Final Exam

by John Foltin

  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 caug
ht 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.