The Lost Choice

by Andy Andrews

  I made you different from the others.

  The blood that flows through your veins flows through the heart of one whom I have chosen. The rarities that make you one of a kind,my child, are no mere accident or quirk of fate.

  I made you different in order that you might make a difference.

  You have been created with the ability to change the world. Every single choice you make . . . every single action you take . . . matters. But remember, the converse is also true. Every choice you do not make . . . every action you do not take . . . matters just as much!

  Your actions cannot be hoarded, saved for later, or used selectively. By your hand, millions of lives will be altered, caught up in a chain of events begun by you this very day.But the opposite is true as well. Millions of lives are also altered, caught up in an entirely different chain of events—if you choose to wait.

  You possess the power of choice. Free will. You have been given everything you need to act, but the choice is yours alone. And beginning this very moment, you will choose wisely.

  Now go. And never feel inadequate again. Do not dwell in thoughts of insignificance or wander aimlessly, lost, like a sheep.

  You are powerful. You matter. And you have been found.

  You are my choice.

  Your Father

  EPILOGUE

  THREE YEARS LATER

  MARK AND DORRY LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE ON Autumn Ridge Circle, though they are currently contemplating a larger residence. Michael, a third grader now, is a proud “big brother” to Tracy Elizabeth Chandler, the two-year-old sister who worships his every move.

  Dorry resigned from the Post when she became pregnant with Tracy. While she hasn’t yet won a Pulitzer,Dorry maintains a heavy schedule of freelance work that includes pieces for Atlantic Monthly and Newsweek, as well as an occasional article for USA Today.

  At forty-one years of age, Mark Chandler became the youngest chief of police in Denver’s history. By the time city fathers made the appointment,Mark had already received four commendations from different states recognizing his part in saving the lives of missing children. The first commendation was awarded by Colorado’s own governor for Mark’s actions in rescuing the brother and sister he had located in Chicago, though at the time of the ceremony, Mark was still on suspension for “disobeying the order of a superior officer.”

  Abby and Dylan have become the Chandlers’ babysitters of choice. They announced their engagement to be married last spring and now consider the time with Michael and Tracy to be “practice.” While Dylan remains in his position at the Denver Museum,Abby went back to school and is now finishing her doctoral program in archaeological chemistry.

  The couples have become best friends, meeting for lunch regularly or for dinner and a movie. When together, they often discuss the mystery that brought them into each other’s lives. Before the Adams’ piece was returned to the Smithsonian, Abby created a ceramic cast of the object. Often, the four friends will lay the reproduction out with the other two relics and theorize about the missing base.

  They talk of the proof they’ve already uncovered that one person, by his or her own hand, can change the world. They discuss the changes in their own lives—their missions, their life’s purpose—brought about by the simple lessons inscribed on the three relics. Yet, there is always an undercurrent of frustration—evidence of the many questions remaining unanswered.

  Mark, Dorry, Abby, and Dylan have come to their own individual, unshakable convictions about the origin of the cup. And to a person, they believe that the base of the cup, when it is found and understood, will provide hope, and a specific message, to a world of people seeking answers of their own.

  The Lusitania still rests at the bottom of the Irish Sea. Eleven-and-one-half miles off the green cliffs of Brow Head in County Cork, near the town of Cobh, the oncegrand ocean liner lays on her starboard side beneath 312 feet of water. Vast schools of fish circle the vessel, using the same routes over and over again, as if to guard the memories buried there. Her bow thrusts upward at a forty-five-degree angle, the outline of her name still visible.

  The seabed is littered with broken plates, bowls, and large chunks of coal. The ship’s triple-toned whistle rests by itself on the sea floor, near the crumbled and collapsing bridge, while a bathtub sits upright near the stern. The pipe and showerhead rise above it, still attached, as if waiting to be used.

