Oh, to Make Friends in Switzerland

La Réserve Hotel. Zurich, Switzerland

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We got to Zurich two days and a night ago, and I spent the entirety of my day today shopping all over Zurich to get all the Christmas presents, even more than I could think of, I just bought a whole ton of stuff. I also bought some things for me, for Lia and uncle Krys, and for Rafał, to give it to him when he finds me… if he does.

Our hotel is beyond amazing, one of the most luxurious hotels in Zurich, as perfect as all the hotels we stayed in while enjoying our lives for these last days before we need to go back to Warsaw.

There are ten different accommodations in La Réserve Eden au Lac hotel, and Lia had picked the 6th for me, which is the Premier Terrace Room.

With room for 2 people, 1 king-size bed, 301 to 419 sqft, 28 to 39 m², located on the first floor, it has a terrace lined with stone colonnades and original stone statues. The interior decoration has fluted glass partitions between the spaces, mahogany-colored wood and shiny metal, thick wool carpets and finesse of the white net curtains, rigorous straight lines and generous curves.

While they picked the 9th accommodation for them, the Eden Suite, big enough to fit 3 people, with 1 king-size bed, 807 to 850 sqft, 75 to 79 m², on the third floor. Occupying the south-east wings With five openings to the outside, including four charming ironwork balconies, it's bathed in light at all hours of the day. The vast lounge area overlooks the lake on the south side and give them a view of the boats and the Alps in the distance.

I mean, it's fair, they are a couple, they need more space to… play.

We'll leave tomorrow, December 20th, at 9 am, stop by Frankfurt, Germany, and head to Warsaw, Poland, to arrive there by 4 pm. If nothing goes wrong with our plane, because the weather is even more volatile during winter. Then, we straight head down to the villa, which means driving a lot.

I'm already tired by emancipation.

Rafał didn't contact me, so I guess he didn't crack my number yet, neither did he found who I am, or he would definitely have called me. My heart says he would, or maybe he learned it and is still processing the fact that he got with me when I was still 16 years old, even if emancipated, and that I ultimately lied. 8 years is quite the gap, though it only makes me want him even more.

Lia and uncle Krys decided to go out for a romantic date around the capital, while I decided to stay behind, since I already spent the past night out, as I wanted to see how is the restaurant and the bar of the hotel.

I got myself ready, made my make up with extra red and gold, but on my Yves Saint Laurent black cashmere turtleneck midi dress with a slit on my right leg, and my red Versace platform heeled blood red heels that wrap tightly on my ankles. On my wrists, ears, and fingers I had my gold rose-themed jewels from Bvlgari, and my La Vie Est Belle Eau de Parfum by Lancôme with a floral fragrance I enjoy a lot. Then I grabbed my Versace black purse, my phone, suite card, and left to the restaurant.

When I got there and found all tables occupied, I went to the one where there was only a pretty golden skinned woman with short wavy dark blonde hair and amber eyes sitting on it. "Hi," I said softly and her almond shaped eyes came to me, a soft smile instantly forming on her lips, "would it be troublesome if I sat with you, miss?" I asked in English, unsure of what language she was natural off, since everyone here seems to speak English.

"Of course, you can. I'll enjoy some company," she pointed to the chair at her opposite side and I sat on it, speaking English but with a soft French accent, which isn't uncommon since it's one of the three mainly spoken languages in Switzerland, with Italian and German.

"What's your name?" I asked in French.

Thankfully, she seemed even more comfortable to speak in it, "My name is Elena. Elena Đorđević-Kucharski." Oh? That's Serbian and Polish, now, I'm comfortable. "What's yours?"

"Zofya," I beamed, putting my purse at the empty chair on my left, as she was using the fourth one for hers. "But as we are going with full ones, my full name is Zofya Magdalena Fiaich Turovska."

"Oh?" She giggled, "Are you Polish?" She switched to Dutch.

Damn, I already adore her, "I am, yes," I giggled.

