Boy Who Said No : An Escape to Freedom (9781608090815) (28 page)

“Was he at breakfast this morning?”

“No, sir. I haven't seen him all morning. He didn't look well yesterday. I understood he was sick.”

“Was anything unusual going on with him?”

“What do you mean, sir?”

“To your knowledge, did he have any problems? Was he depressed?”

“No, sir.”

Pino sighed. “It's imperative that he demonstrate the rocket at military exercises. We need to find him—soon. Had he mentioned that he was planning to escape?”

A muscle in Lazo's cheek jumped involuntarily, but Pino failed to notice. “No, sir, he never said anything like that.”

“Manny?”

“I never heard him speak of it.”

Pino hesitated for a moment, thinking. “Was something bothering him?”

“Not that I know of,” said Manny. “Except—”

“Except what?”

“Except yesterday he said he wasn't feeling well.”

“That's all?”

“That's all he said.”

“What about the girlfriend? Do you think he went to see her?”

“I have no idea,” said Manny.

“Lazo?”

“He didn't say anything like that to me.”

“But it's a possibility?”

“Anything's possible.”

“Do you know where she lives?”

“I have no idea,” lied Manny. “Every time we've seen her, it's been at the beach.”

“You know her name, don't you?”

“It's Magda,” said Manny, trying to appear helpful. “Magda Hernández.”

“Too bad it's such a common name,” interjected Brown.

“Do you know where she goes to school?”

“In Guanabacoa, I believe,” said Lazo.

Pino stood to indicate the interview was over. “That's all for now, men. If you think of anything else, notify us immediately.”

Manny and Lazo saluted and left. They said not a word, but exchanged worried glances as they walked down the hall.

Lieutenants Pino and Brown had a window of twenty-four hours before they had to leave for Las Villas. They had wanted to get an early start so they'd have more time to practice on location for military exercises. But, if necessary, they could postpone departure until the following day. The troops were well trained, and the delay probably wouldn't make much difference to their performance. They'd prefer to postpone the unit's arrival for a day rather than to show up without me—and have to explain my absence.

Giving me the benefit of the doubt, the two lieutenants decided the best course of action was to keep things as quiet as possible and try to find me on their own. They immediately left for the high school in Guanabacoa and obtained Magda's address from the school's secretary. For whatever reason, however, she failed to mention that Magda had not been in school for more than a month.

When the lieutenants arrived at Magda's house, they found it abandoned with a sign posted outside that read, “Do Not Enter. House Inventoried.” Pino and Brown walked around the neighborhood, inquiring about the family's whereabouts. No one knew where the Hernándezes had gone.

Finally, one woman told them that she had not seen anyone come or go from the house for weeks. Pino checked with a member of the local CDR and his suspicions were confirmed. The family had been issued visas and was thought to be in the States.

Pino turned to Brown and said, “This man had a girlfriend whose family was anticommunist, and you didn't know it? What's wrong with you?”

“It's not my job to know the political sympathies of all of my men,” retorted Brown. “That's your department.”

“With the amount of time you spend with your troops, I'd expect you to know these things. If you had paid the slightest attention to what was going on with your men, we wouldn't be in this mess.”

“You want me to grill every soldier about the political leanings of every single person they know?”

“It wouldn't be a bad idea.”

Brown shook his head. “It would be a total waste of time. If a man's family was anticommunist, do you think he'd tell me?”

“There are ways.”

“It doesn't matter,” snapped Brown. “We must find Mederos before we leave for Las Villas.”

“I don't like this at all,” Pino told Mikhail when he returned to base. “Mederos didn't go to see his girlfriend. She left the country more than a month ago. I'm willing to give him a few more hours because he's our best man—and we need him. But my guess is he's trying to escape.”

“Maybe he missed his girlfriend so much he went crazy,” offered
the commander. “Maybe he shot himself, hung himself—who knows?”

