LUZ SUAREZ Address: Cavite
Herman said no words when he heard from her daughter the amount of money she asked. Twenty-five thousand pesos, where will he get such amount of money.
"Father you did not answer me. I really needed that amount of money for the placement fee that the agency asked. I cannot work abroad if I cannot pay that." Luz said again to her father about where she the money needed for.
"I'm just thinking. Where will we get that amount of money? I am only a construction worker and what I earned was not enough even to our foods. That's why you stop studying in college after two years because I could not afford anymore your study." Herman said.
"I knew, that's why I'd tried my best that I can work abroad as a cultural dancer. I did not know that there will be a placement fee. Your brother, Uncle Marcelo is rich, maybe you can borrow from him the money I needed." Luz tried to convince her father.
"I can ask your Uncle Marcelo. I can borrow money from him and will use our house and lot as collateral, but that was not what worried me. I am worried because you will be departed from us, that you will be alone on a far country of another kind of people." Herman expressed his worries.
"You don't have to worry, Father. I knew how to protect myself." Luz answered her father.
"Luz, you knew already that even we are poor I valued our honour and dignity. I heard so many stories about what happened to some Filipina abroad. Maybe it will also happen to you what had happened to them." Herman said.
"Father, the fate of one will never be the fate of another. What I meant was that what happened to those Filipinas, will never happen to me. You knew me already. I also valued the honour and dignity of our family. You can trust me fully about that matter!" Luz said to her father.
Herman did not answer his daughter, but later said to Luz after a long pause. "I trust you, Luz. Don't you worry, when your mother arrived from the market, we will go together to your Uncle Marcelo and asked him about the money you needed."
"Thank you! Thank you very much!"
AFTER three months. The six cultural dancers were ready to travel abroad. They learned already how to dance the Pandanggo Sa Ilaw, Tinikling, Cariniosa and more. Their destination, Europe.
That night, by the family of Luisa Magbanua.
"Your lucky that your group destination is Europe. If it is Japan, the people here in the Philippines will call you Japayuki." Norma said to her daughter Luisa who was busy packing, tomorrow she will travel already with her group to abroad. Japayuki had a bad meaning to some other people.
"Yes," Luisa answered her mother and while she's packing, she was surrounded by her family.
"Be careful if you are already there and you must pray always to GOD." Norma continued talking to her daughter.
"Don't worry, Mother. We are six in our group. They were already my friends and we promised that we must take care and help each other. " Luisa said.
"Abroad you must not easily trust someone and always bear in mind that far away from your family, you only can depend to yourself." Tomas said to Luisa.
"Yes, Father. I will do it." Luisa answered her father.
"Sis, if you are there already don't forgot to send money for my school." Mayet, the sister of Luisa said.
"If you promise that you will study good." Luisa answered her sister.
"I will study very good because I wanted to be a nurse." Mayet said.
"Me, I will be an engineer!" Ariel, Luisa's brother also voiced out what he will be later.
"I like to be a doctor!" Nilo, the other brother said.
"Your sister is busy, don't disturb her. I thought you will watch TV there by the neighbor." Tomas said to his children.
"We stay home because she will go already tomorrow." Mayet answered her father.
"You would buy a TV for us if you already had money?" Nilo asked Luisa.
"Yes, If I am already in Europe, not only I will buy a TV, but also, I will buy clothes, shoes and many delicious foods!" Luisa was excited. She was also full of dreams. She will work and will save money so that she could continue her study, she dreamed to be a lawyer.
CHAPTER 2 - THE TRAVEL
THE next day, Luisa was accompanied by her whole family to the International Airport.
The parents of Luisa, Tomas and Norma met the group as Luisa introduced her parents to Thelma who was an Ilocana, Carla that was from Navotas, Lorna who like Luisa came also from Tondo, Luz from Cavite and Grace that came from Cotabato. Tomas and Norma noticed that like their daughter the girls were all young.
Before she enters to the part of the airport where not passengers were off limits, Luisa handed an envelop to her mother. Norma was surprised.