"Fiaich sounds Irish, though," Elena leaned closer, "and you're a ginger, so, I guess you're Polish-Irish, but from Poland, yeah?"

A nod, "On point. But actually, Polish-Irish-British, my mom of a British-Polish origins, and my father was of Irish-Polish origins. I took both his surnames, none of hers," I rolled my shoulders. "A win to me, if you ask me. My name would be huge if I had taken it from both. Zofya Magdalena Reid-Novak Fiaich Turovska. Maybe I wouldn't have a middle name."

"I'm Swiss-Serbian, widow Polish man," she said softly.

"Seems like we both lost a lot," I pressed my lips together, knowing that the whole I'm-sorry-for-your-loss stuff is shit. "If you want to use a friendly stranger's shoulder to talk, I'm here for you. But if you don't feel prepared to talk about it yet, it's okay too. It took me sometime."

My words seemed to have moved her a bit, "You are lovely, Zofya. How old are you, sweetheart?"

I felt my cheeks heating up, "I'll 17 the day after tomorrow, but I'm emancipated since almost a year ago, so, I'm an adult for all that matters. But if anyone else ask it," I grinned, "I'm 21."

That made her giggle, "I'm 27," oh? She's older than Rafał.

"Are you sure?" I gasped, "You look 21 at best."

"Ah, you are too sweet."

I blinked, "No, Elena, I'm serious, you look really young."

She chuckled lively again, "Thank you, then. I'm a mother of 2, and they are sleeping in our room right now. I have five hours before my 1-year-old, Yury wakes up. Dragan is 11."

Oh, man, she had a kid when she was my age? "You had him at 17? My mom also had me at 17, and my godmother also had my best friend at 17, they were both 17, though my best friend is some months older than I am. Yury and Dragan, you picked pretty Polish names for them."

Elena blushed, "Seems like we have more in common then."

"Not that much, you seem to be a good mom, mine is terrible," I chuckled anxiously. "Long story cut short, my whole life she didn't care about me and only about her work, then when I was 10, she cheated on my dad with his sister, then she married her, and they adopted a lil boy, Cyryl, who is my current favorite kid, he's 2 and loves me the most."

She gasped, "And your dad?"

"Oh? My dad isn't that innocent. At the same time she's cheating on him, he was cheating on her with their best friend, my best friend's mom, my godmother. I caught both him and her cheating on different occasions and it was a nightmare, especially because I loved the people they were both cheating with. One day, when I was 10, dad and my godmother were going out of our villa, they asked me to go with them, but I refused and just watched them go. Then," sigh, "a truck came and wracked dad's car with both inside, and they all died. In front of me. And mom didn't even wait to go and marry my damn paternal aunt."

"You weren't joking when you said she was a terrible person. I'd never be able to do that with my boys. It hurts even more because you were the age my older son is now," when she offered me her hand for comfort, I took it gently. "My parents died in a plane crash when I was 15, when they were coming back from Sydney to Zurich. I was already emancipated at the time, and also already dating Lew. Lew Kucharski," her husband. "He was 4 years older than me, so, he was 19 and I was 15. Lew was the sole heir of a millionaire Polish family from Warsaw, studying Med here in the capital."

"I also like older man," I said to lighten the mood.

By how she chuckled, I guess it worked, "How much older?"

"Like," I licked my lips, "8 years older."

Elena giggled again, "25-year-olds then, do you have a boyfriend?"

"Tell me your story first, I'll tell you mine then," I purred.

A nod, "Alright. So, as an only child myself, I inherited all of my family's patrimony, and as I was already emancipated, I moved in with Lew into his place in here. We soon go married when I turned 16, then, he got me pregnant in our honeymoon." Oh? So she really had him at my age? 16? Now, that's crazy. "When our Dragan was 5, we moved to Warsaw, his homeland, I was 21 and Lew was 25. Then, as our boy was old enough, I got into Business school, and graduated at 25, he was 29, and our son was 9 at the time."

