"This isn't make-believe." " It really happened." " Come off it!" "Okay, leave that." "Were going to record." "Recording!" "Hey!" "Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera," "guantanamera, guajira guantanamera." "Oh, my divine country girl, my girl from Guantánamo," "girl from Guantánamo, country girl from Guantánamo." "Get wise, dummy, hey, listen, stupid, don't let what I say freak you out." "It's the truth, brother." "Believe it!" "Yoyita, the former singer who was born in Guantánamo," "Yoyita, the former singer who was born in Guantánamo," "returned to her hometown for an elegant reception in her honour." "Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera," "guantanamera, guajira guantanamera." "She went in search of a dream from her distant past," "she went in search of a dream from her distant past," "which brought turmoil to her weary heart." "Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera..." "Goodness!" "What have they done?" " Isn't that the Lopez's house?" " Yes." " Look at the state of it!" " You can imagine, auntie." " What's become of them?" " They were among the first to go." "Really?" "Of course." " What about your husband?" " Adolfo?" "You know how he loves Havana." "He's at one of his meetings." "Please, friends, please." "We're making this issue more complicated than it really is." "Justifiably so!" "No." "I've got to get back to Camagüey as soon as possible." "This is a clear-cut issue." "If a man dies in Baracoa, he should be buried there." "After all, it's one and the same country." "Look here, Rivero, if I die in Baracoa, no way is anyone going to force me to be buried there." "I'm from Santa Clara, and all my family and friends live there." "Take it easy, friends, cool down." "Exuse me, Benito." "Look here, Rivero, I agree with Paula." "It's not my fault if I die in Baracoa." " I might just be visiting friends." " Who asked you, anyway?" "Friends, don't all speak at once!" "Go ahead, Adolfo..." "What if... we share the body out among all of us?" "Be more specific." "If each provincial company assumes responsibility for its own territory, if we each agree to transport the body across our province, then we all have less to do." "In which case no one will exceed the petrol allowance granted to each undertaker." "Look, Justo, if we carry out a careful, on-the-spot study, adhering to the proper procedures, the plan has to work." " I totally reject such a wild idea." " Me too." "It's okay for you, because you're from Guantánamo and there are no other towns in this direction." "But I'm from Santa Clara, smack in the middle of the island." "Every corpse on the island will be stopping off there." "I'm no stepping stone, Adolfo!" "Friends, it's no good just considering our own problems." "We're losing the overall view of the matter." "We have to think patriotically." "This isn't a local tavern." "They may have given Adolfo the boot but he still seems to be well-connected." "What's the alternative, auntie?" "You have to survive somehow." "Are you still unoccupied, Gina?" "You've not gone back to teaching?" "Back to teaching?" "With all the trouble I had at the University?" "Here theory and practice are two different things." "I'm not going through all that again." "Yes, but there are otherjobs." "You can't stay shut up in the house." "What happened about that radio programme you mentioned?" "A youth guidance programme on the radio?" "Now?" "You've no idea what a problem that would be." "Auntie, you're not going to smoke?" "After the lunch we've just had!" "Do you want one?" "No, besides Adolfo doesn't like me smoking." "But Adolfo is in Havana, my dear!" "What became of...?" "He always asks after you." "Do you still think about him?" "We'll probably bump into him." "I don't know why you're so worked up." "It's been fifty years, Gina, fifty years." "A lot of things have changed." "I don't want him to see me like this." " Like what, Auntie?" " Come off it, Gina." "Like this." "I was seventeen when he last saw me." "He's no eighteen-year-old now, either." "Georgina" "Travieso!" "Reglita Campoamor!" "Hello, Gina." "Small world, isn't it?" "Guantánamo is, you mean." "You haven't changed a bit." "Come on in, both of you." "What's new in Havana?" "Come in." "Tell me about yourself." "Did you ever get married?" "So long ago I hardly remember." "My roots are in this town." "Why, I've never even been to Santiago de Cuba." "You're joking!" " Have you any children?" " Two." "A girl and a boy." " I'd love to meet them." " Pop round and visit." "It suits you to a T. I'm going to buy you it." "No, Auntie." "I never go out anywhere." "Besides, Adolfo doesn't like such low necklines." "CULTURE IS IMMORTAL." "Citizens of Guantámano!" "For fifty years, during which her art has been acclaimed in theatres the world over," "Georgina Travieso was not just Georgina Travieso." "For many she was" "Cecilia Valdés, or Madame Butterfly," "or María la O or Luisa Fernanda..." "Look how young you were up on the bandstand!" "A mere stripling." "I feel like a naughty girl." "Gina must be looking for me all over." "And that gossip Regla will have a field day tomorrow." "What about this young girl?" "I'm sure I've seen her recently." "I can't imagine who it could be." "I must be going a bit soft in the head." "I don't think you were ever quite right in the head." "How young we were then!" "Do you know I still have your blue ribbon?" "My blue ribbon?" "You've forgotten!" "Don't