Mission Libertad (9 page)

“What do you think about the American who is following them?” Jorge asked. “FBI or CIA?”

“Who cares?” Antonio shot back quickly. “We got the pictures. That is what the people back home needed. We haven't committed any crimes. They can't do anything to us.”

“Do you think they will be on our trail?”

“We will clean up this apartment and move on to our place in Miami soon. We can change our appearance a bit,” Antonio said. “How would I look as a blond?”

“Pretty ugly!” Jorge said, laughing. Yet he was sure this assignment would not be an easy one. It was one of those feelings.

The weekend before school started Luisito packed all his new supplies and laid out his clothes for Monday.

“Boy, you are ahead of the game!” Tommy said when he stepped into their room. He still had everything scattered in his closet.

Sunday night Luisito went to bed early. He had an uneasy feeling about his first day of school. He had spent the previous night asking Tommy questions about high school.

Back in Cuba, Luisito knew everyone from school because they all lived in the same neighborhood. At least, he thought, his cousins would be there and the boys from
his new neighborhood. That wasn't so bad. He realized he knew a few people already. As Tommy had pointed out, he was better off than most people who move into a new town.

It seemed that he had only been asleep a few minutes when his alarm rang. He jumped quickly out of bed and dressed in his alligator shirt, jeans, and new sneakers. He went straight to the bathroom to wash his face and gel his hair as the barber had taught him.

He then ran downstairs, where his parents were already eating breakfast.

“¡El primero día de colegio!”
his mom said excitedly, referring to the first day of school.

“Yes, we start school today. Bummer,” Tommy said as he came into the kitchen still in his pajamas. “I love to sleep in during the summer.”

“He is such a
dormilón
,” José said, patting his son in the back.

“Education is important,” Luisito's father said. “In this country, you have the opportunity to be whatever you want and be successful.”

Luisito placed his new book bag by the door. He ate his breakfast carefully so as not to get dirty.

“¿No quieres más?”
Rosie asked, like always.

“No, thanks. I don't want anything else to eat. I am full,” Luisito said, patting his stomach.

Sonia came rushing down the stairs. She was wearing a light blue headband that matched her blouse and a wide belt with a big, shiny silver buckle in front. She actually looked very pretty, Luisito thought.

“If you need to you can always take that belt off and use it for security measures,” her dad joked.

“Funny, Dad!” she said, pouring orange juice in her glass. “It's the fashion.”

Luisito went to the bathroom to take one more look in the mirror. He wanted to pinch himself. Was this really him? He looked so different—he
felt
so different.

“Let's go!” he heard Sonia yell.

“Wait, honey, let me take a picture of you all!” Rosie said.

The three of them posed for the picture.

“Isn't this great!” Luisito said to Tommy. He never even owned a camera in Cuba. Tommy gave him a strange look.

“Come on, Mom, take the picture so we can go,” Tommy pleaded.

“Oh, pleeeease, Mom, hurry,” Sonia said. “She does this every year,” she told Luisito, rolling her eyes.

“She does? That's great!” Luisito said. His cousins look at him, surprised. “What? I love pictures!”

When they arrived at school, there were kids hanging around the entrance of the school building speaking with one another, and others were walking in clusters toward the door. Rosie parked the car.

“Shall I walk you to your classrooms?” she asked

“Noooo!” Sonia and Tommy answered as if on cue.

“I would rather die,” Sonia said.

“¡Qué exagerada!”
Rosie said. “Drama queen!”

“Mom, I know where to go. I will take Luisitio,” Tommy said.

“Sure?” said Rosie.

“No problema,”
said Tommy.

“Okay, kids, off to school. Have a great day,” Rosie said.

Luisito walked with Tommy through big aluminum doors that opened to a wide hallway full of students walking in different directions. Luisito looked around the hallway at the students' clothes and book bags. He had never paid much attention to these things in Cuba.

“We always start the day coming to this class,” Tommy explained to Luisito. “This is home room, you know, like your main
casa.
”

They sat down and were given a copy of their schedules and other forms to take home to fill out. The teacher, a young woman with short blond hair and freckles, welcomed everyone to their freshman year and promised them an exciting school year.

“Did you hear that? We are going to have an exciting year,” Luisito said to Tommy.

“They always say that,” Tommy shrugged.

A bell rang and they had to change classes. Luisito didn't have to change classes as many times back in Cuba; there, the teachers came to his classroom while the students stayed in their seats. He liked this much better! Tommy looked at Luisito's schedule, and, as he had suspected, it was the same as his, except during English grammar. Luisito was sent to ESOL class, English for Speakers of Other Languages, on the second floor.

In math class, the teacher, Mrs. Kelly, asked everyone what they did during the summer. A familiar voice yelled from the back of the class.

“Lewis came rafting from Cuba!” the boy said. When Luisito turned around, he saw Allen smiling at him.

“Oh, how interesting,” Mrs. Kelly said. “Can you tell us more about it?”

“My English is not so good,” Luisito said.

“Don't worry. Come to the front of the class and practice,” she said.

Luisito stood up slowly, wiping his sweaty hands on his new jeans. His heart was beating fast. He looked down at his new shoes and then up into the faces of his new classmates.

“I escaped from Cuba at night,” Luisito started, “with my mother and father. We came in a raft and the sea was full of waves but the Coast Guard finally rescued us. We now live with my cousin Tommy.”

Luisito heard giggles from some girls sitting on the left side of the classroom. He wondered why they found this funny.

“That was excellent, Lewis,” Mrs. Kelly said as the bell rang. As he gathered his papers, Tommy motioned to him.

“Hey, Luisito,” Tommy whispered. “Here in school I go by Thomas, just so you know.”

