The Swiss Escape

And you are?

Alex

I finally told Kamryn I love her. It’s something I have only said to one other woman, Lana. But Kamryn is so different than Lana. Kamryn is shy and blushes when we talk about s*x. Lana was demanding and arrogant. I don’t even remember her being that good. Maybe I am choosing not to; there must be some reason I loved her.

I drive to Kamryn’s apartment. She and Kayla are standing outside, waiting for me. The moment I see them, I smile. Sometimes it feels like I am out of place with them. Kamryn knows what Kayla needs before Kayla even needs anything. Their bond is something special. I often wonder if Lana’s child had been mine if I would have a similar bond.

There are moments with Kayla and Kamryn that I pretend we are a family. Kayla is my daughter, and Kamryn is my wife. Everything I imagined doing with Lana and our child, I do with Kamryn. Everything feels right with Kamryn. It’s almost like she gave me what Lana took.

Kamryn puts Kayla in her car seat then sits next to me. “How are you this morning?” She asks in a cheerful voice. I can’t help but smile at her. Kamryn has this way of always looking on the bright side.

“It’s better now.” I take her hand and kiss the back of it. “Have you thought about what to do for Kayla’s birthday party? I know you were thinking about doing one after school started back.”

“No, not yet. I thought about inviting Kayla’s friends from school, but I don’t know. My German has improved thanks to my wonderful teacher, but I am not sure I know enough to converse with the parents.”

I nod my head, “I can understand that. You could always have me come and be your translator?” She smiles at me.

“Of course, you're invited. You’re a part of our lives.” Her words bring a smile to my face. It feels good to know she is as serious about me as I am about her.

It’s only been seven months since I met Kamryn in person, but I can’t imagine my life without her. We have only been dating for a few weeks, but I knew I loved her before we become a couple. The first night we spent together, I told her. She just didn’t catch me saying it until recently.

We pull up to the school, and I notice teachers staring from their classroom windows. I know it makes Kamryn uncomfortable to be watched so closely, but she handles it well. My infatuation with Kamryn was clear from the start. Everyone talked about it. There was even a rumor that she got her job because I wanted to sleep with her. When it finally came out that the original person I was going to hire changed their mind, the rumors stopped.

Kamryn and I don’t display our relationship at the school. We are not a secret, but we don’t express our affection publicly on school grounds. As long as I don’t show favoritism towards Kamryn, we are not breaking any rules.

We go our separate ways once we enter the school. I head to my office, once inside I ask my secretary if there are any messages. She hands me a paper with a list of calls. Since I took Friday off to spend with Kamryn, I have a lot of work to make up.

I go through the list of messages and pause. One note caught my eye, Lana. Why did she call? I haven’t spoken to her since the day I got the DNA results. Should I call her back? Maybe I should just ignore the message.

Did my uncle tell them about Kamryn? He said he wouldn’t, but it could have slipped. It makes sense that I am finally happy, so something has to come along and ruin it. No, not this time.

I throw the paper away with her number. The rest of the day runs smoothly. When it’s time to go, Kamryn and Kayla come to my office. “Now who’s working late?” Kamryn walks in, smiling.

I smile at both of them. “I am almost done. Have you heard anything from your friend?” Seeing Kamryn’s smiling face has me forget about Lana’s message.

Kayla comes over to my desk, “Du Senn, can I color, please?” I can tell Kamryn is about to tell her no, so I grab a pen and paper.

Handing her the items, she smiles. “Of course,” Kamryn gives me a look, but I just smile at her. I move things over then pull a chair up so Kayla can sit across from me and color at my desk. “I won't take to long to finish.”

Kamryn rolls her eyes and sits next to Kayla, helping her draw. She looks up at me and smiles. “Thank you,” Kayla says as she scribbles on the paper.

I finish up my work as quickly as possible. I take Kamryn and Kayla home.

For the next several days, I continue to get messages from Lana. They’re all asking for me to call her back. I always throw them away, I still haven’t told Kamryn about them, but I don’t want her to worry. She is under enough stress with her ex trying to find her. During her last conversation with Jen, she said to be extra careful. Johnny is now asking questions and hired people to find Kamryn. He knows she left the country but doesn’t know where she is now.

Luckily Zurich is big enough. He may never find her. I don’t know if I want him to find her or not. If he finds her, I can protect her, and it will be over. There will never be a need for her to keep looking over her shoulder. I also know he is unpredictable, so I hope he never crosses her path again.

As I walk into my office, I find a note on my desk. My secretary wrote down that there were six missed calls last night, and all were from Lana. Why does she keep calling me?

It’s almost the end of the day; there is a knock on my office door. Looking up, I freeze. Standing in my office doorway is Lana. “You didn’t return any of my calls.”

“Maybe it’s because I don’t want to talk to you. Now please leave me alone. I have a lot of work to do.” I go back to focusing on what I was doing.

“Alex, please, just talk to me.” I can hear the plea in her voice. It almost makes me want to listen to what she has to say, almost.

“Lana, get out, we have nothing to talk about, you lied to me, used me, then convinced my family I am the liar. I don’t want to talk to you or look at you. Now get off the school’s property before I call security.”

She turns and leaves with tears in her eyes. I let out a sigh. Seeing her after all these years opened an old wound.

Kamryn and Kayla come to my office. We head out to my car. As we get closer, I stop. Lana is standing next to my car, holding a little boy. Anger surges through me. “What are you doing here, Lana? I thought I made it clear that I don’t want to talk. Just leave us alone.”

Lana looks at Kamryn and Kayla. “Is this your new family?”

“Yes,” my voice is cold. We are speaking in German. Kamryn looks at me curiously; I know she understands the bases of what we are saying, even if she doesn’t get every word.

Lana puts on a fake smile. One that I have seen many times. She looks at Kamryn, “And you are?”

Her rudeness shocks me. Lana was always snarky. Kamryn didn’t smile back; she knew this game too well. In perfect German, she responds, “I’m Kamryn. I have heard a lot about you, Lana.” I am impressed by how calm Kamryn is. If this were the other way around, I would be demanding to leave.

“She’s American, interesting choice, Alex.” Lana looks back at me with sad eyes. “A part of me was hoping you would still be single. I know you are still angry with me, and it is justified. What I did to you is inexcusable. When you didn’t call me back, I decided to talk to you in person. Then when you kicked me out of your office, I decided to wait outside school grounds. I desperately need help. Please, Alex. I have nowhere else to go.”