  Sadly, however, it appears as though the last piece of the puzzle—the medallion, the cup’s base—might never be recovered. The object still remains inside the jewel box. No longer purple, the expensive material that gave the box its color has long since decayed. The case is exactly where it was left so many years ago, resting in the upper left-hand corner of the closet, nestled against the wall in an ever-increasing blanket of sediment. Regal B-65 and 67, a starboard-side suite, is now, due to the wreck’s position, at the very bottom of tons of disintegrating steel.

  The Lusitania is collapsing in on herself. Time and the ocean’s relentless pressure have done more damage than Schwieger’s torpedo. Unexploded depth charges, the remaining vestige of an Irish naval exercise in the 1940s, are scattered all over the wreck. They are extremely dangerous and, coupled with the fragile condition of the structure itself, make any exploration of the ship’s interior virtually impossible.

  The life of Alfred Vanderbilt has continued to be a source of speculation throughout the decades as inquisitive historians and proud descendants seek to make sense of his extraordinary final act. Thousands of articles in newspapers and magazines all over the world have been written about his courage that day. And each printed story has been clipped and meticulously filed in a private vault in the western United States. There, a records repository of the Vanderbilt family is maintained that begins with the first journal notes of Alfred Vanderbilt’s great-grandfather, Cornelius, as a young man in 1832. Established before Cornelius’ death, this is the collection of a family whose sense of its own history is proud and complete.

  With monthly entries submitted over the lifetimes of what are now more than one hundred descendants of Cornelius and begun before the advent of modern record keeping, the files are vast and physically enormous. The vault includes every conceivable particle of each family member’s life, from financial records, personal notes, invitations, and newspaper articles to birthday cards, grocery lists, and receipts from the veterinarian. Insisted upon by the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and intended as a preventive measure against the possibility of frivolous lawsuits, it also serves as an incredibly comprehensive family history.

  And so, there is still hope that the power of the message inscribed so carefully on the base of the cup will one day be revealed to the world. In a wooden cabinet on the sixth row, indistinguishable among the racks of identical cabinets lining the huge vault, the second drawer from the top holds an envelope whose paper is stained with seawater. It was submitted to be filed in the Vanderbilt family repository on April 25, 1927, by Alfred’s youngest son, George, and has never been removed.

  The only existing translation of the relic is labeled PYA42563.And just like the other three pieces of the cup, it is hiding in plain sight.

  The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.

  **—WINSTON CHURCHILL

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ANDY ANDREWS is a best-selling novelist and speaker whose combined works have been translated into nearly twenty languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. The Traveler’s Gift, a featured book selection of ABC’s Good Morning America, was on the New York Times bestseller list for seventeen weeks. As a speaker and corporate entertainer for the world’s largest organizations, he is in constant demand. Andy has spoken at the request of four different United States presidents and toured military bases around the world, speaking to troops at the request of the United States Department of Defense. Arguably, there is no single person on the planet better at weaving subtle, yet life-changing lessons into riveting ta
les of adventure and intrigue—both on paper and on stage.

  Find out more about a man one New York Times writer called “a modern-day Will Rogers who has quietly become one of the most influential people in America” at www.AndyAndrews.com.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  IN AN UNDERTAKING OF THIS SORT, THE LIST OF people to whom gratitude is owed can be overwhelming. I am blessed to be surrounded by friends and family who have become a team of which I am thrilled to be a part. If one perceives me as a person who makes good and informed choices, it is only because of my reliance on the counsel of these people.

  Thank you all for your presence in my life.

  . . . to Polly,my wife, who has read endless drafts, participated in many “what if ” conversations, and has endured occasional blank stares at dinnertime as I was lost somewhere in Tuskegee or on the Lusitania. I love you and our life together.

  . . . to Robert D. Smith,my personal manager and champion who never, ever loses faith. The smartest business person I know, you are also one of the few people of whom I am aware that everyone loves. This, my friend, is a tough combination to beat.

  . . . to Gail and Mike Hyatt. Your belief in Robert, me, and our work started it all. Thanks for your friendship and example.

