The Swiss Escape

Packing

“I got an apartment, and it comes furnished!” I told Jen as we ate lunch.

“When are you leaving?” She tries to sound excited, but I know she is a little sad.

“First of the month, so two weeks from now. I will have two weeks before school starts to put everything in order. Thank you again for using your credit card. John won't be able to trace me. There is a two-day stay in London. I am going to speak with an attorney and file for divorce. Then when I arrive in Zurich, I can take care of the apartment. The place comes furnished, but I will still want to add personal touches.”

“What about your clothes?”

“I am going to pack up a couple of boxes of clothes and photos then mail them. It takes about three weeks, so I will be there before the boxes arrive.” I did my best to hide my excitement. “When will you come to visit?”

“The store is doing well, but not hire more staff and take a trip to Europe well.” Jen looks sad. “I know you need to go, but I am going to miss you. You are like my sister. What am I going to do without you?”

“We can skype every day, and you will always be welcome to visit.”

“I know you need to go; it’s for the best. It would be best if you also bought anything you may need while you have the chance. Funds will be tight once you leave. Take him to the cleaners before you go.” Jen gets a smile on her face. “I know a little boutique that can help.”

We finished lunch and went to her shop. I find a few outfits for work and even a little black dress for a special occasion. According to Jen, it will be needed for when I find a new man. “Want me to pack them up and mail them to you?”

“Yes, that would be amazing, Jen.” Jen grabs a dress bag and tided everything off, then put the bag into a large box. I give her the address, and we say goodbye.

Johnny got home as I finished dinner. “What’s for dinner? I am starving.”

“Just simple baked chicken. Kayla and I had a busy day at dance classes, then went to see Aunt Jen.” Johnny rolls his eyes.

“How is Aunt Jen? Is she still going from man to man?”

His comment upset me. “It’s no different than you going from woman to woman. You have no right to judge-“

A hard slap caught me off guard, and I collapse to the ground. Touching my cheek, I found it is hot and stings. I look up at Johnny with shock. How could he hit me? “I think it would be best if you learned to control yourself. I let you sulk and make rude comments for the past two months. Now I am done, remember what you are without me. If you tell anyone about this, I will come after you. And not just me. My company doesn’t like anyone slandering their employees. Let me know when dinner is ready; I am going to see what Kayla is up to.”

He turns and leaves. I pull myself off the floor and finish dinner. After everyone ate, I go to bed. Johnny follows me. “You’re not still upset, are you? I just lost my temper. I am sorry. There is a lot of stress at work, and when you brought everything up, I just lost it.” Johnny pulls me close to him and kisses the top of my head. “Everything will be better tomorrow.”

Two more weeks, I need to survive for two weeks. I go to sleep after a lot of tossing and turning. The next morning I get up early and cook breakfast. Kayla and I sat down since Johnny goes to work soon. Pulling out a notebook, I make a todo list but use it in a general way; if Johnny found it, he wouldn’t suspect anything:

Go through closet

Go through Kayla’s clothes.

Post office

Donate old clothes

The morning is busy. Kayla and I play dress-up so I could find out what fits us and what doesn’t. To my surprise, I lost weight, and many of my clothes fit loosely. I make a donate pile in a bag and put those I plan to send in a box. Once I complete going through the clothes, I go to drop everything off.

Packing up my car, I go by the post office first. I mail Kayla and I a box of clothes each and one with personal items. Then I drop the remaining items at a charity. They give me a receipt for taxes; this will help get Johnny off my back when he notices my missing clothes.

Kayla and I go home so I can start dinner. Johnny, much to my relief, doesn’t come back. I put Kayla to bed then pull out Jen’s laptop. My mind drifts to what life will be like in Zurich. Will Kayla and I have a better experience, or am I risking my life or arrest for nothing. Taking a child out of the state is illegal without the other parent's consent, and I plan to leave the country.

The front door opening gets my attention, and I quickly hide the laptop and grab a book, pretending to read. Johnny came in, “Hey, I am glad you’re up. Where is my plate from dinner.”

“Top shelf in the fridge, it’s in a glass container. I thought it would keep better.” Not really. I thought Johnny wasn’t coming home, so I didn’t think about him. Is it wrong that I didn’t notice his absence or that I am happy he wasn’t here?

The next few days seem to drag by. Jen let me use her credit card to purchase the flights. I will pay her back in cash so she can quickly pay it off without collecting interest. I packed Kayla and me a suitcase each. Then I hid them in the spare room closet. I also packed a backpack full of toys for Kayla as her personal item.

The second Johnny leaves for work, I get up and load the car. The sun is just starting to rise. I had four hours until our plane leaves. I get Kayla dressed and put her into the car, then take her out for breakfast. She isn’t in the best mood from getting up so early, but my hope is she will sleep on the plane.

After breakfast, I go to the bank and pulled out half of our savings in cash. Then I closed my private account. Doing this gives me a little over $12,000 to start my new life. After the bank, I go to Jen’s house and pay her for the tickets. Finally, Kayla and I are off to the airport.

We have one layover before getting to London. I rolled my eyes; it will take twenty hours to get to London; this will make a cranky toddler.

The first plane ride is smooth. Kayla is excited and wants to look out the window. She sits on my lap most of the time and tells me about the clouds. The second ride is more challenging. It took a while, but I finally get her to sleep. Once we arrive in London, I exchange a little money to get us through the two days.

I find a hotel, there is only one room available, and it will require Kayla and me to share a bed. I take the room. We are close to the airport and the attorney’s office.

The next day I am exhausted. I know Kayla is too. Checking that I have everything I need, we head to the attorney. I meet with an older gentleman that specializes in international divorces. “Oh, you must be Mrs. Miller. I am Don Cooper. Now, your email says that you want to divorce your husband because of infidelity and domestic violence. Looking at your case, I think it’s pretty solid. I already have a draft of the paperwork. Please go over everything and ask any questions you may have.”

“How long will it take?” I can hear the nerves in my voice.

“Not too long, sixty days at most. Now, did you follow the advice of setting up a P.O. Box, then a forwarding address from there?” I nod. “Good. So we are calling this a fault divorce. He is allowed to have all the assets in the home. All you want is full custody. Given the domestic violence claim, it should be easy enough. I will file here. I will fax a copy to the courthouse in Portland. Because you are going to a country that won't expedite you for taking the child, everything should be fine. I will send you an email to your friend's account so she can let you know.”

“Thank you, Mr. Cooper. I can’t wait for this to all be over.” We shake hands.

Kayla and I head back to the hotel. Our plane leaves at five in the morning. When we get to the hotel, I put Kayla and myself to bed.

The next morning comes way too early. I get myself ready, pack everything up, then wake up Kayla and get her ready. We rush to the airport and check-in. I started to panic. If we don’t get on the plane before Johnny finds out I filed for divorce, he can have me arrested for kidnapping.

We make our plane and board. Once seated, I try to relax, but Kayla has another idea. She is tired of sitting and wants to run. I do my best to entertain her, but I could tell some were annoyed.

Soon we arrive in Zurich. Getting off the plane, I am both tired and excited. Today is the beginning of a new life.