Boy Who Said No : An Escape to Freedom (9781608090815) (29 page)

“I hope you're hungry,” Maria said cheerfully. “I've got food for dinner.” She looked at me, and said, “I hope it's enough for a young soldier.”

“And a hungry one at that,” I said. I smiled at Maria, and she patted me on the back. Esme stood up and unpacked the bag. And I went down the hall to use the bathroom.

• • •

Right after dinner, Señor Lopez took me aside and said, “Cuni is coming tonight to take you to a different location.”

“Where?” I asked, both sad and relieved to be leaving this house.

“He's contacted your Uncle Luis, and your uncle's willing to put you up for a while. Cuni thinks it's too dangerous for you to stay here much longer. I'm too well known for helping people out.”

“But my uncle lives right in the center of Guanabacoa. That's where I grew up. My parents live there. It's the first place they'd look.”

“That's why Cuni wants you to go there. He believes it'll be the last place the authorities will search. He says they'll figure you're too smart to be hiding in the most likely of places.”

“Reverse psychology?”

“Something like that.”

“What do you think I should do?”

“Cuni has a lot of experience in these matters. You should trust his judgment.”

“All right,” I said. But I wasn't totally convinced of the wisdom of this decision.

That night around ten, I was welcomed into the home of my uncle, his wife, Rosa, and my cousins, Magali and Marisol. The girls were seven and eight. Cuni came in to talk with Luis for a while before he left.

“Frankie will be here with you for about ten days,” he said. “It may be a few days more or less, depending on how soon I can get a boat.”

“I understand,” said my uncle. “My nephew is welcome to stay here as long as necessary.”

Cuni nodded. “This is a very dangerous situation, and I want you to understand what's required.”

“Shoot,” said my uncle.

“The most important thing is to keep everything looking normal. Do the same chores, talk to the same people, keep your regular routine. Don't do anything unusual or anything that will draw attention.”

My uncle grew silent for a moment. Something was obviously bothering him. “We usually keep the front door open during the day,” he said in a concerned tone. “What should we do about that?”

“If that's what you do, then do it,” said Cuni. Luis and I looked at each other quizzically. Luis seemed puzzled as if wondering how this could be accomplished.

“Let me look around,” said Cuni.

Cuni surveyed the house. The rooms ran one behind the other from front to back: living room, master bedroom, girls' bedroom, and kitchen. A small hallway led to the backyard. Cuni examined the closets and the backyard. Rosa made us some coffee, and we sat down at the kitchen table to talk.

“Frankie will have to hide under the bed in your bedroom during the day,” Cuni told my uncle.

“All right,” said Luis tentatively.

Cuni thought for a moment. “What time do you usually close your door at night?”

“When it gets dark—eight thirty to nine.”

Cuni looked at me. “Then you'll have to stay under the bed all day, every day, until you leave. Lie face down so you can see people's feet in case someone comes into the house. Eat lunch under the bed. The way the house is laid out, you can scoot to the bathroom without being seen. Wait until it's dark to come out for exercise and dinner. You can sleep on the couch at night—as long as the door is closed and the shades are drawn.”

“All right,” I said, feeling nervous about the prospect of doing this.

“I'm sorry, Frankie, I know this will be uncomfortable, but it's necessary to ensure your safety.”

“It's not a problem.”

Cuni turned to Luis. “Are you sure you're okay with this? You're taking a big risk.”

“I'm glad to do it,” said Luis. “I have only one request.” He hesitated.

“Which is?”

“That I be permitted to go with Frankie when he leaves.”

Cuni looked momentarily perplexed, as if he wasn't sure what he heard. I was also surprised at the pronouncement.

“You want to escape, too?” asked Cuni.

“I do.”

“What about your family?”

“I'll claim them once I get to the States. But I have to get myself out first. I've wanted to do this for a very long time. I just haven't been able to figure out how. This is a chance of a lifetime.”

