"Man:" "Trees ha v e a secre t lif e that is o nly re v ealed to those w ho are willi ng to climb them." "I do no t remember w he n I was born." "B ut, w he n I was three mo nths old, my mo ther re turned to my grandpare nts' home with me as the pro of of her fail ure." "The sple ndor of my c hild ho od was u niq ue, because of its abs ol ute po v erty, and abs ol ute freedom... o ut i n the ope n, s urro u nded by trees, animals, and people" "w ho w ere i ndiff ere nt to ward me." "Grandmo ther:" "Rei naldo!" "Rei naldo!" "N iñ o, apú rate co n esa ag ua, Dios mío!" "Mira q ue hay q ue esperar e n esta casa!" "My early lif e was s urro u nded by a ro om f ull of u n happ y w ome n w ho w ere all bossed aro u nd by my grandmo ther, the heart of the ho use," "the o nly w oman I e v er saw w ho peed standi ng up and tal k ed to G od at the same time." "My mo ther was a v ery beautif ul and v ery lo nely w oman." "She had o nly k no w n o ne man, my father, and had e njo y ed the pleas ures of lo v e f or o nly a f e w mo nths and the n, ga v e that all up f or the rest of her lif e," "creati ng i n her a great se nse of frustratio n." "H er c hastity was w orse than that of a virgi n." "H ijo de puta!" "Ve te de aq uí!" "Animal!" "H ijo de puta!" "Desgraciado!" "The most extraordi nary e v e nt of my c hild ho od was pro vided by the hea v e ns." "Water rus hed do w n g utters, re v erberati ng o v er the zi nc ro of li k e g u nfire a massiv e army marc hi ng across the trees, o v erflo wi ng, cascadi ng, th u nderi ng i nto barrels," "a co ncert of drums, water falli ng o n water, dre nc hed and w histli ng and o ut of co ntrol, and u nder the spell of viole nce, le t lo ose that w o uld s w eep away almost e v erythi ng i n its path." "Trees, sto nes, animals, ho uses." "It was the my stery of destructio n." "The law of lif e." "As I saw it, the c urre nts w ere roari ng my name." "Flo w ers ha v e reprod uctiv e organs." "Class, can any o ne tell us w hat the male reprod uctiv e organ is called?" "Rei naldo?" "Rei naldo?" "A dic k." "A lo ng, s ki n ny dic k." "Do n't as k her w here s he comes from." "Can't y o u see s he is from the garde n and the most beautif ul flo w er of them all?" "B ue nas tardes, co n permis o." "Señ or F ue ntes, I did n't mean to disturb y o ur di n ner." "What did he do?" "N o, he did n't do anythi ng wro ng." "I came here to tell y o u that Rei naldo has a special gift." "What special gift?" "H e has a se nsitivity f or po e try." "After that, my grandfather s old the farm and mo v ed the family to H olg uí n, ope ned a gro cery store, and ref used to speak to any of us." "H olg uí n was a to w n of 200,000 people and o ne garbage truc k." "The rebels are i n Velasco." "We can wal k it i n a day." "O kay." "We'll lea v e to nig h t." "'Tá bie n." "Yo u thi n k y o u can do it with her?" "My name is Rei naldo." "What is y o urs?" "Loly." " Wo uld y o u li k e to dance?" " Cómo no." "¿ Q ué tú q uieres?" "Tú eres m uy niñ o." "(radio an no u ncer) I ncorpórate a la I uc ha." "Radio Rebelde, transmitie ndo desde las mo ntañas de Orie nte, desde la Sierra Maestra, territorio libre de C uba." "Aq uí Radio Rebelde." "Where are y o u goi ng, kid?" " U p the road." " U p the road w here?" "Velasco." "Velasco?" "Yo u are no t from Velasco." "I am from Velasco." "Why do y o u go to Velasco f or?" "Ah, the rebels are i n Velasco." "Yo u goi ng to joi n the rebels?" "Yo ur mamá k no w y o u are goi ng to joi n the rebels?" "N o." "N o." "Where s he is?" "She's i n Miami, w orki ng." "Wo uld y o u li k e to see?" "It's upside do w n." "Q ué bo nita." "Yo u want to hit thi ngs?" "Some times I li k e to hit thi ngs." "My mo ther, s he has a store i n Velasco." "B ef ore that it was my grandmo ther's store, and bef ore that, it was her mo ther's store." "I ha v e six bro thers." "They all want to joi n the rebels." "The seco nd o ne, he joi ned the rebels." "I 'm the middle o ne, I do n't joi n the rebels." "(car horn ho n ki ng)" "Ge t that f or me." "G o home." "The rebels are no more i n Velasco." "G o o n, ge t off." "Ge t off!" "What?" "What?" "Q ue viv a Fidel!" "Viv a Fidel!" "C uba libre!" "Translator:" "Es todo por ho y." "(toge ther) Spaziv a!" "As my mo ther smac k ed me, s he c ursed and y elled, "Maldito!" "Bad seed!"" "She s ho uted at the s k y, "I want to ge t o ut of here."" "B ut I really was n't s ure that's w hat s he wanted." "B ut no w standi ng o v er me s he lo o k ed li k e a h uge tree tru n k." "And if it did n't h urt s o m uc h, I 'd ge t do w n o n my k nees, and as k her to smac k me agai n, e v e n harder." "The n s he became beautif