If Luz must pay all costs plus 50% on it, how about them? Must they also pay the fare, their board and lodging? The answer to their question was yes, Nena and her group confirmed it to them.
"But we were told that our board and lodging were free!" Grace said.
"So, we too when we were still in the Philippines, but it's not true. Upon arriving here, we learned we have to pay it and our plane ticket."
Back to their room the girls seemed defeated. If what the other Filipinas told them were true, what will happen? It is a lot of money they must pay back.
"We are not yet sure if what they told us were true. We must forget it for a moment. You all prepared yourself for work." Carla told the girls that were very worried.
The five girls were busy preparing to work but not Luz, she just stayed lying on her bed.
"You're not moving, you will not work?" Carla asked Luz.
"How can I work? Look at my face, I had black eye! Besides, I will not work. I decided already, I will go back to the Philippines!" Luz answered Carla.
"You heard already the other girls; you will pay a lot of money back to the syndicate!"
"If it's true, I will find a way, I will ask the help of our Embassy, or I asked my family in the Philippines."
Carla said no words. She thought that if she were Luz, she could not call her family's help. And if indeed they must pay their fare from the Philippines and their board and lodging, she knew she had a problem. How can she send money to her mother in the Philippines?
"Okay, if you will not work, just come with us! Come on!" Carla asked Luz to come with them even if she will not work.
"No, I will stay here!" Luz refused.
"You will be alone here if we go work. What will you do if that crazy Greek will come here? Who will help you?" Carla was upset, irritated on Luz hard headedness.
"Carla is right. Are you not afraid to be alone?" Thelma asked Luz.
"Yes, you better go with us, so that if something happens to you, we will know it." Luisa also tried to convinced Luz.
"Why, what will happen to me? Nothing will happen to me! That is why there were people like them because there were also people like you all easy to be intimidated! You already heard what Nena said that will happen. Like them you all will sell your body, you all will become a prostitute!" Luz was angry to the five girls.
"I don't know. I am not sure about it. And I am not afraid. I am only worried about my mother and my brothers. My mother was a widow and sick, yet she tried her best so that we her children will have no hunger. And she mortgaged our house and lot to pay the placement fee just to work abroad. I cannot destroy the hope of my mother, I cannot. Whatever will happen I am deciding now to stay and work!" Carla said.
"I think we're all the same. I promised to my mother and father that I will help them, so that my brothers and sister will finish their studies. Yes, whatever will happen, I will not go back to the Philippines without money!" Lorna said with a thought behind her mind, what is the different if she will work in Cyprus as a hostess, to entertain male customer? She had done it already in the Philippines. She already had work as a club hostess, entertaining male costumers. The possibility of becoming a prostitute? She thought it was still an expectation, maybe it will happen, maybe not.
"Me also. Just to go abroad to work, my father pawned his small farmland. If I go back to the Philippines without money, what will happen? My father will lose his farmland and our family will have no food; my siblings could not go to school. I could not destroy their dreams! Whatever I will stay and see what will happen!" Grace also decided to herself.
"I promised also to my parents that I will lift them from poverty. I pitied them. From generation to generation our family must work hard in the tobacco plantation. I promised to myself, that my brothers and me will be different. I cannot destroy the hopes and dreams of my parents. Yes, I will also see what will happen, I will only come back to the Philippines if I had already the money." Thelma also decided to stay in Cyprus whatever will happen.
"And how about you, Luisa. You heard them already. You will also stay here in Cyprus? You will not come back to the Philippines?" Luz asked Luisa.
"I don't know. Carla, what will I do?" Luisa asked Carla what she will do.
"Why you asked Carla. Can you not decide by yourself? You have a brain, use it!" Luz was a bit angry to Luisa.
"Why are you angry with us? Was it our fault if you were chosen to dance topless and that Greek had beaten you because you refused?" Luisa answered Luz.
"You are all stupid! The other Filipinas told us already that, you like it or not, you all will become prostitutes! Those Filipinas in the other room, they admitted it already!" Luz angrily said to the girls.
"They did not admit that they were prostitutes. You must be careful with what you said, you can hurt people! There were many Filipino residence here, married to locals, you cannot say they were prostitutes. " Carla said to Luz.
"Was it difficult for all of you to understand? They do not have to say literally 'I am a prostitute', to tell that they are really prostitutes! And I did not say that all Filipinas here in Cyprus were prostitutes. We are talking about Filipinas that were here in this apartment, there in the other room." Luz was angry to what she thought the stupidity of her group.
"We better stop arguing! Each of us must respect whatever decision we will make." Lorna said.
"It's clear! Each of you don't value honour and dignity!" Luz sounded disappointed.
"It's easy to talk honour and dignity but what is honour and dignity if you died in hunger?" Luisa said it almost softly only to herself. Carla looked at Luisa that meant Luisa must shut-up her mount so that everything will not escalate, but Luz heard it.
"I am angry! I am sad!" Luz said and the other five girls looked at each other. "I am angry because all of you refused to believe that if you stay here long, miseries will happen to all of you, that things what the other Filipinas now are doing all of you will do it also later! I am sad because all of you valued materials things above honour and dignity!"
"Luz, you make problems about the future that have to happen yet. You talked about material things above honour and dignity. For us, to lift love ones from poverty is not a luxury but a sacrifice. Many people offered their life in the name of honour and dignity! But me, and maybe all the girls in here now, I will sacrifice and if needed will offer my life in the name of love to my mother and my brothers, it is a matter of choice. Do what you think is good for you but do not degrade others by words that maybe true but painful to hear. Besides, we don't have to quarrel." Carla answered Luz.
"Okay, I will not talked to all of you about it anymore. If you all will stay, then stay. Me, I will come back to the Philippines!"
"You will not go with us to the club? You will be alone here, you know!" Thelma still tried to convinced Luz to come with them to the club.
"I will stay. I will prepare and packed my things. Tomorrow I will work out my coming back to the Philippines. It will be a big disappointment for my parents, but they will understand." Luz answered Thelma.
"What will you do if the syndicate will not agree that you go home?" Carla asked.
"I will ask the help of the Embassy. I really wanted to go home!" Luz said.
"Okay, but if something will happen to you here while you are alone, don't blame us, it's not our fault!"
"Nothing will happen to me!" a determined Luz answered.
That night as expected, the five Filipinas danced their cultural dances and the topless Hawaiian dance. What they thought and felt, they just hidden it by themselves. Maybe, they were afraid as the story of earlier fallen six Filipinas stayed hanging in their thoughts, maybe, they also thought their poverty and that of their family, maybe, they saw the faces of their mothers, their fathers, their siblings, faces fall of hopes and expectations, maybe, they thought about their dreams of education for a better life. Whatever maybes there were, one bitter reality was present that in every sway of their hips, the shaking of their naked breasts, the vulgar shouting and whistling of men, above their shame gradually the honour of each diminished, honour not only of themselves but also of their family if not to mention the country were the came from, their beautiful country, the Philippines. ****to be continued****Remedios Dorio