Rick’s
Santiago Cyber Café presents: page 11
The Roads to
Looking for
Fernando’s Hideaway
2003
In
February Diane and I stayed at the Hotel Libertad, Santiago de Cuba, it is
across the street from Plaza De Marte and it was while we were sitting in the
lobby of the Hotel that we first noticed a young boy with a captivating smile
that lit up his face. He walked by the front of the Hotel 3 times and as he
passed by he would look at us and flash a big grin and then he disappeared from
our sight. Donut had told us he would meet us at 9am and when he showed up
about 5 minutes late he called to us from outside the Hotel to come onto the
street as he wasn’t allowed inside the Hotel lobby, we were also met by Morris
a few minutes later and then we were joined by the young boy who had the big
smile. The boy was introduced to us as Fernando and was a friend of Donut and
Morris and Donut told us that in his spare time he teaches soccer to Fernando
and some other young boys. Fernando was good natured, friendly but he was very
poorly dressed and the soles were coming off the running shoes he was wearing.
Donut said Fernando’s life at home wasn’t very good and he told us that
Fernando was being raised by an uncaring mother and said he didn’t know what
happened to the father but there was no man around to help raise Fernando. I
explained to Donut that in Canada we have many women that raise children
without any man around to help out and it was very hard on everyone involved. A
police officer saw our three Cuban friends talking to us and he came over and
asked them for their identification cards. The police took them all to jail for
about an hour and then we met them again by the barbershop near Plaza de Marte.
They explained that this happens often as there are many street people talking
to tourists and the police are more diligent now after discovering that
tourists from tour boats were trading drugs for sex. We hung out for awhile, we
had a few laughs, walked over a few streets and had some ice cream and I gave
Fernando a small pair of kid’s sun glasses that I had been carrying around.
Diane and I said our goodbyes and we left the three of them so we could go and
meet some other friends we had an appointment to see. We left Santiago without
seeing Fernando again that year and while his smile would linger in our minds
from time to time it would be a long hot day in Santiago’s future before our
paths would cross again.
|
Donut
and Richard standing in front of a statue of Jose Marti. Jose Marti is
described as Cuba’s greatest hero, poet statesman and revolutionary. He lived
from 1853 to 1895 and was exiled from Cuba at the age of 17 for activities
against Spanish colonialism, he is known as the Apostle of Cuba and is
revered in Cuba as a revolutionary hero. Jose Marti was a Cuban Freemason. In
1895 Jose Marti and 2 other Cuban Freemasons – Antonio Maceo and Maximo Gomex
led an invasion of Cuba. Jose Marti was shot and killed. Many towns and
cities in Cuba have statues and parks dedicated to the memory of Jose Marti.
– Plaza de Marte. Santiago de Cuba 2003 |
Richard
and 12 year old Fernando across the street from the Hotel Libertad – Santiago
de Cuba 2003 |
2004
In
February Diane and I were once again in Santiago and we had spent two days
looking for Donut, Morris or Fernando. We searched near Parc Cespedes to no avail
and then on to Parc Delores but no luck there either so we walked up the street
to Plaza de Marte and who should be on the corner but Donut himself. Hey Rasta
man: I said. Are you happy to see me? Give me your hand man: Donut replied as
he grabbed my hand and then proceeded to hug me. Morris is on his way and he
should be here in 5 minutes Donut told me. Well let’s go to the Iris Café and
get some cold beers as soon as he gets here, “tengo sed” I replied. Morris,
Donut and I talked about what had happened to them since February 2003 and we
all had some laughs over some beers. I had brought a back pack full of clothes
for Morris, Donut and Fernando and so I asked about Fernando’s health and where
he could be found. I was told that Fernando had been put in a special school
because of difficulties he was having. Fernando is a street kid, and his
approaching tourists on a regular basis had brought him to the attention of the
police whose job it is to make sure tourists are not harassed and annoyed by street people wanting to make
a dollar or two by guiding the tourist to places the tourist wants to go. I
gave Donut and Morris their presents and asked Donut to drop off Fernando’s
clothes at Fernando’s house because I was leaving Cuba in a few days. We all said
our goodbyes and I promised to return in March of 2005.
