Via Prague

You may recall last week I got a desperate email from Tonnie, an American girl who was teaching with her boyfriend in China. The story I've got is a bit sticky and convoluted, but essentially they weren't happy there, were getting a bit of the runaround from their school, and had left China, flown to Prague and arrived at my doorstep basically penniless.
Since our initial communication, when I'd offered floorspace at my flat, I'd become to have reservations. My flatmate, Hana, had said it was OK for a few days. But it's an old flat, and I wearied at three or four days of having to share the hot water, the kitchen, etc. I'm on holiday for a few weeks and was looking forward to enjoying it on my own.
Gordon, my Australian business friend, agreed.
'Get rid of them,' he advised.
So on the day they were supposed to arrive, I played possum. I let the phone ring and ring without answering. Hours went by. FInally, around noon I got out of bed. Four missed calls on my mobile. When I went out into the hallway, I stopped. There were voices outside in the stairwell. Shit. They were outside, just waiting for me, probably thinking I was out.
What to do? I crept back into my bedroom, lay back in bed. But I didn't want to sleep. I needed to get downstairs to the Vietnamese potraviny for cigarettes. I wanted to be up and around, and felt resentful at feeling I had to hide in my own flat, like a refugee from police.
Finally, I got up and took a shower. It's always cold here in the morning in the winter. The shower was nice and hot. Fuck it, I thought. Get dressed, go downstairs. If they're still there, just go with it and let them in. If they've left, you're off the hook.
Sure enough, they were waiting, all three of them, on the stairs, with a small mountain of personal gear stuffed in backpacks and travel bags.
'Heeeyyyy!' I cried, doing my best impersonation of cheerful surprise. I made profuse apologies. 'Late night last night -- you called? Wow. Never heard it. Oh, my head--'
'Have you been here long?' I asked.
'About three hours.'
I felt bad. It's not too cold in Prague right now. I mean, it's not freezing. But still, the mornings have a moisture that cuts right through you.
There was Tonnie, who I'd communcated with through email. She and her boyfriend are from Pasadena. They're both in their early twenties. Then there was Carl, another young guy from Australia.
We went back upstairs. I showed them the room, the shower, the washing machine, then the kitchen and the computer, and gave them the basic rundown on Hana, cleaning, etc.
After awhile, they were settled in. Tonnie's boyfriend was on the computer sending an emergency email to the States. Between the three of them they had about 800 crowns left (about $40), and no job prospects or place to live. Of course, it being the holidays, it's not the easiest time to look for work. But they had a couple interviews lined up for next week, and I agreed to take them over to the schools where I teach.
The day -- it was Saturday -- passed smoothly. By late afternoon, I'd become quite used to them. I told them they could get a big sack of potatos at the downstairs potraviny for 30 crowns (one of my own tradelasts during frugal winters). They peeled up the potatos and got them boiling.
'Your timing was perfect,' Tonnie's boyfriend said.
'What?'
'Oh, when you came out this morning -- we'd been waiting there for three hours. And we were just thinking, oh well, maybe he changed his mind ... we were just about to leave.'
At five, I left to meet Gordon and Kristina and some other girls for drinks, and passed a pleasant evening. About 8, our little party broke up. Gordon and I were supposed to meet up at Pavels for one more. On the way, I decided to drop in and check on my guests. They were on the couch, huddled together under a blanket, watching a movie on their portable DVD player. I noticed the kitchen was clean, all the dishes washed.
'Everything alright?' I asked.
'Yes,' Tonnie said sleepily.
Later with Gordon, I remarked on the day. I told him I was glad things had worked out that way. I realized how close I'd come to doing a very hard thing, leaving people outside in the cold -- and at Christmas!
'So it's alright?' Gordon said.
'Yes. By the way, one of the guys -- Carl -- is from Australia.'
'Really?' Gordon thought about it. 'Well, if they're really down and out. Give them my number, and I might be able to help them with some cheap accomodation until they get on their feet.'
'Really?'
'Yeah. Well, normally I don't like to help fellow Australians. I don't really trust them to be honest.' He grinned. 'But in this case, if you've got a good feeling about them ... well, I can at least meet with them.'
'Yeah, size them up for yourself,' I said.
'Next week.'
'OK.'