The Swiss Suitcase (LSD, #1)

Extra: It's Only Rock 'n' Roll

Extra: It's Only Rock 'n' Roll

There I stand, in front of the reception, waiting patiently until Sabina has checked out her client. I need that little moment, to prepare myself for something I never had the courage for. Fighting armed zombies, chasing criminals, jumping out of skyscraper windows; all that is nothing, compared with what I have to do now, but I have to do it, and I want to do it, so I take a deep breath, focus on what I want to say... and forget it all when Sabina smiles at me and asks if she could be of any service.

I avoid stumbling over my tongue and speak almost understandably: "Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I wanted to ask you...

» out."

I said the word. Not the way I planned it, not the way I thought it over and over for the last two or three hours, but it was too late now to change the line or retreat to safety.

"I beg your pardon?", Sabina asks.

"When is your next day off?" I suffer to sound assertive and self-assured. I force myself into confident body language and add a comfortable smile to make the topic light and tasty.

"Wednesday. Why? Do you want to ask me out? All the gorgeous girls are taken, except that ugly one behind the reception? The girl nobody seems to care about? The one who will be thrilled to get some attention, so she will be easy meat to get into the sack? Don't even think about it, Julian. I'm not that kind of woman. And anyway, next Wednesday I have to go shopping with my husband. We have to buy a special outfit for me, to wear at my sister's wedding."

Sabina was a great liar. If I hadn't done my homework first, I would surely believe her. There was no need to check the LSD database for her social report: she put it all in the open on her Facebook account.

"You don't have a sister and you don't have a husband. You live with your parents at the Einbahnstrasse number 189. I know you're not that kind of woman. I'm not that kind of man either. It's just... You were so friendly to me and you helped me out so many times... I wanted to do something back, just to say «thank you». I thought of buying you a present or inviting you for dinner, but... that would only make an impression of me, being interested in you for a different reason. So I thought of something better: inviting you to a picnic in the mountains. I can see big cities everywhere, but when I came here to Geneva, when I saw the reflection of the snowy peaks in the lake, I hoped that I would have time to go up there, just walk and enjoy the view. Tomorrow is my last day of work here. The Boss agreed to my request to let me stay two or three days more, to enjoy Switzerland, to have a little holiday, to have some time to enjoy with the friendly people I've met here, the ones I hope I can call my friends. Rostov will be there too, I mean, you know him as Mesut, but I call him Rostov, which isn't his real name either, and he calls me Lux because Julian isn't my real name either, but that's a bit of a long story. So... I hoped you'd like to go with me, as a friend, with us, with Rostov and me, and perhaps show us the best place to go for a picnic. I'll take care of lunch."

Well, that wasn't too difficult. Making a complete fool of myself is much easier than I thought it would be. I feel relieved. I said what I wanted to say and tried to make it clear there was no misunderstanding of my intentions, just friends, nothing else. The worst that can happen now is that she will say no.

She says yes. She says yes with that special smile that makes sure that every guest will come back next time. We agree on meeting at Barney's Bar, next to the boat station, to have coffee first. Then we take the lake ferry to Hintengarten, that famous holiday village where all the poor people spend their summers. We do the first stage with the funicular railway, and the rest on foot.

Already after walking half an hour, Rostov starts to whine: "My feet hurt, Lux. How far is it?"

I smile, look over my shoulder, and say: "I told you those Italian banker shoes wouldn't be the best choice to wear up here. You should listen to others when they try to give you advice. Some only give advice to profit from stupid people, bankers mainly, but sometimes people give advice because they are your friends; they try to help you, to get you out of trouble or to avoid that you get into it."