you remember, when you left, you promised me you'd return and you gave me your blue hair ribbon as a token?" "Now I remember." "You came to see me off." "It was raining buckets..." "No, Cándido, it wasn't raining." "I remember it was a gorgeous day." "Yes it was raining." "I've never since seen a sun as beautiful as that morning." "It was so cloudy" "I couldn't tell when night fell." "Nightfall?" "But it was midday, Cándido." "It was night, I tell you, night." "How could it be night when the train left at 1 p.m.?" "Here it is!" "I'm like the white swan which dies singing." "How young we were then!" "When I get sentimental, do you know what I do?" "I close my eyes and imagine things." "We're by a river bank," "I'm twenty, and you're sixteen." "You look handsome in your blue suit." "Now you're getting the hem of your dress wet in the river." " Oh, the water's cold!" " You're about to fall and I..." "What are you doing?" "Mother will see us!" "I love you." "I've loved you these fifty years." "Don't open your eyes." "Imagine that not a single day has gone by." "I want us to be together until the end." "When I saw you again," "I almost ran away." "I don't know, I was scared." "And I felt pain, here, in my jaw." "But now everything is going to be different." "We'll never part again." "Isn't that so?" "Yoyita!" "... that dies singing  dies singing... dies singing..." "Adolfo!" "What?" "Yes, this has to run like clockwork... what's up?" "Listen, your wife's calling." "My wife?" "She says it's urgent." "Excuse me." "Hello, Gina." "What's wrong?" "What?" "That's impossible." "Can nothing be done?" "Yes, darling." "I'll leave for the airport right now." "Listen, leave everything to me." "Don't you do anything, do you hear?" "Yes, listen, speak to Felo, to Felo." "Tell him to get busy with the formalities." "But don't you do anything." "You take it easy, my love." "Do you hear?" "Yes..." "Aunt Yoyita!" "Power cuts here as well?" "The route is quite clear, Tony." "We bypass Santiago, go straight to Bayamo, and then on to Las Tunas." "I'll tell you the other stops on the way." "Guantánamo, Bayamo, Las Tunas." "Okay." "We'll follow the hearse in your "Volga"." "The corpse ahead and the uproar behind." "Okay." "Adolfo, Cándido wants to ask you a favour." "Go ahead, Cándido." "Listen, Adolfo, I've got no one left in the world..." "He wondered if he could accompany Aunt Yoyita to Havana with us." "Of course, Cándido." "You're like one of the family." "I'd already allowed for such a contingency and requested a permit for four people." "One moment..." "Let's get this ready." "It's all right, it's all right like that." "Right, Adolfo..." "Make sure you call Tirso." "Give him the exact departure time." "SOCIALISM OR DEATH." "Cándido is upset because he has lost his beloved." "The woman he longed for has been taken from him for the second time." "The funeral committee leaves behind, the East" "and rolls westward to accomplish its mission." "Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera," "guantanamera, guajira guantanamera..." "Puchi, are you romantic?" "You bet your balls!" "Come on, baby, off you go, I'm in a hurry." "You're acting strange." "You've been acting very strange with me just lately." "What's up?" "Nothing." "I've got to go." "Why?" "You promised you'd take me to Havana this time." "It's just that this trip came up unexpectedly." "You already told me that one." "I'm too old for stories." "I've bet all my aces on you." "Look at the time!" "I can't go back home now." " Well, Marilis, that's how it is." " What do I get out of it?" "Nothing!" "You've used me and now you've got to take me to Havana." "Mariano," "I'm pregnant." "And my husband won't have a baby that's not his." "Is that clear?" "He won't stand for it." "Shit, Marilis!" "Listen, don't get all worked up." "Calm down!" "Bloody well calm down." "It's you that's got me into trouble." "Wait, we're going to talk things through." " I promised to take you to Havana." " Yes." "Okay, calm down." "I'll take you." "We'll sort things out somehow." " Really?" " Yes." " Really?" " Yes." "Wait for me here then." "I'll get my things and be back in a flash." "And we'll set off for Havana." "That looks good!" "Ramón!" "Listen, Ramón!" "Lets go." " Get your stuff, we're off." " Why?" "Look at the time." "Come on, mate." " I'm in real trouble." " What sort of trouble?" " Have you run somebody over?" " No!" "I'll explain on the way." "It's over Marilis." "All his problems are over women." " Oh no!" "Leave me out of it." " That Marilis has gone crazy." " I don't believe it..." " Come on, I'll explain on the way." "Come here." "Lets load this rice." "O for the day when I don't have to run off..." "Tell her I'm not here." " Marilis, what a coincidence!" " What a coincidence!" "We were just talking about you." " Just now." " What kind of coincidence?" "Where's Mariano?" "He'll be back shortly." "He went to cut a bunch of bananas to take to Havana." "He'd do better to cut some flowers for his funeral because when I catch him, I'll murder him." "No man" " stands me up." " Mariano was just saying" " we should pick you up." " Stop protecting him." "You men are all the same." " Leave Ramón out of it!" " He's another prime example." "You're the slut!" "You've been laid by all the men in La Maya." "Sour grapes, because you're fat and undesirable." "I'm going in." "Over my dead body!" "I won't have whores in my house." "How much?" "The garlic?" "A