Having grabbed about twenty different items, I hung them all on the hook behind the door. However, the only clothes that mattered were the two pairs of maternity jeans and the maternity cotton pants, along with the three cotton shirts. I slid the one pair of jeans on and one of the shirts; grabbing the other four items and stuffing them into my oversized purse.
Once I dressed, it took a few moments for me to clear my head and get the courage to do what came next. After a couple of deep breaths, as I held my stomach and clutched my purse, I squared my shoulders and peeked out from behind the curtain. Karl stood with his back to the dressing room, so I moved quickly to the other side, where I wouldn’t be visible. Then I saw what I hoped was there, the emergency exit. I ran through the door and never looked back.
Reaching my apartment, the doorman gave me the spare key after feeding him a story about losing my purse. I knew I was shaking, and he was eyeing me strangely. Grabbing the key quickly, I rushed the elevator and into my apartment.
Knowing there wasn’t much time, I grabbed a backpack and one large luggage bag. I threw clothes including the new ones, fake identification credentials (being Gideon’s daughter had some perks), and other items into my bag. Then grabbing my laptop, I put it in my back pack. Lastly, I grabbed the seventy five thousand dollars I had slowly accumulated in cash. Luckily, I still had my father’s credit cards in my purse as well. With one quick call to two different Taxi services, I took a deep breath and a quick look around my apartment before making my escape.
I knew this would be dangerous, but I also knew the elevator and stairs were possibly being watched at this very moment, my father moved fast. Climbing through the window at the end of my hallway, I climbed down the fire escape to the street. When my feet hit the ground, passer-byers stared at me curiously. But these strangers were the least of my worries.
The one taxi listened and parked in the alley to wait for me. I slid in quickly, telling him to take me to the airport. When we pulled up, I threw three hundred dollars into the front seat and rushed through the glass doors of the airport.
Inside the airport, I went to a ticket machine, skipping the customer service people. Purchasing four tickets on my father’s credit card, one to Paris, one to Italy, one to England, and another to Canada, I threw them in the garbage next to me. Finally, I purchased one ticket to Spain in cash at the service desk using my fake credentials. It was the only flight leaving in thirty minutes, so that was the flight I was taking. From Spain, I would catch a flight to my final destination.
Getting through security was simple. It seemed they didn’t want to hassle the pregnant woman too much. I didn’t start to settle until the plane lifted off of the ground. After I lay back and slept.
Once in Spain, I made transportation arrangements to travel by boat to Italy. From Italy I was flying to Germany. The whole thing was going perfect, better than I hoped. That was true until I reached Italy. Quickly, I realized the mistake when I saw my Uncle Calvin and his men in the airport. Internally cursing myself, I maneuvered as best as I could.
Finding a restroom, I hid in there for thirty minutes while I dug for a new set of credentials. Once I was all set, I pulled on a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses. I knew it wasn’t the best disguise, but it was all I had and I had gotten too far to just give up.
I made it to the service desk and got my ticket to Germany. The biggest issue was that I had two hours before the flight, so I had to hide and avoid. Quickly I retreated to the same bathroom that I had already been in. My nerves were on edge with every person that I heard enter the restroom.
Eventually I had to move, so I left the bathroom. I almost came face to face with one of my uncle’s associates so I wrapped my arm in a strange man’s and began smiling up at him with a small quiet laugh. Hoping that seeing me as a part of a couple would cause them to skip passed me. It worked and I let go of the strange man that looked at me as if I were crazy. Two women’s restrooms and one men’s room became my hideouts for an hour.
When I got back through security I knew I would have fewer options for hiding, but I settled on an airport bar. Sitting in the far back, behind a group of business men I was able to keep hidden. I quickly ordered a sandwich and chips because I was starting to feel sick. Finishing only half of my food, they called my flight. At first I hesitated and then at the last minute I rushed to board the flight. The moment we were in the air I felt more at ease. I relaxed enough to sleep the flight.
In Germany, I knew who I was looking for, but I didn’t know where. Pulling out my laptop in a small airport coffee shop, I connected. After searching around on the internet I found a couple of people who fit, so I would have to go around and try to figure out which was the correct person.
Walking up the second cobble stone pathway, toward a large stone house, my nerves almost made me throw up on the spot. I got to the door and knocked. Unable to stop fidgeting, I tried calming deep breaths. The door opened and I looked into a vaguely familiar face.