Cuba and the past
I was sitting in the hall waiting for the bed linens to be changed when I was standing by two people who were catching up. One was an elderly gentlemen who began talking about his days in Cuba with the other guy’s father. I joined their conversation reminiscing about Havana and post Castro and whatnot. The elderly gentlemen said in some ways Cuba has progressed further than us in medicine and education, and yet they have a dictator. I said it’s hard to know what to give up – democracy or progressive institutions.
I told them about my mom being seven and a half months pregnant with me when the 14 year old gum chewing boys with AK47s arrived to arrest Batista’s guard. The younger guy, not knowing my mother’s situation, began talking about his father, the elderly gentlemen’s old friend, who was in rehab after going through detox.