Dzuŵa linali losauka pamene ndinatuluka mu bafa ya marina ndipo ndinamva wokondedwa wanga, Aussie, akulankhula mofuula pamene ankasungira kumbuyo kwa sitima yake.
"Ndithudi ine ndipita! Ichi ndi gawo la mbiriyakale! "Ndinadziwa kuti akhoza kungoyankhula chinthu chimodzi: Cuba.
"Kodi mukuyenda lero chifukwa cha maliro a Fidel?" Ndinamufunsa Aussie.
"Inde. Nyengo ikuwoneka bwino! Mphepo yamkuntho yochokera kummawa, iyenera kukhala ulendo wabwino kwambiri. "
"Kodi ndingabwere?" Ndinapempha, ndikusangalala kuti ndikafike ku Cuba . Ndinkakhala m'chombo chotchedwa Key West kwa zaka ziwiri, komabe ngakhale kuti ndinkangoyenda posachedwa pa zokopa za ku America kupita ku chilumbacho, sindinayambe ulendo wa makilomita 90 kupita ku Havana. Bwato langa komanso chombo changa sichikonzekera ulendo wokha .
Ulendo, ndithudi, unalibe nkhawa. Ndinkadandaula za momwe mlengalenga ukanakhalire ngati anthu a ku Cuba ataya mtsogoleri wawo. Boma linaletsa nyimbo ndi mowa kwa kanthawi, ndipo mosakayikira anali atcheru kwambiri. Ulendo wochokera ku Key West kupita ku Havana umatenga maola 14 mpaka 20 pa bwato .
Aussie anakonza gulu la anthu otchedwa motley Key Westers: Franky, msodzi yemwe sanadziwepo ndi ngalawa; Wayne, yemwe ankakhala mu marina ndipo sanali wodziletsa; ndi Scott, wojambulajambula yemwe wakhala akuthamangira ku Cuba kwa zaka zoposa 20.
Scott ankatsagana ndi mayi ndi mwana wamkazi amene anakonza zoti athandizidwe ndi kampani yodalirika yokhala ndi katswiri wamakono, koma mabwato adagulitsidwa .
Azimayi awiriwa ankawoneka ngati oledzera, osokoneza nsomba zojambula nsomba, mabokosi, ndi zinthu zina pazinthu zosangalatsa, "Pulani b" ngalawa yomwe Scott anakonza.
Tinachoka dzuŵa litalowa - mochedwa kuposa momwe tinkayembekezera - ndi mphepo zomwe sizinali zomveka makilomita 9 kapena 11 pa ora monga Aussie ananeneratu. Mmalo mwake, iwo anali kuwomba kuposa 25mph ndi mafunde kuzungulira mamita khumi ndi awiri.
"Ndizovuta pang'ono apa! Ndipatseni ine madzi a lalanje! "Aussie anafuula kwa Franky ndi Wayne, omwe anali akumwa madzulo onse. Anapukuta chinthu china m'kati mwa galasi ndikupereka galasi pamwamba pamakwerero kwa Aussie pamsana, ndipo amavala t-sheti ya tee yachitsulo yomwe imawomba mphepo. Amadontheza madziwo kunja.
"Kodi pali vodka muno? Ine ndinati madzi a lalanje! "Iye anadutsa galasi kumbuyo, koma ogwira ntchito mmwamba ankawoneka osokonezeka.
"Cholakwika ndi chiyani?" Adafunsa Wayne.
"Sindikudziwa! Mwinamwake ndiwamphamvu kwambiri? Onjezerani madzi ambiri a lalanje, "Franky adayankha kuti asamvetse chifukwa chimene woyang'anirayo adabweretsanso 'juzi.'
Marita adamufunsa kuti, "Ndi chiyani chomwechi?" Phokoso lofanana ndi kavalo la galimoto lapamwamba la galimoto linapitiliza kumapita mphindi zochepa.
"O, si kanthu," Aussie anamutsimikizira, ndipo ndinamumva akufotokoza chinachake chokhudza mphaka amene akanatha kutenga.
Pamene tinayandikira Gulf Stream, yomwe inali yotentha kwambiri yamadzi, nyengoyi idapitirirabe. Zinthu zinali kugwera chifukwa antchito anali kumwa m'malo mowapeza. Ndinayesa kukwera kupita kumalo osungirako zinyumba pamene televizioni inagwa pansi pamapewa anga. Franky anali pamakwerero pamene botilo linamangirira, kumukankhira kukhoma.
