LORNA was angry to her father.
"Your father was not like that before. It only started when he lost his job. About him forcing you to work in the nightclub was my fault. Remember when I was confined in the hospital? Your father borrowed money from an acquaintance and he could not pay it back because he had no more work. That man was the owner of the night club where you are working. Your father don't have to pay back the money in one time, only if you will work in his club. You are the one paying that debt. Fifty pesos every night. I am sorry, it's my fault." Marlina was in verge of tears.
"Inay, I know, but what I mean is that he did not tried hard to find a job. Other fathers did their best to support their family, even gathering garbage; one of the girls in our group, her father earned his money by gathering empty plastic bottles and old newspapers on the streets." Lorna answered her mother.
"Your father was a college graduate. He had a diploma as an Accountant. Something happened in their company and he was the one blamed when he did nothing wrong. He lost his job and could not work anymore his profession, because of the wrong doing stamped to his name. He was angry to himself, to the world and began drinking, maybe because he lost hope. Don't hate your father, he loves you!" Marlina told Lorna to not hate her father.
Although she could not understand or could not connect what her father's doings and love to her, Lorna did not argued her mother.
It's okay, Inay. If I am already working abroad, I will give you and Itay, an amount to start a little business, maybe a convenience store. But first I have to go abroad. The placement fee was our big problem. Where will we get such big amount of money." Lorna said to her mother. She was very worried where will her parents get the twenty thousand pesos she needed for the placement fee the agency was asking.
"When your father is sober, not drunk anymore, I will talk to him. We must find the way to have the twenty five thousand pesos you need. Maybe we could sell things, the cabinet, the refrigerator, the TV." Marlina told her daughter her plan to sell things.
"Not the TV, Inay. Pity for my brothers and for you too. You enjoy watching series in the TV. Not the TV." Lorna protested her mother's idea of selling things from their house especially the television.
"Okay, don't worry. The TV will stay. I will approach all people I think that could lend us money so we will have the twenty five thousand pesos for your placement fee." Marlina assured Lorna that the TV will not be sold.
"Our life surely will be better, if I can work abroad. I promised, Inay." Lorna promised her mother.
"I hope, so that your brothers could study, and you two, you studied already two years in nursing. A part of what will you earn abroad could be used maybe for you to finished Nursing." Marlina wanted it very much her daughter to graduate the course of Nursing.
"Our salary is three hundred dollars every month. For three years, its a lot of money. I will save and I will give it all to you so that you and Itay could start a convenience store."
"But first we have to look for twenty five thousand pesos to pay your agency the placement fee."
CARLA DIONES - Address : Navotas, Rizal
One o'clock in the depth of night, Cora was still busy with her sewing work.
"Inay, it's past midnight already, you must rest and sleep!" Carla was complaining to her mother. "I cannot sleep because the sewing machine is noisy!"
"I must finish this because early in the morning the owner of this dress need it." Cora answered her daughter at the same time coughing.
"Your coughing is getting worst. The doctor said that you must not overworked yourself and that you must have a good sleep." Carla reminded her mother the advice of the doctor.
"I know but I really must finish this dress. I have to do my best to keep my costumer satisfied, because you know it, this dressmaking is the only source of our income." Cora explained to Carla why she must finished what she was doing.
"I pity you. Since Itay died you worked hard for us, your children." Carla really pitied her mother as since their father died four years ago in a traffic accident, her mother did her best to take care of them, she, her two brothers and three sisters. Her father was a taxi driver. Her mother received money from the insurance and her mother used the money wisely. Cora had managed to buy a small house and lot; the rest of the money, she used it by taking a course in dressmaking and started a small dressmaking shop. Since then, the shop was the source of income for the family. Cora wanted to expand the shop and to have more sewers but it needs a big capital and they don't have it. Cora remained a widow, she promised her children that she will not marry again. She will dedicate her life to her children.
"Of course, you are all my children. I will do what I can do to the welfare of all of you. Now that you are awake, maybe you can make a warm milk for me and for you too. It's near to finish what I am sewing, we drink warm milk together and then we sleep." Cora answered Carla and at the same time asked her daughter to make warm milk.
Carla went to the kitchen, make warm milk for her mother and for herself. Cora stopped sewing as her work was finished. Mother and daughter drank the warm milk together.
"Inay, this afternoon you said to me that you already had the twenty five thousand pesos for my placement fee. May I ask where did you get the money?" Carla asked Cora.
"I borrowed money from the bank. I used the house and lot as collateral." Cora answered Carla.
"The bank accepted our house as collateral? The house is old and ripe to be demolished!"
"The bank was not interested in the house but in the lot." Carla answered.
"How much did you borrowed from the bank?"
"Fifty thousand pesos. The half for your placement fee, the rest I will buy one sewing machine so that I can hire one sewer. What left over I will use it for my medicine." Cora explained to her daughter what she will do with the rest of the money.
"Don't worry, Inay. We can pay back the bank when I am already in abroad and working. I promise it you." Carla assured her mother that with what she will earned in working abroad, they can pay the bank and take back their property used as collateral in borrowing money.
GRACE MARTINEZ - Address : Cotabato Language : Hiligaynon and Cebuano translated in English after the lines
"Kon ako ang imo pamangkuton, wala gid ko luyag ya nga magkadto ang anak mo sa abroad!"
(If you ask me, I don't like it that your daughter will go abroad).
The father of Grace did not like that her daughter will go to work abroad. Romulo, the father of Grace answered his wife Rosario when Rosario told her about Grace going abroad to work as cultural dancer and that Rosario want to use their farm land as collateral for borrowing money to pay the placement fee of Grace and other expenses.
Romulo native tonged was Hiligaynon, known to most Pilipinos as Ilonggo.
"Kini si Romulo, gahi gayud ug ulo, lisod kaayo pasabton! Ingon ko nimo nga ug makalakaw si Grace sa abroad, dili na ta intawon maglisod!"
(Romulo, you are really hard headed, Can't you understand that if Grace could go abroad to work, our life will be easier?)
Rosario angrily said to her husband. Rosario talked in Cebuano. She cannot speak the language of Romulo, well understand it.
"Primero ginpasugtan mo imo bata nga magkadto sa Manila! Karon makadto naman sa abroad? Kadamo sang ulobrahon diri sa uma, indi na kinahanglan nga magkadto sa layo!"
(First you let your daughter go to Manila, and now again you will let her work abroad. We have so many works in the farm, she don't have to work far away).
"Unya mao ra na gusto mo? Mag-uma hangtud sa hangtud? Gusto ka gayud nga magparehas sa atua ang imo mga anak? Pobre ug haluson makapalit bisa'g sinina?"
(Is that what you like? Just a farmer forever? Your children also poor that cannot buy even clothes?)
Rosario starts to quarrel her husband. Grace just quietly listening. Always as her parents were talking to each other, Romulo talked in his native tongue that was Hiligaynon and her mother Rosario talked in Cebuano. They both could understand each other language but could not speak it. ****to be continued****Remedios Dorio