2005
But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
St.Mark 10:31
Diane
and I had decided to try a new experience and stay at 3 Casa Particulars in
Santiago de Cuba over 4 days. Saturday we stayed near Padre Pico and then at
noon on Sunday March 13th Diane and I carried our backpack 5 blocks
to another Casa Particular that was across the street from the Cathedral in the
downtown area of Santiago de Cuba. We introduced ourselves to the friendly
couple who run the Casa Particular. Norma Puente and her husband told us that
they have been running a Casa Particular for 7 years and then proceeded to show
us our nice, private room with shower and then they showed us how to work the
key in the door before they left us alone. We put some things away and locked
up so we could search for Donut, Morris and Fernando. After we made a quick
look around Parc Cesepedes and not seeing anyone we knew I decided to walk past
La Trova and from there we could go to Park Delores and Plaza de Marte. A young
teenage boy approached us and commented on how nice my ball cap looked, the
ball cap was nothing special just a cheap dollar store cap with an embroidered
Canadian flag on the front. I looked at the young boy who did not smile as he
walked beside us with his head down. He looked like life had given him a rough
ride and probably could use a new friend or two. Hey amigo can you help me find
Plaza de Marte, I asked in broken Spanish. I knew the way to where we were
going but I figured this boy needed a few bucks in his pocket more than I
needed them and even more important than the money I sensed he needed some
companionship. He looks a little like Fernando Diane said as we walked down a
small side street on the way to Park Delores. Fernando always had a smile on
his face, I said and this boy hasn’t even smiled since we met him but I’m going
to ask him his name anyway, I replied. Como se yama usted? I asked the young
boy. Renaldo, he replied. It’s not him I told Diane, his name is Renaldo and he
is a good foot taller than Fernando was. It sure looks like him Diane said. I
pulled out a picture of Donut and Morris and asked Renaldo if he knew our two
friends. His face lit up with a wide smile and he said they were his friends
and then he recognized us and asked me if I was the man who gave him a pair of
sunglasses two years before. Yes, I said as I hugged him and shook his hand and
Diane was laughing as she kissed his cheek and hugged him. I immediately gave
him five convertible pesos, about $7 Canadian because I thought somehow we may
be separated from each other and I wanted him to at least have a little money.
We left the alley and came out in Park Delores but Donut and Morris were not
there so we continued onto Plaza de Marte where Fernando spotted Donut sitting
on a bench talking to some of his friends. ‘Donut’, Fernando yelled out across
the Plaza and immediately Donut looked up and hurried over to us. ‘Hello my
friends’, how are you both doing Donut asked? ‘Very well amigo’, I answered and
now let’s go over to the Iris Café and have some ice cream because we are hot.
Over the next half hour Donut told us about what had happened to him and Morris
in the last year and he also told us about what had been going on in Fernando’s
life in the last two years. Fernando not understanding English ate his ice cream while Donut and
Diane and I tried to keep good poker faces as Donut told us how he had dropped
the clothes off to Fernando’s house the year before and found out a week later
that Fernando’s mother had apparently sold the clothes and used the money for
something else. I have seen poor people before and knew how desperate some
people can become and how money is always in short supply so I wasn’t going to
make any judgments against anyone. Donut continued on to say that Fernando’s
mother was no longer caring for and living with him and that he was now in the
care of a woman who was being very kind to him and she treated him like he was
her own son. Well Diane and I agreed that we should take Fernando out shopping
on Monday and asked Donut to tell him we would buy him a new pair of running
shoes and to meet us at our Casa Particular at 9:30am. Fernando got very
excited when Donut relayed this information to him and a huge smile appeared on
his face. We all left the Iris Café and headed toward Parc Cespedes but before
we had walked two blocks the police stopped Donut and asked to see his ID
papers. Fernando didn’t want any more problems so he kept walking and since I didn’t
know to handle the situation and thought it better if I stayed out of the way,
Diane and I kept walking also. Donut caught up to us a few minutes later but
Fernando had disappeared for the rest of the day so the three of us continued
on to Parc Cespedes and I asked Donut what was the best way for me to react
when stopped with him by the police. When we arrived at Parc Cespedes we sat on
a park bench as soon as we got there. Within a minute or two another police
officer came up and asked to see Donut’s ID papers and this time I told the
police officer in Spanish that everything was O.K. and that Donut was my friend
and I had known him for three years. The officer looked at Donut’s ID papers
and then gave them back and as he waked away he threw back a remark at Donut
which caused Donut to laugh. What did he say I asked Donut? He said today I
have two friends from Canada, next week I will have two friends from Italy and
the week after that I will have two friends from Germany. Diane and I got a
laugh from the officer’s sense of humour. We stayed in the park and talked for
an hour and then Donut left saying he would see us Monday morning at 9:30am
Diane and I walked the short distance to our casa.
