THE girls were surprised. Herman handed them a flight ticket back to the Philippines.
"We will travel back to the Philippines? I thought we still have one year of our contract?" Carla asked Herman.
"Please, read the agenda of the travel, your flight is tomorrow, time is 7:30 in the evening, you take the plane of Philippine Airlines in Schiphol Airport, the destination is Manila." Herman detailed the agenda of the flight to the girls.
The girls were silent. A flight back to the Philippines meant no more work and no income. No good news for them as they knew by themselves that they needed money. One year work meant a lot to them.
"I hope you all know where Schiphol is! That is in Amsterdam, The Netherlands." Herman told the girls. "Come on, are you not happy in coming home? In coming back to your homeland, the Philippines? I heard Philippines is incredibly beautiful country with nice beaches! And that the Filipinos are very friendly and hospitable!"
"No!" it was Luisa who sharply answered Herman. Herman looked at Luisa, then Herman smiled to himself, he was attracted to Luisa and he was glad that Luisa reacted.
"You are not glad that you will return to the Philippines?" Herman asked Luisa.
"Our contract was not yet finished; we still have one year!" Luisa answered Herman angrily.
"Oh...oh, don't be angry to me!" Herman answered Luisa laughing. "I think you are prettier if you're not angry and frowning!"
Luisa did not answered Herman, she just threw him an angry look.
"I am just a driver hired to pick you all and bring to The Netherlands." Herman told the girls. "I knew nothing about contract or what."
"The Netherlands? We thought we are going to Belgium!" Carla said.
"Yes, but first we have to pass France, then Luxembourg, Belgium and then The Netherlands." Herman explained to the girls about their travel by car. "Actually, all of you will come to The Netherlands because you have to work there, that is, if you girls cannot work in Belgium."
"You mean, we have first to stay in Belgium and then if we cannot work there, we go to The Netherlands?" confused Carla wanted to clear the words of Herman.
"You can say, it's like that!" Herman answered Carla.
"Wow, we have to pass three countries before we reach The Netherlands." Thelma exclaimed upon hearing they must pass few countries before reaching their destination.
"We could see the Eiffel Tower along the way?" Luisa however though she was a little angry with Herman asked.
"So, you like to see the Eiffel Tower?" Herman asked Luisa. Luisa did not answer.
"Too bad. Eiffel Tower is in Paris and we will not pass Paris!" Herman said and chuckled. He was teasing Luisa.
"No use talking about seeing places, tomorrow we will be on the plane back to the Philippines!" Thelma voice sounded disappointed.
"Listen girls, I confess, you will not fly tomorrow with the plane to the Philippines!" Herman said to the three Filipinas that they are not returning to the Philippines. The three girls looked at him. "That flight ticket you have in your hands is your visa."
"I don't understand!" Carla said. "This flight ticket is our visa? How?"
"Your visa is only until tomorrow. I choose to travel at night because not so many cars on the road and no strict control in the borders, but there's no sure thing, so that ticket of yours is your passport in the borders." Herman explained to the girls.
"So, this flight ticket is not real! But I do not understand. First you said, this ticket will be our visa and then now you said, it is our passport? Very confusing!" Carla did not get yet what Herman was trying to tell them.
"Don't get me wrong. Those flight tickets are very real. Of course, I understand if you girls could not get what I mean, but I think Luisa understand me. Luisa, you understood what I meant?" Herman talked seriously but he was again teasing Luisa. Luisa did not answer him but threw to Herman an angry look. Herman chuckled.
"Herman, please let us understand!" Carla said.
"Okay, your visa stamped at your passport was only until tomorrow and it means you cannot enter France, Luxembourg, Belgium and The Netherlands, especially the visa was only valid in Switzerland. The flight ticket is your valid reason as transit in going to The Netherlands to catch the flight to the Philippines, so, please understand that if you will be controlled just tell that your destination is Schiphol. That you all are going back to the Philippines." Herman make the three Filipinas understood what the purpose of the flight tickets was.
"What a waste for the tickets. It's paid and will not be used!" Thelma said.
"It can be refunded!" Herman replied to Thelma's remarked. "I hope everything is clear, right?"
The three girls nodded only.
"Okay, prepare for a long ride, girls. I hope we will encounter no control in the border!"
When the passed the border Switzerland-France, the border police stopped their car. The border police looked at Herman and then to the three girls, "Identification s'il vous plait."
Herman gave his Holland's passport, and after the border police looked at it, he asked also the three Filipinas their passport. He scrutinized good the passport of the girls and then asked them that they have no visa to enter France, "Pas de visa pour entrer en France?"
"Desole officier, ils ne parlent que l'anglais! Ils sont seulement en transit, ils prendont leur vol pour Manille a Schiphol." it was Herman who answered the border police. He said that the girls spoke only English and that they were only transit on their way to Schiphol to take their flight to Manila.
The border police looked at the three Filipinas and then he asked the girls to prove that they really will travel to Manila. Herman translated to the three what the border police said, so they take out their flight ticket and gave it to the border police. The border police looked at good the flight ticket then after a while, he returned it to the girls and wished them a good trip. "Bon voyage!"
"Merci beaucoup!" Herman thanked the border police and started his car to continue their long journey. Relieved that they passed the border, Herman said to the three girls, "We did it, now only Luxembourg, Belgium and The Netherland's, but I think it will give us no problem! Okay girls, you can sleep if you like but I have to open the radio so that I will not fall asleep!" Herman then opened the radio of his car and kept turning the knob as he sought for a sender that sent or broadcasted cheerful music to kept him awake while driving.
After for about two hours driving, the three Filipinas who could not slept saw Herman turned his car right to a gasoline station and parked his car on the parking area. The place has a restaurant where travelers could drink coffee or have a meal.
"Girls, come on, you can stretch your legs! I want to drink coffee and maybe you too and if you like we can eat something!" Herman said to the three girls.
"Where are we? Are we still in France?" Thelma asked.
"Yes!" Herman answered.
"I want to go to the comfort room!" Luisa said.
"They have comfort room, there and also inside the restaurant!" Herman pointed the comfort room especially for travelers.
"Come Thelma, and you Carla you will not go to the comfort room?" Luisa asked Carla.
"Maybe later!" Carla answered Thelma.
"Okay, we will here, and we go together in the restaurant!" Herman said. The two, Luisa and Thelma went to the comfort room. Carla stayed in the car while Herman, stepped out to smoke a cigarette.
While they were waiting for Luisa and Thelma, a car parked besides, it was a middle-aged man traveling with a teenager girl.
The man greeted Herman and talked to Herman for a while and then together with the teenager girl, the man went into the restaurant.
When Luisa and Thelma were back from the comfort room, Herman and the three Filipinas also went inside the restaurant and find a table for them. Carla noticed that the man with the teenager girls just kept looking at her and she felt not comfortable about it.
Herman asked the girls what they wanted to drink or eat, so that he can passed it over to a waitress who came to their table to take their orders. The waitress spoke no English and the three Filipinas spoke no French.
"That man, he cannot take his eyes from me!" Carla said when the waitress went away after they ordered. Herman looked at the direction and he saw that the man Carla meant was the man with the teenager girl.
"He is a German!" Herman said. "Maybe he likes you!"
Then they saw the German stand up and walked toward their table.****to be continued*** Remedios Dorio