ul." "H o w pre tty s he is i n her s kirt made o ut of a sac k and the blo use s he stole from her sister." "I wanted to ge t up and beg her f orgiv e ness." "I wanted to say, "Mom, ho w pre tty y o u are today." "Yo u lo o k li k e o ne of those w ome n that y o u can o nly see o n C hristmas cards,"" "but I said no thi ng because of the the k no t i n my throat." "That was v ery nice." "What's y o ur name?" "Rei naldo Are nas." "Who wro te this?" "I did, it's my o w n..." "from my no v el." "What do y o u call this no v el?" ""Si ngl ng from the Well."" "Are y o u a stude nt?" "Yes, I 'm an agric ultural acco u ntant." "Tell me, do y o u thi n k y o u'd f eel at home w orki ng i n the natio nal library?" "The pay w o n't be v ery m uc h." "B ut I can promise y o u that y o u'll ha v e all the bo o k s y o u co uld e v er hope to read." "I w o uld li k e that v ery m uc h." "Than k y o u v ery m uc h." "Than k y o u." "Oy e, need a lift?" "I want to go do w n to G uayanos." "Ge t i n." "H ello." "Driv er:" "Yo u li k e it, rig h t?" "It used to belo ng to Errol Fly n n." "Yo u do n't belie v e me?" "Lo o k i n the glo v e compartme nt." "B e caref ul, h u h?" "Do y o u want to go to the mo vies with me?" "What?" "Do y o u want to go to the mo vies with me?" " I 'll ge t o ut here!" " Ay, coñ o!" "Yo u go t a flat ass anyway!" "Vamos, c hico, v amos!" "Yo u'll see him tomorro w." "Ge t o ut!" "Estú pido!" "...last Saturday nig h t I made 100 pes os f or le tti ng 10 members of the Natio nal Balle t s uc k me off." "Do es n't that mak e y o u a fag?" "If y o u do it f or mo ney, y o u're no t a fag." "Yo u k no w him?" "N o." "H ello." "I 'm s orry abo ut the o ther day." "N o, do n't w orry." "F orge t it." " I am Rei naldo." " I am Pepe." " H o w abo ut s ome ice cream?" " Yes!" "Today they ha v e o nly v anilla." "Bri ng him a banana split with pistac ho." "O ne ice cream!" "G o." "So w here y o u from, Rei naldo?" "I am a g uajiro, from Orie nte." " Do es it matter w here I 'm from?" " N o." "What do y o u do?" "I j ust go t a job no w i n the Natio nal Library, but I w o uld li k e to be a writer." "Yo u po or thi ng." "A co u ntry bo y i n Ha v ana to serv e the Re v ol utio n." " Where's y o ur mo ther?" " En la bodega." "Giv e me the k ey." "C hau." "Vamos!" "She say s it w ork s, j ust o ne k ey is a little off." "H o w can I than k y o u?" "What are y o u doi ng?" "Who is the man?" "Who's the man?" "Yo u, because y o u are the j udo expert." "Yo u do n't kiss o n the lips?" "O nly w he n I 'm i n lo v e." "Patricio Lam umba B eac h is o nly a 10 mi n ute wal k from here..." "La Co nc ha is abo ut a mile..." "This is perf ect f or y o u." "Yo u'll ha v e to s hare the bathro om with her." "B eds hee ts are c hanged e v ery tw o w ee k s and y o u are respo nsible f or y o ur o w n to w el." "It is perf ect, I 'll tak e it." "Do n't y o u want to k no w ho w m uc h?" "It do es n't matter, I can no t aff ord it anyway." "30 pes os a mo nth... and no visitors... nor m usic after 10: 00pm." "30." "Than k y o u." "Natio nal B o o k Award Co ntest." "H ello." "I w o uld li k e to s ubmit this please." "Put it i n the bo x." "H ey, y o u want a smo k e?" "N o, than k y o u." "What are y o u readi ng?" "Este es "El Lazarillo de Tormes."" "Who wro te it?" "N o author, he's ano nymo us." "N o writer?" "That's impossible." "N o, no, no, I did n't say no writer." "I said w e do n't k no w w ho the author is." "O kay." "Do y o u ha v e any o ther bo o k s?" "Yes, I ha v e many." "I us ually read o ut here s o I can be alo ne." "I li k e it here." "Sorry to bo ther y o u." "I 'll lea v e." "It's o kay." "I 'm goi ng home anyway." "Yo u liv e aro u nd here?" "N o t far." "Yo u want to come o v er and hear s ome m usic?" "What?" "I ha v e s ome Fre nc h records." "Maybe y o u li k e..." "Edith Piaf, and Jacq ues Brel." "Pero estú pido idio ta!" "Are y o u o ut of y o ur mi nd?" "Tak e the bo o k with y o u." "Ojalá se te caiga la pi nga, maricó n!" "Estú pido!" "Coñ o." "And s o, ladies and ge ntleme n, w e ha v e arriv ed at this auspicio us mome nt." "We are happ y to an no u nce that the first prize go es to," ""Vivir e n Cando nga" by Ezeq uiel Vie ta." "And the ho norable me ntio n go es to Rei naldo Are nas f or "Celesti no Antes de Alba."" "Than k y o u." "Gracias." "Than k y o u f or comi ng ladies and ge ntleme n, and ano ther ro u nd of applause f or o ur co ntestants." " Co ngratulatio ns." " Than k y o u." "Yo u're i n vited to Lezama Lima's ho use." "H ello." "H e left after his bro ther made the film "P. M."" "Yo u'v e heard abo ut it." "The bro ther had to lea v e, to