Naked in Havana (24 page)

“I saw the way he looked at you that night at the Left Bank. He never once looked at me like that.”

But I just couldn’t let myself believe he loved me, whatever love was. I thought he just wanted to sleep with me, and a girl like me could not and did not have affairs. I had used up all my chances with Angel.

Besides, love was something I felt for Angel; it would have made sense, and even if, in the end, our families had other plans for us, it wasn’t...outrageous. But being with Reyes was utterly impossible.

“You remember what I taught you, Magdalena?”

“You said that when I played music, I should play it through my heart, not my head. I should just close my eyes and live it.”

“You never know when it’s going to be all over, girl. Play it like you mean it, or you’ll be sorry one day.”

Chapter 32

Papi tossed the newspaper aside, washed his pills down with half a glass of rum. The
Diario del Marina
claimed huge rebel losses in the Sierra Maestra. Meanwhile Radio Rebelde said the crack Jose Martí battalion were closing in on Havana.

Who did you believe?

He reached for the box of cigars and then pushed them away again. He had cut down from two cigars a day to just one. It was all part of his new healthy lifestyle, he said.

“I’m seeing Lansky this afternoon,” he said. “I’m going to offer to sell him the Left Bank.”

“I’ll come with you,” I said.

Day by day the aristocratic quarter crumbled into the remorseless sea; an ancient coat of arms, once set over the doorway of a noble house, was now weathered by centuries and half-hidden by the neon sign of some shabby hotel; the shutters on the faded mansions in the
Viejo Ciudad
slowly rotted from sun and salt. Steel skyscrapers now rose over the colonial
haciendas
, signalling the brief zenith of the latest
conquistadore
.

The old Havana would soon be gone, lost either to the
gangsterismos
or the
rebelde
. It was the cycle of things here. The weak were soon swallowed up. After all the original Cubans, the Taíno, had all disappeared within a century of Columbus’s arrival.

Papi did not go straight to his appointment. He drove down the Rampa then around the old city towards the Malecón. This time of year the weather was mild, the skies a pale blue. Seabirds bobbed on the pewter swell. There was a familiar song playing on the radio: “It’s all in the game.”

He reached for the pills in his pocket, unscrewed the cap on the bottle and tipped one into his palm. He swallowed it, one hand on the steering wheel.

“Are you all right, Papi?”

“Am I doing the right thing, cariña?”

“Papi, you love Havana. You can’t leave.”

He patted her knee and smiled. “I love that you say that, even though you don’t mean it.”

Tourists headed to the docks to take the ferry to the old fortress or for sundowners at Los Marinos. You wouldn’t have known there was a war just beyond the hills.

He stopped in the Plaza des Armas, delaying the moment. He looked around the plaza, at the old whitewashed buildings. “You know, princess, back in the nineteenth century, when the rest of the Spanish empire in Latin American rebelled and wanted to form their own independent states, Cuba remained loyal. The Crown gave the island its motto,
La Siempre Fidelísima Isla, “
the island that is always faithful.” Do you know why we never rebelled? Because we were more afraid of the United States than anyone else.”

I remembered what Papi had told me, about the plot to kill the president. It was no longer enough that they bribed governments for influence, now Lansky and Salvatore and those other faceless men from Miami and Las Vegas were deciding the fates of entire countries. Killing presidents was no more trouble than ordering a hit on a rival gang boss.

“You don’t have to do this, Papi,” I said.

“No, cariña, I do.”

He took a deep breath and put the Bel Air into gear. We headed along the Malecón to the Nacional Hotel.

The long driveway of the Nacional Hotel was flanked by tall, waving palms. The lobby was quiet at this time of the day, the casino and the club only really got going after midnight. When we walked in there were just a few tourists sitting around writing postcards or reading paperbacks.

Lansky was in one of the
cabanas
by the swimming pool. He did all his business there, they said, eating sandwiches, playing cards with his cronies. But even poolside, he was immaculate in well-pressed Bermuda shorts and a white open-necked shirt. Two large men in dark suits hovered nearby. They clearly weren’t lifeguards.

Lansky welcomed them effusively, an expansive host. He asked them if they wanted sandwiches. Papi shook his head no, looking ill at ease. He fidgeted with his Panama as they made small talk. Finally he got to the point.

“I’ve come here to talk to you about the Left Bank.”

“How’s business?”

“A little slow.”

“After something like that, people are wary. They’ll come back. You did a nice job, by the way. Must have cost.”

“Yes, it did.”

“So, what’s your point here?”

“A few months ago, you were interested in a concession.”

“That’s right. I offered you twenty points, I believe. I amended the offer after the bombing. I spoke to your charming daughter here about it while you were in the hospital.”

“I’d like to revisit that offer. In fact, I’d like to offer you the whole thing.”

“You’re selling the Left Bank?”

“I’m aiming to retire.”

“Really? But you’re still very young, Señor Fuentes.”

“Health reasons.”

Lansky nodded his head and considered. He offered Papi a cigar from a large box of Monte Cristos. Papi shook his head. Meyer chose one and one of his lifeguards stepped forward with a lighter. I supposed this cheap display was for my father’s benefit.

“You know, I’d like to help you out, Señor Fuentes. But I think you’ve maybe left things a little late. Things have changed since I made that very generous offer. I have a considerable investment in Havana, as you know, and while I remain confident in the city’s future, I have to be a little more cautious these days.”

“Don’t you want to hear my price?”

“Frankly, no. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a very appealing venue. But I think you’ll find that most investors will feel the same way I do. The political situation in Cuba needs to stabilize before I am willing to make any further commitments here.”

Papi turned white. I could see him battling to control his expression. He smiled as genially as he could and thanked Lansky for his time. They stood up and shook hands. I could see the vicious satisfaction on Lansky’s face. We had spurned him twice, now he had settled the score and in the most genteel manner.

Papi was silent on the way home, he didn’t say anything until we got back to our villa in Vedado. He parked the Bel Air in the shade of the ceiba tree and then he just sat there, staring into space.

“Funny,” he said, finally. “I always thought we could leave any time we wanted. But what if we can’t? How do we leave Cuba if we don’t have any money? Everything I have is tied up in the club and the house. If we can’t sell, what are we going to do?”

“Then we’ll stay.”

“If Lansky isn’t willing to bet on Havana’s future anymore, we should all be worried. Those guys must know something we don’t.”

“He’s just angry because we turned down his offer before. Someone else will buy the club.”

He shook his head. “I should have done this months ago when I came back from Miami. I was selfish and blind.”

This was my fault. I should have listened to Reyes, he had warned me this would happen. As usual, it looked like he was right.

I squeezed Papi’s hand. “Don’t worry,” I said, “everything will be all right.”

He gave me a big smile, fake as an eight dollar bill. “Sure it will, cariña, sure it will. I’ll figure something out.”

Chapter 33

“I need to see him, Papi.”

“What for?”

“I just do.”

“What did I tell you about that man? I told you to stay away from him, right?”

“Please, it’s important.”

“No. I forbid it! I have been as tolerant of you as any father alive but now I put my foot down. No!”

“He saved my life, have you forgotten?”

He stopped, stared at me. His eyes were bleak. “Why? Why did he do that?”

“Do you wish he hadn’t?”

Maria came out of the kitchen, took one look at the two of us and fled.

“What possible business do you have with that man?”

“I have message for him, from Inocencia.”

“Well tell me the message then and I’ll take it to him.”

“It’s personal.” Another lie. How easily they came to me these days.