For I shall already have forgotten you

8. The Places She'll Go

Still tired from last night's events, the morning passed by in a blur for Madeline. Alfred was waiting in the living room; apparently, he had something important to tell her. She didn't think much of it. Whatever it was couldn't be that serious, right?

She really should have known better.

"Yo, Maddie, there's something I got to tell you. Here's the lowdown: you're taking part in an all expenses paid exchange program around the world."

"Oh, I am?" Cue the sudden realization. "...Wait, what?! I am?!"

"Technically, not until you sign all these papers." Alfred gestured to the papers organized neatly on the table. "Of course, you have to read them all before you sign too...hmmmm...this will probably take a while."

"I'm the one who should be saying that! Where did this come from all of a sudden?! Why me of all people?!"

Alfred belatedly looked ashamed of himself. "Oh, I guess I should probably tell you what you're in for, huh?"

Madeline's reply was sarcastic. "Yeah, I'm totally gonna sign a potentially dangerous contract with no idea what I'm doing."

"Oof, okay, sorry... I'll answer any questions you have later while you're reading the contract, but the gist of it is, this is a new cultural exchange program that me and my buddies came up with. It's like a way to boost tourism, the economy, and diplomatic relations all in one! I'm quite proud of myself for suggesting it actually."

Alfred puffed out his chest to emphasize his last statement. Madeline sighed and gingerly picked up the contract to start reading it.

The more she read, the more Madeline found herself increasingly interested. This "cultural exchange program" would allow her to visit other countries free of charge. The only catch was that while she was in a foreign country, she had to stay with a representative from that country. This person would travel with her, let her stay at their home, and act as a translator and guide.

"Don't worry! The people you'll be staying with are my buddies from work! They're cool! Well, uh, most of them." Here, Alfred looked slightly unsure.

"Hold on, what do you mean most of them?"

"Well, some of them are more on the...antisocial side. They're fine at work, but they might be awkward at home, especially since this is the first time any of us have had to do something like this."

"Well, it's awkward for me too, so at least they're not alone..."

Madeline made sure to ask Alfred additional questions, such as what countries she'd visit, how long she'd stay in each country, and what was expected of her during the program. As it turned out, Madeline was scouted for her photography skills.

"You'll have to document the places you travel to, and then allow your pictures to be used for things like advertisements, but you'll be credited and guaranteed future gigs whenever we need a photographer."

"Hm, that does sound like a pretty good deal..."

"Right?! If this all works out, we can invite other people to participate in the program too. This is a test run, basically. We can change it in the future, and scrap stuff that doesn't work out."

Once Madeline decided she had scanned her contract thoroughly, and asked Alfred the right questions, she decided to sign the papers. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that she couldn't let escape from her grasp. Aside from the generous "all expenses paid" aspect of the program, if at any time Madeline decided that she wanted to quit, she could. Nor was she required to pay a reimbursement fee as compensation.

The better part of the day had been spent looking over the contract and exchanging questions with each other. By the time they were both finished, it was already afternoon. Madeline decided to stay one more night at Alfred's, before leaving for her return trip to Canada. She didn't have dreams that night.

The next morning, as she hugged Alfred goodbye, Madeline mused on how peculiar life could be. She had met Alfred a month ago, and yet in that short time, they had become friends.

"Al, before I go...I just wanted to say thanks."

"Hm, thanks? For what?"

"For...that crazy Halloween. And before that, when I woke up from that nightmare..."

"Oh yeah, of course. That's what buddies are for! No need to thank the 'hero'!"

Alfred had a silly smile on his face as he ruffled her hair. Madeline made a small sound of protest, before batting his hand away. She makes a run for her RV before Alfred can catch up to her and mess up her hair again. Alfred still has a smile on his face as he watched her drive off.

⚘

Madeline's welcome home was nothing special. Although she felt relieved to be back, she also felt out of sorts. After all, she had been gone for two months, and the months before that, she had either been wallowing in her own self pity, or busy packing for her road trip.

Thankfully, her neighbors had kept up to date with the house cleaning, which meant less work for Madeline. She was already a week into November, and still had plenty of items on her to do list.

While Madeline prepared for her trip around the world, she remembered to involve herself in her community. She started by running errands for her neighbors who had looked after her house while she was gone. She also took up teaching hockey at her local ice rink.

Despite the months that had passed since she graduated from being a secondary school student, Madeline's talent for the ice was still present. The easy way that she slipped on her skates, and glided on the ice, was admirable to those who witnessed her.

When December finally approached, and brought with it the further encroaching hand of winter, Madeline was ready to leave. She made sure that she had everything she needed in her backpack and suitcase, and called for a taxi to the airport. The first official destination on her globetrotting adventure: London, England. 

This chapter's flower: sweet peas.

Also, shameless advertising, but, I shared some Canadian photographers whose works inspired Madeline's. If anyone's curious, they're on my tumblr.