  . . . to Jenny Baumgartner,my editor at Thomas Nelson. This book would not have been the same without you. The last chapter particularly benefited from your input.

  . . . to Jonathan Merkh, Jerry Park, and Pamela Clements. Your encouragement means more than you will ever know.

  . . . to Todd Rainsberger, whose idea became the title of this book. Thanks also for helping me shape the story line. Your influence on The Lost Choice was invaluable . . . almost as important as your influence in my life.

  . . . to Kevin Perkins, my wise and calm friend. With a laugh and a few words, you can always talk me off the ledge!

  . . . to Maryann and Dave Winck—the neighbors and friends of a lifetime. Our boys love you, we love you, and everyone knows that nothing would work at our house if it weren’t for you, Dave!

  . . . to Foncie and Joe Bullard, whose friendship, courage, belief, and example are a constant inspiration to me. Thanks also for the use of your beach house so that I can continue to write when my own is too loud!

  . . . to Mike Jakubik who makes me laugh, Don Brindley who makes me think, and Katrina and Jerry Anderson who are always on my side no matter what. Thanks for your presence in my life and the lives of my family.

  . . . to Sandy Stimpson, Barbara Selvey, Gloria and Martin Gonzalez, Maryann and Jerry Tyler, Sunny Brownlee, Richard Stimpson, Brent Burns, Kathy and Dick Rollins, and Patsy Jones. Your influence in my life is undeniable and very much appreciated.

  . . . to Zachary Smith, my webmaster and all around smartest person on the planet. Your eye for detail, playful spirit, and patience with my computer illiteracy is appreciated. . . . to Ron Land, Dave Shepard, Darlene Quinn, Danielle Douglas, and Blythe McIntosh at Thomas Nelson. Your skills and energy always amaze me.

  Special thanks to Scott Jeffrey, the man who coaches me and improves everything I do. You are making my “Impossible Journeys” very possible indeed.

  And finally, to Austin and Adam, my little boys. You are the very beating of my heart. Nothing compares to the feeling I get when you guys run into my arms as I walk through the door. I love you.

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  Author’s Note: Extensive research was conducted to carefully determine dates, exact times, and other details. Any historical errors that might have slipped through my finely meshed “net of accuracy” are entirely my own; however, what the reader may occasionally determine to be a mistake is most likely the product of contradictory source information. In such instances, the author simply selected the most reasonable fact from among the many choices.

  Birds of North America. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1999.

  Blum,Howard. The Gold of Exodus.New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998.

  Brecher, Elinor. Schindler’s Legacy—True Stories of the List Survivors. New York: The Penguin Group, 1994.

  Brown, Dan. Deception Point. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. Collins, Gail. America’s Women. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003.

  Collins, Max Allan. The Lusitania Murders. New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 2002.

  Duncan,Todd. Life by Design. Nashville: J. Countryman, 2002.

  Ellis, Joseph J. Founding Brothers. New York: Random House, 2000.

  Ford, Emma. Falconry:The Art and Practice. Blandford Press, 1992. Hickey, Des, and Gus Smith. Seven Days to Disaster. London:

  William Collins Sons and Co., 1981.

  Keneally,Thomas. Schindler’s List. New York: Scribner, 1982.

  Kerrigan, Michael. What Choice Do I Have? Possibility Press, 2002.

  Lansky, Bruce. 35,000 Baby Names. New York: Meadowbrook Press, 1995.

  Lewis, Bernard. Race and Slavery in the Middle East. Oxford:

  Oxford University Press, 1990.

  Mason, John. Conquering an Enemy Called Average. Tulsa: Insight International, 1996.

  McCullough, David. John Adams. New York:Touchstone, 2001.

  Preston, Diana. Lusitania . . . An Epic Tragedy. New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 2002.

  Simpson, Colin. The Lusitania. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1972.

  Steinhouse, Herbert. “The Real Oskar Schindler.” New York: Saturday Night Magazine, April 1994.

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  INTERNET REFERENCE

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  Corporate Presentations

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