o." "Simple film." "J ust a gro up of people danci ng and ge tti ng dru n k." "It made no j udgeme nts." "It made no j udgeme nts." "People that mak e art are dangero us to any dictators hip." "They create beauty." "And beauty is the e nemy." "Artists are escapists." "Artists are co u nter- re v ol utio nary, and s o y o u are a co u nter- re v ol utio nary, Rei naldo Are nas, and y o u k no w w hy?" "B ecause there's a man that can no t go v ern the terrai n called beauty, s o he wants to elimi nate it." "So, here w e are, 400 y ears of C uban c ulture abo ut to become exti nct and e v erybody applauds." "And w hat happe ned to y o ur lip?" "I f o u nd s omebody w ho do es n't li k e Fre nc h m usic, that's all." "B e caref ul." "B e caref ul." "N o, no, no." "Keep it..." "H e w o uld lo v e f or y o u to ha v e it." "There are 150 bo o k s that co ntai n e v erythi ng that literature has to off er." "Yo u read them and y o u do n't ha v e to read anythi ng else." "So w hic h bo o k w o uld be the first?" ""The Bible." Yo u ha v e to read the Bible." "O h, croq ue ttes." "O o h, María Luisa." "These croq ue ttes do n't stic k to the ro of of y o ur mo uth." "They are delicio us." "What ki nd are they?" "I n this co u ntry, y o u do n't as k that q uestio n." "We're all bei ng placed o n an i nternatio nal die t." "Le t's go bac k to the Bible, it's far more i nteresti ng." "N o w, I do n't mean to co n v ert y o u." "J ust read it li k e a no v el." "I tell y o u w hat, I 'm goi ng to giv e y o u fiv e bo o k s..." "Correctio n, I 'm goi ng to le nd y o u fiv e bo o k s." "Yo u re turn them, the n I 'll giv e y o u fiv e more." ""Moby Dic k," Melville," "Robert Le wis Ste v e ns o n's "Treas ure I sland,"" "Pro ust's, "Remembrance of Thi ngs Past"" "Kafka's "Me tamorphosis,"" "Flaubert's, "Se ntime ntal Ed ucatio n."" "María Luisa, coff ee please." "O ne, tw o, three... f o ur, fiv e." "Rei naldo, I do n't mean to be pres umptuo us, but w e'v e read y o ur bo o k." "We bo th thi n k it's far s uperior to the o ne that w o n first prize." "They robbed y o u of the first prize." "B ut, to be fran k, there's alway s ro om f or impro v eme nt." "If y o u'll allo w," "Virgilio w o uld li k e to help y o u clean it up." "Rig h t no w it's go od, but it's to o go od no t to be great." "Le t's fix it." "Seco nd prize ge ts publis hed to o." "That's the real prize." "We bo th thi n k that y o u w ere born to write." "(police radio)" "Yo u can't be to o caref ul." "This is the o nly possessio n that y o u really need." "...de la vida." "Las lagartijas s o n m uy grandes e n este bañado." "Si tú las vieras!" "Las lagartijas... tie ne n aq uí disti ntas f ormas..." "Where's Pepe?" "H e's ge tti ng s upplies." "I do n't ha v e to w ork today." "Le t's pic k up N icolas and J uan." "O kay." "Lo o k, lo o k, Tomás." ""Celesti no Antes de Alba."" "N o w, y o u are really a writer." " Yo u li k e that co v er?" " I li k e it, it's beautif ul." "I than k Virgilio f or this bo o k." "H e ga v e me a less o n i n literature and editi ng." "...my bro thers J uan and N ic holas are writers to o." "O h, come o n." "Pepe, w e'v e go t the Bro nte sisters i n the bac k-seat." "Lo o k at them." "Lezama is a Catholic;" "Virgilio is an atheist." "So w hat do they ha v e i n commo n besides bei ng faggo ts?" "Lezama do es n't type, he writes e v erythi ng by hand." "Some thi ng y o u w o uld n't u nderstand" "It's called i ntellectual ho nesty." "I do n't u nderstand!" "Well, if y o u to o k the time to actually read their bo o k s, maybe y o u'd ha v e s ome thi ng i ntellige nt to say abo ut it." "Oy e, lo o k at this." "Giv e him the cigare ttes." "Oy e, g uapo!" "Marico nes!" "Mariq uita!" "¡ Mariq uita!" "Hazle comer el mojó n de caballo!" "(g u ns ho ts)" "Coñ o!" "¿ Q ué es es o?" "¿ Q ué pasa ahora?" "Oy e, w elcome to o ur pic nic, compañ ero." "Tranq uilo, no te m ue v as de allí." " What do y o u want?" " Sh ut up." "What do I want?" "I want Carlos first to fris k this g uy." "Why him?" "See if he's go t a w eapo n." "H e's no t e v e n dressed." "What's y o ur name?" "My name?" "Franz Kafka." "Franz Kafka." "Yo u're f u n ny." "Yo u thi n k I 'm ig norant?" "Le t's see ho w ig norant y o u are." "Ev er heard of a s ummer camp called La I sla de la J u v e ntud?" "N o, the n maybe y o u can tell me... w he n was the last time y o u to o k it up y o ur ass?" "The last time?" "O h, I do n't remember." "Yo u do n't remember?" "B ut, I remember the last time y o u did." "Whe n was that?" "Maybe the last time y o u be nt o v er to tie y o ur bo o ts?" "Está bie n, lo v es, ¿ no?" "Está bie n, está bie n." "Do