CARLA knocked again.
"Who's there?" after a while a frightened voice answered.
"We are the Filipinas from the other room! We just arrived from the Philippines!" Carla answered.
S I L E N C E
Then they heard many steps coming to the door that was slowly opened.
"New arrival from the Philippines, we did not know!" one girl said.
"We arrived last night. Why were you so frightened and screamed when you saw me?" Luisa asked.
"My drunkenness was suddenly gone!" answered one and then laughed.
"Me too, I let fall the glass I am holding! Moment, I will clean it before someone got hurt of the broken glasses on the floor!" said the other girl and went to the kitchen to clean the scattered glasses on the floor.
"You did not answer us, why did you scream? What happened?" Carla repeated her question.
"Because..."
"They are just like that! They're always have a tripping when they smoke grass!" the other cut-in to stop the other's words. "I am Nena."
When Nena introduced herself to the group, Carla also introduced themselves.
"I am Carla, this is Luisa, Grace, Luz, Lorna and Thelma!" Carla said as she pointed each after saying their names.
"This is Carol, Myrna, Jennifer, Lydia and the one cleaning up the glasses is Mona!" Nena also introduced her group.
"Also, Cultural Dancers?" Grace asked the group, but no one answered her. Each of the girls were just looking to each other.
"Because we are Cultural dancers, and we will perform in Majestic! Do you know Majestic?" Grace continued.
"We are also working in Majestic. Maybe we have the same agent!" Nena answered.
"Stars Entertainment! It's also your agent?" Lorna asked.
"Yes, our agency is also Stars Entertainment! Maybe we could talk later. We must sleep first, we were tired." Nena wanted to end their conversation.
Back to their room, the girls returned to their bed.
"I am wondering!" Carla said. The five girls asked her almost simultaneously.
"Why?"
"Those Filipinas, they acted strange! First upon seeing Luisa they screamed and then they avoided our questions." Carla answered.
"Yes, indeed, the...who was it, ah, Myrna, yes, seems she wanted to say something but Nena cut-in and she stopped talking." Lorna said.
"Did all of you noticed the way they looked at each other? Like their hiding something!" Thelma said.
"Yes, strange!"
3 o'clock in the afternoon. The other group wake-up and when they came out, they saw nobody in the living room and in the kitchen. Nena decided to knock on the door of the new group, and it was Luisa who opened the door.
"Nena, you wake-up already!" Luisa said. "Come inside!"
But Nena stayed only by the door.
"I saw nobody, why you only stayed inside your room? Did you already eat?" Nena asked. The six w only shook their heads.
"Since this morning until now you all did not eat yet. Why?" Nena asked.
"We have no foods. The man who brought us here did not came back yet and we don't know what we will do!" Carla answered Nena.
"There's foods in the kitchen!" Nena said.
"I told them that we can take foods, but they will not. It is not our food, they said. We did not have even coffee!" Grace said.
"And you let hungered yourselves, come on to the kitchen!" and the six girls followed Nena to the kitchen.
"There in the cabinet, there's coffee, sugar and milk. Serve yourself." Nena said while taking out a loaf of bread and put it on the table. "There in the fridge, there's butter and jam! By the way, what had Dimitri said?"
"He said that he will come back today, so we just waited!" Lorna answered the question of Lorna.
"After eating, I think you all prepared yourselves because when Dimitri come maybe you all have to start working tonight!" Nena told them to be ready for the possibility that they will start working already.
"Really? They don't take care our food and then that soon we will already work?" Luz commented.
"We have to complain to our agent. Carla you had the paper that the agency gave which person we have to contact if we have complained." Lorna said and at the same time asked Carla.
"It's in my bag, but it's only a name. No information where to contact the person, no address, no telephone." Carla answered Lorna.
"Okay, I will shower now. We are now twelve people in this apartment and is not allowed to use the bathroom together." Nena turned to come out from the kitchen when she saw Dimitri who was smiling entered the kitchen. "Dimitri, good afternoon!"
"Good afternoon, Nena, girls?" Dimitri greeted Nena and the girls. "Good you take care your fellow Filipinas!" Dimitri thanked Nena and then he apologized to the six girls.
