Nathaniel07122009

It was just an average day for 14 year old Charlie. He was on vacation to Singapore from California with his family and was, quite frankly, hating it. The only reason they had even went in the first place was because his mother wanted to see her parents before they passed away.

Charlie hated it for a multitude of reasons, but most of all, he hated it because he had to be away from his friends the whole summer. Adding the minor annoyances such as living in a cramped apartment with 5 other people, bugs biting him everywhere, and busybody cousins was just icing on the cake.

He had been there for a month now and everyday, he seemed to hate it even more. Today was like every other day except they would be meeting one of his mother's rich friends for dinner at a restaurant. Charlie reluctantly got dressed and they took the local train system, the MRT, to the station closest to the restaurant.

Due to his 5 year old brother, Alex, making a fuss they were all late. They ran to the train and got to their stop 15 minutes late. Charlie was moody and was sulking just like every teenager. They walked to the restaurant and met the rich family. The had 2 daughters, one 16 year old and one 13 year old. They had an enjoyable dinner and the only Charlie had was trying to stop looking at the older girl.

Charlie had seen his share of beautiful girls and usually only glanced at them passing by. Today however, he couldn't keep his eyes off her. Even after going home, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He eventually fell asleep but even then he dreamed about her. The passing days, he learned more about her from his mother and eventually after being asked a hundred questions about her. His mom finally snapped and told him: " The only way that you have a chance is if you work hard and get a good job."

After hearing this, Charlie resolved to work hard at school and home. Before he had met her, he was an average B student in 8th grade but after going back to the U.S, he worked hard and never slacked off. He became an A+ student and participated in school sports. He became the fastest 2 mile runner in the state and won awards for his school. He never stopped thinking about the older girl and considered it his motivation to work hard and be successful. He eventually studied computer science at Harvard and MIT and even became a billionaire. After his 28th birthday, he finally asked his mother if he could date the girl now and she said yes.

He flew back to Singapore and tracked her down. She was 30 at this time but she still looked as beautiful as 14 years ago. He was going to ask her if she remembered him. He had visited Singapore for years until his mother parents died. The moment he saw her however, he realized she had a ring on her finger. He had been too late.

He quickly left and took his private jet directly back to the U.S. No one knew the purpose of his visit and he kept a poker face on the ride back. The moment he got home however. He cried and cried until no more tears could come out. He even considered suicide for he had no goal in life left.