y o u ha v e a cigare tte?" "Yes, I ha v e a cigare tte." "There was als o a sex ual re v ol utio n goi ng o n that came alo ng with exciteme nt of the official re v ol utio n... but the drums of militarism w ere still tryi ng to beat do w n" "the rhythm of po e try and lif e." "Whe n I was n't at my job at the library, or g uard d uty, or atte ndi ng rallies," "there w ere three w o nderf ul thi ngs that I e njo y ed i n the 60's:" "My type writer, at w hic h I sat li k e a dedicated perf ormer sitti ng at his piano;" "the y o uth of those day s, w he n e v ery o ne was ready to break free;" "and lastly, the f ull disco v ery of the sea." "Did y o u e v er no tice there are f o ur categories of gay s?" "Really?" "Really." "Whic h are they?" "Well, the first o ne is the dog collar gay..." "H e's lo ud, s ho w s off that he's gay, there's no limit to his sex ual v oracity, theref ore he's co nstantly bei ng arrested." "The s y stem has created a permane nt collar aro u nd his nec k, s o they can ho o k him up and tak e him to a re habilitatio n camp li k e a Valparaís o." "Tw o is the commo n gay." "H e's made his commitme nts with o ther gay s, has a job, film cl ubs, li k es to sip tea with his frie nds, writes a po em no w and the n," "o nly has relatio ns with o ther gay s, ne v er tak es a ris k, and ne v er ge ts to k no w a real man." "The third o ne, the close t gay, o kay, nobody k no w s he is gay." "H e's married, has c hildre n, hides o n his way to the bathro om, still w earl ng the ri ng that his wif e ga v e him." "They're hard to spo t, but I 'v e go t o ne here." "Most of the time they're the o nes w ho ce ns or o ther gay s." "And f o urth, the ro yal gay, a u niq ue prod uct of o ur co u ntry, a comm u nist co u ntry." "B ecause of his close ness to o ur Maxim um Leader or special w ork with the State Sec urity, he can aff ord to be ope nly gay, tra v el freely i n this co u ntry and abroad," "co v er himself with je w els, clo thes..." "Coñ o, he e v e n has a priv ate c hauff e ur." "H ey, hey." "Stop!" "Rei naldo!" "H ey, Rei naldo!" "Come o n." "We'll giv e y o u a ride." "Where are y o u goi ng?" "Do n't w orry." "Tak e a seat." "H ello." "H o w are y o u?" "N o w, w e're goi ng to tak e a little s hortc ut and s ho w y o u a beautif ul part of Ha v ana that no t many visitors ge t to see." "The crac k do w n began i n earnest." "The horror and ugli ness adv anced day by day at an e v er i ncreasi ng pace, but the oppressio n o nly acted as a stim ul us and sex became a way of fig h ti ng it... a w eapo n to use agai nst the regime n." "N eedless to say, the Re v ol utio n was n't f or e v erybody." "Mr. H eberto Z orrilla O c hoa, are y o u aware of Article 243 i n the Pe nal Code?" "Yes." "And w hat do es Article 243 of the Pe nal Code state?" "It states that no assembly of o v er three people is allo w ed." "And y e t, y o u had an assembly of o v er 20 people at y o ur home o n the nig h t of J uly 10th." "What w ere y o u doi ng?" "It was a po e try readi ng." "Whose po e try?" "My o w n..." "o thers." "And are y o u s ure that this was a po e try readi ng and no t j ust an opportu nity to recite co u nterre v ol utio nary propaganda?" "Yes, I 'm s ure." "Mr. Correa, is po e try e v er propaganda?" "I s uppose it co uld be." "B ut no t y o ur po e try." "N o." "Mr. Correa, w ho else was prese nt at this s o-called po e try readi ng?" "Some frie nds, o ther writers." "Tell me, do es the name J os é Lezama Lima ri ng a bell?" "Virgilio Piñ era?" "Yo ur wif e, Fi na?" "Yes." "Were they there?" "Yes, they w ere there." "Are y o u aware that Lezama Lima and Virgilio Piñ era are homosex uals?" "Yes." "I am aware of my errors." "That are u npardo nable, errors that demand to be se v erely pu nis hed." "B ut I m ust co nf ess that I see bef ore me i n this ro om, the faces of many comrades w ho li k e me, ha v e lost their way, w hose ideology has waiv ered," "w ho ha v e committed similar errors... errors that als o demand to be se v erely pu nis hed." "(cro wd screams)" "I 'm s orry." "I 'm late." "We go t a call abo ut an ho ur ago." "They said they w o uld be at the H o tel Nacio nal and they're lea vi ng today at 4: 00 p." "M." "That's all they said?" "They're frie nds of Lezama Lima." " Rei naldo?" " Yes." "I 'm J orge Camac ho." " This is my wif e, Margarita." " H i." "Ha v e a seat." "We liv e i n Paris." "J orge is i n a s ho w at the Saló n De May o." "H e's a pai nter." "We are big fans of y o ur w ork." "My w ork?" "We bo ug h t y o ur bo o k i n a bo o k store and J orge stay ed up all nig h t readi ng it." "H e said it was the greatest no v el