buck or sixty pesos." "A buck, boss." "Interested?" "Music Man?" "A buck or sixty pesos." "That's half my wage." " How many have you got?" " Six." "Give me all six." "Here." "They'll cry out for this in Havana." "Make a bit of room." "Hey!" "Have you got any food?" "Food?" "Only cigarettes and tobacco." "The 1,650 acres of beans planted in the state co-operative and rural sectors represent a new record figure..." "You undertakers shouldn't overdo things." "There aren't enough coffins." "... reached 28, smashing the previous record of 528 acres in the winter harvest." "So a new record has been set in local agriculture." "This is going to be a real success." "Now I'll make a name for myself." "... decisive result in the national development plan..." "Hey, listen, mate." "You're an expert in this witchcraft stuff." "Can't you magic away my problem with women?" "You can't solve that with spells, Mariano." "It's simpler than that." "But I'm sick of teaching a reluctant learner." "The fancy women that you always go for think they have rights, and so make demands:" "You can't have other women, you have to marry her, and take her to Havana." "We don't need that hassle, mate." "Just imagine if we had those problems in every town we visited." "Take me, I've no problems with my old lady." "But not you." "You have to go for the classy ones." "And to boot, you always have one up your sleeve." "Make your mind up." "Marry one, take her to Havana," "be a good husband, do right by her, she's the one who should be first class." "But on the road, a bit on the side never did any harm." "On the road, well, on the road anything goes, plump or skinny." "I've got my old lady in Havana and I keep her warm and happy." "She's the one who'll look after me when I'm old." "That's life, Mariano." "Look what happened to old Manuel." "When he got a bit past it, all those women he had in tow couldn't be seen for dust." "Only someone who really loves you puts up with you when you're old." "No one went to his wake." "They sent his body to the medical school for dissection." "That's the worst thing:" "Knowing you're going to die alone, with nobody at your side to close your eyes." "Come on, stop dramatizing!" "Do me a favour." "I'm stuck here with the family." "Can you give us a lift?" " Where are you going?" " To Las Tunas." " Three hundred pesos?" " Whatever you say, friend." "I just want to get out of here." "Up you go, be quick!" "When I'm loaded up, this is risky." "Let's hurry!" "Get a move on there!" "Miss..." " Can you let us jump the queue?" " Sorry, I can't." "Look, we've got a corpse to take to Havana." "Yes, love, I appreciate your problem, but all we've got here is tamarind juice." " Fine, I'll take five." " I'm sorry, love, but until the ice arrives, I can't start selling." "Order two coffees, I'm going to the toilet." "Two coffees, pal." "I could do with a little water." "The manager, please." "Thanks." "Sorry!" "Professor!" "Mariano." " Are you working here?" " No." "Well, yes." "That's where I work." " Didn't you finish University?" " Yes, I did." "I became an engineer." "Well?" "You can imagine." " Coffee?" " No, thanks." "It's not too hard." "I even earn more." "Good." " Are you just out for a drive?" " No." "No." "We're taking my aunt, to Havana to be buried." "I'm sorry." "You gave up teaching." "No, it's just that we went back to Guantánamo." "But this is a government emergency." "Look, here's the service order." "I'm sorry, young man, but we only take dollars here." "Perhaps further on they can help you." " Come on." " Right." "I behaved like a kid." "The last time I saw her," "I slipped a note inside her book, and then I never saw her again." "I never went back to the University." "That must have been... three years ago." "She remembered my name." "Sounds like one of those TV soap operas." "Don't take offence, mate, but it's true." "I was mad about that woman." "She was your teacher, then?" " What subject?" " Economics." "So she knows how to get out of this mess, right?" "Socialist political economics was what she taught me." "But don't get the idea she was dogmatic." "Quite the opposite." "Her classes were..." "Besides, what she said made you think." "She got into real trouble for it." "Because there was another teacher there who really was obsessive." "She taught scientific communism." " What?" " Just imagine." "Explain." "Well, she talked about what paradise would be like." "The land of plenty." "Good grief!" "Now I believe they call it scientific socialism." "Any day now they'll be calling it scientific capitalism." "That's a good one!" "How far are you going, pal?" "Bayamo and then Las Tunas." "I have to pick up some goods." "All aboard for Las Tunas!" " Look, nice and ripe." " How much?" " Only fifty per kilo." " I'll take a bunch." "No, the price is in dollars." "Fifty bucks a kilo, boss." "Give me some." "There you are." "Thanks." "Have one, Georgina." " Music Man." " Thanks." "Thanks." "Your change, friend." "Thank you very much." "Here, Adolfo." "Tony!" "Tony!" "Would you mind very much turning off the radio?" " Okay, Music Man, sorry." " Just a minute, Tony." "I only asked if he'd mind turning the music off." "I don't think it's the best moment for celebrating." "Well, I'll be...!" "Give 'em an inch and they take a mile." "Adolfo, please!" "Okay, Cándido, okay." "I only had the radio on to hear the weather forecast." "I'm upset about Aunt Yoyita, too." "But if everybody starts