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 De
claration 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 Engl
ish 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?