Behind the scenes # 7 - The Honeymoon begins

The honeymoon has officially begun.

A romantic trip to Paris? Venice? Fiji? 

Better: my favorite region in the world — Southeast Asia! And technically, Australia too. I can’t be the only one who was surprised that Australia competed in Physical Asia, right?

Maybe I’m mistaken… or perhaps I’m just one of those people who’s never had a normal geography teacher. To describe my old geography teacher in one word?  A Total nutjob.

Luckily, I’ve got my wife — and Google Maps — to find the right locations! 

What is better than a workout after a long flight? Cocktails? Unlimited food? A massage? My legs, especially, needed some movement after the long flight. We’ve been here less than 24 hours, and I’ve already gone to the hotel gym twice.  #InspiredByPhysicalAsia #TeamMongolia

I am happy we survived the flight! Honestly, it came dangerously close to hijacking. The plan was easy: I’d use my charm to distract potential air marshals, and my wife would handle the rest with brute force.  Or maybe the other way around? Luckily, the complimentary wine kept us under control. Because I almost yeeted the passengers in front of me straight out the window. Who reclines their seat fully while I’m still trying to butter my bread? Is there anything more irritating? Ruined the entire (relatively expensive) extra leg space.

Before the flight transformed into some kind of Con Air “every man for himself” scenario, I decided to continue focusing on the entertainment system instead. Maybe the movie selection was to blame. Watching John Wick and Balerina, I kept imagining myself taking down air marshals. Do they even exist in real life? Or only in movies?

Speaking of movies—yes, my favorite airplane film is absolutely Con Air. Was I named after Nicolas Cage? …Good question. Peter, feel free to answer in the comments!

But let’s be honest: Con Air is missing one thing…A badass female lead who does all the action.

Coincidentally, I actually wrote a chapter set in an airplane myself. You can read it for free below!

#StayTuned for live honeymoon updates.

P.S. My grandma would absolutely love this picture — after the initial panic attack. Most likely calling my dad, “AI, what?”

Free Chapter: Financial Exchange 3. Better Get That

“Ladies and gentlemen, a warm welcome aboard this Scandinavian Airlines flight from Stockholm to Amsterdam. This is your co-pilot speaking. Our flight time today will be approximately one hour and forty-five minutes. We’ll do our best to ensure a smooth and pleasant journey. Thank you for choosing to fly with us today, and we hope you enjoy the flight.”

A proud entrepreneur in his mid-twenties sits in the second row of the Business Class section. Next to him sits a typical fifty-plus-year-old accountant who seems to have skipped the gym more than once. After a short, polite introduction, they continue their mostly business-related conversations for over an hour. The entrepreneur mentions out loud how great his startup is doing. He’s making sure everybody can hear about the accomplishments of his company, which has just received another round of funding. Nobody seems to care besides the accountant, who loves answering tax questions to show professionalism.

Boring tax questions are interspersed with boastful stories about success in cryptocurrency. The passengers in earshot look annoyed, but all the male passengers understand why the entrepreneur keeps bragging.

One row behind the passionate entrepreneur is a seat taken by a passenger guaranteed to make heterosexual males of all ages turn their heads at least twice. A beautiful twenty-five-year-old named Millie, dressed in a combination of business and sexy, watches American Gangster on her mobile.

Before the onboarding, while waiting in the departure lounge, the entrepreneur had already noticed the girl and introduced himself as Charles. Although more than a dozen seats were available, Charles deliberately chose to sit next to Millie. His company's financial success gave him the confidence to strike up small talk, which he followed with several compliments.Millie pretends to be flattered. She is not. He is not her type. Even if the compliments had been original, he still wouldn’t have had a shot. But Millie had noticed him. With lots of time left before the onboarding, she had ordered a caramel frappuccino from Starbucks. Through the glass, she could see multiple guys staring at her ass. Among them were some young guys, a married man with his wife, a weird-looking gamer, and Charles, who at least dressed nicely. Being approached in public happened more than Millie liked. It had been good for her confidence when she was younger, but now it was annoying. But over the years, she learned to use her charms and looks to her advantage.