doing what they feel like, where will it all end?" "Okay, no problem." "Turn it off." "During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries," "Bayamo was the most important smuggling centre on the island." "In this way they made a mockery of restrictions and the rigid trade monopoly of the Spanish Crown, which stifled economic growth." "Illegal trade with the English, French and..." "Illegal trade with the English, French and Dutch was practised by all the locals, including the administrative, military and religious authorities." "Their dealings with the Protestants, branded as heretics, not only influenced economic growth, but also affected cultural and political life." "Through this channel, the doors were opened for books banned by the Inquisition and the liberal and progressive ideas of the time." "It was no coincidence that Bayamo was the first city to rise in arms against the colonial domination which was stifling the development of the country." "Close it up." " The toilet?" " At the back on the right." "I'm going to have some coffee made." "There's no snack today." "Adolfo, I've been thinking." "This system costs the same." "The mileage is the same." "But the use of resources is economically fairer, and in accord with the national planning system." "Adolfo, I'm an economist." "Don't you realize, then, that invoicing the critical route guarantees company management at all levels?" "Moreover, it makes for a better distribution of the social product, not to mention more efficient statistical records." "You may be an expert economist, but administration has you beat." "What about the sufferers?" "The dead don't suffer." "And as for the living..." "Okay." "You know best." "Look, Gina." "You know what this could mean for me." "For us." "You know how important appearances are in this country." "Statistics..." "Give me a break for once!" "Cándido..." "Cándido, please, don't take any notice of Adolfo." "He's under a lot of strain." "This relay system was his idea, and he thinks that, if it works, he might win back their confidence." "You know that someone who got as far as he did only to be assigned the job of undertaker..." "It's not easy." " Shall we have a drop of coffee?" " No." "I'll bring you one anyway." "Cándido, your coffee." "Do you not feel well, Cándido?" "Let's go outside." "I'll take your coffee." "Let's go out for some fresh air." "Hey, hey!" "Be careful!" "Watch out!" "Idiot!" "Hey!" "What's the matter?" " What's wrong?" " My wife's in labour." " Bloody hell!" " Oh, blessed St. Barbara!" " Speak to my boss." " Not in there, woman!" "Not in that car, in this one." "Can you take us to Bayamo?" "But we're on our way to Las Tunas." "We've just come from Bayamo." "She can't wait." "Bayamo isn't far." "But this is a funeral, a funeral...!" "And they're having a baby." "A birth!" "Blessed" "St. Barbara." "Help!" "Hey, Adolfo, it's not the car's fault." "It's okay, calm down." "Adolfo, we're taking her!" "Hang on, baby!" "Get into the hearse and wait for us in Las Tunas." "Come on!" "I've got to take this woman." "Come on!" "Take it easy." "Hang on, baby, hang on!" "You're crazy!" " I didn't need a lift to Havana." " Listen, let me explain." "Because I've found someone forty times the man you are." "Do you hear?" "I don't need you!" "Bastard!" "Do you hear?" " I don't need you!" " Shit!" " Fucking hell!" " Hey, cut it out!" "That'll teach you to have more respect." "To the hospital!" "Let's see." "That needs stitching." "It looks really bad." "Yes, to Bayamo." "I'll unhook the trailer and go back to Bayamo." "I'll be back in an hour." " No..." " I'll be back in an hour!" "If you don't like the idea, walk!" "Press to stop the bleeding." "S.O.S. Can you hear me?" "Over." "Patrol here." "Identify yourself." "Over." "We have an emergency." "A woman in labour." "This is special service car N°13 from the base in Guantánamo." "From the American naval base in Guantánamo?" "Over." "No, from the city of Guantánamo..." "From the special service taxi base N°13." "Listen, we're on the Las Tunas-Bayamo road, heading for Bayamo." "Over." "I read you." "Take it easy." "Take it easy!" "You're bloody joking!" "State exact position." "Over." "Well, she's in the back seat." "Where?" "Repeat, please." "Six miles from Bayamo, on the highway." "Over." "Don't lose your patience, miss." "Yamilé, she's called Yamilé." "The daughter of Tomás the islander." "We'll send an escort." "Be patient." "Over." " Pant!" " Pant, pant!" "Careful with the baby!" "Hey, doc!" "She looks just like me." "She's just like me, driver." "Thanks, mate." "Hey, Mariano, let's go, okay?" "Pardon me for saying so, but it's a relief to be free of your husband." "I'm as honest as I am ugly, and now that we're alone, as the saying goes," "I've a proposition to make." "Up ahead, I've got a friend who runs a "paladar", a clandestine inn." "It's a clean, decent place, and for one peso we can eat a great amarillo with pork." "I've got a few bucks on me, so three can eat as well as one." "Thanks, Tony, but I've got some dollars too." "The problem is, if we're late back," "Adólfo will hit the roof." "If he can wait for important things, he can wait for this." "Adolfo needn't find out." "Besides, he's half an hour ahead of schedule." "He said." "So himself." "Believe me," "Adolfo is capable of taking us to Havana on just two bananas." "Come on, Cándido." "In you go." "Paco!" "Paco!" " What brings you here, brother?" " Customers." "We