Natasha sat by the window in Christiane’s house, gazing out at the rain-soaked streets as she waited for Christiane to ensure that the house was secure before they left. Her heart was heavy with longing, and her thoughts were thousands of miles away in the United States, where her husband, Phillip, awaited her eventual return.
But returning wasn’t as simple as it seemed. It wasn’t safe yet and wouldn’t be for a while. Leaving behind her husband, friends, pets, belongings, and the beautiful weather had been hard. The weight of her actions, which led to her flight to Germany, bore down on her. She had stolen a substantial amount of money using her hacking skills in a desperate attempt to pay off mounting debts so she and her husband could have a little fun every now and then by enjoying a cruise to the Bahamas or a flight to Jamaica. But she hadn’t been able to pull it off without getting caught. She was a wanted woman who wasn’t about to face the consequences of her actions. She knew it was wrong, and yes, she did feel a degree of guilt, but what was done was done. There was no undoing things now. The only other option was to go home and be re-arrested. However, she and Phillip agreed that after about a year or so abroad, she should be able to return and remain safe as long as she kept a low profile.
Tears welled up in Natasha’s eyes as she reminisced about her last moments with Phillip—those heartfelt conversations, warm embraces, shared laughter, and the sound of his voice. Yet, even the simple act of calling or emailing him was perilous, given that the police were likely monitoring Phillip’s communications.
Phillip, of course, wouldn’t dare contact his wife. They would be watching his every move for a while, and he couldn’t risk it while the heat was on. The money, transferred to an overseas account, was what Natasha was using to live on. Although she knew he worried considerably about her being overseas in a foreign country, they were both glad for her cyber friend’s willingness to take her in. She could have gone to other places in the US, but that wouldn’t be as safe. She could also get her own place in a foreign country, but that would be tough since she wasn’t a native citizen.
After speaking with a lawyer when Natasha was first arrested, safety had become an elusive concept. Since they couldn’t communicate to keep her whereabouts from being discovered, she knew that his not knowing how she was doing had to be torturous. She wasn’t about to take any risks, though, because she knew that not only would she go down, but so would her husband. They needed to wait. As newer and more serious crimes were committed, less attention would be focused on her.
As the rain continued to fall outside, Natasha and Christiane headed out to the car. On the road to the bus station, Christiane attempted to glean more information from Natasha, curious about her feelings and her aspirations. “So, what are your plans? How long do you anticipate staying with Marion and in Germany altogether?”
Natasha pondered for a moment before responding, “I’m not entirely sure, but I think a solid six months to a year would provide a much-needed respite from the United States.”
Christiane nodded and offered, “Well, if you ever find yourself in need of a place to stay while you’re here in Germany, you know how to reach me.”
Natasha smiled warmly, expressing her gratitude. “Thank you so much. I truly appreciate it. I had a wonderful time during my stay with you, and I’m looking forward to seeing how things go with Marion.”
The rest of the trip was made in silence, with Natasha mulling over her mixed emotions. She felt a little bad for leaving Christiane, who seemed to really want to have a friend and roommate around, but her curiosity to see how things played out with Marion overrode those feelings. Above all and anything else, she missed her husband. She wanted nothing more than to be able to go home, but she knew she would be too fresh on the minds of her local law enforcement. A year abroad would be better than five or more in prison, even if that meant her husband could visit her.
A few minutes later, she was hugging Christiane goodbye and boarding the bus headed for Munich. She settled into a seat in the back of the bus, hoping no one ended up sitting next to her, especially if they wanted to chat. Natasha just wanted to sit in quiet contemplation.
Soon, everyone who was going to be on the bus was seated, and she got her wish of being able to sit alone. Then the bus was pulling away from the curb.
This was it. There was no turning back now.
ns216.73.216.122da2
and then Add to home screen.