CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Sparky didn’t like the lady who took his passport. She stared at his picture for what felt like five long minutes. After the excruciating and painful wait, she stamped it and asked where his parents were from.
“California, my parents live in the Silicon Valley. Can I go now?”
“Who are you visiting?” She snapped the question, like a police interrogator.
Fortunately, he had read up on the sights. The plane had a travel magazine listing the top ten sightseeing destinations. “No one, I’m a tourist and plan to see giant pandas in Chengdu.”
She nodded but remained serious. “And after that, what do you plan on doing?”
The pandas should have been enough. Didn’t this woman have a heart? Why would I hurry away from cute little bear cubs? “I’m going to see a famous pagoda,”