need a pork amarillo on the double." "On the double!" "Okay." "Raulito!" "Put a cloth on this table." "Come in." "Get my seat ready." "Here you are." " How much?" " 25." "Genuine article." "Twenty... and a few bananas." "You're like Yoyita." "In name only." "We're both called Georgina." "There's something else, I don't know but..." "You really loved her, didn't you?" "She had such a desire to live!" "She?" "Or you?" "Hey, be careful!" "Go gently!" " Handle it with care!" " It slipped, boss." "Can't you do this some other time?" "Don't worry." "This is straighforward." "We'll have the changeover done in ten minutes." "Everything was going fine, but now my plan's gone to pot." "Listen," "Justo rang and I told him you'd left for Camagüey." "Hey, don't get worked up." "You've had problems with your blood pressure already." "Come on, let's have a coffee." "If it hadn't been for that bloody baby...!" "Excuse me, I'll wait for you outside." " You've hardly touched your food." " Neither have you." "We old people get by on little." "Loneliness is the worst sort of hunger." "Oh, Cándido, you're not alone." "People are really fond of you." "Besides, you've got your memories of Aunt Yoyita." "You know, all my life I've been waiting for a miracle." "I thought that some day I'd get to play in the Symphony Orchestra." "Maybe I was afraid to look fate in the eye." "Who knows?" "Yoyita became famous, but me..." "Stuck in Gantánamo, with my saxhorn!" "Oh, Cándido!" "Damn it!" "Fifty years putting off a trip to Havana!" "My life kept getting smaller and smaller my friends started dying, or left the country." "It's always other people who die." "You never think about death until one fine day, there it is, right under your nose." "Are you people coming to eat?" " No, we brought our own food." " Okay, I'll only be ten minutes." " How's things?" " Hey, how's things?" " How's business?" " Quiet." " We'll liven it up for you." " Come on in." "What happened to you?" "Professor!" "Mariano!" "Cándido, look, it's Mariano." " Don't get up." "How do you do." " How do you do." " Sit down." " Thanks." "I'm not a professor now, just Gina." "The food's good here, isn't it?" " Yes." " Yes." " Do you feel ill?" " No, no..." "If you'll excuse me..." "I'm just going to the toilet." "What a coincidence!" "Meeting three times in the same day after so long without seeing each other!" "Yes, it's odd." "Why were you at the hospital?" "Nothing..." " Mi colleague had an accident." " Really?" "Yes, we ran into a... a cow in the road." "But it was nothing serious." "He just bumped his forehead." " Why were you there?" " Another accident." "But different." "I was with a girl who gave birth to a lovely daughter." "But, weren't you going to a funeral?" "Well, there you are..." "Some depart and others arrive." "That's life, right?" "Gina, do you still teach?" "Don't be so formal." "Do you still teach?" "No." "I got tired of hitting my head against a brick wall." "Shame!" "But still, you're an intelligent woman with millions of opportunities." "Thanks." "It's not the end of the world, is it?" "And in the end, I reckon the brick wall yields." " Do you think so?" " Yes." "You..." "You know that better than anyone." "Do you remember?" "Everything changes, everything evolves." "Dialectics!" "I'm so glad I bumped into you." "It was me who bumped into you." "I shouldn't have written that note." "But I had to tell you somehow." "Mariano, please." "Yes, forgive me, but..." "So you became an engineer!" "Tell me all about it." "Gina..." "I'd write you the same note." "I must leave." "It was a beautiful letter." "God, I...!" "Careful there, gently does it!" "Goodness!" "You've got the best car in the country." "We should be on the road by now." "Where the devil are those people?" "Calm down!" "You're not going to put out a fire!" "THE TIME HAS COME TO PRESERVE OUR DREAMS." "About bloody time!" "Where have you been?" " Come in and have something to eat." " No, thank you." "Here." " What's this?" " A snack I bought you in a café." "Come on, let's get going!" "Gina, come on!" "When a flower wilts and dies, another springs up in its place." "And if a love is lost," "Life takes on another love." "Mariano remembers Gina," "Gina remembers Mariano." "It needn't be a barren memory the one which springs up between them." "One, two." "One, two." "One, two." "The deceased's sister and niece have been calling from Havana." "They're concerned about the delay." "What do they expect?" "We've stuck to the original plan exactly." " We're in Camagüey as scheduled." " Now comes the difficult bit." "Camagüey to Santa Clara." "With a brief stop in Sancti Spíritus." "Remember!" "That bitch Paula's there!" "There are people in the cafeteria pretending to be bereaved." "Can't you sort it out?" "Are you all asleep?" "One moment, your ticket." " Haven't you got a ticket?" " Just a minute." "There's a sign here that clearly says this café is only for mourners." " I'm a mourner." " So am I." "Is that so?" "Well, I'm not having it." "Listen, here the snacks and the coffee are ordered in advance." "And its all paid for by the close relatives." "Excuse me, what's the problem, sir?" "My uncle died last week but nobody gave me a free snack!" " We all have the same rights here." " Yes, no more privileges!" "Anyone would think this was...!" "Comrades, comrades!" "I've been waiting ages and they've not given me anything." "I have a ticket and I'm entitled." "I know my