“Not Mederos. That's not his style. He's one of the coolest men I've ever known. Christ, he could launch those rockets without blinking an eye. The guy has nerves of steel. Besides, he didn't take his gun.”

“True,” said Mikhail.

“We have to face reality. A key man in the force has defected, and we must leave no stone unturned to find him.”

“It's not going to be easy. He's not only good at what he does, he's smart as a whip.”

“He may be smarter than any one of us, but he's not smarter than all of us,” said Pino.

Mikhail raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Never mind,” said Pino. He walked out of the office without shutting the door.

I could not have been more grateful for the hospitality of the Lopez family. Although I was very nervous, I felt like I had found a safe haven from the authorities—at least for a few days.

Señor Lopez and his wife treated me with the utmost care and respect, and Pedro and Joey seemed thrilled to have me around. The second night I was there, I helped the boys with their math homework. Joey had a test the next day, and he came home after school, proudly displaying an
A
. His parents praised him, but he graciously gave most of the credit to me.

Joey was an earnest, ambitious young man. He showed me his baseball card collection and some coins his grandfather had given him. He stored them carefully in a cigar box, each one wrapped in a small scrap of cloth so they wouldn't get scratched. He impressed me by knowing all the dates of the coins and which country they came from. He was obviously interested in history.

After dinner, Joey and I played gin rummy. He told me he played a lot of cards with his friends—and it showed. He quickly won the first two games. I prevailed in the second two and he won the last. I congratulated him, but he modestly said it was just good luck. I think he felt uncomfortable beating me. He reminded me quite a bit of myself at his age. His brother wandered into the room when the game was finished, and the three of us talked about getting together in America.

Maria's cooking was a highlight of my stay. The first night she prepared lemon chicken with beans, rice, and fried plantains. She served
a chocolate cake for dessert. It was a rare and wonderful treat. I had no idea where she managed to get chocolate, and I wasn't about to ask. It had been a long time since I'd had a home-cooked meal.

Suddenly, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. I missed my own family. I thought about the times we had shared in the past and the times we'd be unable to share in the future.

I wasn't sure whether my father had told my mother about me trying to escape. I tried not to think about it. If she knew, she'd be worried and unable to sleep. I could imagine her lighting a candle in church for me, making a novena, and pacing the floor with her rosary beads after the family had gone to bed. I hoped my father had spared her this news, at least for a while.

On my third day with the Lopezes, I wandered into the living room with a cup of coffee. The curtains were closely drawn for security reasons and the lamp on the end table was turned down low. I grabbed a coaster and placed my coffee cup on it so as not to leave a mark on the table. I was feeling a little drowsy and hoping the coffee would keep me awake.

The boys were at school and Señor Lopez and his wife were at work. I had the house to myself. I tried my best to relax. I sat on the sofa to watch the news, hoping my picture wasn't being splashed across every television screen in the country.

To my surprise, there was no mention of me. Instead, there was an episode of the television series
Zorro
. I was so engrossed in the adventures of the masked swordsman that, for a moment, I forgot about my situation.

The door creaked open. I looked up to see Esme, a startlingly beautiful woman in her early twenties. She had flawless skin, a finely chiseled nose, and full lips dressed in pink lipstick. Long eyelashes fringed her brown eyes and large, round breasts strained the bodice of her red dress. Silk stockings accentuated shapely legs that ended in black high heels.

Her slender waist was cinched in a wide leather belt. Pearl earrings dangled almost to her collarbone, and a matching pearl bracelet encircled her wrist. It was not the kind of attire I was used to seeing women wear, especially during the day. I felt a surge of adrenalin as I stood to greet her.

“Please, sit down,” Esme said. Her wide smile revealed a set of perfect white teeth. She brushed a strand of wavy black hair away from her face.

“I heard the television and wondered if you might like some company.” She nodded toward the television set. “Do you mind?”

