The Swiss Escape

Observations

Alex

I stand waiting at the front of the conference room. Everyone is here, but Kamryn. I wonder if she got lost or decided the move is too much and left. The thought of her leaving troubles me. I have spoken to this woman twice and only once in person, yet she has monopolized my thoughts. Her face has dominated my fantasies, and her smile burned into my mind every time I close my eyes.

When I finally see her walk in, I am relieved. She has her daughter with her, and they sit in the back. I watch as Kamryn gets toys and things out to entertain the girl. When her eyes meet mine, I can see her hesitation; she is nervous. I walk over to her and place a copy of the presentation in English in front of her. I left a note on the paper, asking her to stay after. I know she will have a hard time following the meeting.

To my surprise, she seems to follow fine. Kamryn follows with her slides and makes notes. I wonder if she was studious like this in school.

Throughout the meeting, my eyes keep wandering over to her. She is always listening, regardless of not understanding the language. Her commitment impresses me.

I introduce her at the end of the meeting. I did it in English since most of the teachers know enough English to understand who Kamryn is. After I introduce her, everyone leaves.

We walk outside, and I start talking. I find out Kamryn is married to someone. That is the real reason she is here. At first, when she told me, I was disappointed she ran from her problems. Then when she explained her husband threatened her, something changed. I knew she was trying to protect her daughter. Kamryn explains that in a couple of months, her divorce should go through.

We stand outside, talking for almost two hours. I have other work to do, but I don’t want to leave Kamryn. Talking to Kamryn is easy. It feels like I have known her for years.

I hand her a key to the school, most of the time, teachers must work for the school at least a couple of months before getting their key, but I trust her.  Kamryn seems like a smart and reliable woman. I am excited to see her teach.

Three months later

I could hear the students outside playing. I look out my window to see Kamryn teaching the students a new game. They are all squealing and laughing. I can hear them yelling words in English, and I smile. Kamryn was one of the best teachers I have ever seen.

In the first month of her teaching, the students knew basic phrases and the English alphabet. Her emersion methods seemed to do wonders. I have observed Kamryn a few times; she’s done puppets, they sing, and she takes them outside to run.

I know soon I will need to start her German classes. She’s picked up some phrases. The linguistics university typically does the classes, but I have decided to teach Kamryn. I am not the teacher she is, but I want to spend time with her.

A knock at my door gets my attention. Mrs. Kol comes in with a smile on her face. She stands next to me at the window. “The children seem to be attached to her.”

Mrs. Kol has an immediate response, “I don’t think it’s just the children.” I turn towards her looking puzzled. “You have observed her twelve times in the three months. Now you are staring at her through the window.”

“I wanted to know she is a good fit.”

“For who? The school or you?” Mrs. Kol is a smart woman. She is in her mid-fifties, and nothing gets passed her. When I was finishing my doctoral degree, I worked for her husband at the university. “At first, I was not excited about having an American teacher, but Ms. Miller has grown on me. I can see why you find her so alluring. Have you asked her out yet?”

I almost spat out my coffee. “No, that would be wildly inappropriate.”

“Why? She’s only five years younger than you. She’s smart, funny, and pretty. Is it because she has a child?” Mrs. Kol looks at me, disapprovingly.

“No, Kayla is a sweet kid.” I let out a sigh, “she works for me. I don’t want an awkward situation like Victor and Maddison. Those two can barely be in this building together.”

“Miller is much more professional than that. And what if it doesn’t end badly? What if it doesn’t end?”

“Mrs. Kol, why are you pushing this so much? Morally because I am her supervisor, I can't date her.” Not to mention she is still might be married. However, that issue is bothering me less and less. We have not spoken about him again, but I get the impression she truly felt threatened.

“It’s only immoral if you show favoritism, which you already do. Making excuses to pass by the classroom, taking lunch when you know Miller is on duty, and your extra observation hours.” Mrs. Kol gives me a knowing look. I know she is right. I have not done well about my attraction to Kamryn.

“Has she noticed?” I consider Mrs. Kol, a friend. While a graduate student at the university, I worked under Mr. Kol. So we know each other well.

“Subtlety is not your strong suit. But Miller is under the impression you are watching her so close because she’s new and not because you have a romantic notion for her.”

I let out a sigh. As attracted as I am to Kamryn, there are many factors against us. The first is she still could be married. The second is she ran away from her old life, and though I understand, it still doesn’t make it right. The third is I am her boss. Dating her could make things awkward. “I do like her, but nothing will come of it.”

“You’re a stubborn man.”

“She still could be married.” Mrs. Kol looks at me, dumbfounded. “She left him when he became abusive and threatened her. But legally, she still could be married to Kayla’s father. She filed for divorce in London and hasn’t heard anything since.”

“Miller has never spoken of Kayla’s father. Kayla has never spoken of him either. It was not something I thought about; many women today are having babies without men.” She let out a sigh. “He was abusive, you said?”

“Yeah, I don’t have the details, but he did hit her once. Ms. Miller realized what was happening and tried to leave; he told her that he would kill her if she left. Panicked, she fled the country.” I couldn’t look at Mrs. Kol. I know she is staring at me but didn’t know what else to say.

“Miller isn't the type to run away. I think someone told her too.” I look at Mrs. Kol curiously. “Look at her character. Running was the last resort. She left her family, home, and everything behind. Look at the type of mother she is. Would she have dragged her daughter to a foreign country if there was another option?” Mrs. Kol shakes her head. “You should still ask her on a date. Maybe inquire about her divorce status.”

“I’m not dating a woman who might be married. And this conversation isn't leaving the office.”

“I have too much respect for Miller to gossip about her. But Maddison, I will tell everyone about her and Victor.” Mrs. Kol smiles at me. “She’s filed for divorce. Think about it.”

“Why did you come in here?”

Mrs. Kol looks at me and smiles. “The students had an oral exam to find out what they learned. Here are the results.” I look over the scores; each student almost had a perfect score. “She’s a good teacher.” With that, Mrs. Kol walks out of my office. I stare at the results. Every student knew the alphabet, could count to ten, and say hello/goodbye. They have only been in school for three months. I am beyond surprised. At this rate, they will be fluent by the end of the year.