My sister had children before me and from time to time I would visit them on their school holidays to spend some time with my niece and nephew. One summer they had arranged to rent a giant chalet in the Swiss Alps and offered to put me up for the week. Of course I jumped at the chance for some clear mountain air, good food, and good company. After a short and uneventful plane and train ride I arrived at the designated station for my pick-up. My sister had told me that their nanny, Mila, would pick me up. She was described as 18 and white blonde with blue eyes. Fortunately, the station was very small and she and I quickly saw each other and with a small wave she came over to help with my luggage. She was stunning: medium height, clear skin, long white blond hair over the shoulder, piecing blue eyes, and a slim athletic build with small breasts. It was lust at first site for me! But given the age difference, I was still a confirmed bachelor at 30, I didn't think it likely or appropriate to make any moves on my sister's nanny. Besides which, what a cliché really?
Mila told me of the fun she was having with the children, how much she loved hanging around with the family and teaching them the ins and outs of the local culture, food and other things to do. Unlike most Swiss Germans she was extremely outgoing and friendly. I warmed to her immediately. She seemed to know an awful lot about me but I chalked that up to a talkative sister who over-shared a lot. Besides it wasn't as if I wasn't fairly successful and not bad looking. A short drive later and we found ourselves at the chalet. My sister, her husband, and the two children were out hiking so for now I had the place pretty much to myself. Mila directed me to my room in the basement floor and left me in peace to shower, unpack and get myself situated.
It wasn't before long that I heard the chirping of children and knew that everyone was back. There were many hugs and squeals when I came up the stairs. My niece and nephew took me on a tour of the chalet, showing me all the little souvenirs they had bought on the trip, and going on and on about how great Mila was. That night we sat down to a cheese fondue prepared local style by Mila complete with garlic and kirsch. What a treat. Of course I managed to lose a piece of bread in the pot and the children started chanting: "Uncle's got to kiss Mila, Uncles got to kiss Mila." I had no idea what this was about but it turns out there was a silly tradition that if you lost your bread you had to kiss the closest eligible member of the opposite sex - in this case that left only Mila. To assuage the children Mila got up and came around to my side of the table and gave a short peck on my lips. While the kiss was perfunctory I sensed something more in her willingness to get up and come around the table. Was I just imagining things?
The following days we spent traipsing around the nearby valleys visiting farms, taking boat tours of lakes, fishing in the river, visiting historic towns etc. etc. Mila was a godsend taking the little pesky ones away to leave us adults in peace for a few hours each day. It was a blessing simply to read a book on a deck chair and look out to the view from time to time. Finally, the kids decided they just had to go to an outdoor water park an hour away. By that point I wanted a day off and coincidentally it was Mila's well deserved day of rest too. So, she offered to be my guide on a fairly strenuous hiking trip on a back route that in the old days was used by farmers to quickly reach their mountain pastures. I jumped at the chance to get away for a while and was imagining a fun time watching the firm bottom of Mila climbing the mountains! What I didn't know was the Mila had developed a huge crush on me, and was thinking that it wouldn't be a bad thing at all to get into a relationship with a handsome, wealthy and kind foreigner.
We drove the car to the trailhead and parked along the side of the road. Mila had a sizable pack on her back filled with food, drinks and rain jackets for us both. At the start the path was a wide track and we could walk two abreast. Mila told me the story of her life to date: farmer's daughter, educated at the village school, got good grades, considering going to college, but also going into the family business. As always she spoke with a twinkle in her eye and warmth in her voice. The path we were taking led up to the highest pastures that her family owned and their mountain chalet. She had many wonderful childhood memories of the place and still helped out when she wasn't being a nanny. Since it was late in the season the cows had already headed down to the mid-mountain pastures and the chalet was closed for the year. As we climbed the wide path turned into a trail and then into a steep narrow path marked with the white and red flashes of a "bergweg" or mountain path. Finally, a little out of breath I saw our destination up ahead - a beautiful chalet with two staircases up to the second floor with a commanding view of the surrounding mountains. It was like something out of "The Sound of Music". Mila had barely broken a sweat. We took a drink from the fountain nearby, climbed the staircase and sat down on a rough hewn bench. Mila took out our lunch and laid out the spread on a simple cloth. The food tasted better than usual - probably because I'd earned it climbing the mountain. The cold beer laid me out and before I knew it I'd fallen fast asleep. When I came too, I noticed a chill in the air and an increase in humidity. Mila told me a storm was approaching and we should go inside rather than try and race down the hill to outrun it. She poked around and found the spare key and let us in.