rights." "Everybody out!" "You too." "You too." "I want everybody out!" "Now!" "The cafeteria's closed." "That's the way to do it!" "Dead dogs don't bite." "I've got used to it." "It's the best way." "You suffer less." "You have your whole life ahead of you." "Ah, Cándido!" "I think I missed my chance without even noticing." "Are you sure?" "I don't know." "How do you recognize it?" "It all happens so fast." "You feel it." "It's something special, like... having and itchy jaw." "Has yourjaw never itched?" "Cándido, I'm a married woman!" "You're blind, that's what you are." "Ramón, how are you?" "Oh, darling, I've been waiting." "Oh, my sweet, I love you." "What took you so long?" "Hey, honey, listen." " I can't stay." "I'm pushed for time." " Yes, come one down." "Hey, give me that." "I can't!" "Give me that back." "Listen, the lorry broke down and I really haven't got time!" "Let's go to the house and I'll do something that you'll just love." " Come on!" " Come here, love." "I'm not joking." "Hey, listen." "I've been thinking, it's about time I took life seriously." "I'm so glad, honey." "I've been thinking the same" "We should live together and be happy." "Let's go to the house, I want to do things to you." "Come on, baby..." " What's up?" " Let's go to the house." "Ramón, we'll be right back." "Be good." "Hey, honey, what's your hurry?" "Hey, what's going on?" "Where's the linesman?" " Honey, get dressed, we've no time." " After this, you'll never forget me." "I love you." " Come to me." " We haven't time." "I love you, come..." " I've got to go!" " I'll say things I've never said." "Linesman!" "Listen!" "They're calling you." " Me?" " Yes, you." "What's the matter?" "What!" "Raise this barrier right now." "There isn't a train in sight." "Wait there, I'm coming!" "Why all the hurry?" "Get this jalopy rolling." "Come on, men, let's go." "Oh, my love, these people never leave you in peace." "God!" "The train!" "Hilda!" "Hilda!" "Hilda!" "Hey, move that." "Are you mad?" "Mad about you, my love." "I'm not moving until you give me a kiss." "Besides, look!" "Look what I've got you!" "Mammee apple!" "I'm coming!" "I'm coming!" "Hail Mary, God Almighty!" "Why won't they let me finish with you?" "Don't budge, baby." "I'm going to do something to you that you'll love." " Hey, what's that all about?" " Oh, it's..." "It's nothing." "Don't get jealous." "I'm all yours, you know that." "I'm crazy about you." "Open up, open up!" "Adolfo!" "Now what's wrong?" "The fan belt's broken." " You've got a spare, haven't you?" " I haven't got anything." " Why the bloody hell not?" " What about you?" "Have you got a spare liver, eh?" "You're going to need it!" "We must do something." " That's more like it!" " Now!" "I want clockwork precision." "We're 15 miles from Camagüey, 90 miles from Sancti Spíritus." "You, go with me." "You, in the Volga." "I must sort this out with Rivero." "You, watch the car." "Hey!" " What's the problem, mate?" " The fan belt's gone." "Why didn't you say?" "I've got a spare one." "I always carry one in the back of the lorry." "Let's see what size it is." " I'll go and fetch one." " Good man!" "What are you doing?" "No, no!" "Heaven forbid!" "Me, charge you?" "Take advantage of this situation?" "You can have it." "Put that away." "Thanks, son." "Let me pass!" "Let me pass!" "I'm leaving." "I've got to get back to work." "That's just about got it." "You can start it now." "Me?" "Gina!" "Mariano!" "You asshole!" " What are you doing with her?" " Listen, calm down, calm down!" "What's up?" " I'll kill you!" " Calm down, there's been a mix-up." "We're going, Cándido." "Get in." " Where to?" "Get in where?" " In the car!" "Get in the car!" " This one?" " Yes!" " What's the matter, Gina?" " Nothing." "Nothing's the matter." "You really dropped me in it with that jalopy." "Listen, Adolfo, while you've got that car, I have to bury my dead with a horse drawn carriage." "What planet are you living on?" "You're responsible for this disaster, and you have to find a solution!" "I haven't got a fan belt for that car!" " Get it into your thick head!" " Look for one, then!" " Look where?" " Take one from another car." "This is sabotage!" "And the consequences could be serious!" "Listen a minute, Adolfo." "Let's find a solution." "You know I'm no amateur in this." "I've got a clean record..." "What happened?" "Nothing, he found a fan belt and..." "Come on, Cándido." "Get in there." "We'll use the hearse and have it sent back to Rivero later." "Come on, let's not waste any more time." " What's up?" " The usual." "A corpse." " It has to be buried in Cárdenas." " So what?" "I've no more hearses!" "We're in a state of necrological alert here!" "But if they say he lived here, why don't they bury him here?" "Old man Orlando stated in his will that if he died in Cárdenas, he was to be buried in Sancti Spíritus, and if he died in Sancti Spíritus, he was to be buried in Cárdenas." "What for?" "Just to fuck someone up." "And you're that someone." "Do you know what this means?" "We'll have to dovetail the services." "But I've got to get to Havana!" "And old Orlando to Cárdenas." "The law is the same for everyone." "But this is something unexpected." "Death is always unexpected." "You should know that, from yourjob." " Where's the office, please?" " Up there." "Thank you." "Adolfo, what did the old lady die of?" "Being a whore." "At her age she starts having it off" " with a ridiculous old man..." " I