Welcome To Havana

“Welcome to Havana” Sebastian said with a smile. He handed a small white envelope to the white american man, who was dressed in a formal business tuxedo with a small red pin attached to his chest. Sebastian was simply following the procedure he had complied with innumerable times before. The white man stepped to the corner of the airport and took a peek inside. He smiled. Sebastian shook hands with the man in the suit and escorted him towards the small black car waiting outside. He knew it was the last time he would ever see the man again- or for that matter, the last time anyone would ever see the man again. His part of the job was done. Sebastian opened the door for him, then walked around the car and waited for the driver’s window to be rolled down. He shook hands with the driver. That was the signal. The beckon that the job had been done. He observed the black car, with the white man in it, drive away into the fading sunlight; an image he had seen countless times before. The night fell soon upon the Cuban city, and every night was a celebration.
Sebastian awoke with a sweat. He rubbed his eyes, and forced himself out of his bed. It wasn’t really a bed- just a mattress on the floor with some sheets on it. It didn’t matter, however; after all, he knew that in time, he would save up enough money to buy a spacious residence off the coast. He looked out the window at the ascending sun, reflecting on the black car driving away- that image- and what it signified. Sometimes, he didn’t like to think about it. Constantly, he would tell himself “Just till I save up enough money. Nothing else. I don’t even do the dirty work. I do nothing wrong. Just until I save up enough...” He went into the kitchen to pour himself some coffee. There was a knock on the door. Sebastian dropped the coffee pot on the counter. He was excited. This knock signified the only admirable part of this life he was caught in, and the only justification he had to do it at all. He rushed to the door. Turning the first lock, then the second, and finally unlatching the third, the wooden door squeaked open. “Buenos Dias-” He could barely finish before he realized that it was not his friend at the door, who he was expecting, but instead another man. The man contained the same two envelopes in his hand that came with the usual guy- Sebastian's friend, Fernando.
“Where’s Fernando?” Sebastian asked the bulk man. The bulk man was speechless. Sebastian was not surprised, as almost everything in this business is kept strictly to that- business. The bulk man handed him the white and yellow envelopes. Sebastian took them. He started to walk away.
“Where’s Fernando?” He yelled down the hall. The bulk man didn’t even budge- He continued to advance down the path as if he hadn’t even heard the comment. Sebastian closed his door, turning the locks along the way. He thought about Fernando- he knew what had happened to him, but he didn’t want to accept it. He knew Fernando had consulted for an American secret agent- an act strictly forbidden. Sebastian had kept it a secret. The American agent had threatened Fernando- He was weakened easily. He knew what the punishment for doing this was too- the same fate of the man in the black car. Sebastian threw his fists on the table. “Why?!” He screamed to himself, angered.
Sebastian thought back to the day before. Fernando had knocked on the door repeatedly- which was very unusual. Sebastian was still asleep, and the knocking woke him up. “He’s early” he had thought to himself as he got out of bed and hurried to unlock the door. Fernando scampered in. “I don’t know what to do you have to help me Sebastian I’m scared! Oh they are going to kill me Sebastian! Please! You must hide me!” Sebastian had no idea what was going on at the time. Fernando had red stains on his shirt.
“Calm down” he had said to Fernando. “Now, tell me, what happened.” Fernando looked up at him, sweat dripping from his forehead. “Last night,” Fernando said, “After the club. I was walking home, and a white man stopped me in my tracks. He looked at me and with one punch knocked me out. I woke up tied to a chair- in a broken down old cathedral. I didn’t know where I was. I attempted to get out of the chair but I could not budge. The ropes were so tight... they were hurting my wrists” Fernando observed his own wrists, and Sebastian saw that they were stained red from prior bleeding. “Then, a different white man came in. I tried to ask him questions, but every time I did all he did was slap me. He would say ‘Shut up!’. I was so scared, Sebastian. Then he started to ask me questions...” Fernando started to think about what he had done. “And? What kind of questions did he ask you?” Sebastian looked at his friend. Fernando looked back, with a stare of pure fright on his face. He was trembling. “I- I- must go.” Fernando handed him the two envelopes. “Wait, Fernando!” Sebastian yelled as his friend made his way out the door. “We will talk tomorrow. I must go now.” Fernando whispered through the crack left in the door. He ran down the hallway. “Fernando!” Sebastian yelled. He didn’t even look back.
Sebastian understood what Fernando had done. He also understood why he hadn’t told him- if he had account of the information, Sebastian would be in the same place as wherever Fernando was at the moment. Sebastian looked down at the two envelopes the bulk man administered to him. One of them, the yellow envelope, he deposited in the refrigerator. It settled alongside about one-hundred and fifty others. He made a mark on the side of the refrigerator. “One-hundred and fifty” Sebastian thought to himself. He closed the refrigerator and scurried over to the white envelope. The time on the envelope was labeled 10:15. This was an early morning run- much earlier than usual.
Sebastian mounted his bicycle and headed for the airport. When he arrived, he left his bike at a spot around back, as he always did. He entered the airport and waited. His watch stated the time 10:10 when he saw a white man- with a business tuxedo and a red pin- walk towards him. Sebastian straightened his stance. “Welcome to Havana” Sebastian said with a smile to the man, handing him the white envelope. The man went into the same corner as multiple others before him, gave a quick inspection of the inside of the envelope, and smiled. He shook hands with Sebastian. Sebastian led him out to the outside of the airport. The black car was sitting outside, waiting. Sebastian opened the door for him. The man sat inside. Sebastian made his way around the car to the driver, and took note of something unusual. There were men in black suits everywhere- from the airport entrance to the parking garage. This event was not usual. It seemed very surreal. He slowly approached the driver and the window rolled down. He did not notice the man driving the car. Sebastian realized something was wrong. He turned around in an attempt to make a run for his bike, but a man in a black suit was directly behind him. He knocked him out with a single punch.
Sebastian faded in and out of consciousness, but he knew he was in the trunk of the black car- the same one he saw every day. Hours seemed to pass like minutes, and when he fully regained consciousness, he was tied to a chair in a broken down cathedral. “Deja Vu” He thought to himself. One man in a black suit approached him. “Sir- who-” Sebastian could not finish his sentence before the man slapped him.
“Listen”, the man said. “You are going to tell us everything. Do you understand?” The man had a knife in his hand. Sebastian, frightened, shook his head yes. Sweat slowly trickled down his forehead. The man smiled at him. “Well then.” He stood up. “Aren’t you going to welcome me to Havana?”

THE END