Chapter 7 – The Sign

Claudia stepped around Lena.

Daniel stood immediately.

“Don’t.”

Claudia pointed at him.

“You don’t tell me what to do.”

“Stay away from us.”

“You created this whole situation.”

Daniel’s voice rose.

“YOU CAME OVER HERE!”

Sophie touched his arm.

“Daniel.”

Claudia laughed.

“Look at you.”

“What?”

“This poor woman.”

Sophie frowned.

“Excuse me?”

Claudia pointed at Daniel.

“He’s screaming at a stranger during your proposal.”

Daniel stared.

“You have been harassing us for forty minutes.”

“I asked you to respect public space.”

“You deliberately sat beside the sign!”

“You asked me to leave a public beach!”

“I ASKED YOU TO MOVE FIVE METRES!”

People were staring now.

A man nearby said:

“Lady, just leave them alone.”

Claudia turned.

“Mind your business.”

Another woman said:

“It became our business thirty minutes ago.”

Claudia’s face flushed.

Daniel pointed away.

“Go.”

Claudia snapped back:

“Don’t speak to me like I’m a dog.”

“THEN STOP ACTING LIKE YOU OWN THE BEACH!”

That was the loudest Daniel had been.

Sophie pulled his arm.

“Daniel, stop.”

Claudia stared at him.

Then looked down.

The wooden sign stood beside her foot.

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

She kicked it.

Not hard enough to break it.

Hard enough.

The bottom edge jumped from the sand.

The sign fell backward.

One of the glass candle jars tipped over.

Flowers scattered.

Sophie gasped.

Lena shouted:

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

Daniel looked at the sign.

Then at Claudia.

For a second he did not move.

That was worse than shouting.

Claudia immediately said:

“Oh, please.”

Daniel stepped forward.

Sophie grabbed his arm with both hands.

“Daniel.”

Claudia pointed at him.

“There. Look at him.”

Daniel’s face was red.

“You kicked it.”

“It was in my way.”

“You walked TO IT!”

“It was on public sand.”

“You walked over here and kicked it!”

“Because you wouldn’t stop shouting at me.”

Daniel laughed in disbelief.

“I wouldn’t stop?”

“You’re aggressive.”

“You interrupted my proposal!”

“Because you were taking over the beach!”

“WE MOVED!”

“After I had to argue with you.”

Daniel shouted:

“YOU FOLLOWED US AFTER WE MOVED!”

Claudia hesitated.

Only for a second.

Everyone saw it.

Then she said:

“Because you moved closer to the water.”

Daniel stared.

“That is your answer?”

“Yes.”

“You ruined this because we moved closer to the water?”

“I did not ruin anything.”

Sophie looked at the fallen sign.

Then at Claudia.

“You kicked my proposal sign over.”

Claudia replied:

“Your boyfriend put it in a public walkway.”

There was no walkway.

Just sand.

Sophie stared.

“Wow.”

Claudia folded her arms.

“Exactly.”

“No.”

Sophie shook her head.

“Wow at you.”