Double Twenty

Chapter 19 - Ray of Light (Madonna)

William Shakespeare: "Time is very slow for those who wait, very fast for those who are scared, very long for those who lament, very short for those who celebrate. But for those who love, time is eternal."

At 584 kilometers from Bordeaux, Matthieu experiences the "remontada of life." Not the disastrous one from 2017, but the magnificent one of 2024, with PSG's victory over Barcelona in the Champions League. The night was so perfect that he vows to remember every detail of his new memories. After a dinner praised by Victoria from the appetizer to the dessert, he meticulously cleaned up everything, a habit acquired after his thirtieth birthday. For the more mundane matters, his twenty-year-old body shows no signs of exhaustion, much to Victoria's delight, who herself is very receptive, matching his expectations and initiatives. Far from being timid, she has a fairly extensive experience for her age, but Matthieu possesses that "je ne sais quoi" that makes him stand out, something people often talk about without ever really experiencing it. Still in their state of sweet madness, Matthieu indulges in a peculiar imitation of Ghostface, the killer from "Scream," which is at the top of the box office, when they hear the sound of a key turning in the front door. Victoria panics: "Oh no, it's my sister coming back from her friend's house!" In a flash, Matthieu gets dressed, while Victoria hides in the bathroom. "Is anyone there? Are you home, Vic?" "Yes, I'm in the shower!" She rushes out, a towel on her head and another wrapped around her body. "But Appo, you're back already?" "Yes, I only have class at ten and I forgot my math stuff." Matthieu tries to remain as discreet as possible. She glances down the hallway. "Hi Matthieu, what are you doing here? It's awfully early." Her gaze shifts from her sister to Matthieu, then back to her sister. "I knew it, I knew it, so cool!!! I'm so happy!!! I'll leave you two alone, I'm going to my room!" She adopts a spooky voice: "Call me Madame Irma, the one who sees the future." She laughs, proud of her mischief. "By the way, Matthieu, your t-shirt is inside out." She slams her bedroom door. Her sister imagines her feverishly tapping away on her cordless phone, recounting the scene to her friends.

"I hope you don't want to keep our relationship secret, because in less than 10 minutes, all of Paris will know," says Victoria humorously. "It's all good, it makes me happy, even if she spoiled my boogeyman devourer of girls act." She gives him a stern look. "Devourer of girls? You won't get away with that, I'll be your only and unique victim, and don't you dare look for others, or it will be your party, I know your weak spot now." She kisses his neck. "Go make yourself a coffee, I won't be long."

Six coffees later, Matthieu is on the verge of tachycardia. On the bright side, this interlude allows him to take stock of his situation. It's not yet the right time to involve Victoria in his plans, but everything becomes increasingly clear. Time is running out for him. His illness is likely to onset around February or March 98, with surgery in May. In less than a year, he needs to achieve more than he did in forty-seven, a daunting but interesting challenge. He first thinks of exploiting the legal route. Microsoft has not yet released Windows 98, France will win the World Cup 3-0. A trip to London to a bookmaker with a hefty sum, and he would leave incognito with his pockets full. Two examples among all those he has in mind. There's also his mother's store to get back on track, feasible, a bit longer but doable. For the other route, he knows a great number of businesses that made headlines before 2000 and how their authors ended up jailed. He just needs to anticipate their misdeeds, without making the same mistakes. He can also make safe real estate investments. Shacks or abandoned lands but ideally located in areas of high economic development, soon to be bought at high prices by developers to build banks or buildings. A small operation upfront to acquire them and patience to reap the rewards. There are also all those "good ideas" that have been confided to him so far, hundreds of hours of conversations that seemed inept at the time, where everyone expressed their little regrets. "I should have done that at that moment." Too bad for you guys, he has the info now. Everything is clear. Especially since his relationship with Victoria can never hold in the medium or long term if his social position doesn't evolve, and because he's excited to be among the winners, the dominants.