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  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 n
ote 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 “Smoke 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.