he e v er read abo ut c hild ho od." "Wo uld y o u put the bo o k away, please." "Yes, of co urse." "Of co urse." "Rei naldo!" "Margarita w e nt ahead." "I tho ug h t y o u w ere go ne." "I w e nt to the ho tel..." "I did n't k no w." "B ut, I k ne w y o u w ere here." "This is a frie nd of o urs, w ho w ork s at the Fre nc h Embass y." "If y o u e v er need anythi ng y o u can giv e her a call." "She'll ge t i n to uc h with us." "It's a small prese nt from Margarita and me." "Than k y o u v ery m uc h, J orge." "Yo u ha v e to go." "What do y o ur pai nti ngs lo o k li k e?" "B ecause I did n't as k y o u bef ore." "Yo u'll ha v e to see them i n pers o n." "Sure." "Who k no w s?" "Maybe y o u co uld write s ome thi ng abo ut them s omeday." "H ey Mister, can I ha v e my kite, please?" "Ge t lost." "Yo u almost killed me." "Come o n, giv e him the kite." "Yo u want to giv e him the kite?" "Giv e him the kite?" "F orge t it!" "Come o n, giv e him the kite!" "Oy e!" "Yo u want to giv e him bac k the kite?" "O kay, I 'll giv e him the kite." "What are y o u doi ng, Pepe?" "What are y o u doi ng, Pepe?" "Ge t o ut of here!" "Aléjate de aq uí!" "I Bruto!" "H ere." "Exc use me." "Exc use me." "I was o n the beac h and these bo y s stole my flippers and my clo thes." "Co uld y o u ide ntify them?" "N o, but it's o kay." "Ge t i n the car." "N o, it's o kay." "Ge t i n the car." "Ahí están!" "That's them!" "Come o v er here." "Yo u ha v e s ome thi ng belo ngi ng to this man?" "Lo o k at him." "Giv e me y o ur I D cards." "I was goi ng to re turn this stuff to the police statio n." "That faggo t and his frie nd, tried to to uc h o ur pric k s." "Yeah, w e beat them up and they ran off, s o, w e w ere goi ng to bri ng this to the statio n." "They molested us." " They molested y o u?" " Yeah." " Yo u're s ure?" " Yes." "Yo u're u nder arrest." "Why!" "B ecause I said s o." "Lugando Barnes!" "What are y o u doi ng here?" "I liv e rig h t o v er here." "I need a to w el, t-s hirt, anythi ng y o u ha v e." "Please." "Than k y o u." "I need a place to hide." "I do n't k no w, I ha v e to ge t o ut of here." "Why, w hat did y o u do?" "They said I molested these kids." "Yo u s ho uld see these kids." "They w ere all bigger than me." "Ha v e y o u heard from Tomás?" "I was told that he was i n a w ork camp i n Orie nte and he was killed w hile tryi ng to escape." "I 'v e heard y o u'v e had s ome tro uble with the police." "N o, it was a mistak e, they had me mixed up with s omebody else." "The way I see it, y o u ha v e tw o c hoices:" "Yo u can try to mak e it to the U. S. Na vy Base i n G uantánamo;" "or y o u can try to float y o ur way to Florida." "It's abo ut 90 miles." "Yo u can mak e it i n a f e w day s if the c urre nt is go od." "I ha v e an i n nertube I was sa vi ng." "It's y o urs." "(k no c ki ng o n do or)" "Who is it?" "It's me, Pepe." "I 'm s orry abo ut today." "What do y o u want no w?" "Where are y o u goi ng?" "I do n't k no w." "H u h, w here ha v e y o u bee n?" "I 'm lea vi ng rig h t no w." "H o w?" "H o w?" "I n nertube." "Yo u're crazy, y o u're goi ng to dro w n." "Liste n, do y o u want to help me?" "Yes, I want to help y o u." "The n giv e me all the mo ney y o u ha v e o n y o u." "Yo u can ha v e the gold, clo thes... y o u can sell it e v eryw here." "Please, giv e me all the mo ney y o u ha v e o n y o u." "Yo u ha v e mo ney i n here?" "Giv e me the mo ney." "Giv e me the mo ney!" "Yo u can tak e... y o u can tak e e v erythi ng," "Yo u can stay here if y o u want." "Rei naldo, I ha v e s ome frie nds that can s olv e this problem." "What ki nd of frie nds do y o u ha v e?" "Yo u k no w w hat ki nd of frie nds." "Why ki nd of frie nds do y o u ha v e?" "Do n't go away." " Rei naldo." " I 'm lea vi ng." "I 'm lea vi ng... l-I 'll k eep i n to uc h with y o u, alrig h t?" "B y e." "Rei naldo..." "I ha v e to hide y o u s ome w here, because w e are s urro u nded by police." "...a pho to of y o u j ust i n case y o u f orge t w hat y o u lo o k li k e," "and last, "La I liada."" ""La I líada," J uan, "La I líada."" "H ere are the pills y o u as k ed f or." "What are they?" "I do n't k no w, but they mak e y o u happ y." "Will they kill me?" "I s uppose if y o u to o k e no ug h of them." "H ello." "Can I ha v e tw o croq ue tas, please?" "Tw o?" "Yes, and a dri n k." "Do y o u ha v e a lig h t?" "Yes." "Sure." "Do y o u ha v e a cigare tte?" "What is y o ur name?" "Adriano Fausti no So tolo ngo." "Whe n did y o u ge t that name, Rei naldo?" "Yo u are Rei naldo Are nas, are n't y o u?" "B ue n trabajo." "Officer:" "Mira, e nco ntramos este paq ue te." "Este es