contact with me online:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Final-Exam/388508504507563

Smashwords: <https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jfoltin>

