Savanah had no clue why she was going to Zurich. When it struck her that she would have to leave Lyons she picked a European city at random. Zurich was as good a place as any. Goodbye to Lyons, that place of such bad memories.
It seemed as if she had the whole train to herself. A customs official had passed by at the border into Switzerland to check on her passport. Since she was alone in the train compartment, and without a glass to drink from, Savannah thought she would simply take a swig straight out of the bottle. And swig she did! The bottle was three quarters empty now.
It had been a traumatic three months in Lyons. She was originally from London and pined for adventure in her humdrum life. When she met the exotic Frenchman at a London café and travelled with him to Lyons it was a daring adventure to embark on. How exciting! The whole affair had been a mistake. His English was appalling. Her French was equally handicapped. He was abusive. She was manipulative. He was cruel. She was vindictive. Such was the recipe for disaster.
Now with one empty wine bottle and one miscarriage later, she was hoping to somehow start a new life. Savannah unscrewed the cap on the second bottle. She hadn’t taken as much as a sip from it when she began to feel ill. It was cold outside, but Savannah could open the small window and she threw the full wine bottle out. She experienced the full meaning of the expression “as sick as a dog”. Why, oh why, would this never-ending train ride not end?
The customs official passed by again. “When do we reach Zurich?” asked Savannah.
“We passed Zurich ages ago,” he said.
Savannah sat back. It was now passed midnight. It was her nineteenth birthday. She had wanted adventure. “Yes,” she thought, “My adventure is about to begin.”
And indeed it was!
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