Cuni let out a whistle and leaned back in his chair. He looked up at the ceiling as if he were thinking, counting. A couple of minutes elapsed.

Finally, he said, “All right. I can make room for one more man. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I am.”

“What about the money?” I asked, knowing full well how much the fishermen charged.

Luis suddenly looked stricken. “I didn't know I had to pay. How much money do I need?”

“Don't worry about it,” said Cuni. “I'll talk to Lopez. I'm sure he'll cover your expenses.”

Luis and Rosa instructed their girls not to say anything to anyone about me being in the house. The next morning Magali and Marisol went to school as usual. Rosa opened the front door as usual while I hid under the bed.

The bed was covered with sheets and a yellow chenille bedspread that hung about an inch from the floor. Rosa tuned the radio to her usual station, and she chatted outside her house with the same neighbors—as always.

When the girls got home from school, they played with their friends, running in and out of the house as children do. Sometimes
they'd come into the room and jump on the bed. Depending on how hard they jumped, the springs would press on my back. But, to my relief, Rosa would always scold them and scoot them away. Often a ball would land near the bed, and I'd knock it away with the back of my hand without being noticed.

I used the bathroom and ate breakfast early in the morning while it was still dark and the door was still closed. When no one was looking, Rosa would slide me a plate of food under the bed for lunch.

The most difficult thing was staying still for so long. I was in very good shape and my body ached for exercise. When my leg muscles cramped, I had to work through the pain in my mind, since I was unable to reach down to knead them.

Although I could hear noises and activity all around me, it often felt like I was in solitary confinement. Sometimes I dozed off to sleep during the day, but I tried not to, afraid I might draw attention to myself by snoring.

I watched patterns of sunlight shift on the floor as I waited for dusk. I thought about Lazo and Manny and what had likely transpired at military exercises. I went over in my mind the tactics Pino might use to catch me and what I could do to thwart them. By now I figured the CDRs had plastered my picture on walls and telephone poles all over the country.

Expectantly, I listened for Rosa to close the front door at night so I could eat, exercise, and get some fresh air. After that, I liked to spend time sitting in my uncle's backyard, studying the stars like Abuelo had taught me and thinking about my future with Magda.

The military exercises were a huge success. Pino decided that the best course of action was to report that I was unable to perform my duties due to illness. This allowed him to avoid the repercussions of having a man gone AWOL under his command during such a sensitive time, while still giving him time to find me.

Lazo launched the rocket in my place, and he did an exemplary job. He hit the target on his second attempt and was rewarded with kudos from the two Castros and with wild cheering from the crowd. As soon as the men returned to base, however, Pino announced that his top priority was to find me.

I was considered a grave security risk due to my deep knowledge of Cuba's military secrets and weapons. Pino's biggest fear was that I would get to the States and divulge what I knew to the enemy. He was equally concerned that he would have to face the wrath of Raúl Castro for losing a man of such importance to national security. The consequences of that would be dire.

Upon returning to base, Pino established a command center to locate me, complete with maps of Guanabacoa and other areas. He affixed colored pushpins to the maps that identified places where I'd most likely hide and from which I'd most likely try to escape. He called a meeting with all the officers of the unit, including Lieutenant Brown and Commander Martinez to discuss how to approach the matter.

“I've given a lot of thought to Mederos,” he said. “I believe he's still in the country, and I want your input as to the best way to get him.”

“You don't think he's left already?” asked the base commander.

“No, do you?”

“I don't think he's trying to escape the country,” said Martinez. “He's no fool. He knows the risks involved. But we need to get him back to base as soon as possible. The longer this thing drags on, the more problems we'll have.”

Pino looked nonplussed. He turned to Lieutenant Brown. “Your thoughts?”

“My guess is that he got Magda pregnant during their last days together, and he is beside himself trying to figure out what to do. I think if you leave him alone, he'll come back by himself.”

