Mission Libertad (5 page)

Relatives and friends greeted them at the airport with posters and bouquets of flowers. Luisito was blinded by camera flashes. Women of all shapes and sizes hugged him and pinched his cheeks. Men greeted him with pats on the head and slaps on the back. There were hugs and tears all the way to the parking lot. Instant cameras spit out green pictures that were fanned until dry to produce images of his family.

Luisito never realized he had so much family! Back in Cuba, there were only his parents and Abuela. No one else. He was now part of a clan with many kids his own age! Rosie introduced him to each family member and explained how they were related. It was too much information
at once, so Luisito decided that for now he would just smile and nod. Finally, he was introduced to Rosie's husband, José, son, Tommy, and daughter, Sonia.

José was tall and muscular with premature gray in his hair that complemented his youthful face. He spoke some Spanish but much more English. He said he came from Cuba when he was five years old. He had a contagious laugh and a carefree attitude. He mentioned that he was an architect and had designed his own house. Luisito had never really thought of anyone doing such a thing. The only construction projects he knew of in Cuba were the hotels built by foreigners.

Luisito observed how the luggage swirled by and passengers would quickly pick them up.
How could they tell which was theirs
, Luisito thought, when all the luggage looked the same to him? During the car ride to Rosie's home, the adult conversation revolved around the different ways Abuela could legally come to the United States. Luisito listened quietly for about an hour, until they arrived at a house with a well-manicured lawn. More people came out the door to greet them, many of them women who bore a resemblance to his Abuela. Some of them snapped pictures; others were too busy hugging to remember to take pictures.

When Luisito entered Rosie's house, a rich blend of seasonings in the air greeted him. He followed the pleasant aromas to the kitchen, where pots and pans were full of good things to eat. He watched as busy hands cut up vegetables and sprinkled spices for salads, sauces, and stews. Luisito couldn't believe so much food could exist in one single home. There were foods he had never seen or eaten
before! He wondered if they worked for the government. Then he remembered things were different in this country. Back in Cuba, only those in the military or who were well connected had access to these things.

“Luisito,
con
esa
pinta
vas
a
tener
a
las
muchachas
así
,” some of the elderly relatives teased him.

Luisito noticed that some of his girl cousins laughed or rolled their eyes at the men's silly remarks about having several girlfriends at a time.

“Don't listen to them, Luisito,” Rosie said, laughing. “They are married to their only girlfriends!”

“I know,” Luisito said laughing.
“Perro
que
ladra
no
muerde.”

Everyone laughed at the old Spanish saying that literally says a barking dog doesn't bite, meaning that those who talk a lot are just bluffing.

“Here, taste this, Luisito; does it need more salt?” asked a relative stirring something on the stove. The creamy sauce filled Luisito's mouth and he licked his lips with delight.

Relatives were turning Luisito this way and that. He was being hugged, patted on the head, and introduced to more cousins his age.

“¡Los primos!”
they shouted. He never knew he had so many cousins! They all waved shyly. Luisito found their names so strange and hard to pronounce: Sean, Avery, Ashley, Bradley. He wasn't sure if the names were for boys or girls when he heard them in conversation. It was incredible for him to think that he had family that spoke a different language, with a completely different lifestyle, and yet with some similar customs.

There was a tender
lechón asado
with rice and black beans, fried plantains,
yucca
with
mojito
, soft warm Cuban bread, and salad set on the table. On the side there was a smaller tray with slices of lean turkey, stuffing, and the creamy gravy he had tasted earlier. For dessert, they had a choice of flan with shredded coconut or chocolate cake with ice cream.

He looked at his parents, who were staring at all the food on the table. Luisito knew what they were probably thinking. Their thoughts were back in Cuba at the empty tables of friends and of Abuela that very evening.

The conversation went on through the night while photo albums were passed around and the smell of Cuban
coffee filled the room. Rosie's two-story house was too big for her family of four, Luisito thought. He wondered where he would sleep. For now, he enjoyed watching his parents smile as they spoke with the family.

In the living area, there was a big stone fireplace, and Luisito wondered if they ever cooked on it when the electricity went out. He wanted to ask all the questions that popped into his mind as he glanced around the room, but everyone was talking at the same time. He could barely hear his own thoughts.

Then out of a big
escaparate
, a wooden armoire like the ones Luisito's parents used as closets in Cuba, a huge TV screen appeared.

“Look at this, guys,” José said, proudly pointing a small box directly at the TV. “Did you see that?”

“What?” said Ramon, an elderly uncle.

“Don't look at me,” José said. “Look what happens to the TV set.”

“Wow!” said some of the younger kids.

“It turns on and off without having to get up,” José said, smiling.

“These Americans are incredible! Look what they have invented,” Ramon marveled.

“It's called a
clicker
,” José said.

“Dad, that was ages ago. My teacher calls it a remote,” said Tommy.

As if by magic, the remote not only turned the TV on and off and made it louder and quieter, but it also changed the channels. And the TV set was in color!

“He has always liked technology. He always buys the newest thing on the market,” said Adita, José's mother.
“His father was like that, too—we were one of the first families to have a black-and-white TV in Cuba, before the revolution.”

The adult family members gathered around as the younger crowd squatted on the floor to watch TV.

“Your son is so happy,” an aunt who was sitting on the sofa said to Elena.

“I am happy,” Luisito answered, patting his stomach.
“¡Barriga llena corazón contento!”

Everyone laughed except some of the younger cousins, and Tommy looked puzzled. They couldn't understand Luisito's rhyming proverbs and his fast-spoken Spanish.

Tommy was Luisito's age, thin like Luisito but with brown hair cut short and spiked. Subtly, Tommy asked his older sister, Sonia, what Luisito had just said.