won't stand for that!" "Listen, I didn't..." "Have some respect for the dead!" "Have a good trip." "That was quite ajob!" "Okay, Susi, remember about next week." "Okay, big boy." "Next week they're bringing me the black beans and turkeys I ordered." "Take care, and don't get lost, okay?" " Why should I want to do that?" " I love you." "You're such a sweetie." "Look after the pig, okay?" " And look after yourself." " Yes." "Let's go." "What's up now, Ramón?" "Get out." " What?" " I said get out." "What for?" "Because we need to fill up with petrol, Mariano, and who's in the next petrol station?" "Wina!" "Your women are too aggressive." "I don't want any part of it." "No, man." "Wina's no problem." "I'm the one who's in a mess!" "Why?" "No reason." "Let's get going." "Hey, come on, brother." "I told you, there won't be any hassle." "Oh, Mariano, shit..." "Mariano!" "What?" "I have to talk to you about..." "What's up, Mariano?" "No, nothing." "Well, yes..." "I like you a lot." " Well..." " Mariano," "I got married two weeks ago." "You're kidding!" "Fuck me!" "That's great...!" "Don't pretend, Mariano." "You came to ditch me." "Me?" "Yes, you." "How's things?" "Fine." "Let's have a coffee." "Ramón!" "Come and have a coffee." "Come and have a coffee." "No, it's okay, thanks." "Come on, there's no problem." "Come on!" "Wina!" "Have you got a pen?" "What's up now, Mariano?" "Hey, wait there, brother." "Hey!" "I'm sorry, but I'm going on alone." "I'm so ashamed." "It was all so unpleasant." "Why?" "It has nothing to do with you." " You don't belong with that animal." " Don't be like that." "Pay no attention to him." "Don't you realize that he's insensitive?" "It's because he is insensitive that you don't belong with him." "I'm the one who feels sad really sad, when I see how you're throwing your life away on that man." " It's not fair!" " Oh, Cándido." "There are times in life when you have to make decisions." "I've made mine." "Oh, look." "It's the deceased's granddaughter." "Thanks to them I'll get to Cárdenas." " Thank you." " Not at all." "Pleased to meet you." "Take care." "Great care." " Bye." " See you soon." " Gina." " Yes?" "I don't like to interfere, but I was just passing..." "What's up?" "Talking again?" "Come on." "We've wasted enough time." "Gina." "Come on." "Well, we'll be seeing you." "Make sure you tell Paula." "You should never tread on your neighbour's feelings," "because the wind will blow away that sort of behaviour." "What has your life been, Adolfo?" "Without principles, without decency, with no respect for love, it's a lost battle." "Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera," "guantanamera," " The body for Cardenas is yours." " No." "I said this was madness from the start, and no one listened." "Now the facts have proved me right." "In no time at all, three funerals have passed through here, one for Cienfuegos, another for Aguada de Pasajeros, and the third for Sancti Spíritus." "The corpse bound for Cárdenas is all yours!" "I pioneered this operation, and I do the calculations." "My funeral gets priority." "Well, whether you like it or not," "I can't separate the funerals because I've only got one hearse left." "This isn't over yet!" "I'm taking it up with the pertinent authorities." "Take it to the top, if you like." "I'm as happy with a funeral as a homage." "You say he'd never had a sick day in his life?" "The poor thing was full of life." "He liked walking, horse riding, climbing hills..." "He didn't want to die and... just look..." " How are you?" " So, so..." "The day of his 107th birthday, the photographer asked him to step back from the camera, to get a better photo." "A bit further back, a bit further..." "But he didn't know he was on the edge of a precipice." "It's my first visit to Santa Clara." " I've never visited anywhere." " Oh, Cándido!" "Look!" "Just like Yoyita's dress." "Remember?" "Yes, we bought it together." "Yes." "Well, it would look lovely on you." " Hi, Tony." " Hello." "Do you sell soft drinks?" "We've only got tea and rum." " Would you like a tea, Cándido?" " Okay..." "Two teas." "Just a minute, I'll be right back." "Listen, friend, you can't fit two coffins in this hearse without damaging them." "We'll have to wait for the hearse from Camagüey." "How long will that take?" "An hour, an hour and a half." "No way." "We're in a real hurry." "Let's try a little harder, push a bit harder." "A bit more... push, push!" "It's coming!" "That's got it!" "There!" "Gina!" "You look like a whore with your hair loose." "I don't trust that old man." "You're to stop talking to him." "And you can change that dress right now!" "Listen when I'm talking!" "Keep out of it, old man." "Who do you think you are?" "Stop!" " Let her go, dammit!" " What the...!" "Come on, mate." "I told you, I'm tired of telling you..." "You enjoy looking for trouble." "In the beginning" "Olofin made man and woman and gave them life." "Olofin made life, but he forgot to make death." "The years passed and the men and women got older and older, but they did not die." "The Earth filled up with people who were thousands of years old, and who still ruled according to their ancient laws." "The young people clamoured such that one day their cries reached the ears of Olofin." "Olofin saw that the world was not as good as he had planned." "He felt that he also was too old and tired" "to begin again what had turned out so badly." "So Olofin called lkú to take care of the