Monday
morning at 8am I shaved and showered and had breakfast and at 8:50am I stepped
out on the second floor balcony which overlooks Parc Cespedes to check out the
activity in the street and in the Parc. Directly across from the balcony are
the side steps leading to the Cathedral and on the steps I spotted Fernando
sitting staring up at me and smiling. I waved to him and gave him a sign that I
would be down stairs in ten minutes. I told Diane that Fernando was 40 minutes
early and she remarked that he probably didn’t sleep the night before and had
stayed up all night thinking of getting his first pair of brand new shoes.
Diane and I went down stairs at 9am and we were greeted by Fernando and we
immediately set off to look for a store. We walked one block and met up with
Donut and Morris, they both wanted to be with us when the big event took place.
We
walked to one store but we didn’t find any running shoes we liked so we walked
four blocks to another store where we seen and bought a nice black t-shirt
shirt for Fernando but still no running shoes. We walked six blocks in the
other direction and found a store that had some nice pants so we bought him a
pair of pants but still no shoes. We ended up at the only Adidas shoe store in
Santiago and I told Fernando to pick a pair and make sure they fit well. Well
he spent 20 minutes trying on numerous pairs of Adidas and finally decided on a
white pair with blue trim and the manager said Fernando could use the back room
to change into all his new clothes and shoes. When he came out of the room
Fernando had been transformed from the gloomy downcast youth of the day before
into a smiling, happy teenager. He had forgotten all his troubles and worries
for a few hours and would now have something to remember for years to come.
Diane and I merrily wished Fernando a early Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday,
and Diane took a group photo of all four of us standing outside the shoe store
and then we left for La Maison complex to have some lunch and get Fernando a
few pairs of socks to go with the rest of his new clothes. After lunch we started
to walk back to Plaza Marte, and we all noticed that Fernando was walking with
his head down again but this time it wasn’t because he felt downtrodden it was
because he couldn’t take his eyes off his new Adidas. When we came close to
Fernandos home, we said our goodbyes and then I gave him the ball cap he had
admired the day before. Adios amigos were the last words we heard Fernando say
as he smiled and walked away. Omar our taxi driver was waiting at Plaza Marte
to take us back to the Hotel Bucanero so we gave our goodbyes to Donut and
Morris and said we hoped we would see them again next March in Santiago de
Cuba.
|
Morris,
Donut, Fernando and Richard after a shopping spree to outfit 14 year old
Fernando with new clothes- Santiago de Cuba 2005 |
Los
amigos at La Maison, spending some quality time together. Fernando ‘on the
far left’ had grown like a weed since we had last seen him in 2003 – Santiago
de Cuba 2005 |
|
Crossing
the street to Plaza de Marte - Santiago de Cuba 2005 |
Plaza de Marte - Santiago de Cuba 2005 |
|
A
street musician plays on a couple of old steel makeshift drums near Plaza de
Marte - Santiago de Cuba 2005 |
Omar,
the OK taxi driver and Richard outside our Casa Particular - Santiago de Cuba
2005 |
|
Warming
up before the start of the first game of the 44th Cuban National
Baseball Series playoffs between Santiago and Granma. Santiago won 10 to 6
after a very exciting game. Conga drums were played in the stands on and off
throughout the entire game and there was a capacity crowd at the 12,000 seat Guillermon Moncada stadium in Santiago. Santiago ended up playing against Havana for the
championship and Santiago
de Cuba defeated Havana province 2-1 in the sixth game of the best of seven
series to become the champion of the 44th Cuban National Baseball Series. |
Alameda
Ave. - There are many forms of transportation in Cuba – Santiago de Cuba 2005 |
Santiago
de Cuba Casa Particulars are plentiful as are Havana Casa Particulars. It is a
good way to meet real Cuban people that are more than happy to accommodate your
needs. Once you stay in a Cuban Casa Particular and eat in a Havana paladar or
Santiago de Cuba paladar you will be happy you tried this new experience.
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