"Sorry, girls, I have to come back this morning, but something happened!" and Dimitri explained to the girls the reason why he did not come in the morning. The girls did not answer him.
"Okay, after eating you all prepare to work tonight!" Dimitri said while his eyes were fastened to Grace's face. "I hope your costumes were ready!"
After he said it, Dimitri went away but not before he gave a wink and smiled to Grace. When Dimitri closed the door behind him Nena said. "I said already, you all will start working tonight! Okay, now I take my shower!"
"Did you all saw how Dimitri looked at Grace? I saw he gave Grace a wink!" After Nena went away Luz jokingly said, and all the girls smiled only.
'So what? I do not like him! With her face full of beard and the smell, my God!" Grace was irritated.
That night!
Carla and her group were in Majestic where they must dance. They saw or noticed it is not a decent place which they expected. The place was just a drinking place, a club for men only, with a small stage. The group of Nena was first called to perform on the stage. A Hawaiian music was heard and then the Filipinas came out to the stage. The new group was shocked to saw the Filipinas all in Hawaiian skirts with no cover above. The Filipinas were topless.
"They were topless!" shocked Luz exclaimed to her group.
"I thought they were also Cultural dancers, but they were not!" Luisa also exclaimed.
"Very vulgar! I am ashamed as a Filipina!" Thelma said.
"Schuh! Do not make noise! We are not like them. We are Cultural dancers, and we dance cultural!" Carla minded her group not to made noises. The girls listened to Carla and they kept quiet. They already wearing their costumes. They must dance that night the Tinikling, Cariniosa and Pandanggo sa Ilaw.
While waiting for their turn to dance, they heard shouting of male voices, they could not understand the words but for them it sounded very vulgar.
2 o'clock when the new group finished their three dances. They already taken out their costumes and waiting for Dimitri who will bring them to their apartment. As they sat around a table the girls saw the group of Nena, each sitting in the table of costumers, joking, and drinking with them alcoholic drinks. Lorna knew, she worked as a Hostess in a night club in the Philippines and she understood particularly good the meaning of what they saw. The group of Nena to Lorna's eyes were Hostesses, entertaining male costumers.
3 o'clock. Dimitri did not come yet to bring the girl's home. The group still were sitting waiting when one man came to them and one by one looked at them.
"You, you put on Hawaiian costume!" he said to Luz.
"Me? Not we as a group?" Luz could hardly believe what she heard.
"Yes, only you! Put on Hawaiian costume! But no above!" the Greek said.
"Oh, no!" Luz shook her head.
"People asking fat one dance Hawaiian dance, topless!" the Greek said with his English that sounded like a telegram.
"No, I will not dance topless! I am a cultural dancer! I dance only folklore dances of the Philippines!" Luz voice said it hard.
"Yes, you really dance Hawaiian topless! Hurry people waiting!" the voice of the Greek became hard.
"I said no!" the voice of Luz became also hard.
The Greek was angry. He holds Luz in the arm angrily. The five girls were frightened. Luisa shivered. "You dance or you no work!"
"I will not dance! If I will have no work, then I go back to the Philippines!" Luz tried to get loosed from the tight hold of the Greek. She felt pain in her arm. "Get lose my arm!"
But the Greek instead dragged her away. The five girls were nailed to their chair. But only for a while, Carla quickly stands up and went to the table where Nena was entertaining a costumer.
"Nena!"
"Why?" Nena had not seen or did not saw what happened and was surprised.
"Please, help Luz! A Greek dragged her away!" Carla was extremely nervous.
"Why, what happened?"
"The Greek wanted that Luz would dance topless, but Luz refused. The Greek became angry! Please hurry!" Carla had already a broken voice, as she wanted to cry but she composed herself not to.
Nena talked to her costumer in a language that Carla did not understand. Then asked Carla where the Greek dragged Luz. Carla pointed to Nena a door.
"Okay, go back to your table with the girls!" and Nena hurriedly went away. Carla saw Nena stopped when Nena saw Dimitri and talked to him, then they both went out to the door while Carla came back and sat with the other girls. The faces of the five girls were painted with worries and fear! ****to be continued****Remedios Dorio