matter." "And lkú saw that it was time to put an end to the era" "in which people did not die." "So lkú caused it to rain upon the earth for 30 days and 30 nights without end," "and all was covered with water." "Only the children and the young were able to climb the giant trees" "and climb the highest mountains." "The whole Earth became a huge river with no banks." "The young people then saw that the Earth was cleaner and more beautiful," "and ran to give thanks to lkú for putting and end" "to immortality." "They told me the one on the right." " That one has to go to Havana." " No, this is the right one." "The one on the right is this one, old man." "We're not going to spend all day here arguing." "One has a blue ribbon attached." "It's the other one." "This one?" "Exactly." "Excuse me, miss." "When's the next bus to Havana?" "Ticket sales are suspended until tomorrow." "Thank you." "Hello, Adolfo." "How was the journey?" "Look, this is the car." "This is your driver." "I'll send you some men right away to help with the changeover." "I've a terrible headache." "Do you have an aspirin?" "Certainly, madam." "Follow me to the office." "Come on, Adolfo." "I know how uncomfortable these journeys can be." "Brother, I need a favour." "I've come from the East and I've got the boot full of stuff." "I tell you, madam, they'll have to give your husband a medal when he gets to Havana." "Gina!" "Forgive me, I didn't know what I was doing." "Don't be like this, not now when I need you most." "There are 60 miles left to Havana." "Change that dress." "Back in Guantánamo, everything will be just as it was." "Nothing will be the same now." "I know you too well." "And I'm tired of not thinking." "If I'm wrong, I'm wrong." "Everyone makes mistakes." "That radio show José Luis keeps offering me, I'm going to accept." "A radio programme?" "On youth guidance?" "You weren't even capable of bringing up your own bloody daughter." "I'm fed up of your blaming me for Niurka's going to Miami!" "Who was it who let her hang around with those hairy pseudo-intellectuals and listen to their songs?" "Who let her read magazines about "perestroika" and all that shit?" "Oh, Adolfo!" "Remember the things she came out with?" "For the first time I had to raise my hand to her." "My own daughter!" "Of course she bloody left, after you poisoned her mind!" "Niurka didn't leave because of her friends, or the songs, or what she read." "She left because she had to do all those things in secret." " And she was fed up of that!" " No!" "Wait!" "I let you have your say, now it's my turn." "Yes, you're right." "Who am I to to give guidance to anyone?" "If I take on that programme, as I want to, it's not to tell anyone what to think." "Far be it from me to give anyone instructions!" "You don't know me at all." "As for the dress, I'm not changing it." "It's there in the back." "Cover it with the flowers." "Shit!" "This is going to be a problem." "Put it here, and if it lifts its head, just push it down again." "Here." "A gift." "Come on, old timer." "So they dropped you like a hot potato in the middle of the road?" "No." "I left of my own accord, to get away from that animal." "It seems some people put up with him very well." "Listen, old man." "I need a favour." "When you see Gina, tell her I want her" "to forgive me." "I get into all sorts of trouble for not minding my own business." "Why not ask her yourself, son?" "See what she says." "I hope I never bump into that woman again." "The name's Ramón." "Just ask for me at work." "Help him down, Mariano." "Be careful, there." "Well, son..." "Take care." "Cándido!" "I'll give you a written report tomorrow." "But I can tell you now, we saved no less than sixty litres of petrol and two days expenses in cash." "Any trouble on the way?" "There are always problems, but there are always solutions, too." "In Sancti Spíritus I put the two coffins for Cárdenas together." "Here's the order." "Here it is." "Shit!" "What's wrong?" "Cándido, please..." " The ladder." " Yes." "Dear friends, families of the deceased." "On this morning we are united by a great sorrow." "Two very dear people are no longer with us." "Out of love, and only love, they have crossed the threshold of silence which leads us to immortality." "We are here today to say farewell to two unforgettable people, two lovers who, across time and space, kept their hearts united." "Two beings, consecrated to love," "Aunt Yoyita, as her nearest and dearest affectionately called her, and that fine fellow, Cándido, the generous musician who often cheered our Sundays from the bandstand in our distant hometown, Guantánamo." "They lived the most sublime moments of love." "For years, only their memory kept alive the flame of that love..." "A love which grew in their hearts, until, suddenly, both hearts burst as one in a flood of happiness, joy and immaculate glory." "In that one moment they touched the bounds of eternity." "Death unites them today in an imperishable embrace." "Those who die of love bequeath a lesson, at their passing, to those of us who remain, disconsolate and somewhat Ionelier on this side of the threshold." "That lesson, my friends, teaches us that love is the salt of life." "It is our task to follow the path which they trod, hand in hand like two lovers in search of eternal bliss." "Hey, listen!" "Don't go!" "Wait!" "I haven't finished my speech." "Help!" "Don't leave me here alone!" "Help!" "The ladder!" "Bring me the ladder!"