“No, please. Turn it off, I'd love to have some company.” Esme walked to the other side of the room and switched off the TV. She sat down on the couch next to me, crossed her legs, and began tapping her foot nervously. I studied her slender ankles with interest.

She smiled and nodded. “My parents call you their hero.”

“That's overstating it. But thanks anyway.”

Esme sensed that I didn't know what to say, so she took the lead in the conversation. “I don't mean to be nosy, but how long do you think you'll be staying with us?”

“I'm not sure. I could be here a week or so—or I could leave today. It's out of my control.”

Esme took my hand. “It must be difficult. My father told me how you saved my brothers.”

I pulled my hand away from hers and smiled. “It was my honor. Pedro and Joey are very special people.”

“Joey said you helped him with his homework. Are you a teacher?”

“No, I'm just good at math.”

“I'm terrible at math.” Esme inched closer to me and pressed the length of her leg against mine. I felt myself getting aroused.

I took a deep breath. “Tell me about your husband,” I said, hoping to steer the conversation in a different direction.

Esme sighed and waved her hand dismissively. “He's in prison. He's
been gone for a very long time—and he's got a lot more time to serve. I'm very lonely and bored without him.”

“How long is his term?” I asked, wanting to keep the conversation focused on her husband.

“Six years. More than four to go.”

“I'm sorry.”

“What about you? Are you married?”

“Not yet, but I have a girlfriend. She's already left for the States.”

“So you must be lonely, too.”

“I miss her, but I've been very busy.”

Esme snuggled against me. I could feel the heat of her body against mine. I closed my eyes for a minute, enjoying the sensation. She put her hand on my thigh, and I looked up at her, startled. I let her hand linger for a minute before I placed it back on her lap. She frowned.

Provocative cologne scented the young woman's skin, and I was beginning to feel a little disoriented. My body urged me to surrender to temptation, but my mind warned against it.

I was in a safe house, fleeing for my life. Being so powerfully attracted to a woman was the last thing I expected to happen. My heart was racing. I was trying to quell my urge to take Esme in my arms, to run my hands over her breasts, and to insert my tongue into her mouth.
Christ!
I thought.
Have you lost your marbles?

Esme interrupted my reverie. “It seems like we're in the same boat,” she said in a low, husky voice.

“What do you mean?”

“You're missing your girlfriend, and I'm missing my husband. We're both very lonely.”

“Uh-huh,” I said. I didn't want to insult her, but I didn't want to encourage her either. What if her parents came home and found us doing something improper? I shuddered to think of the consequences.

Esme draped her arm around my shoulder, pressing her firm breasts against my side. She began kissing my ear, darting her tongue in and out and nibbling my earlobe. I sighed and moved slightly away
from her. I broke out in a cold sweat—it was all I could do to resist her.

“What's the matter? Don't you like me?”

“Of course, I like you. Who wouldn't like you?”

“I don't know. You seem—”

“What?”

“Reluctant.”

I sat up straight and moved my body a few inches away. “I have a girlfriend,” I said. “And you have a husband.”

“Why should that matter? Neither one of them are here, are they? Let's just relax and have fun.” She ran her hands over my chest and undid the top button on my shirt. “They'll never know. We wouldn't be hurting anyone.”

I took a long look at Esme. What she was saying sounded like something a man would say to a woman, not the reverse. I considered her proposal for a minute. She
was
alluring.

I took a deep breath. I needed to keep my wits about me. As much as I wanted her, I knew it would be folly to follow my instincts. I tried to focus on my goal of escaping. I hadn't come this far to lose everything over the need for a woman.

Suddenly the image of Magda flashed through my mind, and I imagined the guilt I'd feel if I betrayed her. I was just about to say something when the front door burst open, and Esme's mother walked in carrying a bag of groceries. She headed straight for the kitchen, barely giving us a glance. I got up from the couch, fastened my button, and took the bag from Maria. I set it down on the kitchen table.