Rei naldo Are nas, u n pájaro q ue agarramos ahí e n el parq ue." "Dale!" "Dale!" "Dale, coñ o!" "Dale!" "Ya v as a v er lo q ue es bue no." "Vas a v er lo q ue es bue no ahí ade ntro." "I arriv ed at El Morro no t as a political pris o ner or writer, but with an i nfamo us reputatio n as a rapist, a m urderer, and a C IA age nt." "A s upernatural air of no nc halance and ga v e me an aura of danger and respectability amo ng the real m urderers, real rapists, and commo n crimi nals w ho w o uld kill eac h o ther" "f or the slig h test reas o n." "Skies lit by bolts of lig h tni ng w ere replaced by electric lig h ts that bli n k ed o n and off with reg ularity, killi ng the possibility or c hance that I mig h t dream" "or f orge t w here I was." "I tho ug h t here I co uld go u n no ticed." "B ut pris o ners are those bei ngs that k no w e v erythi ng, especially abo ut o ther pris o ners." "So o n they k ne w, maybe from the g uards, or the warde n himself, or a killer named Torre, that I was a writer." "Say, y o u thi n k y o u co uld write a le tter f or me?" "What?" "N o t f or no thi ng," "I giv e y o u tw o cigare ttes." "Carlo ta... tell her that I miss her s o m uc h." "Yo ur w ords or mi ne?" "I 'm s orry." "My fame as "The Writer" spread all o v er the pris o n." "María..." "From the 17 cells of El Morro, and f or those w ho co uld n't see me directly, pe titio ns came i n the f orm of h u ndreds of balls of s oap," "tied to lo ng stri ngs, that the pris o ners co uld pass o n to my cell." "It was called "The Mail."" "I ne v er wro te s o m uc h." "I acc um ulated a small f ortu ne of cigare ttes that pro vided me with e no ug h paper and pe nclis f or my o w n no v el, w hic h I wro te i n the middle," "of all the screami ng and cryi ng." "C ubans are defi ned by noise, it's their nature." "They need to bo ther o thers." "They can neither e njo y, nor s uff er i n sile nce." "Ev e n the s u n was ratio ned, but o nce a mo nth the gay i nmates turned El Morro i nto a nig h tcl ub." "Leo nardo da Vi nci was homosex ual, s o was Mic helangelo, So crates, Shak espeare, and almost e v ery o ther fig ure that has f ormed w hat w e ha v e come to u nderstand as beauty." "B o n B o n, the hearthrob of El Morro, was no diff ere nt." "She was s o glamoro us, that w he n s he wal k ed by, s he made e v erybody f eel li k e they w ere i n the mo vies." "B o n B o n was als o famo us f or ano ther q uality." "H e was o ne of those transporters, w ho by the grace of co u ntless activity, co uld carry u nfathomable q uantities i n the deepness of his rectum, e v e n if giv e n a thoro ug h ass c hec k." "Exc use me," "I heard that y o u can ge t thi ngs i n and o ut of here." "Co uld y o u carry a pac kage f or me?" "Of co urse, he de nied it." "I do n't k no w w hat y o u're tal ki ng abo ut." "B ut e v ery ass has his price." "It to o k me a tho usand cigare ttes and B o n B o n fiv e trips to sm uggle my no v el to the o ther side of El Morro." "Por fa v or!" " Por fa v or, no me me tan ahí!" " Cami na!" "Por fa v or!" "¿ Por q ué?" "Si no le he hec ho nada a nadie, hombre!" "Por fa v or!" "Abran la puerta!" "Abran la puerta, por Dios!" "N o me e ntre n aq uí!" "Abran la puerta!" "¿ Por q ué me hace n esto?" "Está bie n..." "está bie n." "Por Dios!" "Abran la puerta, por Dios!" "Abran la puerta!" "Espera, por Dios, espera!" "I f elt an i ndescribable sad ness to see my mo ther with that w hite s hirt, demandi ng that I come home and telli ng me that I had no o ther c hoice." "I gathered all the stre ngth I had." "After tw o y ears of pris o n, y o u thi n k my o nly c hoice is to go home with y o u?" "!" "I turned my bac k o n my mo ther and ran away." "I will alway s remember her standi ng there li k e that." "I wanted to go bac k and h ug her." "B ut i nstead," "I ran to wards these gigantic blac k me n playi ng v olleyball." "...también me despertará." "A mí me despertará de este s ueñ o, q ue también es pesadilla, q ue también es pesadilla..." "Vamos, af uera!" "The truth is that there is no possibility of re habilitati ng a faggo t." "H o w many times ha v e w e co nfiscated this... co u nterre v ol utio nary po op?" "Do n't y o u realize... that this can cost y o u y o ur lif e?" "We can mak e y o u disappear, or y o u co uld be free tomorro w." "It's up to y o u." "B ut, if y o u k eep writi ng this, y o u're no t goi ng to ge t v ery far." "I 'm goi ng to giv e y o u fiv e mi n utes to mak e up y o ur mi nd." "It mig h t tak e a q ueer more than fiv e mi n utes to mak e up his mi nd w hile watc hi ng this hands ome lie ute nant stro k e his mag nifice nt organ." "What do y o