The four Filipinas was happy that Gunther came to them. Gunther spoke English and they thought that Gunther could helped them.
"I notice that seems there's a problem?" Gunther asked the girls.
"Yes, maybe you can help us!" Carla did not hesitate to ask Gunther's favour.
"Maybe!" answered Gunther that came to the girls as a very charming man. Gunther indeed was a good looking, charming man in his age of fifty-two.
"We don't know how to come to this address!" and Carla let seen the piece of paper where the address was written.
"What a coincidence! I lived in the same street, Ackerstrasse!" Gunther said.
"Really?" the girls could not believe their ears, if Gunther said the truth, what a coincidence indeed.
"I could bring you girls to Ackerstrasse if you like?" Gunther offered his help. And the girls noticed that Gunther could not take his eyes away from Lorna.
The girls accepted the help that Gunther did offered. Gunther have a Van, so they were easily accommodated in the car plus their baggage that included gadgets for their dancing.
"What are these bamboos for?" Gunther asked them.
"For our Dance Tinikling, we are actually Cultural Dancers from the Philippines!" Lorna was the one who answered the question of Gunther.
"Wow! Just arrived from the Philippines?" Gunther asked them.
"No, we're already one year here in Switzerland, we worked in Locarno!" Thelma answered Gunther.
"The Italian speaking part of Switzerland, the tourist resort and the sunny part of our country!" Gunther described a bit the city of Locarno to the four Filipinas.
"We liked Locarno!" Lorna said.
"There are many nice places in Switzerland. You girls will work here in Basel?"
The girls just shook their head.
"What will you do here in Basel then?" Gunther wondered why the four Filipinas were in Basel if they will not work.
"In this address in Ackerstrasse, we will be picked up by someone. So we only have to wait there." Carla answered Gunther.
"So you go to another place, where?"
"We don't know!" Carla replied. Gunther said no more words as his Van stopped.
"That house there, that is the address you are supposed to be!" Gunther pointed the house that corresponded to the address that the girls have, and said to Carla, " If you like, I will come with you to ask if you have the correct address."
"Okay!" Carla with Gunther went to the house while the three girls just stayed inside the car.
When Carla pushed the doorbell, a heavy look woman opened the door.
"Guten mittag!" it was Gunther that talked to the woman, greeting her good afternoon.
"Ja?" the woman asked them.
"Speak English?" Carla asked.
"Nein! Was willst du?" the woman asked Gunther and Carla what they wanted. Gunther then answered the woman that the girls have the address as told to them they can rent a room there for at least two to three weeks until someone would pick them up. The woman shook her head and told Gunther, it is not possible because all her rooms for rent were occupied, meant no vacant room for the girls.
When Carla told the other girls that there is no room for them, you can read on their faces the worries. Where will they go? Besides the instruction of Paula was that they must stay in the address and wait for someone to picked them up. Gunther understood that the girls have a problem.
"Do you have another address where you girls can stay?" Gunther asked.
"This address only. What will we do?" Carla answered Gunther.
"Can I offer my help?" after a short pause, Gunther said to the group. "Maybe, if you girls will accept it, you all can stay on my place."
The four Filipinas looked at each other. Gunther was offering help, but could they trust him? And if they, do it, to stay in the house of Gunther, how about that person who will pick them up, how could this person know where they are? And if they will not accept the help offered to them, where will they stay? They do not have that much money to pay a hotel.
"What would be the answer to what I'm saying that you all could stay at my place?" Gunther asked again the four girls.
"Gunther, we are very glad for your help, yes, we accepted your help, only the problem is, how could the person that will pick us up, know where we are if we are not in this address?" Carla replied to Gunther.
"Oh, of course, hmm...wait." Gunther take out a pen and a piece of paper from the dashboard box and he wrote his address on it and telephone number then told the girl to wait for him as he returned to the house and rang the doorbell. The big woman opened the door and the girls saw that they talked to each other and then they saw also that Gunther handed her the address he wrote. Then Gunther returned to the car.
"I gave her my address and telephone number. I asked her to tell the person that will come to pick you girls, where you are staying." Gunther said to the four Filipinas and started his car. It was only a short drive; Gunther address was indeed in Ackerstrasse.
Before stepping out from the car, Thelma asked Gunther.
"Your wife maybe will become angry or will not agree that we stay in your house?"
"Don't worry about that." Gunther answered Thelma laughing, "I am single! I am not married!"
The four girls noticed that the interior of the house of Gunther projected a picture of a man alone, no feminine touch at all and need a clean-up.
"Sorry for the mess!" Gunther apologized to the girls.
"No problem, Gunther. We are very thankful for your hospitality, for your help." Lorna said.
"I only have one guest room!"
"No problem, we can sleep on the floor!" Carla answered Gunther.
The guest room was not so big but for the four girls the accommodation was more than enough, at least they have a roof above their head.
"I will just leave my clothes in the suitcase, maybe the person that will pick us up will come tomorrow or after two days, I am ready." Luisa said.
"It's good idea, by the way I have an impression that Gunther seems a good man, just like that, he let us in his house! He trusted us!" Lorna said.
"OH...is that so?" and Luisa laughed.
"Why are you laughing? What do you mean by that?" Lorna asked Luisa.
"I'd seen how Gunther looked at you, and you also, you cannot deny it Lorna, you are attracted to Gunther, well, he is a handsome guy, blond and blue eyes, I cannot blame you! And he is very single!" Luisa laughingly replied to Lorna.
"You're crazy!" Lorna's face became red. She blushed to what Luisa said that she was attracted to Gunther.
"Look at her, she blushes. Ha-ha-ha!" Luisa enjoyed teasing Lorna.
"Shut your mouth! I will be very ashamed if Gunther heard what you're talking about!" Lorna gave Luisa a stern look. Luisa stopped teasing Lorna but kept laughing.
The four girls just stayed in the room. No one dared to came out as they did not know what to do and at the same time how they would inter-act with Gunther. Two hours past and it is almost evening when Gunther knocked on the door.
"Girls?"
It was Carla who opened the door, "Gunther!"
"Sorry, for disturbing. I knew you were all tired about the travel and hoped had relaxed enough. It's almost evening and I am inviting you all for a dinner!" smiling Gunther invited them for a dinner.
"Oh!" Carla did not know what to say.
"The table is ready! So, girls come on, we will have dinner together!"
Indeed, the table was ready. On the table the four Filipinas saw sausages, burgers, mashed potatoes, and salad. There's also bread.
"Now, girls I hope you like the foods, I knew Asian peoples ate rice, but I'd never cooked rice and don't know how to cook it!" Gunther said.
"Wow, you can cook!" Lorna complimented Gunther, and Luisa upon hearing it, a grin with meaning appeared on her lips and she wanted to say something but Carla who sat near her, kicked her foot and Luisa understood she must keep her mouth shut, but the naughty smile remained in her face.
"It's not really cooking. I just sliced the ingredients for the salads, the 'wurst' oh, sorry, the sausages and the burgers were ready made bought from the grocery store and I just fried it, well, the mashed potatoes I made it by myself! Ok, girls, enjoy your meal!"
It was a cozy dinner. Gunther and the girls talked many things but mostly it was Gunther who was very eager to know about them and especially about Lorna. The other girls clearly seen the interest Gunther had for Lorna and Lorna seemed enjoyed it.
The girls learned that Gunther was a professional photographer working freelance. A likeable someone and good looking too. The girls were mesmerized by Gunther's charming ways and hospitality it never occurred in them the question why at the age of fifty-two, Gunther was still single and according to him has never been married. ****to be continued****Remedios Dorio