The Sandcastle Conspiracy

Chapter 2: Suzanne

"Mum!! You are impossible! It's only going to be two weeks!" shouted Suzanne.

"It's not at all what we agreed on," her mother replied in that angry, still cold tone, " We were supposed to spend time together during your holidays, and you want to fly away as soon as you finish classes."

"I'm not flying away, I'm just taking a train."

Suzanne, wearing a tight red t-shirt and black Nike leggings, her workout outfit, was going to the Southwest of France, the European California. Marta, her friend who was studying Economics on the same campus, had invited her to her grandmother's house in Biarritz. Marta was Spanish with French origins, and her family had a huge house there.

Suzanne was studying to be a physiotherapist. Her father encouraged her to pursue a career that would allow her to be her own boss. She dreamed of opening a clinic someday, although she was not sure where she wanted to settle. Suzanne was born and raised in Utrecht, The Netherlands. When her parents divorced just a few years ago, her mother accepted a job in Paris. Maddie, her mother, would never confess, even to herself, that the purpose of such a change in their lives was to take some distance. Especially to put some distance between Suzanne and her father. She envied the relationship they had. At first, Suzanne did not want to move, and there was no reason she should spend a year away from her father. But the opportunity to study in Paris was an opportunity she could not say no to.

It was clear who was going to win this discussion. Suzanne was a grown-up, and her mother was acting like a teenager. Suzanne had worked for months as a bartender to save for these holidays. She was clearly not going to change her mind. Stubborn had always been her middle name. She was a great student, a good athlete, and a great daughter.

Maddie was trying to live the youth she could not live when she was married. She went out almost every day after work, meeting men the age of her daughter and dancing until late at the trendiest discos in Paris. She worked in an American marketing agency and managed fashion brands she had never heard of before arriving in Paris. Now that Suzanne's classes had ended, Maddie needed to be a mature mother again for a few weeks. But Suzanne had other plans.

Suzie prepared her backpack with all the stuff she needed. The bag had aged and had been his father's. Lots of tee-shirts, sweatshirts, swimsuits, a couple of decent clothes for a calm dinner, some essentials, and that was it. She would take a relaxed, peaceful vacation and was not planning for romance or impressing anybody.

Her train for the South of France was leaving early in the morning from Montparnasse. She planned on going to bed early, reading a little, and trying to get a long sleep. She encouraged Marta, her friend, to do the same. They were planning for a long afternoon on the beach, enjoying the fresh air and sun as soon as they would have arrived.

Marta's grandma was very laid back and would offer them a quick sandwich and encourage them to enjoy the sun. "This region is great if you know how to be flexible. When you see the sun, you should go to the beach. No matter what you had planned. You'll do that later when the slight rain will come."

The alarm clock made a buzz at 7:05 am.

She woke up, showered, and ate a light breakfast—just leftover cookies. Then, she quickly got into her well-prepared outfit for the train ride.

Marta and Suzie met at 8 a.m. in front of Montparnasse station. It was a Saturday morning, so the station's frenetic activity was just starting—a few people with coffee cups and homeless people sleeping on the floor. Marta needed a coffee, so they bought one at a coffee shop called "Brioche Doree" and got on the train. The speed train took them across France towards the Southwest.

They arrived at La Negresse Station a few hours later. Both were so excited that they almost missed Marta's Grandmother, hiding behind a Panama hat and sunglasses, wearing a long white dress.