u say?" "Can I ha v e s ome paper and a pe n?" "All the w ork I 'v e do ne u ntil no w is garbage." "I q uic kly acc used my self of bei ng a villai n, a traitor, a depra v ed co u nter re v ol utio nary, and w hile fixati ng o n his ge nero us projectile," "I than k ed the go v ernme nt f or the large ness, and abo ut the grand ness of Lt. Victor." "I de ny my homosex ual co nditio n." "And I am co n v erted i nto a man ill umi nated by this Re v ol utio n." "G o od." "Very go od." "This is ho w a man be ha v es." "I almost fai nted w he n I f elt his member near my face." "Yo ur fiv e mi n utes is up." "Yo u go t a lo t of publicity, but frie nds, w here are they no w?" "Pepe Malas is y o ur frie nd?" "H e's s omeo ne y o u can trust?" "Why is n't he here with y o u?" "Yo u recog nize this bo o k, Rei naldo?" "That bo o k was the o nly pro of to me that I was aliv e." "N o." "I 'v e ne v er see n it." "This bo o k was publis hed i n France witho ut permissio n of the Writer's U nio n." "Theref ore, y o u m ust ha v e had s omeo ne to sm uggle it o ut." "Yo u did n't go to France did y o u?" "Maybe I s ho uld be disc ussi ng this bo o k with the Writer's U nio n and no t here i n State Sec urity." "Abre la bo ca." "La bo ca..." "La bo ca!" "Así..." "Así, Rei naldo..." "I will close my ey es no w and y o u will be go ne." "Yo u're go ne." "The re v ol utio n will fi nd a way to use y o ur tale nt." "We co uld fit y o u i n s ome w here, s ome speec hes, a le tter to y o ur frie nds, publis her, telli ng them ho w w ell y o u're bei ng treated" "and that's a go od begi n ni ng." "Yo u tho ug h t it was me w ho turned y o u i n." "I tho ug h t it was..." "Pepe." "Can y o u really blame him?" "Yes, I can." "And, I will blame him f or the rest of my lif e." "Lo o k at this." "This bo o k... w o n best f oreig n no v el i n France... and I do n't e v e n ha v e a place to liv e." "What am I goi ng to do?" "What are y o u goi ng to do?" "Yo u're i n I uc k." "I 'm i n I uc k?" "Remember Blanca Romero, the pai nter?" "She liv es i n the H o tel Clarita, next to the co n v e nt of Santa Clara." "H ey, Blanca wanted a wi ndo w." "We tho ug h t it w e nt to the stree t." "We're selli ng this stuff o n the blac k mark e t." "So, this is the s urprise." "Some thi ng else... maki ng a f ortu ne." "We go t a hold of these parac h utes and w e're goi ng to sail them to Miami." "Yo u're kiddi ng, rig h t?" "N o, I 'm no t kiddi ng." "This is my frie nd, Armando" "H e's an expert with the blo wtorc h." "H e can fix anythi ng, e v e n steal electricity from the stree t." "H e's an e ngi neer." "I k ne w him i n jail." "We fig ure that the ballo o n will tak e three passe ngers." "So, w e are goi ng to draw lo ts to see w ho go es." "I 'm defi nitely goi ng." "Blanca's defi nitely goi ng." "Tú no v as a estar hacie ndo die ta ahora." "The rest of us will draw lo ts." "We need s ome help, there's o nly six of us." "I can help." " Who's the g uy?" " Rei naldo." "Someo ne is here." "Someo ne is here." "She's s uc h a bitc h." "She hates me j ust li k e my mo ther." "Why do y o u thi n k y o ur mo ther hates y o u?" "She put me i n an as yl um s o s he did n't ha v e to f eed me." "What?" "She put me i n Mazorra s o s he w o uld n't ha v e to f eed me." "H er o w n s o n." "She's j ust li k e her." "Yo u can sleep here anytime y o u want." "J ust frie nds, o kay, j ust frie nds." "A pillo w, y o u ha v e a blan k e t... and I do n't ha v e anythi ng to off er y o u... but a bo o k... that y o u as k ed me f or a lo ng time ago," "y o u remember that?" "It's y o ur..." "It's y o ur bo o k?" "Yes, it's my bo o k, no w it's y o urs." "Than k s." "Why do y o u write?" "Re v e nge." "Co uld y o u teac h me ho w to write?" "I do n't k no w, Lázaro." "I do n't k no w." "I want to die at the e nd of the day, i n the hig h seas, with my face to wards the s k y w he n it seems li k e ago ny is j ust a dream" "and the s o ul, a bird asce ndi ng i n flig h t." "Who is that?" "Man uel G uitérrez N ájera." "Mexicano." "I mean, y o u're a writer e v e n if y o u do n't write." "Yo u k no w w hat I mean?" "Yeah, I k no w w hat y o u mean." " H ey." " H ola. ¿ Cómo están?" "Yo u k no w w hat I mean?" "ICoñ o!" "Pero mira and if y o u need anythi ng else, j ust le t me k no w." "I can fi nd it f or y o u." "What is this pig doi ng here?" "H e's the o ne w ho go t the propane." "Grab his leg, come o n." "Psst, psst!" "O h, no, no, no." "If y o u le t me o ut of here, it's y o urs." "U ntie the ropes, and I 'll bri ng y o u to Miami with me." "Come!" "Come!" "Despierte n!" "El globo se v a!" "Baja!" "See y o u i n Times Sq