"What is this?" Norma asked her daughter.
"Left over from the money you gave to me. It is more than five hundred, maybe you can use that for the enrolment of Mayet. Don't worry, every month I will send money."
Tears filled the eyes of Norma, she hugged her daughter very tight. "GOD bless you, my child!"
LORNA with her parents.
"Be careful!" Marlina was in tears.
"Inay, don't cry, no tears please!" seeing her mother, Lorna was also in verge of tears.
"Sorry, my child, I cannot control myself. It is the first time that you will separate from us. You will go to other country, it's far!" Marlina said to her daughter.
"Inay, our contract was only for three years, after that I will come back" Lorna hugged her mother and at the same time looked at her father that was looking at her and her mother. Lorna came near to her father.
"Itay."
"My child." the voice of Lupo was broken.
"Itay, I am asking you, please while I am away kindly love mother the way you love her before." Lorna softly asked her father while in tears.
"Lorna, my child, please forgive me. I knew in your eyes I am not a good husband and a good father to you and your brothers and sisters. Before you go, I wanted you to know why I am like this. I am not a bad man. I drink because I am angry to myself, because I am weak and because I am useless. It is very difficult to me, that my teenager daughter was the one supporting the family, was the one doing the job, my obligation. Please, forgive me, Lorna." and tears streamed down in Lupo's cheek. Lorna hugged her father. She pitied him very much.
"Itay, I love you!" Lorna also cried.
"Lorna, I promise you, I will change, I will stop drinking."
"And I promise you, Itay, I will help you and Inay. Together we will fight our poverty, us being poor!" Lorna also promised her father.
"GOD bless you, Lorna. GOD bless you my child!"
CARLA with her mother Cora.
"Did you remembered what I told you. What the first thing you have to do when you arrived in another country?" Cora asked her daughter.
"Yes, Inay. The first thing I must do is to know where the Philippine Embassy and the telephone number of the Embassy and of the Police.
"Don't trust no one. Do not go out alone, you must only go out with your group. You must be really careful!" Cora continued instructing her daughter.
"Inay, don't worry. Nothing will happen to me. And I will be careful, I promise."
"Write me every month. One month no letter means something wrong happened to you!"
"Yes, Inay. Every month you will receive a letter from me. And you will also receive money from me to pay the pawned house and lot." Carla said and hugged her mother. "This working of me abroad will not make us rich, but could help a lot to improve our life, to send my brothers to school. They could finish their study."
"My child, may GOD bless you!"
LUZ and her parents.
"Don't forget. Take care of yourself. And always bear in mind, honour is the most important thing in one's life." Herman said to his daughter.
"Yes, never forget it. Take care yourself and your honour. Do not ever gave your family the reason to be shameful of you. Your disgrace is also the disgrace of the family!" Minda, the mother of Luz agreed what her husband said to their daughter.
"Inay, Itay, I told you already that you can trust me about that matter." Luz answered her parents.
"Save money so that we can pay back the money we borrowed from your Uncle. We do not want to loss our house. We don't have to pay interest, but we have to pay it back as soon as possible because they also needed the money." Herman said to his daughter.
"My child we will pray for you. May GOD bless you and guide you always!"
GRACE and THELMA, no family to bid goodbye.
"No family to bid goodbye?" Grace asked Thelma.
"My father will not travel, and my mother will not travel alone. You, I noticed that there's also nobody with you?" Thelma answered Grace and the same time asked her.
"We have no family here in Manila. Cotabato is far. From Mindanao, it cost a lot to come here in Manila only to bid me goodbye in the airport." Grace answered Thelma.
"I am excited. My dream to come to Europe will now become true." Thelma said.
"Me too, but at the same time a little bit worried. What will be our life in Europe?" Grace said.
"We will never know today what will be tomorrow. As I heard from the family of the other girls bidding goodbye to them with then the words, GOD bless you, I hope really that it will be so, that GOD will bless and protect us!" Thelma said.****to be continued****Remedios Dorio