Six Ways in One Road #37

Luisa did not like it that Karel called her 'Schat'. She prepared him his coffee and pushed the cup to Karel and said, "I am not your Schat!"

"Whatever!" Karel said and laughed. He looked at Thelma and asked her, "You are alone? Is Kees not with you?"

"No, he has something important to do, he just drops me here." Thelma answered Karel.

"Okay, I will not disturb you girls." Karel stood up, went to the living room with his cup of coffee sat on the sofa and opened the TV with the remote control.

Thelma saw that Luisa was uneasy.

"What do you think if we go to Lijnbaan?" Luisa asked Thelma. Lijnbaan Square was a shopping center. From the apartment it is only few minutes walking. The apartment of Karel was also in the west side of Rotterdam city proper and a street farther from the former apartment of Thelma and Luisa. Thelma agreed as she understood that Luisa was trying to avoid Karel.

They were already walking in the street of Weena, and Thelma turned right as she seen the big name Lijnbaan but she saw Luisa walked straight through. "Luisa!"

"Come, first I want to show you something!" Luisa said.

"What something?" Thelma asked.

"You see that fountain?"

"You meant the fountain in Hofplein?"

"Yes."

"I'd seen it already many times." Thelma could not understand why Luisa wanted her to see the fountain.

"I will show you where Herman's apartment is."

Thelma heaved a sigh and followed Luisa. They stopped in the tram stop and Luisa pointed to her the building where the apartment of Herman was.

"I always come here and look at the window of his apartment, but I saw no activity! I think he is still in Brazil!" Luisa said.

"Luisa, why are you doing that? Herman leaves you; you must forget him." Thelma advice Luisa.

"I don't know. I think because I am going crazy. Come, we go to Lijnbaan!" Luisa answered Thelma, shrugged her shoulder, and walked back to Lijnbaan; Thelma followed her.

When they came back to the apartment, Karel was gone. They then cooked rice, the shrimps, the dried fish, and the vegetable okra they bought from the Chinese Store at Kruiskade.

"If you fried dried fish, the neighbors don't complain?" Thelma asked.

"No, they don't complain, they only don't talk to me. The first time they always greeted me Good morning, good afternoon or good evening or hello, but when I fried the dried fish and the bagoong (fermented shrimps) they never talked to me again." Luisa said laughing.

"You must have a good connection with your neighbors!" Thelma said.

"Let them. I did nothing wrong? It is food! They find it stinky while it's delicious!"

"Yes, but sometimes we have also to adjust ourselves. Remember that we are not in our own country, we could consider ourselves as guest in here." Thelma advice Luisa.

"Okay, I will behave. I like the Netherlands. After seven years we will become citizens of this country, that's why I am trying to learn the Dutch language." Luisa replied.

"By the way, how is your financial?" Thelma asked Luisa about her financial situation.

"I am very thrifty, Karel and I have an agreement to split the costs, the rent, the electricity, the gas, the city taxes. I also must pay my own health insurance. I guess I still have more than two thousand in my bank account."

"You know, you can always ask me for help." Thelma said.

"I know, and I am very thankful, you are my only connection in here, my friend that considered me as a family." Luisa replied Thelma. Thelma indeed became her family.

"Don't think or worry about it. If our situation is reverse, I know you will also do the same to me. I ask you about your money situation because as I told you, Kees and me will go on world tour, and that's a long time, maybe six months or one year." and Thelma take out from her bag an envelope and handed it to Luisa. "Here, you can use this for your needs."

"What is that?"

"Money, I had saved. From Cyprus up to here, I had never sent money to the Philippines, I just saved it. You can have it. It's my own money, it's not Kees money." Thelma was giving her money savings to Luisa.

"Thelma, you cannot do it! You just cannot give away your money?" Luisa was touched by the gesture of Thelma. She and Kees had helped her a lot, and now Thelma was giving her more money. "You save it for yourself!"

'Luisa, you really need it. Take it as a gift to that life you are still carrying inside you, because I will be the Godmother, right?"

Luisa was very touched, as she received the envelope from Thelma, she could not control her tears. "Thank you, thank you very much!"

"You don't have to cry, you silly woman! I only want you in return to take care my Godchild!"

"I promise you, Thelma, someday I can return to you this goodness, and yes, I will do my best as a mother to protect this baby in my womb, your Godchild!"