“He said, ‘full stomach, happy heart,'” Sonia answered. “It's a Spanish proverb. Maybe he can teach you some Cuban culture.”

“You think you are all that because you know more Spanish than me, but you know what?” Tommy paused dramatically, ready to supply some proverbs himself. “It's better to catch two birds in a bush, with just one stone.”

“Oh, boy,” Sonia said, rolling her eyes. “Try again!”

Later, after much talk, the relatives began to excuse themselves for the evening.

“Stay a little longer,” Rosie pleaded.

“We have work tomorrow,” some of the men said. Or, “It's a long drive back home.”

“
El
que
madruga
Dios
lo
ayuda
, right, Luisito?” one uncle said.

God helps those who rise early
. It was as if he was dueling Luisito with another proverb.

“Si, pero,”
Luisito said, holding up his index finger as if he was about to recite a poem,
“no hagas como el apóstol trece, que come y desaparece.”

“Luisito!” Elena nudged him. “He is always joking.”

“What did he say?” a young cousin asked her mother.

“He said not to be like the thirteenth apostle, who ate and left,” her mother said laughing.

“
Oye
, I am going to call you Luisito,
el
rey
de
los
dichos
,” Tommy said, laughing. “Luisito, the king of the proverbs. It even rhymes in Spanish!”

The crowd laughed as they walked outside. There was another round of kisses and hugs, and finally cars started driving away.

Luisito was amazed to see that everyone had a new-looking car. In Cuba, there were no new cars. People could not afford them. Most people didn't have a car and those that did drove the old cars they had before the existing government took power. The Ramirez family had owned only one car that had belonged to Luisito's maternal grandfather, Luis. His dad used that car to get to the hospital. To make ends meet, his father also used the car as a taxi for tourists on his days off. The government didn't approve of this type of private business, but officials looked the other way since the car was also used as an ambulance on many occasions.

Since they didn't have an extra car, Elena, who had worked in a day care center, left at five in the morning to stand at the corner of
La Avenida Del Presidente
with several neighbors until a government sixteen-wheeler truck passed by and gave them a ride to work. These trucks were used for public transportation because most of the buses were broken, overcrowded, or not running because of the gas shortage.

Sleepily Luisito walked into the now quiet house with his parents and Rosie's family. The two-story home
that had been bustling with noise and energy now seemed eerily quiet.

“I have set you up to sleep tonight in the basement,” Rosie said to Miguel and Elena. “Luisito, you can sleep in your own room in the basement or you can share Tommy's room.”

Luisito didn't know what to say. He had never had a room of his own. It would be great to have so much space to himself. On the other hand, he had never had a brother, and sharing a room could be fun.

“Mom, I thought he was sharing my room?” Tommy said quickly.

“Luisito, would you like that?” Rosie asked.

“Sure, great!” Luisito said, smiling.

“Come on, let's go!” Tommy gestured toward Luisito.

The house seemed so big that Luisito wished he had a map. He looked around and imagined how many families would live in a house this size in Cuba. There were stairs to go up and stairs to go down. He soon learned that the downstairs was the basement. It was a whole apartment and colder than the rest of the house! It had a living room, a small kitchen, and two bedrooms. The first floor contained the large living area, the kitchen, the dining room, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms.

Luisito thought this was all there was to the house, but there was more: a laundry area and a staircase that led to the attic, which was furnished with a desk and two bookcases. A model train that Tommy had built with his dad several Christmases ago was set up on the floor. There was also a telescope that the boys looked through to see a beautiful sky filled with stars, just as in Cuba.

Luisito couldn't wait to write to Abuela and tell her all the things he was discovering.

“Papi and I come here the most. This is our space,” Tommy said.

Although Luisito had only taken English as a school subject and never really practiced it, he started finding he could understand more than he thought.

“¡Que bien!”
Luisito said.

“Tommy, you can show him the train set tomorrow. Now it is time to rest,” Rosie called, and the boys came downstairs and settled into their room.

Luisito looked around Tommy's room at all the large posters of the American football stars and pictures of big dolphins everywhere.

“You sure like fish!” Luisito said, smiling.

Tommy proudly picked up a football helmet and showed it to Luisito.

“That's not just any fish—that's the Miami Dolphins mascot, silly!” he said, laughing. The boys laughed and talked awhile longer, repeating phrases and often gesturing with their hands.

Luisito lay down in his new bed—the most comfortable he had ever slept in. He pulled a fluffy blanket over himself. Luisito was not used to air conditioning. He closed his eyes and thought that from now on he would never wake up all sweaty from the heat of those Havana summer nights. This was the life!

Then a sudden feeling of guilt overwhelmed him as he realized that his Abuela would have to sweat tonight in her bed. She would probably be scared to open the window since she would be all alone in the apartment. He
tossed and turned a few times. Abuela had entrusted him with a special mission. He had to get to Miami soon and relay his message to a particular priest there. He repeated Abuela's message over and over in his head. He was afraid he might forget it, but he was more afraid to write it down for fear someone would read it. He couldn't make anything out of her message, but the Cuban priest Abuela told him he should speak to at the shrine would know what to do. Abuela's older brother, Tío César, had been a priest in Cuba for many years before his death. Abuela had many connections with the Cuban clergy.
This
priest
must
be
someone
she
knows
very
well
, Luisito thought. He hoped he could persuade his family to go to Miami for Christmas.

The next morning Luisito woke up ready for breakfast. He looked at Tommy's bed, but Tommy was already gone. Someone had left a t-shirt and a pair of shorts beside his bed. Luisito put them on and hurried down the stairs. He didn't know which way to go, so he began opening doors.