During their conversation in the departure lounge, Charles ensures the girl can see his newly purchased bag, which has a famous luxury watch store logo, Stockholm Diamonds, clearly visible. Millie can see right through the transparent plastic bag and recognises the box of a new Rolex. It never ceases to amaze her that many guys think they can impress girls with jewellery. That might have worked a couple of years ago, but time had passed. The airport announcement for priority check-ins ended their conversation.

During the flight, Charles occasionally turns his head sneakily to see if the beautiful girl is listening. When she walks by on her way to the toilet, her big ass gives Charles an excellent reason to make at least a second attempt. A few minutes pass, giving him time to think of something original. Despite sitting in an uncomfortable position with his body turned, Charles says, “Can I please ask you a question?”

He is all ears when Millie says, “Sure, ask me.”

He says, “My sister’s birthday is tomorrow. I can use a woman’s opinion. Do you know a wonderful gift to buy from the airport?”

From a young age, Millie had learned to answer questions exactly how people wanted to hear them answered, especially when a guy was trying to impress her. After she tells Charles, “Let me think about a wonderful present,” their conversation develops, and Millie explains: “I’m visiting a friend in Rotterdam.”

Charles replies jokingly, “I need to warn you. It’s dangerous to talk about Rotterdam to somebody born and raised in Amsterdam.”

Millie laughs and says, “I heard about your cute little rivalry.”

Charles laughs and says, “Rivalry is a strong word. Amsterdam is better. We have Ajax, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Anne Frank House. What else? We have the Vondelpark, where you can always relax.” Millie feigns yawning. Charles laughs and continues, “We have the canals and a vibrant nightlife if you like to party.”

Millie asks, “You mean the red-light district and coffee shops?”

Charles says, “I meant Leidseplein and Rembrandt Square. But yes, we have services like that as well.” To win their friendly dispute, Millie says, “I’m not interested in those tourist activities. Besides, did I already tell you that this hotel in Rotterdam has a swimming pool?”

Charles fantasises in silence for a couple of seconds; in a skirt, she has an appealing ass. He can’t wait to see her in a bikini. Before he can think of a good reason to exchange numbers, Millie whispers, “I’m so stupid–I forgot my bikini. Do you think this is too weird for Dutch standards?” Millie opens her handbag. Upon seeing the sexy red lingerie in her handbag, Charles’s imagination immediately goes into overdrive. He wouldn’t forgive himself if he didn’t ask. The conversation continues. Before the plane lands in Amsterdam, Millie and Charles have shared a drink and exchanged phone numbers.

Now, Millie and Charles walk off the plane towards a few stores. After all, Charles needs a gift for his sister; there’s no way he can retract that lie right now without ruining his chances. Millie checks the time on her phone as if expecting something to have happened by now. After twenty more meters, Charles’s legs sag to the floor.

“Are you OK?” Millie asks.

Charles says softly, “I’m passing out.”

Millie yells for help. While multiple passengers stop to assist them, Millie grabs her empty bottle and runs to a nearby water fountain. When she notices nobody is looking at her, she rushes toward the exit. After creating a significant distance between herself and Charles, who is passed out on the floor surrounded by passengers, Millie sneaks into a bathroom, opens the plastic bag with the famous luxury watch store logo, and smiles. The brand-new Rolex is a more expensive edition than she’d estimated and will be in high demand with second-hand dealers. She knew the pills would work like they’d worked before. Border control never noticed those tiny, healthy-looking, but dangerous pharmaceuticals. With her headphones on, listening to “Lady Marmalade” by Christina Aguilera, Millie walks to Schiphol's exit and looks for a cab.

After fourteen minutes, Charles wakes up completely confused. He’s disappointed that the girl he just met is gone. With her beautiful looks and funny comments, she was something special. Charles had already thought about telling his offspring about their first meeting at the airport. He’d hoped to see her in that red lingerie, even if that meant searching every hotel in Rotterdam that claimed to have a pool. He dialled her number under the name Lisa, but it was too late—the automatic phone provider’s voice notified Charles that the number was out of use.

It took a while before he realised she’d drugged him and stolen the Rolex he’d just bought with his hard-earned fundraising money. He hadn’t planned to wear it. Besides his company, the Rolex was his first investment. Something that should grow in value while safely secured in the family vault. He’d envisioned a future where he could pass on the Rolex, a family possession, to his future child or grandchild.

This was a painful loss. Charles couldn't believe it. His dream girl had turned out to be a thief.