uare, faggo ts!" "Lázaro, tak e this, sell it and try to ge t me s ome lemo ns, and tea... and s ome paper, please." "Sure." "That's all y o u need?" "Yes, and w hate v er y o u want." " Ha v e y o u see n Lázaro?" " N o." "H e has n't come home i n tw o w ee k s." "H e's probably i n the Peru vlan Embass y." "Yo u heard abo ut the bus cras hi ng thro ug h the gate?" "Yes, of co urse I 'v e heard abo ut that." "Fidel said that anybody w ho wants to lea v e can." "There's 10,000 people there." "N o w, he's mixi ng the disside nts with the crimi nals, homosex uals, and me ntally ill." "That's a great idea." "All y o u ha v e to do is go to the lo cal police statio n f or y o ur exit permit." "Yo u tell them that y o u ha v e a crimi nal record or that y o u're a homosex ual, or that y o u're me ntally ill." "I do n't belie v e that." "It's a trap." "Maybe." "N ext." "What's y o ur name?" "Rei naldo Are nas." "State y o ur reas o n f or wanti ng to lea v e." "I am homosex ual." "Where do y o u go to pic k up me n." "En la parada del H o tel Plaza, e n "El Prado," e n "La Sortija."" "What positio n do y o u li k e i n bed?" "I li k e it from be hi nd, and o n my k nees." "Wal k!" " Wal k!" "Wal k!" " Wal k." "Report to Abre u F o ntan." "What are they doi ng?" "They go t a list of e v ery o ne they do n't want to le t o ut." "Li k e w ho?" "I do n't k no w." " Do y o u ha v e a pe n?" " N o." " Do y o u ha v e a pe n?" " N o, sir." "Av ance n, a v ance n, a v ance n!" "I do n't care w here I sleep." "J ust promise me y o u w o n't bri ng any of y o ur frie nds here." "I can co o k." "It's no problem." "H o w m uc h is it?" "$350 per mo nth, pl us utilities." "The diff ere nce be tw ee n the comm u nist s y stem, and the capitalist s y stem, is that w he n they giv e y o u a kic k i n the ass" "i n the comm u nist s y stem, y o u ha v e to applaud;" "i n the capitalist s y stem, y o u can scream." " H ello, Mr. Gree nberg." " Than k s." "Happ y holiday." "Than k y o u." "H ere le t me help y o u." "The do orman..." "H ey, le t's go." "I 'v e go t a break." "Yo u're writi ng a no v el!" "Laz." "What happe ned?" " O h, I bro k e a glass." " H ey, y o u're bleedi ng." "Lea v e it alo ne." "Laz!" "Laz!" "I 'm tryi ng to help." "What's the matter, Rey?" "Yo u are li k e a mil k co w that giv es mil k all the time and the n kic k s o v er the buc k e t." "There's the do or, do orman." "Wal k thro ug h it." "Wal k thro ug h it." "I do n't want to see y o u agai n." "I 'm tired of livi ng with a moro n." "Yo u are a moro n, Laz." "Please, lea v e the k ey s o n the table." "The mo o n bathes Death i n a lig h t that mak es him lo o k li k e a w hite star twi n kli ng i n the middle of the bac k yard." "That used to be my bicy cle." "(k no c ki ng o n the do or)" "Rey!" "Ope n the do or!" "Rey!" "Rei naldo." "H ey, Rei naldo." "H o w ya doi ng?" "Come o n, ge t up." "It's time to go." "Where?" "It's time to go home." "C uba?" "N o, I thi n k y o u s ho uld go to y o ur apartme nt first." "Come o n, I 'll giv e y o u a hand." "H ere w e go." "Are these y o ur thi ngs here?" "H o w are y o u f eeli ng?" "Yo u f eeli ng alrig h t?" "I can't belie v e they're se ndi ng y o u home." "Do y o u ha v e any i ns urance?" " Yes, I do." " I do n't." " Do n't f orge t the plant." " I w o n't." "H ello." "Yo u go t e v erythi ng?" "Yes." "Giv e me a glass... and a straw." "Where is the straw?" " What?" " Where is the straw?" "The straw, y eah." "Yo u do it." "Laz..." "I ha v e s ome thi ng to s ho w y o u." "Lo o k." "H ere's "The Do orman."" ""F or Lazaro, his no v el."" "It j ust came o ut." "Yo u can ha v e all the mo ney." "The mo ney?" "It's my bo o k, Rey, y o u to o k it and no w y o u're goi ng to i ns ult me by payi ng me f or it?" "O kay, s orry." "Than k s." " Do n't say no thi ng." " O kay." "Giv e me a glass with a..." "This bag is important, Laz." "Yo u can tak e it." "Yo u're goi ng to need it more than me." "Tak e it." "I want y o u to promise me s ome thi ng, Lázaro." "I do n't want to wak e up i n the hospital." "Promise me." "I promise." "Sure?" "Yeah." "Sure?" "H mmm?" "I 'm s orry." "Yes." "Giv e me the glass, please." "I want y o u to mail these." "This is f or... " "This is f or my mo ther." "This is f or "The N e w York Times,"" "Margarita and J orge Camac ho." ""Miami H erald."" "And, this is f or y o u, but, do n't ope n it." "Mail this to y o urself, and the n y o u ope n i n y o ur ho use." "I ha v e ne v er me t a bo y as authe ntic as y o u, Lázaro." "N e v er." "Read me s ome thi ng." "O h, no t that o ne." "N o t that o ne, w here's the glass?" "N o t that o ne." "Rey." "Rey."