“And I now go by Lewis,” Luisito said, smiling, “just so you know.”

“I hear ya,” Tommy said, laughing. They walked out of the classroom together.

The next day Luisito got to school earlier than usual. The bell rang at school and Luisito walked toward his first period class. He noticed the kids he passed in the hallway were wearing sweaters. Luisito, used to the warm breezes of the Caribbean, was already freezing. Wearing his blue jacket, he walked quickly toward Room 102: history class with Mr. Xavier Alvarez. History was Luisito's favorite subject, and he remembered his teacher in Cuba once spoke about the American Revolution. Of course, he didn't exactly know what was true or not. According to Abuela, his teachers were known for bending the truth about history.

“How many students are new this year?” Mr. Alvarez asked.

Three students, including Luisito, raised their hands.

“Well, we have something in common. I'm new to this school too,” Mr. Alvarez said, smiling.

“We are going to start our semester learning about Latin America and the Caribbean. Is anyone in this class from those places?”

A girl from Honduras, a boy from Jamaica, and Luisito each stood up and told where they were from.

“I am originally from Mexico, but I came here to study and then stayed,” Mr. Alvarez said. “The United States is composed of immigrants from different parts of the world.”

He wrote down where the three students were from and said he would start with those countries.

“We can start with Cuba since it is the closest country to the United States,” he said.

“Where did you live, Lewis?” Mr. Alvarez asked.

“In Havana,” Luisito responded.

“And your dad, what did he do for a living?” Mr. Alvarez said.

“He is a medical doctor,” Luisito answered.

“Then your father must come and talk to our class one day,” Mr. Alvarez said, just as the bell rang.

Luisito couldn't wait to tell his father that he had been invited to speak in his class.

“Do you think your father is going to want to speak to the class?” Tommy whispered.

“He won't have much to say,” said Luisito. “He worked in a neighborhood hospital. It's only the hospitals where the tourists go that have everything.”

“By the way, did you sign up for soccer?” Tommy asked, handing him two forms.

Right after dinner that night, Luisito gave the forms that he had filled out to his mother so she could sign them.

“Who's this
Lewis
?” asked Elena, looking at the form.

“That's his American name,” said Tommy, who was sitting at the dinner table with them.

“Look at him. Before we know it he will forget all his Spanish!” Rosie said as she cut herself a piece of apple pie.

“He'd better not,” Miguel smiled at them. “Luis Alberto Miguel Angel Ramirez Jemot!”

“Luisito!” Sonia yelled, running in the house.

“Miguel, Elena, everyone come here!” Sonia waved a letter in the air. “It's from your grandmother! A letter from Cuba!”

Everyone gathered to open the envelope. Inside there was a letter for Luisito's parents and another for Luisito. Elena and Miguel sat down to read their letter. Luisito ran to his bedroom to read his.

Querido
Luisito,

I
am
so
glad
you
are
having
a
great
time
with
all
our
family! How is school?

When
I
walked
past
the
park
the
other
day
I
saw
your
friends
Mayito, Roberto, and Carmen. They all asked about you. I told them you went to the United States.

I
miss
you
terribly
but
I
am
full
of
joy
every
time
I
receive
a
letter
from
you
and
your
parents.

Despite
my
arthritis, I am doing just fine. A neighbor brought me a mango the other day. I remembered how much you loved them.

I
love
you
with
all
my
heart!

Abuela

P.S. Don't forget . . . that I love you very much!

Luisito read the letter several times to look for hidden clues. In Cuba, the government often monitored letters and phone calls. Therefore, people wrote in clues. Obviously, when Abuela said not to forget she was referring to the secret mission. He held the letter tight to his heart. How he missed Abuela and his friends! If only they could all come here. Then he would be completely happy.

“Luisito, are you all right?” Elena called, knocking gently on his door.

Luisito wiped tears from his face. “Sure, coming,” he said.

Luisito and his parents sat down and compared their letters. Abuela wasn't very explicit in either one.

That night Luisito remembered that Abuela was probably praying right at that moment. Rosie said that those who spent time speaking to God and developing a friendship with him would have their prayers answered. She said this was possible if they asked God sincerely and if God deemed that what they were asking was indeed the best for them. He wished he had a relationship with
God just like Abuela did. Maybe then God would hear his prayers faster! Luisito looked at Tommy, who was reading a book in his bed.

“Hey, Tommy,” Luisito said. “Tell me more about God.”

Tommy put his book down.

“About God?” he said, surprised.

“Yes!” Luisito said very seriously.

“Okay,” Tommy said scratching his head. “Well, he is our Father. He loves us and forgives us, and he hears our prayers.”

“I don't know how to pray by myself,” Luisito said.

“Well, you just talk to him like you would to a friend,” Tommy said. “You've never done that before?”

“Not really,” Luisito said. “In Cuba, I listened to Abuela's prayers at night and kind of followed along. I did try praying by myself during my trip on the ocean.”

“Well, you must have done a good job because he heard you. You made it,” Tommy said, smiling.

Luisito hadn't really thought about that. God did hear him. The thought gave him peace.

“I can't wait to go to Miami,” Luisito said, changing the subject.

“I love Miami,” Tommy said. “I can't wait to see my grandmother. She makes me all my favorite desserts. I also love the beach!”

Luisito didn't know if he could trust his cousin with his big secret. Abuela had told him not to tell anyone, but could she have meant not to tell the adults? His teenage cousins could do no harm. They knew very little about politics or anything like that. Luisito wanted to
tell Tommy his secret because it felt like
una
papa
caliente
, a steaming hot potato, in his hands, but he decided to wait a little longer.