I wanted to start off by giving thanks to those who reviewed, the comments mean a lot to me!

A world away, a man named Stan Marsh was living his life in England…

He was in love with a girl who lived in London, but he lived in the outskirts of the vast city. His mother and father owned a quaint drugstore on the edge of town. Business was slow, and the outlook didn't look much better.

About two years back, Stan was closing up the shop when he saw her. Her long, black hair and deep brown eyes took him aback. He didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say; he had never seen a girl so beautiful in his life, especially around this part of town. His face felt heated, he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He just put his hands in his pockets and walked the opposite way home.

Days went by and he would see the same beautiful girl walking by herself, enjoying the evening air, even stopping every now and then to pick a wild flower. That day, something inside Stan clicked; he knew that he had to talk to her, he couldn't just let her pass him by.

"Umm…excuse me Miss?" Stan inquired nervously.

The brunette woman turned around to face him, her fair skin, dark hair, and bright eyes complemented each other so beautifully, Stan almost lost his train of thought.

"I just noticed that you happened to be by yourself and I was…well…I was wondering if you would like some company?" Stan asked as he apprehensively rubbed the back of his neck.

She smiled the brightest smile as she said, "I would love to."

They walked and talked about anything and everything for hours until they reached her family's rather extravagant apartment in Kensington (one of the richer parts of London-at least in the early 20th Century). Stan's heart sank to the pit of his stomach when his eyes scanned her apartment. He saw the marble staircase and the chandeliers in the window, and even the gold plating reading "Testaburger" on the front door. He knew he could never give her a life like this, the life she deserved.

But for years they had courted, and she had spent much time with his family, but he had never met hers. One day, as Stan was walking to meet Wendy in London, his eye caught a ring in the window of a jewelry store. The amber color of the ring was just gorgeous and he imagined how beautiful it would look on her. He asked the Jeweler for the price of the ring and he said it would cost about two months salary. Stan only made £110 and he knew that would be a hefty price, but he knew he wanted to marry Wendy for a while now, it was worth it.

He gripped the ring in his pocket, it felt like molten lava with how much anticipation was built up into that small ring. But just like that his hopeful mood changed in an instant. He saw Wendy open her front door and walk down the steps with a completely stoic look on her face.

"Wendy, I.."

"Stan. I can't see you."

"What?" Stan choked on the word.

"My father doesn't think you are the best for me, I'm sorry."

"But Wendy, you can't just—"

"Look, Stan. It's best if you just go."

And just like that Stan's heart was crushed. His hopes and dreams with Wendy were becoming a faded reality.

Stan went home, never once looking up to look another man in the eye. He went straight for his dad's liquor cabinet and opened the bottle of Kilbeggan Irish Whisky. He took one big gulp as he laid on the bed. It burned and it tasted as though he had gulped some oil from the local factory, but at least it took his mind off the pain; at least for a little while.

Weeks had gone by with Stan drinking and slurring even the simplest of sentences and his family has started to worry about him. Stan took a look at himself in the small, dusty mirror of the bathroom. He barely recognized the disheveled face staring back at him. His hair was getting longer and he was even growing a scraggly beard. His face showed signs of fatigue from lack of sleep. This was not a twenty year old man staring back at him, this man looked more like he was forty.

He knew it was time to something, anything. He sat down at the table with his family waiting for dinner when his mom put a piece of paper in front of his seat. Stan read "Come to America". "Mum, what is this?"

"Your father and I thought that if you went to America, maybe you could clear your mind."

"But what about the shop?"

"Don't worry, Shelley and Andrew will pick up the slack. It's more important that you find success, and you won't find it here."

"Thank you, Mum." He said as he hugged her.

He knew that in America, jobs are endless. He could easily make enough money to impress Mr. Testaburger and win over Wendy. This, he thought, was finally his lucky break.

Okay, so this was definitely longer, but I felt I needed to explain Stan's situation a little more than Kyle's.

And interestingly enough, I had read that the tradition of engagement rings started in the early 20th Century and that the "rule of thumb" was that the cost should be about two months salary. I have no clue what it is now, but I am not at marrying age…(well, some of my friends are engaged and are 18, 19, or 20 :o but that's a whole nother story lol!

Thanks for reading