"Okay, maybe we can already eat that shrimps, fried dried fish and bagoong before Kees come? I am hungry!" Thelma was happy that Luisa accepted her help. For her, money was not a problem anymore. Kees already had sent an amount to her parents, an amount that could gave her parents no more worries about food and debts and for the education of her siblings.

The two Thelma and Luisa enjoyed their food that back in the Philippines not to mention the shrimps, described as a poor man's meal of just rice, fried dried fish, bagoong and as vegetable the okra. The way they enjoyed their meal was unconsciously a manifestation of their homesickness.

"Luisa, you have to meet Filipinos here in Rotterdam." Thelma told Luisa that she must met their kababayans (fellow countrymen).

"I like it too but where will I meet them?"

"You can come with me on Saturday. I meet a Filipina in the grocery store, Jenny, she was also married with a Dutch man. She will celebrate her birthday."

"But I am not invited?"

"I will call her that you come with me. Kees was still busy with preparing papers and about his business, maybe he could not come with me."

Saturday.

Kees dropped all what he was busy doing and went to the party too with Thelma and Luisa. Luisa saw how people in the Netherlands have a party. About ten couples attended the party and they all accommodated in the spacious living room. The couple that hosted the party was Jeroen and Vicky, Dutch and Filipina couple. There is another Filipina Rita who was married too with a Dutch, one woman originated out Suriname and the rests were all white Dutch, described as 'autochtoon' (native) meant naturally born citizens in the Netherlands.

Everyone had the drinks of their choice. Men mostly have beer or wine or coffee, and the women mostly wine or coffee and the Filipinas, Vicky drank wine and the rest Thelma, Rita, and Luisa they have soft drinks.

For a usual Dutch party, commonly served were only drinks with cakes and some cold cuts, or the deep-fried bitter balls, or frikandel (Dutch worst served with onions topped with mayonnaise and catsup)or mini toast topped with different flavours liked American fillet, celery salad, imitation caviar (fish eggs but not from Sturgeon fish which the real caviar harvested) or other toppings and croquette. But because Vicky was a Filipina, Asian food were also added like Lumpia, Bami (pancit to Filipinos)and Leche Flan.

As the party went on and everyone talked to each other, the four Filipinas on their own found ways to talk in their own language about many things and Luisa who experienced her first party in the Netherland had really enjoyed the evening.

From this first party, Luisa then attended some more parties, up to a party that only all Filipinos attended. A house in Katendrecht of the couple Carol and Mario that were both Filipinos.

The party was different from that of the Autochtoon's Dutch whom sometimes also by themselves called or named the cheeseheads( Kaas koppen) or potatoes eaters (aardappel vreters) people. Allochtonen or Immigrants in the Netherlands always schooled together and hold fast to tradition and food and so true also to all Filipinos living in the Netherlands.

The party in Katendrecht in the house of Carol and Mario was chaotic but joyous. There is a group that played Mahjong with their noisy shuffling of play stones, there is a group playing cards, the Russian poker or Tong 8, there is a group singing the Karaoke not minding that maybe neighbors were irritated from the noise but only controlled themselves not to mind or passively let it because of the law in the Netherlands that one can have a party nuisance until 10 o'clock in the evening on the weekend. There is also a group that enjoyed themselves drinking 'tagay style' (means passing one glass of drank most of the time Tequila consumed with Citroen from one to another).

Filipino food were abundant liked bopis, caldereta, adobo, paksiw and many more. Luisa really enjoyed it. It felt home, liked that she was in the Philippines. Every weekend many Filipinos came to Katendrecht in the house of Carol and Mario even there is no event to celebrate. Doing the same things, gambling, drinking, and singing. Carol invited Luisa that she could come every weekend.

In the house, Luisa and Karel situation was the same. They lived together but liked strangers to each other. They do not mind each other but sometimes Luisa caught Karel secretly looking or observing her.

Thelma and Kees began already their world tour and Luisa for few weeks had no more contact with Thelma and presumably for more longer time.

Few months gone and Luisa was already high pregnant and at any moment could give birth.

For almost a week, Luisa did not saw Karel in their apartment and Luisa began to wonder what happened. Then she was shocked and panicked of something she discovered inside her room. ****to be continued****Remedios Dorio