"And little Yury?" I leaned closer, interested.

"By the time I graduated, I was already pregnant with him, but I did not know. So, we had our little boy. But," she swallowed, "two months after he was born, I was 26, Dragan was 10, and Lew was 30 when he passed away from a sudden heart attack. It's been a year. He wanted to be cremated and his ashes to be thrown here in Zurich. It took me a year, but I finally got the balls to come here with my boys and do it."

Shit.

It took me more than a minute to find something to say to her, after such a sad story, "Is it just the 3 of you now?"

A soft nod, "Yes, his parents died a long ago and so did mine."

"How long are you going to stay here in Zurich?"

"We are going back to Warsaw tomorrow morning. Why?"

Now, that's destiny. "I'm also leaving tomorrow morning back to Warsaw. You don't need to worry, I'm not a criminal or anything, I'm from a well known family in there. Both from my mom's and from my dad's side. I'm technically dad's only daughter, so, I inherited everything he had, and he was a billionaire, so, the loss came with the burden. I'm an architecture major in college, to start my 3rd semester on the next year. So, now that you know, why don't you come spend the holidays with me?"

Elena blinked, once, thrice, "Won't it be a burden? I'm in 3."

"Not at all," I gasped. "My family is huge. Just dad's family is very gigantic, it was only him and his sister, he was the older son, but his father had many siblings, and so did his grandparents. So, yes, lots of grand-uncles and grand-aunts, and countless cousins, who have kids. My mom's family lives in the UK, but legend has it that her overbearing younger brother will come this time, and she also mentioned more guests, so, yes. There's that. I don't know anybody from her family, though, so it'll be weird. But there's lots of kids, from both Yury and Dragan's ages, they will feel comfortable."

Her eyes widened, "Are you being for real?"

"Of course," I winked. "Just... my family is… well, weird."

"How weird?" She chuckled.

"Mm… incestuous. My dad's family is very incestuous," I giggled anxiously. "Most of my cousins married each other, so, yeah. And," well, let's just do this, and tell Lia later, "my best friend dates her dad in secret, but he isn't her dad, her mom cheated on him with my dad, so, she's my… sister, and my dad was actually her dad. Though only we know, my mom doesn't, and neither does the rest of the family yet. She is a copy-paste looking of her mom, while I'm a copy-paste of my dad with mom's height, and uncle Krystian is nothing alike any of us, he's blonde and all. I'm here with them, but they are together and I'm in my room."

"Okay," she said bluntly. "Alright, that's quite the family."

"I know," sigh, "it's kinda weird. My mom is married to my dad's sister. My dad had me with his wife and my best friend with their best friend at the same time. My cousins married each other. My parents cheated on each other. The innocent people on all this are… me, Cecylia, and uncle Krystian. Cecylia being my best friend, and uncle Krystian is her… man. I mean, he raised her and many people think he's her dad, but he ain't. So, it's not really incest on their case, but they are a secret because people who don't know the truth, will think it is. And the truth is just messed up."

"Your parents are messed up, sweetheart. Really straight-up fucked up in the head. I'm fine with it, though. I love drama, and your family does sound like a drama on live. Since there are kids, my kids will like!"

I clapped my hands together, "So, will you come?"

"Of course," she giggled.

"Yay!"

Picking my phone from my purse, I opened my chat with Monika.

Me: Aunt Monika,

Me: Prepare to have more three guests,

Me: They will come with me when I get back to Warsaw.

And to my dismay, she quickly texted me back.

Monika: Is it your boyfriend and his parents?

Me: Mother, get out of aunt Monika's phone *side-eye emoji*

Monika - Mom: How do you know it's me?

Me: She isn't invasive, you are.

Me: Just prepare for my guests, yeah? *waving hand emoji*

Monika - Mom: But is it your boyfriend and his parents?

Monika - Mom: Zofya, I can see you reading my texts.

Monika - Mom: Answer me, you rebellious pumpkin.

Not happening.