Because the four girls did not knew where to go and what to do because they must leave Locarno, Paula said to the girls that she will talk to her husband about this matter and then later the four girls learned from Paula about them going to Basel.
"Basel? Is that a city? Is that out of Switzerland?" Carla asked Paula when Paula said to them to get ready and handed a piece of paper with an address in Basel.
"Basel is still a city of Switzerland, that's why you have to go there next week, as I said, this apartment must be vacant next week!" Paula answered the question of Carla.
"We have to work in Basel?" Lorna asked.
"I don't think so, you have no more visa to stay here in Switzerland!" Paula said.
"What will we do in Basel then?" Luisa asked.
"You only have to go to that address and wait there. Someone will pick you!" Paula said.
For a while the four girls were silent. They began to sensed uncertainty. The began to realized that the one year good and decent living in Locarno would be gone soon.
"Someone will pick us there in Basel, do you have an idea where will we go?" Thelma asked.
"I really have no idea. I asked my husband about it and he said he also don't know." Paula replied Thelma. "After a week, I will be back here to pick you and bring to the train station. I hope you will be ready then."
"This address, is this an apartment? Do we have to pay rent on this apartment?" Carla asked.
"It's not an apartment! It's just a room. A big house with three spare rooms for rent, that's what I knew. And, yes I think you have to pay rent for the room." Paula explained to the girls about the address in Basel.
"I hope it's not expensive, the rent of that room!" Carla said.
"Maybe you only have to pay a one month rent because as I told already someone will pick you there!" Paula said. "You worked here in Locarno for almost a year, you have save money I hope!"
The girls did not answered and Paula understood the silence. "You have not save money?"
"Every month I almost sent money to the Philippines. My mother must pay the debt because the interest so high!" Luisa said. The other girls just nodded.
"I understood about this sending of money to the Philippines because I am also a Filipina, but you all must realized that you are here and nobody will help you when you needed money. What I meant is that you don't have to send all your money to the Philippines, you must also have money for yourself, just in case."
Nobody responded.
"Next week, I will pick you and I will give the one month salary our company owed you."
When Paula was gone. Luisa said, "it's easy for her to talk like that, she have no problem about money!"
"But she was right! To ourselves we must have a buffer. We could not afford to charged our security to tomorrow." Carla said.
Two more days before they have to travel to Basel, the four girls were all ready.
"There's no food anymore in the fridge!" Lorna exclaimed when she opened the refrigerator and it's empty.
"We did no groceries, we are leaving!" said Carla who was the one budgeting their allowance for food.
"Do you mean we don't have to eat because we are leaving? I am already cooking rice, what will we eat with the rice?" Lorna asked.
YOU ARE READING
One Road, Six Ways
General FictionSix Filipinas not knowing they would became victims of human trafficking were glad that they went abroad as cultural dancers as what promised to them, little they knew the dangers that awaited for them in another countries, first in Cyprus, and lat...