Pino shot Brown a look of disdain. “That's bosh! Poppycock! Mederos was a worm. He knew his girlfriend was leaving the country and he planned to join her. It was an act of treason—pure and simple. You're a fool not to think so.”

“So what are you going to do about it?” asked Brown.

“I'd like this to remain an internal issue for the time being. I don't want word about his defection to get out. There's no use causing unnecessary embarrassment for ourselves.”

Martinez shook his head. “If you really want Mederos back, you should notify the police, the local CDRs, and the militia. Give them his description and his picture, and they'll take it from there. You'll have thousands of eyes looking for him. Then it's no longer our concern.”

“And look like fools in front of Raúl? I don't think so,” said Pino. “I'm confident we can bring him in. Let's do it my way for now.”

The next order of business was to backtrack my activities. The records showed that Sophia was the the last civilian to see me. Pino went to the CDRs and obtained her address without disclosing the reason for the inquiry.

Lieutenants Brown and Pino arrived at Sophia's home looking very official, their army uniforms laden with ribbons and medals. The
entire family was watching television when Sophia answered the door.

“Frankie Mederos has left the army base and hasn't been heard from since,” said Brown. “We were hoping you could shed some light on the situation.”

Sophia took a step backward and swept her hair away from her face with her long, slender hand. “Well, I went to the base to let him know his mother was sick and his girlfriend was leaving the country,” she said. “He seemed fine at the time.”

“Has he come to your house since you last saw him?” asked Pino.

“No,” lied Sophia.

“Do you have any idea where he may be?” asked Brown.

“No, did you try his house?”

“Not yet,” said Brown.

Pino looked around and saw that the house had been inventoried. “Are you leaving the country?”

“Yes,” said Sophia, without explanation.

Pino turned his attention to Rigo, Jr. “Is this your boy?”

Rigo looked fearful. “Yes,” said Sophia.

“How old is he?”

“That's none of your business,” said Sophia.

“Fourteen,” volunteered Rigo.

Pino nodded and a smile of satisfaction crossed his face. “I assume you don't want him to go into the army, am I correct?”

Sophia sighed and nodded slightly. She didn't want her voice to betray her emotions.

Pino smirked and handed Sophia his card. “If you see or hear from Mederos, be sure to call me.”

“I will,” said Sophia before quickly shutting the door.

Pino looked at Brown as they walked away. “I don't think she's telling the truth,” he said. “My gut says Mederos is hiding in there. Have the men surround the house and wait to see if he leaves so we can pick him up without drawing too much attention to ourselves. If
he doesn't come out within a couple of hours, we'll search the premises.”

“I think you're making a mistake,” said Brown. “That woman was telling the truth. It would be a waste of time to take this any further. You're not going to flush Mederos out. Just let her be.”

“I didn't ask your opinion,” snapped Pino.

“Then do it your way. You never listen to me anyway.”

Pino posted soldiers at strategic spots around the property and instructed them to wait the requisite amount of time. When I didn't appear, he ordered a thorough search of Sophia's home. But I was not to be found. Convinced that Sophia was lying, Pino interrogated her again. Only this time, he wasn't so nice.

“Lady, I don't believe a word you said about Mederos. You were the last one to see him. I know you are involved in this matter.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Let me put it this way. It is of vital importance to national security that we find Mederos.” Pino glanced at Rigo, Jr. “If this search goes on for any length of time, you might not be able to obtain your visas before your son turns fifteen.” He hesitated as if to lend weight to his statement. “There are ways to delay visas, sometimes for months, sometimes for years. And I know them all.”

“I'm sure you do,” said Sophia. “But I have nothing to say. And I don't appreciate you threatening us.”

Pino straightened his shoulders. “We have no reason to believe Mederos has left Cuba. For your information, we can and will find him,” he said in a tone that made Sophia shudder. “And once he confesses, you and your entire family will have a price to pay. You will be charged with conspiracy and treason. And the consequences will not be pretty.”