Wayne adatambasula dzanja lake pa Mulungu amadziwa zomwe zimatuluka kulikonse. Chimbudzi chimodzi sichinali kugwira ntchito ndipo mpando wa ena unachoka. Panthawiyi, pafupi asanu ndi awiri a ife tinali kuwoloka mbali ya ngalawayo, kuphatikizapo Scott yemwe adapita ku Cuba ka 200 (kapena kuti anati).
Wayne, yemwe anali kuvala nsapato zanga zomwe ndimakonda kwambiri zomwe zinasokonekera ku Marina masiku angapo m'mbuyo mwake, anali kumangodya fodya ndikuyesa kutonthoza mwana wake wamkazi, dzina lake Martha, ndikumuuza kuti ayang'ane nyenyezi.
"Ingokufikirani ku nyenyezi, kuzigwira, ndi kuziyika m'thumba lanu," iye anadandaula. "Kodi si zokongola?" Anamupempha kuti asakanize paphewa.
"Chonde musandikhudze. Sindikumva bwino, "Mindy adayesa kumukankhira.
"Hey captain, injini ikuyaka kwambiri," anatero Franky. Iwo anawutembenuza iwo, ndipo phokoso la mafunde ndi mphepo zinalira mofuula.
Ndinapindika pansi pa pulaco ndipo ndinkayesetsa kugona. Ndinadzuka modzidzidzimutsa pamene mafunde amphamvu anasefukira pamtunda mwanga, kunditentha kwambiri monga Captain Aussie akufuula kuti "mphepo yamkunthoyi sinali yoyenera!"
"Ndikapenda thalauza langa!" Marita anadandaula. "Kodi muli ndi chidebe?"
"Pita pansi ndikugwiritsira ntchito mutu," Aussie anatsindika.
"Sindingathe! Izo zathyoledwa, ndipo pali mabokosi ndi mitengo yophika panjira. "Kuyesera pee mu chimbudzi kunali ngati kugwiritsa ntchito bafa pa sitima ya Amtrak yomwe idangopitirira. Tonse tinali odzaza ndi madzi.
"Hey captain," Franky adayambiranso pamene phokoso likubweranso. "Pampu yamadzi imasweka. Pali madzi onse pansi apa. "Tsopano aliyense anali akuwombera.
Kulimbirana kunapitirira usiku, ndipo zinamveka ngati zaka zambiri zisanafike dzuwa lisanathe, ndipo Havana anaonekera pamtunda. Nyengo inayamba kutonthozeka pamene tidafika, kusweka ndi kumenyedwa, kudziko lamtundu wachisoni.
Pafupi ndi nyanja ya Marina Hemingway, alonda achikhalidwe a ku Caribbean anadikirira , kumangoyang'ana pansi pamipando pansi pa gazebo mthunzi pamene tinayandikira mumzindawu. Havana anali osakayika kuti azikhala mwamtendere titatha mkuntho wamisala a Key West.
Ndinawombera ndikuwombera njira yanga kupita ku uta wa boti, zovala zanga zowopsya komanso zolimba kuchokera m'madzi a mchere zimamera, koma masokosi anga ndi nsapato zinkangopitirirabe. Khungu langa linatenthedwa ndi kutuluka panja ndikuvutitsidwa kuchokera ku televizioni ndikugwera pa ine, ndipo kununkhira kwa "ulendo" (masanzi) pa miyendo yanga yamkati inali kuyendetsedwa mlengalenga. Nditamenyana ndi mseru, sitimayo yaikulu, yomwe inali yabwino kwambiri, inali pafupi ndi ife kupita ku Havana yodzala ndi anthu ogona bwino.
Titafika, gulu lathu linapita ku Plaza de la Revolucion, komwe zikwi zambiri zinasonkhana kuti zilemekeze monga mawu a monotone kuchokera pamakanema adathokoza zomwe Fidel anachita. Ambiri anali akulankhulana mwaokha, atakhala pamsewu pamtunda ngati kuti akudikirira kanema wamkati kuti ayambe. Panali nthawi yaitali kuyembekezera kuyamika taxi ya Chevrolet yakale ya Cuba, ndipo Havana anali chete ndi bata.
Malinga ndi Mindy wa ku Boston, tinayenda mozungulira Havana. "Koma osati chifukwa cha Cuba. Anthu a ku Cuba akuwoneka ngati abwinobwino. Ndimasokonezeka ndi chikhalidwe chifukwa cha opusa a Wester Key ndi sewero lawo lonse. "